Location: Kumai, Borneo, Indonesia
Today was awesome! Definitely one of the best days of the trip so far and probably one of the coolest travel experiences I have ever had. We started out getting picked up at 7 am by four boats, each taking 7 of us onboard. There was an open-top deck for us to hang out on while a crew of our tour guide, boat captain, and 1-2 other helpers worked down below. We headed up a small river into the Tanjung Puting National Park, heading all the way to Camp Leaky, the furthest site of our tour. The boat ride took about 5 hours, giving us plenty of time to enjoy the beautiful scenery, read books while lounging in a hammock, or nap on mattresses spread out across the deck. Along the way, we saw proboscis monkeys, named for their prominent noses, jumping from tree to tree, as well as the beautiful hornbill and kingfisher birds. Upon reaching Camp Leaky, all of the boats rafted together, and we piled into one of the boats to eat a delicious, local-style meal cooked by our guides. We then trekked off into the rainforest with our guides to see the orangutans. Orangutans only live in two places in the world, one of which is Borneo. Upon reaching the feeding platform, we were welcomed by the sight of 6 or 7 orangutans, including several mothers and their babies. They were amazing to watch, and we felt so lucky to be able to enjoy seeing them in their natural habitat. After about an hour with the orangutans, we headed back to the boat and back down the river a little bit, where we docked and rafted the boats once again and enjoyed another delicious meal. After dinner, we went on a night walk with our guides, and some of the group even held a small crocodile and python. When we arrived back at the boats, the crew had set up our beds on deck, each overhung with a mosquito net. With images in our heads of all the amazing wildlife, we got to see today and excitement for more to come tomorrow, we fell asleep quickly to the sounds of the rainforest.