We traveled to Borneo for a 3 day 2 night Orangutan tour on a houseboat. On arrival we were greeted on deck by our own guide, captain and cook ready to help us explore the water front of Pangkalan bun.

Slowly drifting through the water it was amazing how peaceful and beautiful it was. With rich, lush plants to the sides of us and deep noises of the jungle reminding us we were not alone. Our first animal spot came in the form of a fully grown male orangutan who was sitting in nearby vegetation eating fruit. He literally took my breath away. Later on we got to see a host of orangutans on our trek through the jungle. They are truly captivating, strong yet elegant climbing through the trees with such grace and power. A highlight was seeing two baby orangutans playing in the trees, one even using a tree trunk as a fireman’s pole to make a quick exit to fetch a banana.

Back on the boat we continued our journey where we were lucky enough to see plenty of monkeys in the trees around us before setting up and having a candlelit dinner under the stars. The stars were the second thing that day to take my breath away. They were brighter and clearer than any I had ever seen filling the sky with a dynamic glow and opening a conversation of cosmic possibilities.

We settled in for a night camping on a boat in the jungle. Filled with new sounds and vibrations from our jungle camp mates. With a constant hum of chirping and buzzing we began to drift to sleep. 

After a great breakfast of banana pancakes and toast we made our way to see more orangutans (which translates as forest person). We went to a feeding spot where lots of tourists sat and watched ready to get a snap of their favorite fury friend - they didn't disappoint. A highlight was when one came right up to all of us and started swinging over our heads - it was truly amazing. We also saw an amazing alpha male who was huge, powerful and strong. As soon as the other orangutans caught wind of his entrance (a long time before we did) they scattered as quickly as possible.

On our last day we visited the local village. It has a small population of around 400 people and is attached to the orangutan forest. It was great to see how well this village was maintained. With a primary and secondary school, small hospital and fresh water pumps. The kids were all laughing and playing and there was a tremendous sense of community. You can only get to this village by boat and being so close to the forest their main visitors come dressed in orange fur. 

The good:

Surrounded by nature, cutoff from reality and distractions. Although I'm very happy we had such an amazing tour guide, not sure I'm a total natural in the jungle. Let's just say bear Grylls doesn't have to worry about loosing his job any time soon. 

The bad: 

On the second night we came across a big houseboat pileup. A huge amount of very heavy, dense plants had piled up to make a big blockage in the middle of the river. It was absolute chaos. The boats were having to tie themselves together and barge through. Men having to get in the crocodile infested riverbed and cut down reeds. It was quite stressful. Well to be honest stressful for them, we were sitting having a beer but it certainly looked it! 5 hours later and we were free.

The ugly: 

It was extremely humid and hot walking through the jungle and just generally living in the heat. Our boat was very basic with no running water and very simple facilities (hand sanitizer became our best friend). Let's just say by day 3 everyone was happy when we checked into a hotel with running water and soap.