On this all-encompassing tour, you can work towards the conservation of orangutans and experience traditional tribal life, all whilst exploring the riches of the Bornean rainforest.
On this orangutan tour, you will take unforgettable jungle treks through Borneo’s rainforests and get the chance to experience the beauty of orangutans in the wild. This tour also features two visits to the region’s orangutan centres – the award winning Matang Wildlife Centre and the Semenggoh Nature Reserve, as well as three breath-taking national parks – Bako, Kubah and Batang Ai. Both Bornean orangutan sanctuaries and all three national parks are managed by the Sarawak Forestry Corporation, who play an active role in the ongoing conservation of the area’s orangutans.
This tour is designed to raise awareness of the conservation efforts made in Sarawak and to restore the harmony between people and orangutans that has become strained in recent years. This tour is a voyage of discovery for all of the travellers who take part, giving them access to the rehabilitation efforts at Matang Wildlife Centre, the released, semi-wild orangutans of Semenggoh Nature Reserve, the seven different habitats of Borneo in the amazing Bako National Park and a one week trip into the rainforest. This tour will also involve meeting the descendants of the legendary Borneo head-hunters – the Iban tribe – who are now the custodians of the wild orangutans of Batang Ai. This will be an experience you certainly won’t forget in a hurry!
This is the perfect opportunity for anyone who has always wanted to see orangutans, go in search of them in the wild and aid their conservation.
Sustainability
Borneo Ethical Adventures-for travellers with purpose.
Borneo Ethical Adventures works with not-for profit agencies, local businesses and friends that support and protect endangered wildlife, national parks and the minority groups of the region.
Our partners, local guides and projects have been hand-picked to ensure your entire experience aligns with our ethos, your vision and provide benefit to communities in which we travel.
Our grassroots adventures also offer you the chance to contribute to and connect with this natural wonderland and its people through volunteering. Whether it’s mucking out an orangutan enclosure for Project Orangutan, planting fruit trees at Batu Bungan School in Mulu National Park or shopping ethically with Heart Treasures in Kuching, you’ll be providing support to the communities, wildlife and natural areas that we encounter.
10% of Borneo Ethical Adventures profits go directly towards supporting these partnerships.
How we make a difference:
Be prepared to tread lightly as we travel sustainably, ethically and with purpose
• WE follow IUCN guidelines of ‘No Contact” volunteering when working with wildlife
• WE respect host communities and their values, attitudes and beliefs and expect the same of our travellers
• WE offer pre-trip advice of useful things to donate as we travel
• WE use reusable bottles and camel packs over plastic water bottles
• WE avoid single use plastic
• WE practice ‘Leave No Trace’ policy in regard to waste disposal
• WE tread lightly and follow IUCN best practice guidelines when trekking in Protected Areas (including small group size)
• WE follow best practice for volunteer management in the schools we visit
Trip Itinerary
DAY 1
After breakfast you will make your way to Matang Wildlife Centre in Kubah National Park which is home to 30 orangutans, sun bears and many other animals. On arrival you will receive an exclusive behind the scenes tour from the team who run the orangutan conservation project here. During your stay you will get involved in an activity such as creating enrichment for the orangutans, assist with husbandry for the orangutans, sun bears, macaques, binturongs and other animals. This will include feeding the animals and cleaning the wildlife cages and enclosures as well as more enrichment making. This is a key activity when it comes to the rehabilitation of orangutans as it helps to promote natural behaviours and enhances the potential for release. Your time volunteering will give you the chance to see what it is like to work with orangutans on a daily basis.
Getting Dirty with Project Orangutan
DAY 2-3
You will have one final morning working with the orangutans before, at mid-day, heading to Bako National Park by boat. The day will end with an incredible night walk in the jungle where there are opportunities to see some of Borneo’s fascinating nocturnal species – this is not to be missed! Shine your torch up into the trees and keep an eye out for the little eyes staring back at you, as at night-time, Borneo truly comes alive!
Bako National Park
DAY 4
Wake up to the sounds of Bako National Park. With its beautiful rainforest, abundant wildlife, jungle streams and waterfalls, Bako National Park offers an excellent introduction to the rainforests and coastline of Borneo.As one of Sarawak’s most famous locations for wildlife Bako will not disappoint. You will spend the morning trekking through the rainforest admiring the interesting flora and fauna and going in search of the famous proboscis monkey. In the evening you will transfer to the Malay community of Telok Serabang.
Bako National Park – Serabang
DAY 5
You will spend two full days in Telok Serabang, a Malay community that is situated in a beautiful coastal area of Sarawak. Here you will have opportunities to snorkel with green turtles in their natural habitat, assist with beach clean-ups, and work in the local community school. You will also participate in night-time turtle patrols, get sweaty on jungle treks (with amazing opportunities to see wildlife such as gibbons and flying lemurs) and even make traditional jewellery with the community.
Beach Time & BBQ’s
DAY 6-7
This is an opportunity to spend time with a Bidayau community, one of the indigenous Dayak groups from Sarawak. Your accommodation will again be in a traditional wooden longhouse, with shared bedrooms and amenities. You’ll get to learn about the traditional culture of this tribe, and perhaps even see human skulls in their longhouse, kept from the head-hunting days of the past. You may also be encouraged to take part in cultural dancing through the evening!
Overnight in Traditional Longhouse
DAY 8
These days are spent in Batang Ai rainforest which is still home to wild orangutans. When in Batang Ai, as well as always being in search of orangutans high up in the trees, there are a lot of different activities to get involved in. These include learning traditional handicrafts, cooking, fishing, picnics amidst breath-taking scenery, swimming in jungle rivers and waterfalls and interacting with the tribespeople. Interacting and building bonds with the indigenous people is essential in repairing the fractured human-orangutan relations in this region.
Immersion with Communities and Nature
DAY 9-12
Transfer back to Kuching and visit the Semenggoh Rehabilitation Centre along the way. The Semenggoh Wildlife Centre was established in 1975 to care for wild animals which have either been found injured in the forest, orphaned, or were previously kept as illegal pets. As a result of its success, Semenggoh’s role has changed and it is now a natural haven for dozens of semi-wild orangutan and graduates of the rehabilitation programme who you can see as they come to the platforms to eat. You will spend one final evening at the Basaga Guesthouse where you will enjoy a warm shower and a farewell dinner with your guide and all of the new friends you have made along the way.
Back to Kuching
DAY 13
Time to say your farewells. Today you will be transferred to Kuching Airport for your return flight or to commence your independent travel plans.
Program And Price
3rd of the month (October – April)
3rd &17th of the month
(May – September)
13DAYS/14 NIGHTS
AUD $3600
