HIGHLIGHTS

• Travel with TOP's Field Manager and Photographer, Hardi Baktiantoro
• Visit the famed Tanjung Puting National Park
• Visit the savanah area of Baluran National Park
• See wild and semi-wild orangutans in their natural habitat
• Travel upstream on local klotok (riverboat) and dine beneath the stars
• Observe amazing wildlife including orangutan, proboscis monkeys, macaques, hornbills, red langurs and bramini kites, crocodiles and more
• Spend a day looking for birds in the Jogjakarta hills
• Experience the delicious local cuisine and many different unique fruits

EXPEDITION OVERVIEW

This specially crafted 10 day Photography specific expedition combines the unique experience of visiting three different locations in Indonesia. Tanjung Puting National Park, Baluran National Park and Yogyakarta City and surrounds. 

We will take you to the Tanjung Puting National Park, which is found in Central Kalimantan. Tanjung Puting National Park is a unique place in itself. It is not only home to the orangutan, but also the rare proboscis monkey and the false gavial crocodile. During your time in the park, you will be living aboard our wonderful riverboat, locally called a klotok. The klotok is well equipped with basic amenities. At night you will sleep on deck on a comfortable mattress, with a blanket, pillow and mosquito nets. Our crew will cook up delicious meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The klotoks come fully equipped with safety features including life vests and a first aid kit. When you're not walking through the jungle, you can relax on deck watching the wildlife, read a book or laze the day away.

From wonderful boats to small dugout canoes, wide rivers to deep forests, and small fishing towns to traditional Dayak villages, the Central Borneo adventure has it all. Be immersed in local culture and all facets of life in Borneo as you gain a greater understanding of the orangutans' plight.

Your expert Photography host, Hardi, The Orangutan Project's Field Manager

Hardi Baktiantoro was born in East Java, and he was fortunate to live with wildlife whilst growing up in a small farming village. Hardi learnt about the amazing behaviour of animals, however he also saw the misery of poaching and the animal trade because of the local culture to keep wild animals in captivity. This inspired Hardi to take action and he studied a bachelor’s degree in Communication and Journalism. In 2007 he formed an organisation called Centre for Orangutan Protection (COP) to specifically tackle the cause of deforestation and the deaths of thousands of orangutans. 

COP grew significantly over the years with Hardi’s leadership and financial support from The Orangutan Project. Hardi was highly successful in training and mentoring a passionate group of people who now run various projects for COP and our alliance called the Bornean Orangutan Rescue Alliance (BORA). These include the BORA orangutan rescue centre, investigations into illegal forest crimes, conservation education, and wildlife rescues.

Hardi became the Project Manager for The Orangutan Project in 2021. His wealth of knowledge and experience on the ground allows Hardi to communicate effectively with government and forestry officials to create meaningful change for orangutan conservation. His amazing photography skills also bring to life the work that we support on the ground in Borneo and Sumatra.

EXPEDITION GOALS
We want our guests to have a truly unique and connected experience, and to have the pleasure of observing wild and semi-wild orangutans in their natural habitat.

Orangutan Odysseys will provide you with a safe platform to observe the incredible wildlife of Borneo, including orangutans (of course), proboscis monkeys, hornbills, red leaf monkeys, gibbons and more. It's also our goal to educate and inspire our guests so that you become future stewards for the destination, its natural environment, and the survival of the orangutan.

In driving this legacy we have partnered with The Orangutan Project to support their conservation programs across Borneo in Sumatra. Each guest's fare includes the cost of adopting an orangutan for one year.

Tour Food - Vegetarian and Vegan based
All included meals provided during this tour will be vegetarian, with a vegan option available. Guests will have the option of non-vegetarian meals during breakfast at hotels and for meals (some dinners) not included in the itinerary.

WHAT TO EXPECT
You are embarking on an adventure to places and amongst people whose lives are very different from your own. Many aspects of life in Indonesia will seem unusual. Remember that these are often the same aspects that make an area an exotic and attractive destination. Whilst boat expeditions are considered easy, no trek is easy, even those rated "easy or moderate". In addition to the personal physical challenges you may face, travel conditions can present unexpected obstacles, such as rough and bumpy roads and changeable weather. To prepare for this "pack" a flexible and relaxed attitude. Bring a spirit of adventure and inquiry, a healthy sense of humour and a willingness to encounter the unexpected and you will find your trip to Indonesia the adventure of a lifetime!

ITINERARY - 10 days

10 days - 10 to 19 May 2025
*Subject to change without notice due to local conditions

Day 1 - 10 May: Arrive in Bali
Today you will arrive in Bali and be met at the airport for your hotel transfer. This evening over dinner we will hold a tour briefing ahead of our travel tomorrow. Meals: Nil

Day 2 - 11 May: Bali to Baluran NP
Early morning departure after breakfast for our road travel through to Baluran National Park in east Java. Our bus wil drive to the west of Bali (approx 2 hours) and catch a car ferry across the straits to Banyuwangi. From there we have a 2 hour drive to the National Park. After checking into our hotel, this eveing we head out to the National Park for the sunset photo session. Meals: B,L

Day 3 - 12 May: Baluran NP
Early rise today to catch the sunrise over the savannah area of Baluran before we go back to the lodge for breakfast. After some photo tips with Hardi we head back out for more chances to photograph wildlife. Return for lunch and relax during the heat of the day before an afternoon sunset session in the park. Optional night walk. Meals:B,L

Day 4 - 13 May: Baluran NP morning - Jakarta
After another photo session this morning in the National Park we return to the hotel for check out and then transfer to Banyuwangi airport for our flights to Jakarta for overnight. Meals:B,L

Day 5 - 14 May: Jakarta - Tanjung Puting (on klotok)
Early this morning you fly from Jakarta to Pangkalan Bun in Central Borneo. You will be met at the airport by our local guide and be taken straight to the riverside town of Kumai where we will board our klotoks (riverboat) and travel into the National Park. This is the start of your 3 day/2 night klotok tour. You will cruise slowly along the river looking for locations where we can see orangutans and the river wildlife. Late afternoon we will search for proboscis monkeys geting ready for overnight in the trees by the river. Overnight at Rimba Lodge. (B,L,D)

Day 6 - 15 May: Tanjung Puting
An early start on the klotok, we slowly cruise up the Sekonyer River to Camp Leakey, the oldest camp set up for orphaned orangutans. Along the way, you will keep a lookout for wild orangutans, birds, monkeys and other wildlife that may be waiting in the trees along the river. On arrival at Camp Leakey, you will have lunch aboard the klotok before starting the short trek in the surrounding area to visit the information centre. You are likely to see orangutans (or have them see you) near the boat. After enjoying afternoon feeding time and being given a tour of the surrounding forest area, it's back to the boat to cruise down Camp Leakey River to Crocodile Lake where you will spend the night. You will most likely see other wildlife of Borneo such as gibbons and proboscis monkeys. Overnight on the klotok. (B,L,D)

Day 7 - 16 May: Tanjung Puting - Pangkalan Bun
This morning after breakfast we go cruising along the river in search of orangutans and other wildlife. After lunch, you will take a tour of the local village, and in the afternoon you will slowly travel downriver, stopping along the way to watch the proboscis monkeys on the riverbanks. As dusk falls, we will travel back to Kumai harbour and enjoy dinner along the river as we go. Transfer and overnight in Pangkalan Bun hotel, Grand Kecubung. (B,L,D)

Day 8 - 17 May: Pangkalan Bun - Semarang - Yogyakarta
This morning we will fly to the town of Semarang in Java and meet our transport for the 3 hour drive to Yogyajarta city. We will make a stopover to visit the world famous Borobodur Temple.  From here we head to Yogya city and check into our hotel. Mid afternoon we shal head our to visit Prambanan Temple and see senset from the hill of Boko Temple. Overnight Jogja hotel (B,L)

Day 9 - 18 May: Jatimulyo day tour. Yogya overnight
Today we will travel around 1 hour to the hillside areas of Jatimulyo village, home to a wonderful range of bird species. Spend time walkng along the pathways and sitting in several hides, with a local guide to help us search for as many species as possible. Late afternooon return to our hotel for final nights dinner. (B,L) 

Day 10 - 19 May: Yogya to Bali - Tour ends
This morning transfer to the aiport for your return flights to Bali and onward travel. (B)

INCLUSIONS AND EXCLUSIONS

INCLUSIONS

• All domestic airfares (Garuda Indonesia is our preferred carrier subject to flight routes and times. 20kgs is the maximum baggage allowance)
• All accommodations (twin-share basis)
• Accommodation in Tanjung Puting on our klotok and at Rimba Lodge
• Meals as noted in the itinerary (B,L,D)
• National park fees
• Airport transfers
• Experienced local guides
• Donation included for one deluxe orangutan adoption

EXCLUSIONS

• International airfares and any expenses due to flight delay or cancellation
• Visas and visa fees
• Travel Insurance (compulsory)
• Personal expenses - alcohol, laundry, phone calls
• Tipping
• Excess baggage fee if over 20kgs

HARDI - THE PHOTOGRAPHER

I began learning photography in college as part of my Journalism studies in 1993. My skills improved greatly while working with the Leuser Development Program (1998-2002), a collaboration between the Indonesian government and the European Union to conserve the Leuser Ecosystem in Sumatra.

I had access to nearly unlimited Kodak film and professional Nikon SLR cameras, which solidified my preference to Nikon, which became my religion since then.

My background in nature conservation taught me that effective communication is crucial for garnering support, and that pictures speak louder than words. During this time, I also received assignments from Reuters and NGOs like Greenpeace, establishing myself as an environmental journalist.

This experience helped COP, the NGO I founded in 2007, gain significant media and government attention quickly, making conservation issues accessible to the public. Working with conservation organizations allowed me to spend more time with wildlife, especially orangutans.

In 2019, the Indonesian government assigned me to document activities in peatlands, mangroves, and the rare Bornean Rhino, with some of my work displayed in Ministry offices, including aerial photos. Since 2020, I have been working for The Orangutan Protection, where one of my main responsibilities is wildlife photography—a job I truly love. Can’t wait to have photography trips with you, experiencing the wilderness, and sharing knowledge and experiences.

BALURAN NATIONAL PARK EAST JAVA

In stark contrast to the lush green scenery found elsewhere on the island of Java, the Baluran National Park, located on the east-most edge of Java, consists predominantly of open savannahs, where wildlife roams free. Here one can watch grazing, the large Javan water buffaloes called “banteng”, small Java mouse-deer is known as “kancil”, peacocks strutting about displaying their colorful plumage, eagles flying overhead and macaques fishing for crabs with their tails.

Coverning 250 sq km, the Park forms part of the district of Situbondo, in the province of East Java, comprising lowland forests, mangrove forests and 40% swathes of fertile savannahs, they provide abundant food for the animals. Here also are many typical Java trees like the Java tamarind and the pecan nut trees.

Discovered by Dutchman A.H.Loredeboer, in 1937 it was designated Wildlife Refuge by the Dutch colonial authorities, and in 1980 Indonesia designated this as a National Park. At the center of this large Park stands the extinct Baluran volcano, watching over its pristine environment dominated by the dry east wind, Baluran receives on average only 3 months of rain. The rainy season in East Java being between November through April, peaking in December and January, while the dry season lasts from April through October.

During the dry season, the land parches and water becomes scarce, while when it rains, water slides over the black alluvial land with little being absorbed, forming water pools especially along the Park’s southern part that connects Talpat with Bama Beach. When you visit Baluran during the rainy season, you will see ample water holes, but during this time the Banteng and the wild bulls prefer to wander in the forests, although other animals like peacocks, mouse deer, and wildfowl do come out and can still be observed.

Baluran National Park boasts 444 species of trees, some unique to the area like the widoro bukol (Ziziphus rotundifolia), mimba (Azadirachta indica), and pilang (Acacia leucophloea). These plants are able to adapt to dry conditions when others have long wilted. Other trees also remaining green are the candle trees or kemiri (Aleurites moluccana), gebang (Corypha utan), api-api (Avicennia sp.), the tamarind tree (Tamarindus indica), gadung (Dioscorea hispida), kendal (Cordia obliqua), manting (Syzygium polyanthum), and kepuh (Sterculia foetida). 

The Park is habitat to 26 mammal species among which are the banteng (Bos javanicus), wild water buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis), the ajag (Cuon alpinus javanicus), the muncak deer (Muntiacus muntjak), the rusa (Cervus timorensis), leopards (Panthera pardus), the mouse deer (Tragulus javanicus), and mangrove cats (Prionailurus viverrinus). The Banteng are specific to Baluran and are therefore the Park’s mascot.

Additionally, Baluran is habitat to 155 types of birds, among which are the rare fire kite (Hirundo rustica), the red forest fowl (Gallus gallus), kangkareng (Anthracoceros convecus), hornbills (Buceros rhinoceros), tuwuk or asian tuwur (Eudynamys scolopacea), peacocks  (Pavo muticus), and herons (Leptoptilos javanicus).

A safari trip to Baluran is indeed a precious journey.

JATIMULYO, JOGJAKARTA - BIRDING

Jatimulyo Tourism Village with 1.629,06 ha area has a quite high bird diversity and potentially to be developed as bird watching ecotourism. Based on the research findings there are 33 types of birds found int his area.

The journey to Jatimulyo village is around 60 minutes from our hotel in Jogjakarta.

Once in the village, we will stop at a local house for a short transit, enjoying hot tea while preparing ourselves to walk along the paths as an observation route (arund 3kms or paths).

The observation paths are quite diverse as they pass through settlements and mixed plantations. At first glance, this mixed plantation is similar to a forest. There are still many trees mixed with cultivated plants.

Being at an altitude of 500-600m above sea level, this landscape certainly provides a suitable habitat for various bird species. Indeed, this area is not a habitat for Javan highland endemic birds, but it still holds non-highlands endemic species.

It was found that there are 11 interesting types of birds to be used as the attraction/object of birdwatching ecotourism. 
The types of the birds are Pijantung Kecil (Arachnothera longirostra), Pijantung Besar (Arachnothera robusta), Burung Madu Jawa (Aethopyga mystacalis), Pelatuk Besi (Dinopium javanense), Elangular Bido (Spilornis cheela), Perenjak Gunung (Prinia superciliaris), Kadalan Birah (Phaenicophaeus curvirostris), Ciung-air Jawa (Mixornis flavicollis), Cekakak Jawa (Halcyon cyanoventris), Walik Kembang (Ptilinopus melanospilus), and Srigunting Kelabu (Dicrurus leucophaeus). 

TANJUNG PUTING NATIONAL PARK

The park is composed of 416,040 hectares of dryland dipterocarp forest, peat swampforest, heath forest, mangrove and coastal beach forest, and secondary forest. The park may be accessed from Kumai by speedboat along the Kumai River and then the Sekonyer River to Camp Leakey, a journey that takes about 1 hour and 30 minutes at best. The Kumai River forms the northern border of the park. Beyond that the peat forest has been removed to make way for oil palm plantations.

Despite being a protected national park, approximately 65% of the park's primary forest is degraded. It is the loss of natural habitat that is the greatest threat to the wildlife. Indonesian NGOs have been working to restore the habitat in the Pasalat and Beguruh regions of the park since 1997.
Four centers have been established within the park for the study and rehabilitation of orangutans and other primates

The park was set aside in the 1930s by the Dutch colonial government for the protection of the orangutans and proboscis monkey, and was designated as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 1977 and a national park in 1982.

In addition to orangutans and proboscis monkeys, the park is also home to gibbons, macaques, clouded leopards, sun bears, wild boars, porcupines, and sambar deer. The park also features many reptiles, including crocodiles, monitor lizards, and pythons, birds, including hornbills and kingfishers, and insects, such as the giant Bornean butterfly. The Pondok Ambung Tropical Forest Research Station was established in 2005 for the study of all wild species found in the park.

The park was home to 105,000 people as of 1997. The park was heavily damaged by fires in 1997 and 1998, and today remains threatened by illegal logging, illegal mining, and forest clearing for agricultural uses.

Conservation efforts by NGOs are leading towards a slow but progressive reforestation of damaged areas. Their reforestation work has seen the planting of thousands of saplings in the area to recreate habitat for the endemic wildlife in the area.