Today was a long wonderful day, indeed an adventure for the ages. The element of surprise is what makes an expedition great, and today was graced with many surprises.
It began when our fleet of Zodiacs departed the National Geographic Orion from the Kumai Warf. We crossed the Kumai River to the Sekonyer River, bordering Tanjung Putin National Park. After passing the entrance sign it wasn’t long until we had sightings of proboscis monkeys and long-tailed macaques, along with many different birds including hornbills and a brief glimpse of a rare stork.
Winding our way up the palm-lined channel we soon arrived at our first stop, the wooden dock and boardwalk of Pondok Tanggui, our first visit to orangutan feeding station where reintroduced orangutans return daily for a nutritious meal of bananas and milk.
Tanjung Putting National Park is famous for orangutan conservation and was designated a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1977. It is here that Dr. Biruté Mary Galdikas has based her landmark studies for the past four decades. She has also led the fight to save these endangered primates threatened by deforestation and encroachment of palm oil plantations. Lucky for us, Dr. Galdikas is with us on this voyage and has invited us to visit the feeding stations here and at Camp Leakey, the research center she established in 1971.
Seeing a wild orangutan swing through the forest canopy is like going back in time, deep into our collective memory. Orangutans share 97% of our DNA and just a simple gaze towards us sends chills up our spine. We watch in awe as a mother carrying her baby climbs up the feeding platform.
Back at the wharf we transfer into local wooden boats called klotoks. We climb to the covered second deck for a comfortable view and watch the rainforest go by as we continue up river. Soon we reach the black water channel where Camp Leakey is located. But to our surprise, the channel is blocked by a large piece of floating vegetation. Working together the lead boats try, unsuccessfully, to push the blockage out of the way. It soon becomes clear that this would not work. Armed with machetes and small saws, our local guides and boat drivers team together to chop down the vegetation and successfully tow it out of the way. To huge cheers we continue to make our way upstream.
We arrive at Camp Leakey. As we walk the boardwalk and forest trail to the feeding platform, to our surprise, the orangutans are waiting for us. We are greeted by a mother and baby in camp and along the trail.
Once at the platform we are treated to a display of orangutan behavior we could have never have imagined. First, a mother with her baby swung down from the canopy to drink some milk and carry away as many bananas as she could put in her mouth and hold in her hands and feet. Soon we could see her sitting on a branch high in the canopy. A few juveniles also come to the platform but are clearly nervous, always looking over their shoulder.
Then he arrives – Tom, the impressive 300-pound alpha male of the forest. As rain begins to fall, Tom holds court and slowly eats at a relaxed pace. It is clear that Tom is in control and only a few brave juveniles visit the platform while he is there. Once Tom disappears back into the forest a mother with two youngsters comes to eat and drink. It was beautiful to watch how she touched her offspring, keeping track while also looking over her shoulder. Then, she quickly scampered from the platform and climbed a nearby tree as Tom returned. Indeed, Tom commands respect.
We bid our farewell and took our last pictures as Tom relaxed on the platform and ate his fill. Back on the trail, we encountered orangutans on the boardwalk and there was even one high in a tree above the wharf, as if waving goodbye as we depart back downstream.
As the sun set we were greeted by another surprise: executive chef Lothar in a Zodiac with his staff, greeted each klotok with a picnic basket of snacks and a cooler of cold drinks. This surprise made for a most enjoyable trip back to the National Geographic Orion, along the way sipping beer and wine while munching on chips and California rolls–a fitting end to an amazing day full of surprises.
