Spend time with the gentle “person of the forest”. The Orangutan Foundation supports this trip tracking these wild and rehabilitated animals.

The Orangutan Foundation, in exclusive cooperation with Discovery Initiatives for the last ten years, allows a privileged few participants per year an opportunity to go backstage in their famous rainforest study area of Tanjung Puting National Park in Borneo. Each trip is led by Ashley Leiman, head of the Orangutan Foundation in the UK or one of her colleagues.

Participants are comfortably accommodated at the Rimba Lodge and spend most days visiting Camp Leakey; the historic research site established by Dr Birute Galdikas. Here they will be taken on guided walks trough the rainforest, and will hopefully spot wild orangutans. If the group is lucky enough to see wild orangutans they will ‘follow’ the orangutan until it makes a nest at night and may have the opportunity to stay the night in the forest, sleeping under the stars, waiting for the orangutan to wake at dawn.

You will meet and get to know some of the rehabilitated orangutans that inhabit Tanjung Puting National Park and have the chance to watch them at feeding time. The team will also visit the Orangutan Foundation’s Care Centre, conduct wildlife river surveys and explore the nearby town.

In joining this tour not only will you have the privilege of seeing these gentle creatures in the wild but also help in the fight against their extinction. Participants must be aged 18 and upwards.

Please note – these trips are not volunteer programmes and whilst we are aware of some of our clients desire to hold the organutans, due to the strict rehabilitation and release programme, human contact is strictly forbidden – after all, these types of centres are for the orangutans benefit and not ours! Please respect the wishes of our hosts by adhering to these rules, which will ensure the rehabilitation programme has the greatest chance of success.

Dates 2008
Saturday 13th September to Friday 26th September

Dates 2009
Saturday 20th June to Friday 03rd July
Saturday 29th August to Friday 11th September
Saturday 12th September to Friday 25th September

Main Tour Costs for 2008
From £2995 per person including flights

Optional Extensions
There are plenty of extension choices for Indonesia. Please contact the office for further details.

Travelling from outside the UK
We are happy to quote you either in US dollars or Euros – without flights to the destination city. Because of recent currency fluctuations we will quote you separately for this. Please do contact us for the price.

Includes:
International flights, all transfers, hotel with breakfast in Semarang, all accommodation at Rimba Lodge, breakfasts and dinners at the lodge, noodle lunches during the programme, a soft drink with dinner each night at the Rimba Lodge, activities whilst with the Orangutan Foundation in Kalimantan and the co-ordination of the Camp Leakey team, local leaders and local boat transport. Also includes substantial contribution to the Orangutan Foundation (US$1,000 per participant).

Excludes:
Internal flights, Visas, vaccinations, travel insurance (mandatory), lunches in Semarang, drinks, laundry, telephone calls and all personal expenses.

This Trip Supports..

Orangutan Foundation International

Field Expertise

Ashley Leiman OBE

Ashley Leiman is the Director of the Orangutan Foundation UK, which she founded in 1991. Her active involvement in conservation was sparked over 20 years ago when she co-founded the New York Rainforest Alliance. Ashley has made numerous radio and television appearances and has co-authored a number of papers. She spends up a third of the year in the field most usually in Indonesian Borneo.

Her indepth knowledge, enthusiasm and love for this region will inspire you long after the tour is finished, and many of our past clients are still active members of the Orangutan Foundation UK.

She was awarded the OBE in the New Year’s Honours list for services to Orangutan Conservation.

Click here to see her trips

Our Feedback

Fiona, This is just a quick note to say how much I’ve enjoyed my trip in Kalimantan with Stephen Brend and the associated Orangutan Foundation members – So far I’ve been very impressed by the location and the people working with DI through the foundation…I’ve spent some real quality time with many of the parks ‘redhaired’ residents, not to mention the many of parks other primates and wildlife. A sighting of a 5m Reticulated Python even got some of the park guards talking!

Once again thanks for your help, It’s much appreciated… Steve

Stephen Frankham Journalist travelled to Borneo in July 2006

The Orangutan Study and Support tour Borneo was my best vacation ever!!!!What a fantastic journey! Everything went well. The flight, the group was OK, everybody was very friendly and interested in each other and the Orangutans. Nobody has become ill, we had no rain only sunshine. Stephen was friendly and took care of everybody, what a gentleman; he stood kneedeep in the swamps to lead us over the water. We saw more Orangutans and animals then I was hoping for. Just; Wow!

Helen Delachaux August 2006

Over the nine years that Discovery Initiatives have worked in partnership with the Orangutan Foundation, we have taken hundreds of travellers to see Tanjing Puting and the efforts being made to save them in their forest home. We have had articles written in newspapers, magazines and by travellers themselves but we would be more than happy to put you in touch with past clients if you would like to speak with them personally.

The local guides where fantastic! Ashley and Stephen were knowledgeable and constantly shared this with us too. The highlight though was seeing completely wild orangutans in the forest not the reserve – from the Klotok. Listening to Roaul telling us about a release he had been on the day we visited the care centre.

E Copanar 2005

The highlight of my trip was the ‘unplanned’ viewings and sightings of orangutans on the the trips upriver.

C. Drury Sep 2005