Kumai

On the southern coast of Borneo, where the Kumai River meets the Java Sea, the small port town of Kumai serves as the gateway to one of the world's most important orangutan conservation areas. Tanjung Puting National Park, accessible by river from Kumai, protects over 400,000 hectares of tropical peatland forest and is home to the largest wild population of Bornean orangutans — estimated at six to seven thousand individuals — along with an astonishing array of other wildlife that makes this one of Southeast Asia's premier ecotourism destinations.

The traditional way to experience Tanjung Puting is aboard a klotok — a double-decked wooden riverboat that serves as both transport and floating hotel. These handsome vessels, typically crewed by a captain, deckhand, and cook, navigate the Sekonyer River into the heart of the park, their diesel engines puttering gently as the riverbanks close in and the forest canopy arches overhead. The journey itself is magnificent: proboscis monkeys crash through the riverside trees, crocodiles slide from mudbanks, and hornbills cross the river in heavy, undulating flight.

The park's feeding stations, established by the legendary primatologist Dr. Biruté Galdikas in the 1970s, offer close encounters with semi-wild orangutans that are genuinely life-changing. At Camp Leakey — named for Louis Leakey, who sponsored Galdikas's research alongside Jane Goodall's work with chimpanzees and Dian Fossey's with gorillas — rehabilitated orangutans descend from the canopy at feeding times with a deliberate grace that speaks of both intelligence and deep familiarity with the forest. Watching a mother orangutan navigate the canopy with an infant clinging to her fur, or a large male sit contemplatively on a platform while peeling bananas with his feet, provides an emotional connection to our closest relatives that few wildlife experiences can match.

Kumai itself is a modest town of wooden houses, fish markets, and small mosques, its economy built on fishing, palm oil, and the growing ecotourism trade. The morning fish market, where the night's catch is sorted and sold in a riot of color and commerce, offers a vivid slice of Kalimantan life. The town's mixed Malay and Dayak population maintains a warm hospitality that makes brief visits memorable.

Expedition cruise ships anchor offshore at Kumai and tender passengers to the town's river dock, from where klotok journeys into Tanjung Puting depart. The dry season from June through October offers the most comfortable conditions — lower humidity, calmer seas, and reduced mosquito activity — though orangutans can be observed year-round. The wet season from November through March brings higher water levels that allow deeper penetration into the flooded forest, but also more challenging conditions. A minimum of two nights on a klotok is recommended to fully experience the park's extraordinary wildlife.