Tanjung Puting klotok trip: Camp Leakey orangutans and how many nights

How many nights on the river

Every visit to Tanjung Puting is built around the boat. The Ministry of Tourism explains that you travel down the Sekonyer River from Pangkalan Bun and that the boats accommodate you for the duration of your stay. The Central Kalimantan tourism portal describes the klotok as a modified traditional wooden boat with mattresses and mosquito nets on the upper deck, a simple bathroom and a dining area. You fall asleep and wake up to the sounds of the forest. The choice you make when booking is not where to stay, but how long to stay on board.

One night (two days) gets you to Camp Leakey and back, but most of the trip is spent moving. English Wikipedia puts the journey from Kumai to Camp Leakey at about an hour and a half *by speedboat, at best*; a klotok is far slower, which is the point of it. Two nights (three days) is the trip the provincial tourism portal recommends: it leaves time to visit the feeding stations without rushing, and gives you at least one evening on the river, when the provincial portal says proboscis monkeys gather in the riverside trees. Three nights is for photographers, birdwatchers and travellers who want to sit still. The Orangutan Foundation International writes that the place only really captivates you after the fourth or fifth day.

Whatever the length, compare what each operator includes before you pay. The provincial portal says the cost of a trip combines the park entrance fee, the klotok hire with meals and accommodation, and the guide, and that local agents usually arrange all three as one package.

• 1 night: Camp Leakey plus one other stop; mostly travelling. Only if your time in Borneo is very short.
• 2 nights: the standard trip, with two or three feeding stations and evenings on the river.
• 3 nights: slower days, more time on the river banks and on forest walks with your guide.
• Before paying, ask whether the park fees, the guide, all meals, drinking water and the airport transfer are included.

Camp Leakey and the feeding stations

Camp Leakey was founded in 1971 by Biruté Galdikas and Rod Brindamour and named after the anthropologist Louis Leakey, Galdikas's mentor, according to the Orangutan Foundation International (OFI), which still runs research there. It began as two huts and is now a group of wooden buildings used by scientists, staff, students and park rangers. OFI says the station welcomes day visitors who come with local guides and the right permits. You must check in with the rangers and keep a safe distance from the orangutans. Visitors are not allowed to stay overnight, so you return to your klotok at the end of the day. The camp lies on the Sekonyer Kanan, a branch of the main river.

The Ministry of Tourism describes daily feedings at Camp Leakey and at Pondok Tangui (also spelled Tanggui), a rehabilitation centre for ex-captive orangutans. The Central Kalimantan tourism portal lists three stations in the usual order of a trip. Tanjung Harapan is the closest to Kumai and often the first stop. Pondok Tanggui comes next, where you often see young orangutans and mothers with babies. Camp Leakey is the furthest upriver, and the best place to see large adult males. Rangers put out bananas or milk on a wooden platform and the orangutans come to it, if they choose to.

Feeding times are set by the park and can change, so let your guide plan the boat's timetable around them rather than fixing them yourself. Arrive early, keep quiet and follow the rangers' instructions. OFI asks visitors to observe the orangutans from a safe distance. Never offer them food, and never try to touch one. The Bornean orangutan is listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN.

Life on the klotok: the river, the forest and the nights

Between the feeding stations, the klotok moves slowly between walls of nipa palm and then forest. The Ministry of Forestry's park profile notes the nipa palm vegetation along the Sekonyer River. The provincial portal describes the water as dark brown to black, typical of peat swamp forest. The Ministry of Tourism says the park is home to around eight species of monkeys, including the proboscis monkey, and to more than 220 species of birds. OFI counts over 230, and lists two species of crocodiles, clouded leopards, sun bears, gibbons and several deer. The provincial portal says proboscis monkeys gather in the riverside trees especially at dusk, which is a good reason to spend at least one evening on the river.

The Ministry of Tourism adds that walking is the only way to get around in the forest itself, and that walks can be tailored to your fitness, so tell your guide what you want before you set out. After dark, the provincial portal says, guides often take visitors to look for fireflies in the mangroves. On board you will usually eat what the cook prepares, so tell the operator about dietary needs when you book.

Bring mosquito repellent; the provincial portal also advises dark or neutral clothes and preparing for humid tropical heat. A torch, a dry bag for your phone and camera, and a light rain jacket are worth packing in any season.

Getting there: Pangkalan Bun, Iskandar Airport and Kumai

The gateway is Iskandar Airport (PKN), which English Wikipedia places about 5 kilometres from the centre of Pangkalan Bun, the capital of West Kotawaringin regency. When we checked on 2026-10-03, Wikipedia listed regular flights to Jakarta, Semarang and Surabaya, and the Ministry of Tourism said flights run daily from Jakarta and other major cities. Routes change, so check the current schedule with the airlines before you book your boat.

Klotoks leave from the harbour town of Kumai, on the Kumai River. The Ministry of Tourism puts Kumai about 35 minutes from Pangkalan Bun, and the provincial portal 30 to 45 minutes from the airport by road. If you book in advance, the Ministry of Tourism says, the operator will pick you up at the airport and take you straight to the river. Otherwise, there are taxis at the airport, and minibuses to Kumai leave from the terminal near the market on Jalan P. Antasari in Pangkalan Bun. Wikivoyage notes that a guide is required to enter the park.

Overland and sea routes exist but are long. When we checked on 2026-10-03, the Ministry of Tourism listed Pelni passenger ships linking Kumai with Semarang (about 24 hours) and Surabaya (about 26 hours). It also gave about 8 to 10 hours by car from the provincial capital, Palangka Raya, or 12 to 14 hours by bus.

The park beyond the orangutans

The Ministry of Forestry gives the national park an area of 415,040 hectares, made up of the former Tanjung Puting wildlife reserve, former production forest and around 25,000 hectares of water. The reserve was first set aside under Dutch rule to protect orangutans and proboscis monkeys. UNESCO named it a Biosphere Reserve in 1977, and in 2013 it became a Ramsar wetland site for its peat swamp ecosystem. OFI describes it as the largest and most diverse protected example of the coastal heath and peat swamp forest that once covered much of southern Borneo.

It is not untouched. English Wikipedia notes that the park was badly damaged by fires in 1997 and 1998, that oil palm plantations have replaced the forest beyond the Kumai River on its northern edge, and that illegal logging and mining remain threats.

In Pangkalan Bun itself, the Ministry of Tourism describes a riverside town on the Arut River with heritage sites along its banks, and mentions the Orangutan Care Center Quarantine (OCCQ), where injured and confiscated orangutans are looked after. Ask your operator whether a visit can be arranged before you plan on it.