Destinasi Indonesia September 2013 | Page 10

Feeding Location at TPNP Tanjung Harapan To reach Tanjung Harapan by Klotok Boat from Kumai needs about 1,5 to 2 hours. If you take the speed boat it will take 1 to 1,5 hours. Tanjung Puting It will take 30 minutes to one hour from Tanjung Harapan to Pesalat by klotok and 15 to 30 minutes by speed boat. Pondok Tanguy dark sky sprinkled with stars, the sound of the nature and if you are lucky you can see fireflies enlight­ en the atmosphere. Do not worry on what to eat. If you ride the klotok boat to Tanjung Puting, you can hire a cook to indulge your appetite with main dishes and snacks. But if you take the speed boat please bring food along. Before entering Tanjung Pu­ ing, t Camp Leakey is the first stop to rest, to eat lunch and to take care of the paperwork such as, report­ ing to the local authority and buy­ ing tickets. The speed boat’s travel time is shorter compared to klotok boat. That is why most tourists who do a one day trip will pick the speed boat as their transportation. They depart in the morning and back to Kumai harbor in the evening. Sekonyer River From Pesalat to Pondok Tanguy needs 1 to 1,5 hours by klotok and 30 minutes to 1 hour by speed boat. Camp Leakey From Podok Tanguy it takess 1 to 1,5 hours to get to Camp Leakey Photographing at the feeding (above), enjoying the forest fruit (below) Arrived at the National Park you might or might not be lucky. During fruiting season Orangutan will not appear by the outer part of the forest. But once the fruits in the forest are lacking they will come and greet you at the entrance gate of the park. Beware when you bring food. The wild free orangutan will be interested in your food as they see and smell it. They will not release your hands and foot until you give them all the food you have. It is prohibited to give the orang­ utan food but in reality tourists violate the rule. One of the attractions that you can see in Tanjung Puting is the feeding of the orangutan that is just being set free and needed adjustment. To see this you have to walk into the forest for about one hour. It is interesting to stroll in the thick forest where you can smell the scent the fresh ground. The orangutan will come and meet you. Even those tame ones will like to be cuddled. Some will not walk unless you hold their hands. How does it feel to be holding hands with the orangutan? They are really heavy. A mature male orangutan stands 150 cm and weighs 120 kg. Meanwhile the female ones are 120 cm tall and weigh 45 kg. Educational Tour There are so many things that you can learn At Tanjung Puting National Park, such as the history of orangutan, their age and extinction. You will learn how they protect and nurtured their babies. And you will also be reminded by how much trees have been cut to make papers, wooden chopsticks and stick matches. 9 Destinasi: Tanjung Puting Photographed: Saud Teguh Anggoro P Destinasi Indonesia | Phorographed: Efan Ekananda Destinasi: Tanjung Puting Photo: Kemenparekraf/indonesia.travel Destinasi Indonesia | 8 Tanjung Puting National Park is usually the main destination for tourist who comes to Central Ka­ limantan specifically to Pangkalan Bun. This research, conservation and wild free location for orangutan is famous overseas. To get to Tan­ jung Puting you have to go through Kumai Harbor about one hour travel from Pangkalan Bun. At the harbor you can rent a speed boat or a klotok boat. The trip to Tanjung Puting with the klotok boat takes about six hours. You can enjoy the speed of the boat while sightseeing to the right and left of the river. Long tailed monkeys hang on the trees. Birds fly or perch on the branches. Sometimes you can see crocodiles sunbathing quietly that you might think a floating log. The water color of the Sekonyer River has its own story. At the beginning of the journey the water looks brownish because of the pol­ lution causes by the illegal mining in the area. As you get closer to Tanjung Puting National Park, the water changes to black and reddish color. In fact it is the original water color of rivers in Kalimantan. The dark color is caused by the reflec­ tion of the old tree trunk under the water. The water is so clear that the objects underneath can be reflected. When night comes, the boat will dock by the river bank. Enjoy the Pesalat