The Best of Indonesia’s Wildlife

Arrive in Jakarta and connect with a flight to Pangkalan Bun, your entry point to Indonesian Borneo (Kalimantan). Transfer to Kumai jetty to board your houseboat. The houseboat, or klotok, is a traditional wooden river boat about 6m by 2m with a roof forming the upper deck from where one can survey the lush rainforest. Travel upstream into Tanjung Puting National Park spotting proboscis monkeys, long-tailed macaques and saltwater crocodiles along the way.

After breakfast, board your boat and travel to Pondok Tanggui to see the morning feeding of the rehabilitating orang-utans. Continue upstream (around two hours) to the famous Camp Leakey. Camp Leakey was set up in 1971 by Louis Leakey to support research into orang-utans and, over the years, scientists there have habituated and studied hundreds of orang-utans. You will have a little time to walk round the visitor centre before seeing the 3pm feeding of the orang-utans (agile gibbons and bearded pigs are also often seen). This is usually the busiest of the feeding stations (both in terms of tourists and orang-utans) and normally a large number of orang-utans can be seen, including many young apes plus the occasional large male. Return to your boat and motor to a quiet part of the river where you will moor up for the night. Enjoy dinner on board and then settle down to sleep under mosquito nets on the deck of the boat.

Wake up to the sounds of the forest and enjoy a cooked breakfast on the boat. Return to Camp Leaky and begin a trek through the rainforest with your private naturalist guide, hopefully to encounter some of the wild forest inhabitants. Enjoy a picnic lunch in the rainforest and then return to your boat. Head back downstream to your lodge for a well-earned hot shower and delicious Indonesian dinner.

Depart before dawn and cruise downriver, watching the forest wake up around you and enjoying your breakfast served on board. Continue to Pangkalan Bun and take flight to Jakarta. Connect with onward flight to Lampung. Transfer to Way Kambas National Park. Evening walk in search of the Sunda slow loris, nightjars, frogmouths and owls.

Located on the southern tip of the large island of Sumatra, Way Kambas National Park is one of the last strongholds of the Sumatran elephant, Sumatran tiger and Sumatran rhinoceros, the latter two being particularly rare and difficult to see. Enjoy a full day to explore the park through a combination of walking, boat trips and game drives. Large mammals often seen include sambar deer, red muntjac, wild boar, siamang gibbons and silvered langur. Rarer sightings include Sumatran elephant, Malaysian tapir, sun bear and small cats.

Take an early bird walk, observe the village activities or cycle with one of the park rangers to see and hear the haunting call of the siamang gibbon. Return to the lodge for a well-earned breakfast, then proceed to the Way Kambas Elephant Training Centre where you will be assigned an elephant with mahout. Ride through the forest - an unforgettable experience. Return to the lodge, en route stopping at the Butterfly Bridge where up to 50 species have been seen in an hour. After lunch and a siesta, go into the park to Way Kanan for a short river trip for primates, birds, mammals (even a sun bear) and, hopefully, wild elephant. This is a magical day with so many different experiences. Back to the lodge for dinner.

In the morning visit Bambangan, a ranger station and reforestation project. Learn about anti-poaching patrols of the rangers, travel downstream by boat and plant a tree at the reforestation centre. Take a guided walk through the forest in search of birds and other wildlife. Enjoy another afternoon boat trip on Way Kanan to look for wildlife. If lucky, you may be allowed to visit the Sumatran Rhino Breeding Centre to learn about their work and to see some of the resident rhinos. Please note that visits to the centre cannot be guaranteed due to the sensitive nature of the breeding programme (entrance fee/donation not included). In the evening take a night walk/drive in search of nocturnal birds and mammals.

After a leisurely breakfast, drive slowly through the park to Way Kanan Ranger station. Take a boat to Kalibiru for a fascinating walk either to a game-viewing platform or to Rawa Gajah, a swamp area where elephants are often seen, depending on water levels. Sambar deer, wild boar, binturong and the endangered white winged wood duck are seen too. The trail often reveals the scats, pugmarks and tree scratching of tigers, making the trip really exciting. After a picnic lunch, walk slowly back to the boat and return by the river boat. Possibly see some primates, different bird species, deer and elephants en route. Whatever, it is sure to be a great day’s wildlife experience.

Drive back to Lampung and take a flight to Jakarta. Connect with onward flight to Manado. Transfer by road followed by a 20-minute walk to your rustic lodge, just yards from the beach.

Morning guided excursion in Tangkoko National Park to see the endemic and highly endangered Sulawesi crested macaque (very endearing), bear cuscus, tiny spectral tarsier and endemic red-knobbed hornbill. Afternoon boat trip to Bangka and Gangga Islands for snorkelling and island exploration.

Free morning for snorkelling and relaxation. Afternoon visit to Tangkoko National Park en route back to Manado.

Transfer to Manado airport and fly to Makassar. Connect with flight to Denpasa. Connect with onward flight to Labuan Bajo and transfer to hotel on arrival. Located on the island of Flores, Labuan Bajo is the main departure point for Komodo and Rinca Islands, home to the infamous Komodo dragon, the main draw of the islands. Enjoy the rest of the day at leisure at the hotel.

This morning transfer to the harbour to board your private local boat with naturalist guide and full crew and sail to Rinca Island. Disembark on Rinca Island and enjoy a morning trek with your guide and local ranger in search of Komodo dragons and other wildlife. Perhaps enjoy some snorkelling in the afternoon, before sailing to Komodo Island. Drop anchor and watch the sun set over Komodo Island. Spend the night on board the boat (there are mattresses, mosquito nets, flushing toilet and a cold shower).

After breakfast, land on Komodo and take a walk on the island with your guide and a local ranger to see more Komodo dragons and other wildlife. Komodo is more heavily forested than Rinca and has more wildlife to see: expect Timor deer and wild boar plus a wide range of bird species including yellow-crested cockatoo and white-bellied sea eagle. In the afternoon, visit the Pink Beach for some wonderful snorkelling, then return to Labuan Bajo.

After breakfast at the hotel, transfer to the airport and take flight to Denpasar (Bali). Fly home.