As you already know, he speaks (and writes) excellent English. He took care of our flights to and from Pangkalan Bun in advance, which was a really big help since the flights can be difficult to book once
you're there. He really does his best to get flight connections at a good price. When we did it, he arranged for a driver to pick us up in Yogyakarta and drive us to Semarang, where we caught a flight to Pangkalan Bun. He picked us up in PB and we drove to Kumai, where we got on the boat.
As far as cost is concerned, we found the orangutan tour to be very affordable and well worth every penny. And yes-- I had the same trepidations regarding payment. I wanted to pay by credit card for added security, but it wasn't possible-- once you get to Pangkalan Bun you'll see just how remote it is! I couldn't get the bank transfer to work so my wife and I arrived with a comically huge stack of cash-- it honestly felt like we were playing Monopoly.
You don't have to worry at all about there being a tour when you get there. Everything is totally planned in advance and you will follow whichever itinerary you choose.The tour itself is on a motor-driven boat (klotok) which comes equipped with a sleeping area and a private toilet. There will be a guide who speaks English (ours was Yani-- who was a walking encyclopedia of forest and orangutan facts), as well as a cook and a captain. All the meals are prepared for you and you have your choice of sleeping on the boat or in the Rimba eco-lodge, which is situated right on the river. I'd recommend spending at least one night on the boat-- just for the experience. During the trip you get to see several orangutan feeding platforms, an orangutan museum, a Dayak village, a bit of Camp Leakey, and several small projects such as tree farming and reforestation. We ended up seeing about 20 orangutans during the trip--as well as lots of monkeys, birds and a sleeping crocodile. So, no worries about the itinerary...
If you don't mind my asking, have you ever been to Indonesia? Are you involved in environmental work? Or just curious about orangutans?
I hope this email is helpful. If you have any more questions, please don't hesitate to contact me.
Best, Richard Zimmerman (
Sumatran Orangutan Sociaty SOS )
