The Best of Indonesia’s Wildlife

Arrive in Jakarta and connect with a flight to Pangkalan Bun, your entry point to Indonesian Borneo (Kalimantan). Transfer to Kumai jetty to board your houseboat. The houseboat, or klotok, is a traditional wooden river boat about 6m by 2m with a roof forming the upper deck from where one can survey the lush rainforest. Travel upstream into Tanjung Puting National Park spotting proboscis monkeys, long-tailed macaques and saltwater crocodiles along the way.

After breakfast, board your boat and travel to Pondok Tanggui to see the morning feeding of the rehabilitating orang-utans. Continue upstream (around two hours) to the famous Camp Leakey. Camp Leakey was set up in 1971 by Louis Leakey to support research into orang-utans and, over the years, scientists there have habituated and studied hundreds of orang-utans. You will have a little time to walk round the visitor centre before seeing the 3pm feeding of the orang-utans (agile gibbons and bearded pigs are also often seen). This is usually the busiest of the feeding stations (both in terms of tourists and orang-utans) and normally a large number of orang-utans can be seen, including many young apes plus the occasional large male. Return to your boat and motor to a quiet part of the river where you will moor up for the night. Enjoy dinner on board and then settle down to sleep under mosquito nets on the deck of the boat.

Wake up to the sounds of the forest and enjoy a cooked breakfast on the boat. Return to Camp Leaky and begin a trek through the rainforest with your private naturalist guide, hopefully to encounter some of the wild forest inhabitants. Enjoy a picnic lunch in the rainforest and then return to your boat. Head back downstream to your lodge for a well-earned hot shower and delicious Indonesian dinner.

Depart before dawn and cruise downriver, watching the forest wake up around you and enjoying your breakfast served on board. Continue to Pangkalan Bun and take flight to Jakarta. Connect with onward flight to Lampung. Transfer to Way Kambas National Park. Evening walk in search of the Sunda slow loris, nightjars, frogmouths and owls.

Located on the southern tip of the large island of Sumatra, Way Kambas National Park is one of the last strongholds of the Sumatran elephant, Sumatran tiger and Sumatran rhinoceros, the latter two being particularly rare and difficult to see. Enjoy a full day to explore the park through a combination of walking, boat trips and game drives. Large mammals often seen include sambar deer, red muntjac, wild boar, siamang gibbons and silvered langur. Rarer sightings include Sumatran elephant, Malaysian tapir, sun bear and small cats.

Enjoy a day in the Way Kambas National Park. Enjoy some early morning birdwatching then return to the lodge for breakfast. After breakfast, drive slowly through the park to Way Kanan Ranger station. Take a boat to Kalibiru for a fascinating walk either to a game-viewing platform or to Rawa Gajah, a swamp area where elephants are often seen, depending on water levels. Sambar deer, wild boar, binturong and the endangered white winged wood duck are seen too. The trail often reveals the scats, pugmarks and tree scratching of tigers. After a picnic lunch, walk slowly back to the boat and return by the river boat. Possibly see some primates, different bird species, deer and elephants en route. Evening spotlighting looking for nocturnal animals.

Enjoy a morning of birdwatching and return to the lodge for lunch. Drive deep into the national park looking for Siamang gibbons, birds and other animals en route. After around an hour, you will arrive at the Way Kanan river. Way Kanan offers hours of exceptional wildlife viewing as it transects the park. Common sightings include long-tailed macaques, mitred leaf monkey, silver langur monkey, sambar deer, muntjac deer, barking deer, otters, estuarine crocodiles, kingfishers, bee-eaters and a host of forest and water birds. If extremely lucky, you may see one of the rarities of the park such as forest elephants, Malaysian tapir, sun bear, Sumatran rhino or even a Sumatran tiger.

Continue downstream almost to the sea where palm forest dominates. Wait for sunset and make the journey in reverse spotlighting to see nocturnals such as the buffy fish owl, civets, flying squirrels, Malaysian tapir and porcupines. This area is particularly renowned for its nocturnal cats with excellent chances of spotting leopard cats. If very lucky, you may even glimpse the exceptionally rare clouded leopard.

In the morning visit Bambangan, a ranger station and reforestation project. Learn about anti-poaching patrols of the rangers, travel downstream by boat and plant a tree at the reforestation centre. Take a guided walk through the forest in search of birds and other wildlife. Enjoy another afternoon boat trip on Way Kanan to look for wildlife. If lucky, you may be allowed to visit the Sumatran Rhino Breeding Centre to learn about their work and to see some of the resident rhinos. Please note that visits to the centre cannot be guaranteed due to the sensitive nature of the breeding programme (entrance fee/donation not included). In the evening take a night walk/drive in search of nocturnal birds and mammals.

Drive back to Lampung and take a flight to Jakarta. Connect with onward flight to Labuan Bajo and transfer to hotel on arrival. Located on the island of Flores, Labuan Bajo is the main departure point for Komodo and Rinca Islands, home to the infamous Komodo dragon, the main draw of the islands. Enjoy the rest of the day at leisure at the hotel.

This morning transfer to the harbour to board your private local boat with naturalist guide and full crew and sail to Rinca Island. Disembark on Rinca Island and enjoy a morning trek with your guide and local ranger in search of Komodo dragons and other wildlife. Perhaps enjoy some snorkelling in the afternoon, before sailing to Komodo Island. Drop anchor and watch the sun set over Komodo Island. Spend the night on board the boat (there are mattresses, mosquito nets, flushing toilet and a cold shower).

After breakfast, land on Komodo and take a walk on the island with your guide and a local ranger to see more Komodo dragons and other wildlife. Komodo is more heavily forested than Rinca and has more wildlife to see: expect Timor deer and wild boar plus a wide range of bird species including yellow-crested cockatoo and white-bellied sea eagle. In the afternoon, visit the Pink Beach for some wonderful snorkelling, then return to Labuan Bajo.

Take a flight to Jakarta. Connect with onward flight to Manado. Transfer the short distance to your hotel.

Pick-up for 2 hour private road transfer to the Tangkoko National Park. En route you will stop at Airmadidi village, famous for the local produce including dried nutmeg, candied fruits, snacks, etc. Afternoon guided tour of the Tangkoko National Park. Explore the dry tropical forest in search of some of the commonly seen species here including a habituated group of endemic Sulawesi crested macaques, bear cuscus and red-knobbed hornbill. This is also one of the best places in the world to see spectral tarsiers, small nocturnal primates that inhabit some of the huge fig trees of the park. Stay to watch the Tarsiers emerge at sunset and return to your lodge for dinner and OPTIONAL night walk.

Enjoy a final morning guided walk in the Tangkoko National Park. As well as the excited endemic primates you can also see many birds here including Lilac Kingfisher, Sulawesi (Dwarf) Kingfisher, Green-backed Kingfisher, Sulawesi Hornbill, Knobbed Hornbill, Maleo, Red-bellied Pitta and Tabon Scrubfowl. Then return by road (2 hours) to Manado and check-in to your hotel.

After breakfast at the hotel, transfer to Manado airport and fly home.