Orangutan and Dayak Kubung

One such indigenous community in Borneo is the Dayak tribe of Kubung. The Kubung people have always had a close relationship with the forests, which they consider as the source of life. The Dayak Kubung people also have a rich and fascinating tradition of music and dance. Their music is primarily percussion-based, with the use of designated instruments such as drums, gongs, and flutes. They perform their dances at various events, such as weddings and traditional events, with every dance telling a story of their culture, tradition, and spirituality. 

 

You will be taking a closer look at the Dayak Tribe of Kubung and discovering their way of life, culture, and traditions.

 

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DAY 01 : PANGKALAN BUN AIRPORT - KUBUNG DAYAK VILLAGE

 

Upon arrival at Pangkalan Bun Airport., pick up service by our guide then transfer to Kubung Dayak Village about 300 km away or about a 4 – 5 hours drive. Lunch on the way to a local restaurant.  Along the way, you will pass some palm oil and rubber tree plantation areas, villager houses, and beautiful scenery. You have also time to take a break from a long journey to the toilet as well as a tea or coffee break. Upon arrival in Kubung Village, in Delang District, Lamandau Regency check in at local Dayak house or long house.  Free time at your own leisure and sightseeing around the village if you arrive before dark.  Accommodation will be at a local house or Dayak Long House or Local Inn (30 minutes from Kubung Village). (B, L, D).

 

DAY 02: KUBUNG VILLAGE – BATU BATONGKAT/DAYAK ANCIENT MONUMENT - JUNGLE – KUBUNG VILLAGE.

 

After breakfast then accompanied by our guide to walk about 20 minutes away to the sacred Dayak monument called Batu Batongkat (Stick Stone Monument). You will see beautiful scenery on the top of the stone. Then continued our trek passing the traditional garden, huge tree, traditional rice barn, local Dayak house, and old Kaharingan Dayak grave before entering the primary jungle. The trek is moderate and we highly suggest using rubber boots as we will pass some small rivers, mud, up and down the hill, rock as well as slippery rock before you reach a beautiful waterfall about 15 meters high and surrounded by crystal clear water and dense tropical rain forest of Borneo. We set lunch here by wrapping traditional lunch. Have time to relax and refresh, you can swim in this cold fresh water pool.  After enjoying the water pools then trek back to the village.  On the way during go or back if you are lucky you may see flying squirrels, black monkeys, Horn Bill or other exotic flora and fauna. Our guide team also would be so pleased to show you how to survive in the jungle, and how to distinguish edible, poisonous, or medicinal plants. If fruit season you may also have time to enjoy the local fruits such as durian, cempedak (bread fruits), or even enjoy how the locals collect the jungle honey (seasonal). Back to the Kubung Village for dinner and overnight at the local Dayak House or at the longhouse. In the evening after dinner, you have time to join in our “Bagondang” or “Horn Bill Dance” ceremony while the local Dayak people will bless you with a welcome ritual ceremony called “ikat akar tongang” /sacred Dayak bracelet for our good blessing during our trip. Many people will join in this “party” with lots of rice wine. You have time for dancing with the local Dayak who consider you part of their big family. Stay overnight at the local Dayak house or at Longhouse (B, L, D).

 

DAY 03: KUBUNG VILLAGE - KUMAI - TANJUNG PUTING NATIONAL PARK.

After breakfast then drive to Kumai to board on the boat, around 4-5 hours. The boat is a traditional Klotok wooden river boat (no cabin) with a roof that forms the upper deck where you can view the rainforest as it glides by. The guide's team includes the boatman, a cook, and an expert guide. we stop first at Tanjung Harapan, a rehabilitation center for orangutans. After a short walk in the forest to the platforms, we witness feeding time at 15.00. In the peaceful afternoon, we will slowly explore the quiet river by the klotok while observing the monkeys along the riverside. Dinner on the boat and overnight on the boat or lodge. While overnight on the boat we serve thin mattresses, pillows, fine meals, bottled "mineral" water, mosquito nets, a kitchen, simple toilet available on the boat besides the familiar - helpful guides and boatmen (L, D).

 

DAY 04: CAMP LEAKEY

After breakfast, we cruise the waterways in the park through tea-colored water to see the perfect reflections from the vegetation along the river. You may even see freshwater crocodiles! Stop along the way to observe proboscis monkeys or other wildlife. After lunch on board, visit Camp Leakey, the research and information center where the older orangutans are reintroduced into the rainforest. From the center, set off on an easy and pretty trek through the tropical rainforest to see orangutans, birds, and other rainforest animals and jungle plants. Keep an eye out for noisy gibbons, deer, and wild boar. Return to the boat for dinner and move to a quiet mooring for the night on the boat or proceed back to Rimba Lodge for overnight (B, L, D).

 

DAY 05: PONDOK TANGGUY – TANJUNG HARAPAN

During your early breakfast, the klotok cruises slowly downstream following the black water canal, spotting wildlife in the forested riversides, and then turning into the muddy Sekonyer River. We are headed for Pondok Tangguy, the rehabilitation center for new ex-captive orangutans, to see feeding time at 9 o’clock. Return to the boat and cruise downstream for an afternoon we visit to Tanjung Harapan rehabilitation center, where we witness feeding time at 3 p.m. and take the opportunity to hike further into the forest. Overnight on the boat or at the lodge (B, L, D).

 

DAY 06: PESALAT RE-FORESTRATION AREA.

Breakfast on the boat, then boating to Pesalat to start easy trekking to Pesalat area on the flat trails. The walk will pass a small medicinal plant area to “The Friends of the National Park” a reforestation area. This is a great birding and walking area; Clouded Leopard and Sun Bear Spoors have been seen here. This area used to be the local people-occupied area, but they were moved to Tanjung Harapan in the 1980s. The Gibbon and the long-tailed macaques can be found near the river bank. There are also some small rivers on the trail where we could find some water creatures. While the Orangutan usually lives deep in the park. Lunch under the shade of the forest. Lunch box or picnic lunch provided. In the afternoon, back to overnight on the boat (B, L, D).

 

DAY 07: BOAT – KUMAI – PANGKALAN BUN AIRPORT.

Leave the park in the early morning while enjoying your breakfast on board to return to Kumai and proceed 15 – 20 15-minute drive to the airport for the flight back to Jakarta.


Take Part to Support Orangutan & Rainforest Conservation

We are not simply about bringing visitors to see the Orangutan but to raise awareness about the threat they are facing as a big number of Orangutans keep decreasing in the past years.  You are invited to Take part in supporting Borneo orangutan conservation project !

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