Beyond Borneo | Overseas | Borneo
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©Pete Smart: 2009
£3,580.00
Venue:
Borneo (16 day)
Event Description:
This exclusive tour combines two of Indonesia’s most magnificent wildlife experiences and allows a wealth of photographic opportunities. We begin our journey on the island of Borneo, home to more than three quarters of the World’s population of Orangutans, here in the quieter, less visited south of the island we visit Borneo’s premiere National Park, Tanjung Puting. We will travel along the park’s waterways in a traditional Klotok (boat) and explore the rich forest environment on foot using the many crisscrossing footpaths.
Our highlights will be the close encounters we experience whilst visiting the park’s Orangutan rehabilitation centres. Here we will see the care and education required for the continued rehabilitation of these amazing primates and we’ll learn how the pioneering conservation and research at Tanjung Puting has been vital for Orangutan survival. Our tour has the rare invitation to be a guest at the Orangutan Foundation International Clinic. The centre specialises in the care and education of baby Orangutans before their release into the wild and is normally closed to tourists. Most of the Orangutans here are orphans; they will have been previously kept as pets or confiscated from illegal traders. The centre needs to inspect these vulnerable apes to make sure that they are healthy and have not contracted any communicable diseases from their previous owners as well as teach them how to live as a wild ape.
Our second magical wildlife experience takes us sailing around the Indonesia archipelago of Komodo National Park. Landing on beautiful pink coral sandy beaches which offer fantastic snorkelling, we disembark for walks along jungle paths in search of the largest lizard on Earth, the prehistoric Komodo Dragon. These large reptiles with their razor sharp teeth and a venomous bite conjure images of monsters and local myths of missing children, yet seemingly welcome photographers! The three main islands Komodo, Rinca, and Padar comprises approximately a third of the National Park, the rest is protected marine waters rich in wildlife such as Dolphins, Green and Hawksbill Turtles and a wonderful array of fish and coral reefs. These remote and isolated islands where few venture are the only places where the fascinating and placid Komodo Dragons can be photographed in the wild.
Orangutans and Komodo Dragon are both endangered species according to most wildlife monitoring organizations and conservation groups. Ten thousand years ago, Orangutans were found throughout Southeast Asia ranging all the way into southern China with their populations numbering in the hundreds of thousands. However activities of humans, primarily the destruction of the rainforest, has caused the Orangutan population to diminish in the past decade by as much as 50%. Orangutans are currently only found on the islands of Sumatra and Borneo where their populations are believed to be no more than 60,000.
The Komodo Dragon is related to the common Monitor Lizard seen across the globe, however its size, often growing to 3 metres or more, makes it the largest species of lizard in the World. Western scientists only discovered the Komodo Dragon, despite its large size, less than 100 years ago. This giant is mainly found on the protected Indonesian islands of Komodo, Rinca and Padar elsewhere their habitat is shrinking due to human activities. It is thought that there are less then 5000 remaining in the wild making this a highly vulnerable creature.
The Orangutan and Komodo Dragon are certainly the wildlife highlights of this unique itinerary but there will be plenty of opportunity to photograph other animals and bird species in the rainforests, jungles, waterways, islands and at sea, including the Proboscis Monkey, Macaques, dolphins and turtles, as well as exotic flora, wonderful landscapes and the Indonesian people and their culture.
Peter Smart from Wild Arena will accompany you. Peter is a wildlife photographer, escorting tours to a variety of countries including Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana, India, Spitsbergen and the Galapagos Islands. Peter treats it as a genuine privilege to introduce people to the wildlife, landscapes and people of the countries he visits and his knowledge, organisational skills and sense of fun ensures that not only will you have excellent photographic and game-viewing opportunities but also a highly enjoyable holiday!
This is a rare opportunity to combine an exploration of Borneo’s rainforest with guaranteed photographic opportunities of the Orangutan being cared for in remote rehabilitation centres, together with an exciting exploration of isolated Indonesian islands in search of the amazing Komodo Dragon. View our exciting itinerary overleaf or visit our website to see more amazing images from the rainforests and islands. For those wishing to experience the thrill of seeing Orangutans in the wild then you may wish to look at our ten day Borneo: Orangutans of the Rainforest tour. Please contact us regarding any questions you may still have or to discuss the possible extensions to this tour. You are advised to make your reservation immediately once you have decided to join us, as places are strictly limited on this unique tour to Beyond Borneo.
Our highlights will be the close encounters we experience whilst visiting the park’s Orangutan rehabilitation centres. Here we will see the care and education required for the continued rehabilitation of these amazing primates and we’ll learn how the pioneering conservation and research at Tanjung Puting has been vital for Orangutan survival. Our tour has the rare invitation to be a guest at the Orangutan Foundation International Clinic. The centre specialises in the care and education of baby Orangutans before their release into the wild and is normally closed to tourists. Most of the Orangutans here are orphans; they will have been previously kept as pets or confiscated from illegal traders. The centre needs to inspect these vulnerable apes to make sure that they are healthy and have not contracted any communicable diseases from their previous owners as well as teach them how to live as a wild ape.
Our second magical wildlife experience takes us sailing around the Indonesia archipelago of Komodo National Park. Landing on beautiful pink coral sandy beaches which offer fantastic snorkelling, we disembark for walks along jungle paths in search of the largest lizard on Earth, the prehistoric Komodo Dragon. These large reptiles with their razor sharp teeth and a venomous bite conjure images of monsters and local myths of missing children, yet seemingly welcome photographers! The three main islands Komodo, Rinca, and Padar comprises approximately a third of the National Park, the rest is protected marine waters rich in wildlife such as Dolphins, Green and Hawksbill Turtles and a wonderful array of fish and coral reefs. These remote and isolated islands where few venture are the only places where the fascinating and placid Komodo Dragons can be photographed in the wild.
Orangutans and Komodo Dragon are both endangered species according to most wildlife monitoring organizations and conservation groups. Ten thousand years ago, Orangutans were found throughout Southeast Asia ranging all the way into southern China with their populations numbering in the hundreds of thousands. However activities of humans, primarily the destruction of the rainforest, has caused the Orangutan population to diminish in the past decade by as much as 50%. Orangutans are currently only found on the islands of Sumatra and Borneo where their populations are believed to be no more than 60,000.
The Komodo Dragon is related to the common Monitor Lizard seen across the globe, however its size, often growing to 3 metres or more, makes it the largest species of lizard in the World. Western scientists only discovered the Komodo Dragon, despite its large size, less than 100 years ago. This giant is mainly found on the protected Indonesian islands of Komodo, Rinca and Padar elsewhere their habitat is shrinking due to human activities. It is thought that there are less then 5000 remaining in the wild making this a highly vulnerable creature.
The Orangutan and Komodo Dragon are certainly the wildlife highlights of this unique itinerary but there will be plenty of opportunity to photograph other animals and bird species in the rainforests, jungles, waterways, islands and at sea, including the Proboscis Monkey, Macaques, dolphins and turtles, as well as exotic flora, wonderful landscapes and the Indonesian people and their culture.
Peter Smart from Wild Arena will accompany you. Peter is a wildlife photographer, escorting tours to a variety of countries including Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana, India, Spitsbergen and the Galapagos Islands. Peter treats it as a genuine privilege to introduce people to the wildlife, landscapes and people of the countries he visits and his knowledge, organisational skills and sense of fun ensures that not only will you have excellent photographic and game-viewing opportunities but also a highly enjoyable holiday!
This is a rare opportunity to combine an exploration of Borneo’s rainforest with guaranteed photographic opportunities of the Orangutan being cared for in remote rehabilitation centres, together with an exciting exploration of isolated Indonesian islands in search of the amazing Komodo Dragon. View our exciting itinerary overleaf or visit our website to see more amazing images from the rainforests and islands. For those wishing to experience the thrill of seeing Orangutans in the wild then you may wish to look at our ten day Borneo: Orangutans of the Rainforest tour. Please contact us regarding any questions you may still have or to discuss the possible extensions to this tour. You are advised to make your reservation immediately once you have decided to join us, as places are strictly limited on this unique tour to Beyond Borneo.
Borneo:
We begin our journey on the island of Borneo, home to more than three quarters of the World’s populations of Orangutans, here in the quieter, less visited south of the island we visit Borneo’s premiere National Park, Tanjung Puting. Our second magical wildlife experience takes us sailing around the Indonesia archipelago of Komodo National Park. Landing on beautiful pink coral sandy beaches we disembark for walks along jungle paths in search of the largest lizard on Earth, the prehistoric Komodo Dragon.
Itinerary
Tutors
