Orangutan holidays

Our orangutan holidays and tours bring you up close, but not too close, to one of the world’s most beloved and endangered animals. Orangutans are only found in the wild on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra, where their survival is threatened by deforestation and poaching. Yet every year, thousands of travellers make the pilgrimage to see the dwindling numbers that remain. The lure of seeing a creature so unique and intelligent is powerful and on our holidays every visit to a sanctuary, rehabilitation centre or remaining tract of virgin rainforest supports the conservation of orangutans for future generations.

Visiting an orangutan rescue centre on your holiday directly supports efforts to save and return as many animals to the wild as possible. Among those we recommend are Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary in Sabah. This is a significant haven of biodiversity and, along with orangutans, on a river cruise you might encounter several species of monkeys as well as crocodiles, pygmy elephants and even freshwater sharks. Matang Wildlife Centre is very convenient, especially for families, being just 40 minutes’ drive from Kuching in Sarawak. In Indonesia, Nyaru Menteng Wildlife Centre is an excellent rehabilitation and education facility in central Kalimantan, with Samboja Lestari Sanctuary also worth a visit.

To see orangutans in the wild, as opposed to in sanctuaries, Sabah in Malaysian Borneo is your best bet. Tourism infrastructure is well-developed, and you can also explore by river boat. Locations include the Maliau Basin Conservation Area and Danum Valley. The neighbouring state of Sarawak is more of a challenge, but in places like Batang Ai National Park you can easily combine orangutan-watching with cultural tours, for example spending a night in a traditional homestay owned by an Iban tribal community. Kalimantan, in Indonesia Borneo, is for the adventurous and requires hiking or sleeping on a houseboat. Only a few pockets of rainforest remain here, but Tanjung Puting National Park has the world’s largest population of wild orangutans.

It’s important to note that on our volunteering with orangutans holidays you’ll have no direct contact with the animals. Instead, your time will be well spent on tasks such as food preparation, maintenance of tree platforms, reforestation and monitoring of new arrivals in places like Nyaru Menteng Orangutan Sanctuary. You may also be creating enrichment activities that encourage natural behaviours such as foraging and nest building. These are essential for developing in orphaned orangutans to help them survive on release into the wild. On our orangutan tours you will work alongside permanent local staff on projects that are carefully screened to ensure they are ethical and deliver genuine progress.

There can be few experiences surer to stick in a young mind than watching an orangutan swinging gracefully through the trees towards you. Our family orangutan holidays typically visit a sanctuary as well as offering the chance to see the animals in the wild. They might involve river cruises, treetop canopy walks or light trekking in places like the Tabin Wildlife Reserve, which also looks after Sumatran rhinos and pygmy elephants. Older children might also be interested in doing some volunteering. As well as encouraging protection of vital rainforest tracts and contributing financially to sanctuaries and rehabilitation centres, our holidays can spark a lifelong fascination with wildlife and a commitment to conservation.