If you want to see orangutans in Borneo, one of the best places to do it is at the Tanjung Puting National Park in Kalimantan, Indonesia.
The jungle at Tanjung Puting is home to hundreds of Borneo’s animal species, including some rare and endemic ones, and you get to see all of this while staying on a ‘Klotok’ houseboat as it winds along the Sekonyer river.
This travel guide will explain how to get to Tanjung Puting and see the orangutans, which boat tour company to use, and everything else you need to know before you go!
How To Get To Tanjung Puting National Park
Tanjung Puting is located on Borneo island, in the Central Kalimantan province of Indonesia, and if you look at it on a map it’s actually on the southern tip of the island.
The nearest town and airport is Pangkalan Bun (PKN), and there are direct flights every day from Jakarta, Surabaya, and Semarang. If you’re coming to Tanjung Puting from Bali, then you’ll have to transit in one of those airports on the way to Pangkalan Bun. You can shop for flights on Skyscanner.
Once you arrive in Pangkalan Bun, it’s a 15 minute drive to the harbor in Kumai, and depending on your arrival time, you can usually go directly to the harbor and start your tour of Tanjung Puting National Park.
Most tour companies will pick you up for free from town or the airport, and then bring you to the harbor where your boat will be waiting. From there, you can reach the entrance of the Sekonyer river and the national park in less than an hour of boat travel!
River Boat Cruise: What To Expect
Tanjung Puting is normally accessed by boat via the Sekonyer river, and this is done with an all-inclusive liveaboard boat called a ‘Klotok,’ which usually has a crew of at least 4 people: a boat captain, a deckhand, a tour guide, and a cook.
The river moves very slowly, so you don’t have to worry about seasickness, rapids, waves, or anything like that on your journey into the park.
Besides enjoying the wonderful views from the boat, you’ll also make several stops to get off the boat and go see animals in the jungle, which involves a bit of short, flat trekking.
The Klotok boats usually have space for up to 8 people in total, with the guests staying on the upper level while the crew lives in the bottom level.
Our boat had a reasonably comfy bed and bathroom, with a flush toilet and shower, although the facilities overall are pretty basic.
Think of it kind of like glamping. It’s not luxury, but it’s comfortable enough.
Meals are provided every day on the boat, and the food in our experience was great, including tempeh, omelets, toast, pancakes, fish, chicken, rice, noodles, soup, and all kinds of fruit and veggies. Everything we ate was fresh and good.
Some Klotok boats have A/C, but most do not, and it’s not really needed. You may be hot and sweaty during the day, but at night the temperatures drop and it’s easy to cool off with a cold shower before bed.
Electricity is by generator in the evenings, so we were able to use the outlets to charge our phones and other electronics from time to time. It’s still a good idea to bring a fat power bank, though.
The boats have good rain covers so you don’t have to worry about getting wet either. We experienced a massive storm and downpour on our first night in the park, but everything in the boat stayed safe and dry.
Tours at Tanjung Puting typically last 2 or 3 days, but you can stay longer if you have the time and budget, or you can visit on a 1 day trip with a speedboat if you’re in a hurry.