No one I knew had any recommendations for a tour operator in Kalimantan, the Indonesian side of the Island of Borneo. What to do but start surfing and looking at different tour operator’s websites. I don’t like looking for a reputable specialist on the Internet but there was no way around it. After a few days, I pared the list down and came up with three, good possibilities, all responsive to e-mails. Oranghutan Tour, Borneo Discovery Tours and Komodo Travel. They all had the exact same boilerplate itinerary and prices were about the same. Several weeks of waffling, agonizing, and e-mails. I finally decided to go with Borneo Discovery based on the length of time they said they’d been in business and because they seemed to have a strong Kalimantan presence. We shall see….
Selected the Orangutan and Dayak 6 days/5 night tour, beginning and ending in Pangkalan Bun (a small town in Central Kalimantan with limited plane transportation) which added a new set of “what to dos” on arriving, e-tickets, etc.

Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo) Map
Included?
- Travel by a traditional “Klotok” wooden river boat that would be our home for three days and nights. The boat does have a cabin below the main deck and primitive toilet on board. We could sleep in the cabin (it turned out that the crew slept below deck) or on the top deck level with mosquito nets. There would be a boatman, cook and expert guide along with us.
- Visits to Camp Leakey, Pondok Tanggui, and Tanjun Harapan, all rehabilitation centers for Orangutans to witness feeding times.
- Boating to the Dayak village area along the Lamandau River, staying overnight in a Dayak longhouse for one evening and spend time learning about Dayak customs before…
- Transfering back to Pangkalan Bun for a one-night hotel stay.
Accommodation, transfers, transportation, meals, police permits, ranger fees, National Park entrance tickets were included.
Not included?
- Airline tickets to a from Pangkalan Bun and personal expenses.
We had visited both an Orangutan sanctuary and Dayaks in Malaysian Borneo and were eager to have a more intensive opportunity to do both. Besides, living on the boat sounded a little more off-beat. If this is too adventerous for you, there are also very nice lodges available in the Orangutan area.

After all the obsessing over tour operators, making airlines decisions, dates, etc., two weeks before this trip, an e-mail arrived from Borneo Discovery. Linus Airlines, the only airline that flies from Jakarta to Pangkalan Bun was going bankrupt. Hasty new plans. We’d have to fly from Semarang to Pangkalan Bun, and probably book a hotel in Semarang for one night. Borneo Discovery and I pondered other options. Could we fly from Singapore to Semarang? No. Denpasar, Bali to Semarang? This would run an additional $600 per person. Get from Jakarta to Semarang to Pangkalan Bun on the same day? No. Days of e-mails trying to work out the logistics until we came up with fly from Chicago-Tokyo-Singapore, sit in the airport for six hours, get another plane, Singapore-Jakarta, sit in the airport for three hours, get on still one more plane from Jakarta-Semarang, collapse in a Semarang hotel overnight and fly to Pangkalan Bun the next day. Isn’t travel wonderful?
There are only three easy ways to travel with a minimum of stress in my opinion:
- Use a travel agent and let her/him pull their hair out;
- Only book group tours; and
- Take a cruise along with the cruise tour options
We prefer private travel that costs less than group travel! Are you surprised? It’s true but you must use a local operator in the country of choice. When traveling privately, the pluses are – schedule what you want to do, when you want to see it, and change plans at the drop of a hat. But be prepared to Wire Transfer money to countries like Indonesia, South Africa, West Africa, Ethiopia, etc. when dealing with a local tour operator. The majority do not accept credit cards and with Wire Transfer comes a new set of worries. Did the tour operator give me the correct Bank Routing Number? (A South Africa tour operator gave us incorrect routing information, didn’t receive the money and we had to resend and pay another Wire Transfer fee. Not happy!) Borneo Discovery did it right and received the Wire Transfer without any problems
Wire Transfer TIP: Visit your bank and get a copy of exactly what they need for correct wire transfer. Load in computer and attach with e-mail to tour operator showing what format you need from them. Works like a charm.
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