One of the highlights of our recent travels was getting to see Orangutans at the Orangutan Island.
The orangutans (also spelled orang-utan, orangutang, or orang-utang) are the two exclusively Asian species of extant great apes. Native to Indonesia and Malaysia, orangutans are currently found in only the rainforests of Borneo and Sumatra. Classified in the genus Pongo, orangutans were considered to be one species. Since 1996, they have been divided into two species: the Bornean orangutan (P. pygmaeus) and the Sumatran orangutan (P. abelii). (Source: Wikipedia). We visited Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, Indonesia this time, therefore the orangutans that we met were the Bornean orangutans.
Many of the Orangutans on the islands are rescues with the ultimate goal of integrating them back into the wild; though, some will live the rest of their lives there.
We booked a standard room at Samboja Lodge, Balikpapan for one night for IDR 1,550,000 ($116). Samboja Lodge is an eco-lodge located within Samboja Lestari and managed by BOS (Borneo Orangutan Survival) Foundation. Guests are able to stay at the Lodge and simply enjoy the forest or become involved as volunteers in conservation activities including maintenance of orangutan and sun bear facilities, tree planting and learning about organic farming (please note that guests have no direct contact with the orangutans or sun bears).
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| Standard room has 2 single beds |
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| The balcony |
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The lodge was very close to where the Orangutans were. We checked in and made ourselves comfortable in our rooms. With as hot and humid as it was in the middle of the jungle, we really appreciated the air conditioners... until the electricity went out. Thankfully, they restored power after about twenty minutes. We were able to relax in the chairs on the balcony and listen to the distant grunts and noises of the Orangutans. We later learned that the ones we heard specifically near our room were Orangutans who were isolated from the rest due to their being treated for either hepatitis or tuberculosis which they caught from humans before being rescued from captivity.
We had a nice walk around the lodge, enjoying the sights and sounds of the forest. That night, we were alerted to dinner where they served a nice, buffet style set up complimentary of the lodge. The atmosphere was great. We ate our food on the deck with the other guests and had a great time.
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| The dining room |
The following morning, we had breakfast and got ready to see the Orangutans. The anticipation was through the roof as we hurried to the lobby to make it in time. There, our guide was waiting to take us to see the apes.
It was humid and damp as we walked through the dew-soaked grass. We made it to the first island where Bujang (male orangutan) and the female Orangutan (we forgot the name) resided. It was feeding time so we would have a better chance to see them. Bujang was already out in the open and he seemed to eye us intently before ultimately losing interest and wandering to the other side to wait for his own breakfast.
Bujang is a 30 year old Orangutan who lived the first 15 years of his life at a circus. Because of the way he grew up, he was more interested in humans than other orangutans. Despite living on the island with female orangutan for so many years, they have never been known to mate; but according to our guide, he gets excited when he sees a human female.
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| Bujang, the alpha male |
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| Mmmmmm breakfast |
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| Bujang enjoying his breakfast |
We then went to the other island where more orangutans were living, including an infant. Unfortunately, the mother carrying the infant was too shy to come out and we never got to see the baby. Sad day.
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