A Forest Worth Keeping
Supporting conservation work in Tanjung Puting National Park is important. Visiting, donating and volunteering all help create jobs that depend on the forest remaining standing. When people can earn a living from protecting orangutans and their habitat, they are less likely to choose work that harms the forest.
The orangutans bring people here. The money from those visits travels much farther than the feeding stations.
Why Feeding Platforms Exist
Feeding platforms are part of the history of orangutan rehabilitation in Tanjung Puting. They are not there just to make orangutans easier for visitors to see.
Earlier rehabilitation programs released ex-captive orangutans into the forest around Camp Leakey. Those animals were added to an area already occupied by wild orangutans, and the forest has a finite amount of food.
The Camp Leakey area is now considered to be at or near its carrying capacity, which is one reason it is no longer used as a release site. Supplementary food helps support some rehabilitated orangutans and their descendants.
They still forage naturally. When wild fruit is plentiful, some may not visit the feeding station at all. Wild orangutans may also pass through.
The Forest Has an Economy
Tourism money circulates through Pangkalan Bun and Kumai. A living park can support jobs and businesses year after year.
Where the Money Goes
- Guides, cooks, captains and klotok crews.
- Hotels, guesthouses and restaurants.
- Drivers and airport transfers.
- Food, drinking water and other supplies.
- Fuel suppliers, mechanics and boatbuilders.
- Other businesses serving visitors to the park.
What Visitors Can Do
- Hire local guides, operators and boat crews.
- Eat at restaurants in Kumai and Pangkalan Bun.
- Stay locally before or after the river trip.
- Buy food and other supplies in town.
- Tip good guides, cooks, captains and crews well.
- Spend a little more time locally if your schedule allows it.
- Donate to conservation NGOs working in and around Tanjung Puting.
What an Encounter Looks Like
An encounter is usually quiet and fairly uneventful. The orangutan keeps doing what it was already doing, while visitors simply observe without interfering.
01
Let the Orangutan Decide
Stay still, keep your voice down and leave the animal a clear way to move away. If they begin to show signs of stress, the guide should give them more space or bring the encounter to an end. Most of the good guides know what to do in these circumstances.
02
Maintain a Respectful Distance
Follow the park's minimum viewing distance and give orangutans room to move. Never touch, feed, bait or call to them, and avoid visiting orangutan habitat when you're sick to reduce the risk of passing on infections.
03
Use Local Operators
Use local guides, boat crews and businesses that follow park rules. Tourism is more useful when some of the money stays in the communities living around the forest instead of passing straight through them.
04
Leave as Little Trace as Possible
Help keep the forest beautiful by taking your rubbish with you, keeping food secure and staying on designated trails. A little care goes a long way toward protecting the place you've come to enjoy.
Plan Your Visit
Want to know more about seeing orangutans in the wild? Our Tanjung Puting guide covers klotoks, feeding stations, trip planning and what to expect when you visit.
Explore the Tanjung Puting Guide- Klotoks and river travel
- Feeding stations
- Planning your itinerary
- What to bring
- What to expect