It had just gone 7am. I was brushing my teeth, when I heard a knock on the cabin door. “We’ve already seen one and it’s a large male,” reported our guide, Arif. Quickly pulling on some clothes, I ran out and clambered up the wooden stairs to the top deck – though I needn’t have rushed: the orangutan, hanging languidly from a branch by the long, curved fingers of one hand, wasn’t going anywhere.
I stared, spellbound, as his dark brown eyes swivelled to meet mine – then he blinked, and turned back to the tranquil dawn panorama on Borneo’s Kahayan river: Rahai’i Pangun, our eight-passenger vessel, lying still in the water, and a backdrop of birdsong as the dense forest came to life.
“They have no predators, only us,” continued Arif as the Bornean orangutan (or Pongo pygmaeus – the largest of the three species of these great apes) was joined by four others; their arrival heralded by their loud trampling of the undergrowth, and the tree boughs shaking and bending beneath their weight. It was an incredible introduction to Indonesia’s justifiably self-proclaimed “magnificent seven”; orangutans, Komodo dragons, whale sharks, manta rays, sea turtles, giant fruit bats and the kaleidoscope of some of the earth’s richest coral reefs.
The three-day exploration of remote rivers and backwaters in Kalimantan, the Indonesian part of Borneo, also familiarised us with the inspiring work of the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation. Founded in 1991 to rescue displaced and orphaned orangutans – their mothers often brutally killed by poachers – it also raises awareness about the plight of these endangered creatures, which share 97 per cent of their DNA with humans, and their diminishing habitat.
The 20-plus orangutans we saw were in the various stages of rehabilitation, some on protected islands after a three to 10-month programme where they’re taught to socialise, climb trees, build nests and hunt; survival instincts never learnt while being illegally kept in captivity. Once living independently, they’re moved to another island before a monitored release into the wild.
My journey, which began after a two-hour flight from Jakarta to Palangka Raya in Central Kalimantan, was the result of a new collaboration between Indonesia expedition cruise operator, SeaTrek Sailing Adventures, and Wow Borneo, which pioneered trips in search of orangutans aboard traditional wooden vessels converted into cosy houseboats.
After a hop-over stop in Bali, and another flight to Flores Island, this theme continued on our next ship. Ombak Putih, which translates as “white waves” in Indonesian, is a tough ironwood pinisi vessel launched in 1997 to carry cargo and sympathetically refurbished by SeaTrek to carry 24 passengers. Flores is the main gateway to Unesco-listed Komodo National Park, an archipelago of 29 volcanic islands with jagged peaks rising dramatically from turquoise waters and blush-pink beaches created by red pigment on coral reefs.
That evening, there was a palpable air of excitement, and a few jitters, as we listened to tour leader Dion’s briefing about our visit to Komodo Island. It’s home to the majority of the park’s estimated 5,000-strong population of Komodo dragons, the world’s largest land lizards. Measuring 10ft and weighing around 300lb, they’re indigenous only to this region.
“They hunt alone, use their tails to lunge at prey and have two venom glands which create toxic saliva,” he explained, as I took an extra-large gulp of my gin and tonic. “But don’t worry, we’ve never lost a SeaTrek guest so far.” Reassured, I had no trouble falling asleep that night in the gently rocking wood-panelled cabin.
SeaTrek ensured we were the first boat to arrive on Komodo the next day, at the time when the lizards come out into the open to warm themselves in the sun and are most visible. Accompanied by rangers, I was once again mesmerised as the first gigantic dragon lumbered into view on ponderous scaly limbs, its yellow forked tongue flicking in and out.
As our leisurely voyage continued, the remaining five “wonders” came thick and fast. Ombak Putih moored off Satonda Island, where the blood-orange sunset was the curtain-raiser to the ensuing aerial spectacle above the ship’s masts. Each night, thousands of fruit bats (AKA flying foxes) with 3ft wingspans fly to the neighbouring isle of Sumbawa for a nocturnal feast of fruit and nectar from night-opening flowers.
Each day, we snorkelled, sometimes carried along effortlessly on warm currents we nicknamed “lazy rivers”, and immersed our faces into an underwater utopia of marine life interspersed by occasional streams of bubbles created by volcanic gases. Before dinner there were slideshows and Dion would run through what we’d seen (or indeed missed, as there was so much to discover).
Nevertheless, nobody failed to spot the pair of whale sharks, around 40ft long, offMoyo Island. If I hadn’t had my lips clamped around the snorkel my mouth would have been wide open at the sight of the world’s largest sharks, albeit gentle giants, which dwarfed us as they swam slowly and gracefully by; oblivious to our awestruck presence. Needless to say, there was never a lack of conversation as we swapped tales of daily adventures back on Ombak Puti over buffet meals of delicious, freshly prepared food.
SeaTrek and Wow Borneo both spearhead sustainable and respectful tourism, and our trip to swim with manta rays was cancelled when we arrived to find a mass of day-trip boats crowded around the rays. Nobody complained.
Elsewhere, we took an active part in a coral restoration project off Hatamin Island, where the reef was almost destroyed by decades of dynamite fishing to kill and stun fish. As I carefully attached tiny coral fragments to a “nursery rack” frame lowered onto the seabed, I hoped my small effort would contribute towards making a lasting impact on this incredible part of the world – just as it had made such a lasting impression on me.
Essentials
Jeannine Williamson was a guest of SeaTrek Sailing Adventures (seatrekbali.com), which has the 12-night SeaTrek with Orangutans and Dragons (Borneo and Komodo) cruise from£6,622per person, including internal flights from Borneo, airport transfers and a resort stay in Bali. Calling at villages on the Kahayan river and islands managed by the BOS Foundation in Indonesian Borneo (Kalimantan), and a round-trip sailing from Flores visiting islands in Komodo National Park. Departs May 6 2025.
