{"id":1064,"date":"2025-08-16T13:31:58","date_gmt":"2025-08-16T03:31:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mrmarkyoung.com\/blog\/?p=1064"},"modified":"2025-08-16T17:03:12","modified_gmt":"2025-08-16T07:03:12","slug":"an-unforgettable-orangutan-adventure-in-borneo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mrmarkyoung.com\/blog\/?p=1064","title":{"rendered":"An Unforgettable Orangutan Adventure in Borneo"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

August 2025<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We landed in Jakarta on the 30th and spent the night at the FM7 Resort Hotel \u2014 though \u201cresort\u201d might be a stretch. The room was clean, modern, and spacious, but the breakfast experience was a mixed bag: fantastic food, but chaotic service. Ordering eggs felt like a game of chance. That said, the noodle selection was exceptional \u2014 some of the best I\u2019ve had in a long while.
Around noon, we were picked up and driven back to the airport for our Batik Airways flight to Pangkalan Bun. The boarding process was pure confusion: gate changes with no announcements, no signage, and no staff to guide passengers. Classic Southeast Asian airport chaos.
Upon arrival in Borneo, we collected our bags and were greeted by Bobby from the hotel. The Mercure was relatively new, and the rooms were outstanding for the price. After a few drinks in the room (thank you, pre-purchased bourbon), we had dinner at the hotel. It was fine \u2014 nothing memorable, but it did the job.
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\ud83c\udf3f Day 1: Into the Wild
Sleep was elusive thanks to the 4am mosque broadcast echoing through the town. Breakfast was modest, with limited options. By 9:30am, Fardi\u2019s crew was waiting in the lobby as promised, and we headed to Kumai to board our boat for the three-night river journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


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Our crew consisted of:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  • Rudi \u2013 the captain<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Ali \u2013 boat hand<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Ryan \u2013 our sharp-eyed guide<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Eruse \u2013 the onboard cook
    We cruised upriver for a few hours before reaching our first feeding station. We spotted several orangutans \u2014 mostly mothers and young males. The alpha males were conspicuously absent, but their presence was felt; the others kept a wary eye out.
    As dusk fell, we enjoyed a delicious dinner onboard. Later, we ventured into the jungle with Ryan, whose ability to spot wildlife was uncanny. We saw:<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • A tarantula<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Multiple spider species<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Two viper snakes<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • A glow-in-the-dark mushroom<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Native birds, including a woodpecker<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • A butterfly fluttering through the underbrush
    We returned to the boat and slept on the deck under the stars.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    \ud83d\udc12 Day 2: Camp Leakey & River Drama
    Breakfast was served at 7am, and we continued upriver toward Camp Leakey \u2014 a four-hour journey that never felt long. The riverbanks were alive with movement, and we were constantly scanning for wildlife.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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