WILDLIFE TREASURES OF BORNEO, SULAWESI & KOMODO: Orangutans, Macaques & Dragons

WILDLIFE TREASURES OF BORNEO, SULAWESI & KOMODO: OVERVIEW

Wild Images’ Wildlife Treasures of Borneo, Sulawesi and Komodo takes you to the three jewels in the wildlife crown of Indonesia’s islands in search of the charismatic Orangutan, the quirky Black Macaque and the iconic Komodo Dragon, surely one of the greatest living dinosaurs on earth.

While the focus of our tour is on these wonderful creatures, we will also be searching for other wildlife including one of the world’s tiniest primates, the Spectral Tarsier, reptiles including pit vipers and geckos, insects, amphibians and a host of spectacular rainforest birds including the stunning Knobbed  and Rhinoceros Hornbills and Stork-billed Kingfisher.

KOMODO – LAND OF THE DRAGONS

Our tour begins in Labuan Bajo, the main centre for travel to the scenically beautiful islands of Komodo and Rinca, home of the Komodo Dragon, possibly one of the most mythical and biologically fascinating reptiles on the planet!

Komodo Dragons the largest and heaviest reptiles in the world (they can grow up to 10 feet long and weigh up to 150 pounds, or over 70 kilograms) and walking with them feels like you are communing with the world’s last dinosaurs.  Their curious biology features parthenogenesis, or the female’s ability to produce offspring without ever mating with a male, and the fact that they are also venomous.  

We will spend two full days in their realm, photographing them when the light is beautiful.  At times when the light is harsh we will have the chance to explore their satellite islands, including walking on the pink sand beaches and snorkelling in the turquoise seas of Komodo, searching for corals and iridescent reef fish for which Komodo is also famous.

TANGKOKO BATUANGUS NATURE RESERVE

Imagine a world of forests that flank the sides of an ancient volcano.  Hidden deep in the mountains of Sulawesi, that forests exists in the form of Tangkoko Batuangus Nature Reserve.

Spread out over almost 9,000 hectares Tangkoko is home to some of Asia’s most threatened mammals including the quirky and comical Celebes Crested Macaque, of which only around 5,500 remain on the island.

Sometimes called Black Macaque, they are completely black in colour with the exception of a pink, fleshy rump which for the males is heart shaped.

Their head shape is more baboon-like than other macaque species and they are well known for their beautiful marmalade coloured eyes and often hilarious toothy smiles.

Tangkoko is also the forest world of the alien-like Spectral Tarsier, one of the world’s smallest primate species.  These tiny round-eyed creatures spend their days sleeping in tree hollows, preferring to come out at dusk when they dine on insects before going out to forage in the forest at night.

During our time in Tangkoko, we may also be lucky enough to spot the curious Bear Cuscus.  We will also search for the stunningly beautiful Knobbed Hornbill.

INDONESIAN BORNEO: TANJUNG PUTING NATIONAL PARK

There are few experiences in the world that rival spending time with wild Orangutans.  It is a joy that is perhaps only surpassed by spending time with Gorillas in Africa.  These gentle primates have a name that literally translates as ‘people of the forest’ – ‘orang’ (human) and ‘hutan’ (forest) and spending time with them you cannot help but realise how uncannily human these incredible creatures are.

The Dayak people of Borneo once believed the Orangutans had the ability to speak, but chose not to, fearing they would be forced to work if were they ever caught.  Indeed, even now if you look an Orangutan in the eye, you may find your own expressions are mirrored in theirs.

Glance down and look at their hands and you will find they are remarkably similar to your own.

These incredible red apes are extremely intelligent creatures who have the ability to reason and think like humans.  Baby Orangutans cry when they are hungry, whimper when they are hurt and they smile lovingly at their mothers.

As uniquely arboreal great apes, living quietly in the trees and only descending to the forest floor when they must.  Each night they build giant tree nests out of branches and leaves in which to sleep.

They are largely silent. If it wasn’t for a cry of a baby or the call of an excited alpha male, you might never know they were there.

Orangutans are so highly adapted to their rainforest world that they have been known to make and use tools.  For example they use branches to poke into termite holes, extracting the unsuspecting insect as a small snack, or they have been seen to use large branches to test the water depth before they cross streams.  When a monsoon rain falls, Orangutans have even been seen making umbrellas for themselves out of big leaves.

Sadly their entire world is under threat through three human activities – fire, destruction of the forest and poaching.

In Indonesia their world is mostly in the wondrous Tanjung Puting National Park.

Stretching over 400,000 hectares, Tanjung Puting is a rainforest wonderland that is also home to Proboscis Monkeys, gibbons, macaques, clouded leopards, sun bears, wild boars, porcupines and Sambar Deer.  It also features many reptiles including crocodiles, monitor lizards and pythons.  Avifauna highlights include hornbills and kingfishers.

While our focus in Tanjung Puting will be photographing the wonderful Orangutans that call the park home, we will also aim to capture a portfolio of other creatures, telling a story of the Indonesian rainforest, through your eyes.

Indonesian Borneo is the final jewel in the crown of this spectacular wildlife odyssey, plunging you into the gentle realm of one of the world’s most charismatic great apes.

Accommodation, road and air transport

Our Indonesia wildlife photography tour uses comfortable lodges throughout.

Walking

The walking effort throughout this journey is mixed, with easy to moderate with trails of varying length. Walking in the Komodo section of the tour is moderate with some hills so a degree of walking fitness is required.

Climate

Indonesia has multiple climates throughout the region and although weather cannot be guaranteed, generally when we’re travelling in April; Borneo will see typically dry warm days with minimal rainfall. Sulawesi, traditionally is glorious at this time of year with potential of slight rains but this is a great time of year before the crowded popular months. Komodo and Flores islands see hotter, dryer months still with comfortable temperatures and the islands shimmer with greenery.

Photographic equipment

During this diverse tour the most useful equipment will be either telephoto zooms or primes up to/between 300-600mm with a full frame, crop sensor or mirrorless camera.

Shorter focal lengths such as 24-70mm and 70-200mm will be very useful should the wildlife come closer or for some wonderful environmental images. Camera phones will be perfect for capturing memorable moments as we cruise along the jungle lined rivers and other beautiful scenery that we pass by.

You can also get wonderful results throughout this Indonesia and Borneo wildlife photography tour, with many subjects, with a high quality ‘bridge’ camera with an 18-20x or higher optical zoom and a wide-angle setting which is equivalent to 24mm.

A tripod can be a heavy burden on this particular tour, owing to the amount of walking to various wildlife hotspots and the primate subjects are constantly moving around so you will also need the freedom to adjust your position. However, a monopod can be helpful if you use a heavy telephoto.

There will be chances for drone photography during this tour.  Please contact our office should you wish to fly on the trip.

You may also wish to bring a small underwater camera for our snorkelling excursions in Komodo.

If you have questions about what equipment you ought to bring, please contact us.