Orangutans and Islands: Kalimantan

In less than tow hours, you can fly from the bustle of Jakarta to the fringe of Sebangau in Kalimantan Indonesia Borneo, world-famous for its orangutans. Stephanie Brookes takes an exotic river journey.
Author in Source Title

I start my trek into Sebangau National Park at dusk. The earthy smell of the peat bog forest rises sharply to greet me as I hold my torch steady, trying not to trip and fall into the blackwater swamp on either side of the narrow boardwalk. I stay close to our guide; well aware I am in clouded leopard country. “No talking please, and mind your step,” he says. “One of these planks could break at any time, but don’t worry, I am here to help.”

After a couple of minutes, we reach a huge tree just off the peat bog trail. “This is one of the spots where our team record nocturnal animals of the forest,” the guide quietly explains to our small group. “We might see a clouded leopard tonight if we are lucky, although they tend to keep away from people. The orangutans will already be in their nests, high up in the trees. Still, we may see a western tarsier or flying fox.” He goes on to explain that the park’s 5,300km2 of peat swamp forests, located in Central Kalimantan in the Indonesian part of Borneo, contains many other types of wildlife, including 116 species of birds and 166 species of flora

We continue our walk-in silence. I sense our guide is listening intently to the forest, the strange language of the insects and the rustling of leaves that might mean the presence of a snake or bird. He occasionally provides hushed explanations of some of the less familiar forest dwellers, like the carnivorous pitcher plant, so named because it resembles a jug or pitcher. Insects are captured in the sticky fluid in the base of the plant and then digested. At one point, he stops and motions to us to listen to the north. Way off in the distance we can just make out a very faint sound, which our guide identifies as the call of a southern pig-tailed macaque. I am amazed at his skill in being able to pick it up. As we continue listening, he excitedly points to the upper branches of a nearby tree, where high above us we can just make out the form of an orangutan climbing up into the top canopy of the forest.

Further along, we hear the very distinctive shrill call of a proboscis, or long-nosed, monkey. “This is probably a mother proboscis calling in her wayward family to come home and settle in for the evening,” the guide explains. Taking the cue, we too head back to our temporary home; tonight, we are sleeping in a national park forest cabin. After a hearty meal cooked by locals, we turn in, to a loud chorus of insects and the odd bird call. This very remote spot in the national park is accessed via Palangkaraya, the capital of Central Kalimantan, commonly known as Central Borneo. To get here, we travelled four hours in a comfortable air-conditioned van from Palangkaraya Airport to the port of Jahanjang, on the Katingan River, where we boarded the magnificent Spirit of Kalimantan, which took us to Sebangau to spend three nights on the river. The Spirit is a beautifully refurbished traditional Kalimantan barge, part of the WOW Borneo fleet operated by Gaye Thavisin, an Australian who has lived in Central Kalimantan for some 20 years, and her business partner, Lorna Dowson-Collins.

After our night in the forest cabin, we head out by canoe the next day to explore the small creeks and visit one of the large blackwater lakes. En route, we are excited to spot a group of proboscis monkeys. Approaching quietly by water, we are able to get very close. We spend several minutes watching the members of this large and raucous family launching themselves astounding distances between trees, then swinging with great ease between sometimes very flimsy branches.

As we get chatting to the boatman, he explains how many of the local villagers have been trained by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in all areas of forest preservation. He himself was born in a small village nearby, called Karuing. “I have been with WWF for eight years now,” he says proudly. “They handed over the National Park Service temporarily as a transition arrangement, and now the care of the park and all duties are handled by our local community. We all love it here, working on a rotation so all of us get more experience recording scientific data, tracking migratory wildlife and monitoring other forest activities. We have turned to ecotourism for our future because it is sustainable.”

By sunset, we are back to the comfort of the Spirit of Kalimantan. The next day, our boat resumes its smooth journey up the great Katingan River, and we again readily adjust to its slow-moving pace, lazily taking in the variety of ferns near the riverbank and marvelling at the sight of a beautiful hornbill swooping across the sky. The following morning, our boat anchors near Baun Bango, a Dayak village lying right on the edge of the national park. Once ashore, we go in search of our Dayak host, Pak Alwi. There is only one main village road, and his house has been there for over 140 years, so it is not hard to find him. Alwi is sitting on his verandah waiting for us. His beautiful bark house features ironwood beams and original wood flooring; it looks as if it could last another 100 years. Alwi, who was born in the house and has lived there all his life, invites us inside.

A row of two-stringed guitars, called kecapi, lean against one of the walls. Pak Alwi immediately picks one up and gives us a big smile. “I made this kecapi,” he says enthusiastically and immediately begins to play a Dayak song for us. Then, as the lilting traditional music begins to take shape, our young Dayak guide sings along in her native language. It is a beautiful moment. The harmony of these two voices melding together, the old Dayak with the young Dayak, casts a spell on us. In the evening we are treated to a magnificent meal of forest greens, vegetables, rattan soup, local tahoman river fish, steamed rice and marinated bean curd. We are invited to sleep in the village, in a homestay, but also have the option of sleeping on the boat. I opt for the homestay. After a few bedtime Dayak tales from our host, I drift off to a sound sleep, dreaming of the adventures that might lie ahead the next day.

Published on Garuda Colours Inflight mag. 01 March 2019

Story by Stephanie Brookes | Photo by David Metcalf

Stephanie Brookes is a travel writer and blogger with tales from Indonesia and beyond.
www.travelwriter.ws
http://www.facebook.com/stephtravelwriter
www.instagram.com/stephtravelwriter

David Metcalf runs photo workshops in Bali and cultural photography tours in Bali, Borneo, Vietnam, Odisha India and Myanmar.
www.davidmetcalfphotography.com
http://www.instagram.com/davidmetcalfphotography
http://www.youtube.com/user/DayakDave