Tanjung Puting National Park

The park, which covers territory the size of Bali, is home to an amazing array of wildlife including it’s world famous orang utans. The park is also home to monkeys, birds and other wildlife, not to mention the pristine vegetation of the jungle itself. This is a world famous natural treasure which attracts a growing number of international visitors each year.

Tanjung Puting is located in Central Kalimantan. The area was originally declared as a game reserve in 1935 and became a national park in 1982. The park sits on a peninsula that juts out into the Java sea. The sheer size of the park means that it has diverse habitat zones. This diversity means the park is home to a great variety of inhabitants, both flora and fauna.

The incredible jungle surrounds make this an amazing place to visit if you’re after a truly outdoor adventure. It is an oasis of pure clean air, a clear night sky as well as a home to the gentle people of the jungle – the orang utans.

The orang utans are undoubtedly the best known inhabitants of the park, made famous through the work of the Orangutan Research and Conservation Program based at the Camp Leakey research station. Camp Leakey is an orangutan preserve and the site of the longest continuous study of any wild animal in the history of science. With around three quarters of the world’s orang utan’s population living on Borneo, this park is the ideal place to see these incredible creatures in the wild.

Because the vegetation of Tanjung Puting supports a large population of animals this park is one of the most important areas in Southeast Asia for the preservation of primates, birds, reptiles and fish.

To reach the Tanjung Puting National Park take a flight to the Iskandar Airport at Pangkalan Bun from Jakarta or other main Indonesian cities.

The Sekonyer river is famous for it’s natural beauty and wildlife. As you cruise down through the jungle, you’ll be transported to another world, a world far beyond the hustle and bustle of city life.

Relax on board your boat and take in the sights of monkeys jumping from tree to tree. The park is home to around eight species of monkeys including the very distinctive proboscis monkey, with its distinctive long nose it is sure to grab your attention. Try to spot wild orang utans swinging through the thick and lush vegetation. Remember to keep your eyes out for crocodiles too, they might be hard to spot but they’re definitely there! As well as this, the park is also a haven for over 220 species of birds.

One of the main attractions of Tanjung Puting is Camp Leakey, the orang utan preserve. The camp was founded in 1971 as a haven for orang utans rescued from domestic capture. Today the camp remains a centre of research of these amazing animals. Learn more about orang utans at the Camp Leakey information centre. The daily feedings of wild orang utans will be the highlight of your visit as you will most likely get to see wild orang utans up close in their natural habitat. Camp Leakey was named after Dr Louis Leakey, the mentor of one of the camps founder’s Professor Birute Galdikas. Dr Leakey was also mentor to Jane Goddal and Dianne Fossey in their respective studies of chimpanzees and mountain gorillas.

Professor Galdikas established the camp in 1971. Today, the work of the camp remains vital as orang utans are an endangered species, threatened by the impact of deforestation and the illegal pet trade.

For more detailed information on the park please visit:http://www.orangutan.org/rainforest/tanjung-puting-national-park