Travel Extension: Orang-Utans & Sun Bears in Borneo
At EWDR, we offer several dive trips to Borneo and the Maratua Atoll. Before or after these dive trips it is possible to add a stay at the Samboja Lodge. During this stay you will meet Orang-Utans, Sun Bears and many more special animals.
Borneo program description:
Day 1: Arrival in Balikpapan
Today you will arrive in Balikpapan. Usually in the afternoon. A cab is already waiting for you at the airport to take you to the Samboja Lodge. The drive from the airport to the lodge takes about an hour. On the way you already get a good impression of Borneo, but especially the busy city of Balikpapan. Until you suddenly drive out of town and arrive at the Samboja Lodge. The traffic noise fades away and whistling birds and quite loud cicadas welcome you to the jungle!
You check into your room and have the rest of the day at leisure. Recuperate from the trip with a fantastic view of the jungle.
Day 2: Canopy Trekking & Orang-Utans
Rested, you will awaken this morning at the lodge. You will enjoy a delicious breakfast buffet and then leave around 8 am by car for the first activity. A canopy trekking and nature walk. In total you hike about 1.5 hours but the drive to the location is also about 1 hour there and 1 hour back. So you’ll be on the road all morning.
The Canopy Trekking is in Bukit Bangkira. Here you have the chance to spot Gibbons, among others, and if you are really very lucky Red Leaf Monkeys! You hike through the forest (somewhat physically challenging) and can go up into the heights via canopy bridges to enjoy fantastic views of the trees. A guide will be with you the entire time, telling you all about Borneo’s flora and fauna.
Around lunch you will be back at the lodge.
Around 2:30 p.m. today it is time to meet the Orang-Utans! The Orang-Utans you will find around the Samboja Lodge are cared for on different islands by the Forest Foundation (BosF).
The main goal of the shelter is to return as many Orang-Utans as possible to the wild. The Orang-Utans that end up at BosF come from captivity such as zoos etc., but also baby Orang-Utans and other wild Orang-Utans that cannot take care of themselves for a while due to an incident are taken into care.
BosF is trying to rehabilitate all these Orang-Utans back to the jungle. This is especially successful with the Orang-Utans who have had little contact with humans. The way they do this is by running a real ‘orang-utan’ school. During this school the orang-utans learn all the skills needed to be returned to the wild.
Not surprisingly, you will not meet these orangutans during this trip. To make their rehabilitation as successful as possible, minimal contact with humans is necessary.
The orangutans you do get to meet then? Those are the orang-utans that cannot return to the wild because of long-term captivity, traumatic experiences or disability. They live on the islands near the lodge. They have plenty of space and privacy. So the monkey watching at the zoo principle really does not apply here. We as EWDR would not support that either.
During the feeding tour, you will walk with a knowledge expert from one Orang-Utan island to another. You will get to know different ladies and gentlemen orang-utans, each with their unique story.
After visiting the Orang-Utans, get straight into the car to drive on to the Sungai Hitam River. Also known as the ‘Black River’. Here you will make a wonderful river cruise under the guidance of a local fisherman. Along the way you will spot proboscis monkeys, snakes and other reptiles. You also sail through a fishing village on stilts where the locals cheerfully wave at you and especially the children find it very interesting what all those tourists in a boat are doing. A special experience that feels authentic despite all the attention. Because that is Indonesia anyway, very authentic.
After the Black River cruise you will return to the lodge where dinner will be waiting for you and the rest of the evening is at leisure.
Day 3: Sun bears
This morning, after breakfast, you will go on another tour with a guide from the Samboja Lodge and BosF. This time you will visit the Sunbear Sanctuary. Several sun bears live here. Sunbears are the smallest bears in the world and really extremely cute! That cuteness is the reason they often end up as pets when they are young but as they get bigger they are actually just heartbreakingly dangerous. They have really serious claws and are extremely strong. The result? They are locked up in small cages and people don’t know what to do with them anymore…. BosF captures the sun bears with a story and this morning you can get very close to them yourself and learn all about them from the caretakers.
After visiting the sun bears, depending on the time of your flight, you will enjoy another lunch at the lodge or drive directly to Balikpapan to board the plane to your next destination.
Samboja Lodge
You will stay at the Samboja Lodge, located in the lush greenery of Balikpapan. The lodge offers a unique, comfortable and sustainable stay for nature lovers and adventurers. The accommodation is built according to local architecture, making you feel fully immersed in the surrounding jungle. This haven embraces dense flora and rich wildlife, with enchanting views that give the rooms spectacular views. The open layout of the lodge creates a smooth transition between inside and outside, keeping you constantly connected to nature.
By default, you stay in a Deluxe Room, with two twin beds and balconies overlooking the rainforest. You can upgrade to a Queen room, where you have a 180 degree view and a queen bed. Totally luxurious is the King room, which is at the very top of the lodge with a fantastic view, private balcony and large King Bed.
The walls, both inside and out, are made of recycled materials and finished with beautiful Kalimantan artwork. These handmade decorations are crafted by local Dayak communities, contributing to an authentic stay.
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This extension as described above costs based on 2 people in one room US$ 483 p.p .
This includes:
- 2 Nights at the Samboja Lodge
- full board (excluding lunch on day 3)
- In a deluxe room (twin)
- Upgrade to Queen room US$ 62 p.p.
- Upgrade to King room US$ 94 p.p.
- Canopy Trekking
- Visit Orang-Utans
- Black River Cruise
- Visit Sunbear Sanctuary
- All necessary transfers
