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.
