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4-Day Private Orangutan and Bornean Primates Tour from Pangkalanbuun
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Ways to Experience Orangutan Applause - Day Tours
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Reviewed April 18, 2016

Took a 3nights/4 days tour. Everything worked out as planned and turned out just great! For simplicity I asked Dessy to handle the local flights for me. Do get to the airport early - the Jakarta airport is hectic and staff is handling things painfully slowly! There are only a few direct flights operating daily from Jakarta to Pangkalanbuun (the airport in Central Kalimantan where the tour starts) and they tend to fill up fast. I used Trigana on the way there and returned with Kalstar – the actual flight is only 1 hour 15 minutes but patience is key as flights are delayed constantly. Now the good part: Dessy met me in the airport and we were underway. The 4 person crew met us at the dock – Arif - the Guide, the boat Captain, the Cook and the Helper. The boat was a typical Indonesian river boat the”Klotok” named aptly from the “klok tok tok” sound of the diesel engine. On the lower level is a small bathroom with a western-style toilet and shower/sink (with pumped river water) the crew stays below while guests occupy the top deck. On the top deck are two different eating areas, deck chairs and the matrasses that with mosquito nets that become tents for the night. The journey began and soon entered the river that borders the Tanjung Putting National Park. There is lush, rich vegetation on both sides of the river and beautiful wildlife is abundant. Arif is very knowledgeable, has detailed guide books and binoculars and constantly pointed out various species from birds to fireflies. We visited the 3 major feeding sites and saw approx. 30 -35 orangutans as well as proboscis monkeys, lemurs and macaques. It is a good idea to bring a sturdy open sandal to trek to the feeding site, as we had to walk across water and slippery mud. In spite of the heat, the occasional rain it was a magical experience! Like watching a National Geographic documentary – except you are actually acting in it…I felt so privileged to watch these magnificent orangutans in their own environment. As we anchored for the night at a quiet spot by the shore, a whole group of proboscis monkeys settled down for the night literally just above our head and around our kloktok. Sleeping on the top deck was soooo exciting – the sounds of the tropical rainforest is unforgettable…
The food was tasty, fresh and plentiful. The crew was professional and enthusiastic to assist us with everything. Dessy and Arif dedication made this trip exceptional - highly recommended and I will cherish the memory forever.

I hope the photos speak for themselves…

Date of experience: March 2016
4  Thank mgellan007
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed April 18, 2016

Arif and Dessy professionally handled our complicated travel arrangements - our flight was delayed 2 hours and we still made the orangutan feeding the first day. Also, they accommodated an earlier departure flight than usual - all with grace and good cheer. The boat was comfortable, the food very good and plentiful and the crew attentive. Everything ran like clockwork. But what really places this tour in the excellent category is Arif. He is so fun to be around - very knowledgeable and with a quick wit and interest in what the client is interested in. Of course, birds and conservation are his things - but he was able to show us tiny orchids and discuss the macro economics of development as well. He and Dessy remembered my daughter fondly (from a previous trip she had with them) and treated us all like family. We visited 3 orangutan feeding sites with plenty of time at each. We also saw orangutan, long tail macaque and proboscis monkeys in the trees along the river. It was a great experience and I recommend Orangutan Applause to everyone who wants to go to the jungle instead of the zoo to see these creatures.

Date of experience: April 2016
2  Thank maryrG162IG
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed April 6, 2016 via mobile

There was no question about seeing the Orangutans when I booked my trip to Indonesia but the question was with who. Orangutan applause was the perfect choice. Dessy and Arif are two very wonderful people. They are passionate, knowledgeable and fun....what more could you want? The whole experience was easy, interesting, fun and a true 'once in a life time' experience but only because Dessy and Arif go above and beyond to ensure this is the case. The food is delicious, Arif knows a lot about all the wildlife in the rainforest not just the Orangutans. He gets so excited when a bird flys over, animal identification books come out and interesting stories and information follow. The staff on the boat ate lovely and nothing is too much trouble. Constant supply of cold water, occasional cold can of coke and the real treat......cold wet towels after a little trek through the jungle !! There is so much more i could write but really you just need to go and experience it for yourself!!!!

Date of experience: March 2016
3  Thank Jennyfish27
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed March 27, 2016 via mobile

Wow, where do i start? Arif and Dessy are wonderful people. We spent 3 days and 2 nights on the boat tour. The food was wonderful and our tour guide Arif spoke very good english. He knows a lot about the local wildlife and is passionate about the environment and saving the animals. Arif and his crew made it fun, relaxing and enjoyable. Dessy went above and beyond to help us book our incoming and outgoing flights. She also took us out to see the local area, extra trip to see the houses along the river and eat the local food. I literally cannot recommend these two enough. If i could give them more than 5 stars i would.

Date of experience: March 2016
4  Thank curlymarie03
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed March 26, 2016 via mobile

First of all, if you are struggeling doing the tour or not: DO IT!

It has been one of the most amazing things I ever did in my life. Dessy and Arif are so helpful and caring, they do everything to make their guest feel happy and comfortable. Dessy is an impressive woman who can organize everything you need. :) She took care of my flight booking, train ticket, hotel, asked for food allergies or special needs...

Arif guided us (Im a solo traveller but for the tour Dessy found 2 other girls and we shared the boat, which meant less to pay and a lot of fun!) trough the rainforest and told us everything about Orang-Utans, all the other monkeys and apes, birds, bugs and plants. He is so well educated, speaks excellent english and you can learn a lot if you listen to him. But the most important thing is that he really, really loves his job! He's been so excited every time we spotted an animal or took a great picture! :) It has been like: WHOOOAAA, did you see that? WOW, look over there! - the whole time! Because Arif knows the Rainforest so well and is such a good lookout, we have seen wild and semi-wild Orang-Utans (not only at the feeding stations!), gibbons, long tail makakes, squirrels, a lot of birds&bugs.

The life on bord has been very chilled, great food (thanks to the cook), cold drinks and sleeping with the sound of the jungle :) The whole crew has been so lovely!

There are no words to express how I loved doing this trip! Im taking home a lot of unforgettable memories and many, many great pictures. I believe this may be a once in life time experience and I am so glad I did it!

Thank you so much for everything! 😙😙😙

Date of experience: March 2016
5  Thank caroma36
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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