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Wild orang-utan rehabilitation reserve on Kalimantan's river
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About Tanjung Puting
Tanjung Puting's orang-utan rehabilitation reserve protects Southeast Asia's great apes in Kalimantan's river landscape, where slow boats penetrate deep swamps to encounter rehabilitated individuals. This reserve represents humanity's commitment to primate conservation.
Best months to visit
Year-round
Language
Indonesian, English
Things to do in Tanjung Puting
Klotok boat river explorations into reserve
Orang-utan feeding platform observations
Rehabilitation center volunteer work
Proboscis monkey spotting river tours
Freshwater dolphin river searchings
Local Dayak indigenous village cultural visits
Weather by month
Click any month for detailed weather information and travel tips.
January
30C
Hot and humid, with frequent heavy rain.
February
30C
Hot and humid, with frequent heavy rain.
March
30C
Hot and humid, with frequent heavy rain.
April
30C
Hot and humid, with frequent heavy rain.
May
30C
Hot and humid, with frequent heavy rain.
June
30C
Hot and humid, with frequent heavy rain.
July
30C
Hot and humid, with frequent heavy rain.
August
30C
Hot and humid, with regular rainfall.
September
31C
Hot and humid, with regular rainfall.
October
31C
Hot and humid, with frequent heavy rain.
November
30C
Hot and humid, with frequent heavy rain.
December
30C
Hot and humid, with frequent heavy rain.
Tanjung Puting National Park, in the swampy lowlands of Central Kalimantan, is one of the best places on Earth to see wild orangutans — its rivers wind through dense peat-swamp forest to feeding platforms where rehabilitated apes, including the famous Camp Leakey research station founded by Birutė Galdikas in 1971, gather in plain view. The classic way to visit is by klotok, a traditional wooden houseboat that becomes your floating hotel as you drift upriver spotting proboscis monkeys, hornbills, and gibbons along the banks.
Best areas to stay in Tanjung Puting
Kumai
The riverside town where klotok boat trips begin, with a small port, markets, and basic guesthouses for travellers arriving from Pangkalan Bun.
Tanjung Harapan
The first major feeding station inside the park, often the first stop on klotok itineraries and a reliable spot for orangutan sightings.
Camp Leakey
The historic research station founded in 1971, still an active feeding and rehabilitation site and the most famous location in the park.
Sekonyer River
The main waterway through the park, lined with nipa palms and peat-swamp forest where proboscis monkeys and birdlife are commonly seen from the boat.
Getting to Tanjung Puting
✈
Flights
Fly into Iskandar Airport (PKN) in Pangkalan Bun via Jakarta, then a short transfer to Kumai to board a klotok.
⏱
From London
~19-21 hours total journey time from London via Jakarta
🚕
Getting around
All movement within the park is by klotok houseboat, which serves as transport, accommodation, and dining for the duration of the trip.
Frequently asked questions
When is the best time to visit Tanjung Puting?
The dry season (May to September) offers the most comfortable river travel and best wildlife viewing, though orangutans can be seen year-round at feeding stations regardless of season.
How do I get to Tanjung Puting?
Fly into Pangkalan Bun (PKN) from Jakarta, then transfer to the river port at Kumai, where multi-day klotok boat trips into the park begin.
What is there to do at Tanjung Puting?
Multi-day klotok river cruises are the main activity, visiting feeding platforms at Tanjung Harapan, Pondok Tanggui, and Camp Leakey, with wildlife spotting along the riverbanks at dawn and dusk.
What food is available at Tanjung Puting?
On klotok trips, a cook on board prepares Indonesian meals — rice, fish, vegetables, and tempeh — throughout the journey; Kumai and Pangkalan Bun have simple local restaurants for before or after.
Is English widely spoken at Tanjung Puting?
Boat guides who lead orangutan trips generally speak good English, as this is a long-established route for foreign wildlife tourism, though little English is spoken elsewhere in the region.
Traveler reviews
★★★★★
Three days on a klotok was one of the best wildlife experiences of my life — orangutans swinging right overhead at Camp Leakey, proboscis monkeys leaping between trees along the river, and sleeping on deck under mosquito nets listening to the forest.
Naomi C. · July 2024
★★★★★
The slow pace of drifting up the Sekonyer River was wonderfully calming, and seeing orangutans in genuinely wild surroundings rather than a zoo enclosure felt completely different. Our crew cooked great food on board too.
Ben R. · August 2023
★★★★☆
Logistically a bit of a mission to reach, but completely worth it. The feeding platforms can feel slightly busy with other boats, but the river journeys between them were the real magic.
Marta L. · September 2024
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