Tanjung Puting

Tanjung Puting National Park protects 415,040 hectares of peat swamp forest, freshwater swamps, and lowland rainforest in Central Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo), serving as one of the world's premier sites for observing wild orangutans. The park's diverse ecosystems include heath forests, mangroves, and extensive peat swamps that store massive amounts of carbon while supporting endangered species including proboscis monkeys, clouded leopards, and sun bears. The Sekonyer River provides access deep into the park, with traditional houseboats called kelotok serving as mobile platforms for multi-day wildlife viewing expeditions. Dr. Biruté Galdikas established orangutan research and rehabilitation programs here in 1971, creating one of the longest-running great ape studies in the world. The park's feeding stations where rehabilitated orangutans receive supplemental food provide virtually guaranteed orangutan sightings in semi-wild settings. Established as a national park in 1982, Tanjung Puting has become one of Indonesia's most visited wildlife destinations, balancing conservation with sustainable ecotourism.

The area was first protected as a game reserve in 1935 during Dutch colonial administration, with recognition of its importance for orangutans and other Bornean wildlife. Dr. Biruté Galdikas, one of Louis Leakey's "Trimates" along with Jane Goodall and Dian Fossey, established Camp Leakey in 1971 to study wild orangutans, beginning decades of research and conservation work. National park designation in 1982 provided stronger legal protection, though enforcement has been challenged by illegal logging, fires, and land conversion pressures. The park gained international fame through documentaries featuring Galdikas's work and the charismatic orangutans, drawing tourists who provide economic justification for conservation. Catastrophic fires during the 1997-1998 El Niño event burned large areas of peat swamp, highlighting the ecosystem's vulnerability to drought and the importance of fire prevention. Palm oil plantation development surrounding the park has created ongoing conservation challenges, with habitat loss and orangutan-human conflicts increasing along park boundaries.

The town of Kumai serves as the gateway to Tanjung Puting, reached by flight from Jakarta or other major Indonesian cities to Pangkalan Bun, then a short drive to the port. Traditional kelotok houseboats can be chartered for multi-day river journeys up the Sekonyer River, providing accommodation, meals, and transport to park sites including Camp Leakey and other feeding stations. The standard 3-day, 2-night kelotok trip visits multiple feeding platforms where rehabilitated orangutans appear twice daily, offering close-up viewing opportunities in forest settings. Trekking opportunities exist for spotting wild orangutans away from feeding stations, along with proboscis monkeys that gather in riverside trees during evening hours. Park permits are obtained at the Tanjung Harapan checkpoint, the first stop for boats entering the park, where rangers register visitors and provide orientation. The park is accessible year-round, though the dry season from May to September offers more reliable weather and higher orangutan activity at feeding stations, while water levels affect river navigation during the driest months.

Orangutan conservation combines protection of wild populations with rehabilitation programs for confiscated pets and displaced animals, with over 200 orangutans released since the 1970s. Peat swamp forest protection has become urgent given the ecosystem's massive carbon storage capacity, with fire prevention and water table management critical for preventing catastrophic peat fires. The park works to reduce human-orangutan conflict along boundaries where apes raid fruit crops, using education and non-lethal deterrents rather than removal. Sustainable tourism programs ensure visitor impacts are managed through regulations on boat numbers, feeding station access, and behavior around wildlife. Community engagement initiatives provide employment as boat crews, guides, and in park management, creating stakeholders in conservation success. Climate change adaptation focuses on fire risk management during El Niño events, when drought conditions make peat swamps extremely vulnerable to fires that release enormous carbon emissions.