Tanjung Puting

Tanjung Puting is a national park in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia, covering 355,000 hectares (877,000 acres) of rainforest, peat swamp, and river systems. The park stretches along three main rivers that wind through dense greenery and form countless waterways where boats move between ranger posts and observation points.

The territory received protection as a nature reserve in 1939 after reports of declining orangutan numbers reached colonial authorities. National park status followed in 1982, and the designation as a wetland of international importance came in 2013, reinforcing safeguards against logging and land conversion.

The name Tanjung Puting translates as Sharp Cape and refers to the shape of the land extending into the sea. Local guides lead travelers along the waterways and explain how the forest serves both wildlife and people, with daily routines shaped by the tides and the rhythm of the river.

Visitors arrive through Pangkalan Bun airport and travel by klotok, a motorized houseboat with cabins and crew, through the river channels. Journeys last several days, with boats stopping at ranger station docks to access walking trails and feeding platforms where orangutans and other wildlife gather.

Camp Leakey, founded in 1971 by primatologist Biruté Galdikas, operates as a research and rehabilitation center hosting the largest wild orangutan population on Earth. Visitors watch rehabilitated animals arrive daily at the feeding platform, mixing learned behaviors with natural instincts in a process that offers direct insight into reintroduction efforts.