Fascinating
Wealth of
Borneo National Parks
National
Park and Reserves of Kalimantan Indonesia Borneo Island
is wealth of
ecological that
survive deep within the rainforest jungle of Indonesia ’s
largest island. Kalimantan ’s dense jungle and wide
terrain of wetlands have traditionally kept the region isolated from
all but the adventurous travelers, and along the upper reaches of
the rivers, you can discover the rich Dayak Culture. The
indigenous
Dayak settlements along the Rivers of Kalimantan is an ideal
way
to
experience the incredible culture, where village elders practice
traditional medicine and mark their status with intricate body tattoos
and remarkably heavy ear adornments, we will be warmly
welcomed guests in their traditional longhouses. At Borneo you can
enjoy a sightful experience of traditional culture and grand
diversity of exotic flora and wildlife from black orchids to fresh
water dolphins and orangutans, and venture ashore for captivating
jungle explorations and unforgettable encounters in our village visits.
Join us for a once-in-a-lifetime exploration of the Kalimantan Island!
The National Park Tour Expeditions are a collection of exploratories
and Indonesia dream
destination journeys
that reflect the particular passions and favorite places. We created
the Borneo adventure tours for those who search a indigenous Dayak
Culture in the deep dense jungle with it's exotic flora and fauna.
Borneo travelers will have an unforgettable
experience trip in Indonesia, however, it is designed
for those who are adventurous in body and spirit.
EAST
KALIMANTAN
Gateway
to Kutai National Park
Kutai National Park is a lowland forest area with a number of principal
vegetation types, including coastal/mangrove forest, freshwater swamp
forest, kerangas forest, lowland flooding forest, ulin/meranti/kapur
forest, and mixed Dipterocarpaceae forest. This Park is also part of
the largest relatively pristine ulin forest in Indonesia.
Among the plants that grow in this Park are mangrove
(Bruguiera sp.), cemara laut (Casuarina equisetifolia), simpur
(Dillenia sp.), meranti (Shorea sp.), benuang (Octomeles sumatrana),
ulin (Eusideroxylon zwageri), kapur (Dryobalanops sp.), 3 species of
rafflesia, and various orchid species.
An ulin tree in Sangkimah has a height without branches of 45
m, a diameter of 225 cm or a circle of 706 cm, and a volume of 150 m3.
It is the highest and largest plant recorded in Indonesia.
As well as a variety of plants, this Park also has a high
animal diversity. Primate groups like orangutan (Pongo satyrus),
Mueller's Bornean grey gibbon (Hylobates muelleri), proboscis monkey
(Nasalis larvatus), long-tailed macaque (Macaca fascicularis
fascicularis), maroon leaf monkey (Presbytis rubicunda rubicunda),
white-fronted leaf monkey (P. frontata frontata), pig-tailed macaque
(Macaca nemestrina nemestrina), and slow loris (Nycticebus coucang
borneanus) can be found in Teluk Kaba, Prevab-Mentoko and Sangkimah.
Ungulate groups like banteng (Bos javanicus lowi), sambar deer (Cervus
unicolor brokei), barking deer (Muntiacus muntjak pleiharicus), and
lesser Malay mouse deer (Tragulus javanicus klossi) can be found
throughout the Park area. Carnivore groups such as sun bear (Helarctos
malayanus euryspilus) and flat-headed cat (Pardofelis planiceps) can be
found in Teluk Kaba, Prevab-Mentoko and along the Bontang-Sangatta
road.
Teluk Kaba in Kutai National Park is the location of the nation's third
orangutan rehabilitation centre.
Kaba Bay and Muara Sangkimah: marine tourism and observing
animals, especially orangutans, proboscis monkeys, sambar deer, lesser
mouse deer, sun bears, and birds.
Lombok Bay and Muara Sungai Sangatta: marine tours and observation of
original mangrove forest.
Prevab-Mentoko: research; watching animals such as sun bears,
orangutans, lesser mouse deer , and wild pigs.
Goa Lobang Angin: caving
Gateway to Kayan Mentarang
Kayan Mentarang National Park covers an area of 1,600,000 ha
and is located in the far interior of East Kalimantan province. The
park comprises the largest remaining block of rainforest in Borneo and
as such forms a very important refuge for numerous species, including
many species that are endemic to the Bornean mountain bioregion. About
half of the reserve consists of species-rich dipterocarp lowland and
hill forest while mountain forest ranges up to Kayan Mentarang's
highest mountain at 2,000 m. 40 Percent of the park has an elevation
above 1,000 m. The park is inhabitated by several thousand Dayak and
Punan people who live from shifting cultivation and rice farming.
Wildlife is hard to see due to hunting by native Dayaks. WWF has been
working on developing eco-tourist projects in cooperation with the
local people. It has 5 field-offices in settlements around the park,
which are helpful for information. It also has a research station at
Long Alango, north of Long Pujungan, which can be visited, and is
probably the best place to see wildlife.
Access
Kayan Mentarang National Park is very remote and only accessible by
public flights on the Samarinda-Long Ampung and Tarakan-Long Bawan
routes, or by public riverboats following the Tarakan-Tanjung
Selor-Long Pujungan route. To access the southern part of the Park,
visitors can fly from Samarinda or Malinau to Long Ampung. From Long
Ampung head for Data Dian (an approx. 5 hour journey on 13 HP boat
engines). Since fuel is extraordinary expensive. However, visitor's
with time can get around half the price when asking for a lift with the
locals who go to Data Dian.. MAF (Mission Aviation Fellowship) has
flights, However, both DAS and MAF require advanced booking (minimum 1
month before departing date),and both airlines reserve the authority to
prioritize seats for local citizens from around the Park - so outside
visitors often find themselves stranded even after numerous seat
reconfirmations. It is good to bring luggage less than 10 kg in weight
when flying with DAS (DAS limits each persons weight - including
luggage - at 80 kg). This makes it more flexible to secure a seat on
board on last minute seat availability. MAF puts even more restrictions
on luggage weight (up to 10 kg/person) on regular flights unless
chartered.
Accommodation
There's no official accommodation, but it's possible to stay in the
many Dayak settlements inside the park.
Kersik Luway Nature Reserve
Kersik Luway is nature reserve between Melak and Barong Tongkok, 18
kilometers to the south. The "Black Orchid" (Coelogyne pandurata) which
blossoms between April and December, grow s on shrubs in this 5,000
hectare reserve. Many hundred of other orchid species also grow in this
forest. The reserve is located 170 kilometers from Samarinda and can be
reached in 32 hours by boat. Other tourist spots in this regions
include Jentur Gemuruh waterfall and Kersik Kerbangan, a forest known
for is wild orchids. Visitors usually stay at Sekolag Darat village.
Pepas Eheng village belongs to the Barong Tongkok district, 209
kilometers from Samarinda . Plait work, rattan furniture and Tunjung
Dayak statues are made here. The village can be reached from Melak in
one hour by car.
Muara Oahu is a district town at the meeting point of the Kedang Pahu
and Lawa river, in the Mahakam hinterland. Twenty-eight villages, with
a total population a bout 11,000 are found in this area.
The cultural heritage of the Dayak people is very much evident at Tolan
village. There are two traditional houses and a graveyard which are
worth seeing. The people here live from panning for gold, looking for
bird's nests and tilling the dry fields.
CENTRAL
KALIMANTAN
Gateway
to Tanjung Puting & Camp Leakey
Tanjung Puting National Park has several ecosystem types:
lowland tropical rain forest, dryland forest, freshwater swamp forest,
mangrove forest, coastal forest, and secondary forest.
The Park is dominated by lowland forest plants like jelutung (Dyera
costulata), ramin (Gonystylus bancanus), meranti (Shorea sp.), keruing
(Dipterocarpus sp.), and rattans.
Endangered and protected species of animal inhabiting the Park
include the orangutan (Pongo satyrus), proboscis monkey (Nasalis
larvatus), maroon leaf monkey (Presbytis rubicunda rubida), sun bear
(Helarctos malayanus euryspilus), lesser Malay mouse deer (Tragulus
javanicus klossii), clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa), and leopard
cat (Prionailurus bengalensis borneoensis).
This Park was the first place in Indonesia to become a rehabilitation
centre for orangutans. There are now three orangutan rehabilitation
locations, Tanjung Harapan, Pondok Tanggui, and Camp Leakey.
The orangutan of Kalimantan has dark reddish fur and no tail. As they
get older, the adult males cheeks flesh out, resembling cushions. The
older they get, the bigger these cheek flanges grow, giving them a
fierce look.
Interesting locations/attractions:
Tanjung Harapan: this is the first station in the orangutan
rehabilitation process. Situated in the midst of secondary forest and
swamp forest, it has a guesthouse, an information centre, and trails.
Pondok Tanggui: orangutans that have passed the semi-wild phase are
moved to Pondok Tanggui. There, they are closely monitored from a
distance, and human contact is avoided.
Camp Leakey: founded in 1971 in the middle of primary forest, this is
the location for semi-wild and wild orangutans, and for younger
orangutans from birth until three years of age.
Natai Lengkuas: bekantan research station, and watching other animals
along the river.
Buluh River and Danau Burung: watching birds, in particular migrant
species.
How to reach the Park: Jakarta-Semarang-Pangkalan Bun by plane, or from
Semarang to Pangkalan Bun by ship.
WEST
KALIMANTAN
Gateway
to Danau Sentarum
Danau Sentarum National Park
(DSNP),is located in a remote area of West Kalimantan, Indonesia, and
situated close to the Malaysian border of Sarawak, approximately 700
km. inland from the provincial capital, Pontianak. DSNP is an area of
interconnected seasonal lakes and seasonally flooded tropical forests
with the water catchment consisting of lowland tropical forest in the
hills and flooded forest in the low-lying areas. A patchwork of various
forest developmental stages characterizes the former and is a result of
commercial logging, swidden cultivation, and smallholdings of rubber
and pepper. The altitude within the park is approximately 30-35 m.
above sea level, while the surrounding hills rise as high as 760 m.
Daytime temperatures are consistently 26-30 degrees Celsius, with
annual rainfall ranging between 3000 and 4000 mm. The driest months are
usually July, August, and September. The area was established as the
Danau Sentarum Wildlife Reserve in 1985. The main part of the park
comprises around 1250 square km though the exact boundaries of the park
remain unclear. The Iban longhouse community of Sungal Sedik (2)
located about 6 km. from the district administrative center and market
town of Lanjak. The longhouse was a 14-household community containing
about 98 residents. The Sungai Sedik territory was occasionally hunted
by members of at least five other longhouse communities and residents
of Lanjak.
Gunung Palung National Park
This 100,000 ha (241,700 acres) park is located on the southwestern
coast of Borneo. It is rich in rain forest habitats and plant and
animal biodiversity. It has coastal mangrove forest and fresh and
brackish water swamp forest, lowland peat swamp forest, various types
of lowland forest, submontane and montane forest. Until recently its
wildlife populations were undisturbed.
The orangutan is considered the umbrella species for
conservation in the area, and is also an important ecological agent for
seed dispersal and seed predation. It is believed that orangutans at
Gunung Palung constitute one of the most dense and largest populations
on Borneo.
Currently, however, their rain forest home is severely threatened, as
illegal logging continues at at an alarming speed.
Despite its relatively small size, Gunung Palung and the surrounding
areas harbor what is thought to be one of the most dense and viable
remaining orangutan populations in Kalimantan, and therefore, the
world. A new census conducted in 2001, and funded in part by The
Orangutan Conservancy, gives an estimate of 2500 individual orangutans
- about 17% of the estimated population in Borneo and close to 10% of
the world's population.
The Orangutan Conservancy is very optimistic about the work of
Cheryl Knott and Tim Laman at the Gunung Palung National Park, located
on the western side of Borneo. They are directing the efforts to
protect the forest as well as the wild orangutan population. The
Orangutan Conservancy considers it a very important effort to support.
Since then there has been an exponential increase in the amount of
illegal logging within this National Park. This, in conjunction with
the recent fires raging across the Indonesian rain forests, made
immediate conservation action in this area of paramount importance.
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