The alpha male is obvious. He’s the huge guy, auburn hair all down his back, having a leisurely scratch. Around him, other orang-utans do more moving about: hanging one-handed, positioning themselves in the best spots for fruit, batting away opportunistic macaques. When a new alpha takes over, Arif our guide says, his face will change, widening with importance.
There are just six of us on board the Rahai’i Pangun, a traditional ironwood riverboat, and apart from the occasional dugout canoe and periodic floating platform panning the red waters for gold, we have the Kahayan river to ourselves. Lush rainforests glide by, as hornbills, kingfishers and sunbirds dart about. Teeming with wildlife, there is an odd mix of peace and excitement. Sudden downpours – this is a rainforest after all – are soaked up by intense sunshine, and the sunsets are spectacular.
I am at the beginning of a two-week journey that will take us from these remote parts of Kalimantan, the Indonesian part of Borneo, and on to sail Indonesia’s volcano-strewn Ring of Fire. There we will snorkel with whale sharks, swim in the caldera of a dormant volcano and under the refreshing waters of a sparkling waterfall, marvel at Komodo dragons, help to seed reefs with coral, and be astonished at creatures – from stingless bees to roosting fruitbats. In school, I remember learning that Borneo was as far away as you could get, and as strange as you could dream of. This is obviously not true for the people who live there, but while the internet has made so many corners of the globe feel familiar, there are still places that remind you that there is so much more to discover.
One of the strangenesses here is sound: periodically we pass small villages, where above the wooden houses, songbird towers dot the landscape (think of them like avian apartment blocks). A relatively recent phenomenon, they cater for the lucrative Chinese trade in edible swiftlet nests held together by the salty saliva of these tiny birds. Highly valued as a delicacy, we are reassured that no birds are harmed by this trade, although this is not always universally true. A recorded soundtrack of birdsong plays constantly on our river journey, encouraging the swiftlets to stop by, mingling in the air with the regular Islamic call to prayer. The precious nest fragments are unappetisingly greyish, but ever-curious, I taste some. I am not immediately aware of the promised flush of beauty, increased libido or mental focus.
We land at Pilang, a small village where we learn about the wealth of medicinal plants contained in the rainforest, and hear of their losses to the extensive palm oil plantations in this part of the world. We have our spirits cleansed before visiting an extended Dayak family and sip refreshing milk, direct from coconuts, as we listened to songs accompanied by the Kacapi, a two-stringed instrument carved from soft jackfruit wood. “What is she singing?” I ask. “She’s encouraging young people to study hard and not get pregnant too early.” Parents the world over are not so different after all. Exploring further, we get a lesson in rubber tapping, and sip the delicious nectar of those stingless bees, which seem to me to be an evolutionary step in the right direction.
The cabins are generous, en suite and all dark wood with ceiling fans. Air-conditioning comes on at bedtime, and the vibe is one of atmospheric comfort rather than cocooning luxury. On deck are guidebooks to the wildlife we see, and I wish I had bought better binoculars, although people generously lend theirs. We slow down for orang-utans, spotted at points along the way, while the vine-clad trees seem to form the shapes of astonishing animals in the right light.
Arif proves a whizz at bird identification, and we sit at dusk over delicious dinners. Abundant local salads, fritters and delicately spiced seafood are created by the enterprising and friendly crew, who conjure marvels from their small kitchen on the waterline. Conversation is eclectic, as my fellow guests include a Canadian immunologist, an engineer from Lancashire and a former logger from the Carolinas who now makes his living as a pirate in theatrical spectacles.
I’m travelling with SeaTrek who have teamed up with Wow Borneo for this leg. “Indonesia through Indonesian eyes,” is the SeaTrek slogan, and co-owner Gavin Gallagher, who happens to hail from Roscommon, is friendly and enthusiastic, but tactfully reticent about his own involvement, preferring to point out that the entire crew and all the tour leaders are local. He’s right, it is their stories, of myth and legend, war and legacy, their hospitality, and their songs and laughter that linger in my mind long after the trip is done.
We transit through Bali to join SeaTrek’s Ombak Putih, an Indonesian Pinisi two-masted sailboat at Flores, where the turquoise waters, clusters of boats and riots of colour are almost shocking after the greens and red-browns of Borneo. Our circle of fellow travellers widens to 20, including an intrepid Dutch pair, and a German family whose extremely charming sons put us all to shame when it comes to the exhilaration of jumping off the bows. Ombak Putih and her sister ship, the Katarina, follow different itineraries depending on the season, with selected adventures being tailored for families with children. It must be life-changing to discover so much at a young age. It’s pretty life-changing at my age.
My cabin is up in the prow. The slap of the waves initially takes a bit of getting used to, but soon becomes a lulling accompaniment to sleep. Sailing to join a small flotilla at sunset on our first night, I wonder what we’re waiting for. “It’s the flight of the fruitbats,” says Anas, who along with Tinae are our tour leaders for this leg. Both accomplished free divers, Anas and Tinae also lead evening talks on the adventures to come. How exciting can fruitbats be? A few dots appear in the golden sunset sky. Suddenly all is darkened with thousands of the creatures on their nightly flight to roost. I give up trying to photograph it, as no snapshot could do justice to the elemental feeling of being in their path.
We breakfast on eggs, muffins, fresh fruits and dragonfruit juice. The on-board espresso maker is in constant service until it’s time to jump in the dinghies and head to the Komodo National Park. Soon, I’m thinking about alpha males again. Komodo dragons (not exactly dragons, think big lizards with really good PR) can spit toxic venom. They feast infrequently, but thoroughly on anything from insects to water buffalo. We have been trying to spot one from the dusty park path, it hasn’t rained here for three years, but suddenly our guide ushers us aside: we have been followed all along. A huge creature paces past, shoulders wide, and biceps turned-out, like those shots of belligerent politicians, literally bigging themselves up. It occurs to me that I’m looking at real power from a beast at the top of its food chain, not the studied poses of the aggressively insecure. This dragon doesn’t care, he’s on his way somewhere, and while his species have been known to attack humans, this one is uninterested in us.
The dragons are protected in the park, but later, as we anchor alongside a pristine beach, we spot more in the full wild, basking. The beaches are beautiful, and SeaTrek keep the itineraries loose, so that the captain can follow his nose to find us the best snorkelling spots, and unimaginably beautiful isolated shores for paradise picnics. We snorkel in groups, Anas and Tinae pointing out reef sharks, manta and eagle rays, sea turtles, blue starfish and colourful clownfish. They get excited by nudibranchs, tiny gastropods that seem to make experienced snorkellers nerdishly thrilled. I spot one, and Tinae glides over. Unfortunately it’s just a blob on a rock.
On a different scale altogether are the whale sharks. These vast creatures (they can grow to up to 18 metres) glide up soundlessly from the depths, filter feeding as they go. I hang in the water, made cloudy by krill from the fishing platforms that ply this part of the ocean. We have been warned not to touch them, but with five or six moving around us, it’s not as easy as it sounds. Later, as we sail away, one follows us for a time, and that night a pod of dolphins play alongside us, their bodies glistening with bioluminescent stars.
In quieter moments, we snooze, read books and play Bananagram, and I keep an eye on the clock for sundowners time. We anchor up against a vista of volcanoes. One is truncated, and the talk that night is of Mount Tambora. When the volcano erupted on April 10th, 1815, it was the most violent ever recorded on earth. So great was the ash cloud, that the following year became known across the northern hemisphere as the Year Without a Summer, and the monsoon season was altered in China and India. Millions died, and the artistic legacy was confirmed by JMW Turner’s paintings of astonishing sunsets. Anas talks of the devastating local impacts, while the broken, literally earth-shattering mountain sits now-peacefully on the horizon in our view. I think of the delicate nature of nature itself, from the giants we have met on land and sea, and the smaller creatures too, and it feels an utter, yet fragile privilege to be here.
On our final morning, we drive up into the hills above Labaun Bajo, where we are offered arrack and betel nuts for breakfast, and treated to a display of whip fighting that blows my mind with its skilled athleticism. The fascination of this causes us to linger. Add the extraordinary chaos of local election hustings on the road back to the airport, and we almost, but not quite, miss our flight. I wouldn’t have minded. I could have stayed on here forever.
Getting there
Gemma Tipton travelled as a guest of SeaTrek Sailing Adventures with Wow Borneo. The 13-day SeaTrek with Orangutans and Dragons full-board cruise costs from €6,422pps, including internal flights from Borneo, airport transfers and overnight in Bali. Trips depart on selected dates from April-August, 2025. For more information see seatrekbali.com, or email Michael Travers, michael@seatrekbali.com, who can create bespoke group itineraries. Qatar Airways flies daily from Dublin to Jakarta, via Doha, with return flights from €814 economy, to €3,570 business with individual sleeping pods on selected flights and lounge access including showers. Break your journey in Doha from $14 per night when booking with qatarairways.com. Flights to Palangkaraya from Jakarta cost about €112 with Garuda, garuda-indonesia.com.
The paperwork
You will need a visa for Indonesia. The VOA is valid for 30 days, and can be bought in advance for about IDR500,000 (approx €29), see evisa.imigrasi.go.id. Bali’s tourist tax can be prepaid at lovebali.baliprov.go.id. Checks are, at the time of writing, infrequent, but at IDR150,000 (approx €8.70), it’s worth it for peace of mind. Complete your mandatory customs declaration up to three days before travel, and save the QR code to your phone to show on arrival. Only one declaration is required per family, see ecd.beacukai.go.id.
What to bring
Reef safe sunscreen is available on the Ombak Putih, and the team will also check the safety of your own preferred brand. Bug spray is also available, but if you’re susceptible, you may wish to bring something stronger. Stock up in the Duty Free for sundowner ingredients. Local Bintang beer is inexpensive on board, but the SeaTrek team advise that spirits are costly in Indonesia. Water bottles are provided, as are masks and snorkels. Dress is casual, but plan to cover up for shore visits. Rash vests and swim leggings advisable to avoid sunburn while snorkelling.
