Review Author: Destiny Venable

Review Date: 19 Sep 2026

Review Body: The Orangutan Applause tour was the best tour I have ever been on. Arif was very accommodating and flexible with my requests. When I wanted to stay at the Rimba Ecolodge overnight instead of aboard the klotok boat, he worked with my flight schedule and the hotel to ensure a smooth experience. I felt like I barely needed to lift a finger. His crew that run the boat during the tour, the cook, deck hand, captain, and tour guide were absolutely outstanding. Above and beyond the amazing scenery and wildlife experiences (i.e. orangutans, monkeys, crocodiles, rare hornbill birds, beautiful insects), I will have lifetime memories of this trip because of the crew. The meals were some of the best of my life, the deckhand and captain were very kind and experienced on the water, and the tour guide was an expert on the national park. I could tell he loved sharing his island, traditions, culture, and knowledge with visitors. He even performed traditional rain forest music from his village. His love for Borneo made me see just how special this place is. On top of contributing to the conservation of orangutans and the rain forest, your money is going to the local small business that makes it possible. I already want to go back.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Philip Markle

Review Date: 28 Mar 2026

Review Body: Was an absolutely amazing trip. The boat was incredible! The food was amazing! Don't fill up on breakfast at your hotel, you are going to be fed a lot and the food was amazing. Alan was our guide and was fabulous! Excellent English and incredibly enthusiastic and knowledgeable. Have taken tours across the globe and his was possibly the best. And the orangutans! Incredible! And the day ended at sunset along the river bank with an absolutely magical firefly display! Could not have been better. From the cook, captain, deckhand, and our guide Alan. You will not be disappointed and be prepared to be completely amazed! Also, the communication during our original planning and leading all the way up to our hotel pickup was greatly appreciated. A top notch operation top to bottom!!

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Anne

Review Date: 15 Aug 2026

Review Body: Une expérience juste incroyable ! La journée fut dense et bien remplie : balade en hors-bord jusqu’à un petit village typique, visite commentée par notre super guide, puis changement d’embarcation pour rejoindre un bras de la rivière en petite barque genre pirogue où nous avons pu observer singes nasiques et serpents, délicieux déjeuner dans le restaurant d’un lodge puis direction le centre de nourrissage des orangs-outans où nous ne savions plus où regarder tellement il y en avait ! Merci à toute l’équipe pour votre gentillesse et d’avoir aussi bien organisé cette journée !

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Enric Navall

Review Date: 12 Aug 2025

Review Body: We made a tour of one day with Arif and was an incredible day! Very helpful, very honest, he help us with everything, explained all the story and was very kind with my children and my. The food of the boat was very very tasty! Positive point for the cooker!! If I have to come back to Tanjung Putting I want to meet with Arif again. Congratulations for the effort and keep being the best guide!!

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Filippo & Eleonora

Review Date: 04 Aug 2026

Review Body: We really enjoyed our day trip.it was much more than what we expected especially thanks to our wonderful guide Fera who makes it a memorable day. She explained us lot of things about the places and the animals we have seen, always helpful and enthusiast in every activity we had with her. She really made the difference! Perfect day, perfect organisation and perfect tour. Thank you all.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Andre&Syeni

Review Date: 29 Apr 2026

Review Body: Communication with Arif went very smoothly, he send also a lot of useful information before departure. We were very enthusiastic with having Alan as our guide. He knows a lot about Tanjung Puting, the animals and orangutans in particular. He even knows the names of the orangutans. And on top of it, his sense of humor ia great. We recommend Arif and Alan and we surely come again.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Oscar

Review Date: 31 Aug 2026

Review Body: La visita al parque Tanjung Puting fue genial gracias a nuestra guía Vera y su compañero. Cuidaros todos los detalles en todo momento y se mostraron muy cercanos. Pudimos ver orangutanes y monos narigudos en libertad, entre otros animales, además de todos los orangutanes en la estación de alimentación. !Muy recomendable!

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Abde

Review Date: 14 Sep 2026

Review Body: Excellent team, from hotel pickup onward. The day was well paced and the schedule respected. Food was good and adapted to our tastes, with drinks available on the boat, which felt secure throughout. We were lucky to see proboscis monkeys — great chances to photograph and observe them. Highly recommended.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Jirca De Meyer

Review Date: 16 Sep 2025

Review Body: It was an amazing experience! Easy pick up and drop off to hotel. It was such and experience to drive the mini speed boat to national park Tanjung Puting and see the orangutan. We had the best guide named Uri !

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Elaine Cole

Review Date: 21 Feb 2026

Review Body: Everything was just perfect the guide was wonderful was so knowledgeable . The captain and his assistant were great also . We saw orangutans, crocodiles and loads of monkeys ! An amazing experience.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Michel

Review Date: 30 Aug 2026

Review Body: We booked a 1D tour in Tanjung Puting with Seek Sophie ; the trip was very well organized ; Hosni the tour guide and also the boatmen were very professional and attentive ; they made their upmost for us discovering the environment of Tanjung Puting and observing wildlife ; the most amazing was the first feeding station where many OrangUtans can be observed in the wild ; many females OrangUtans with babies Great thanks to Hosni and Seek Sophie

Review rating: 4

Review Author: Jialin

Review Date: 30 Jun 2025

Review Body: One of the best wildlife/nature trips I've done in Southeast Asia!! 12/10 experience. We went during end May and saw 40 orangutans in 4 days! As well as so much other wildlife like rare birds, proboscis monkeys, macaques. Our Seek Sophie guide Guh was the BEST - he was so knowledgable and could answer any questions that we threw at him, and of course, was so good at spotting wildlife. We learnt so many things during these 4 days - like how orangutans are actually solitary creatures, and have a complex social hierarchy. It was sooo interesting (and sometimes funny) to see it all play out - like watching a Nat Geo documentary live! Because we did a 4 day Seek Sophie slowboat instead of the usual 3 days, we were able to go to the feeding stations earlier (to get a good spot) and leave later (to have higher chances of spotting more wildlife). And we got super lucky on our last day - we spotted a huge male orangutan up in the trees while still on the boat! It was extra special because unlike the feeding platforms, sightings like this when you're on the boat are way less guaranteed. Besides spotting a ton of wildlife, we really enjoyed chilling on the boat. No motion sickness because the boat moves really slowly! And because there's no signal, it was a good time to disconnect and just enjoy nature. The boat is not fancy by any means, but it was decently comfortable. The toilet even had a rain shower. Food was also yummy. And the boat crew took the best care of us! Other things that we got to do like tree planting and canoeing down the river in a sampan (small wooden boat) was very peaceful. Appreciated that the tree planting here is legit and not greenwashing - they plant native trees to restore the orangutans' habitat and saw 8 orangutans come to feed in this area! Loved that this whole trip was done super ethically - no touching, feeding or getting close to orangutans. Just observing them in their natural habitat. And we learnt so much about the conservation efforts too. Pro-tip: the sun and mosquitos are relentless so make sure to cover up. I personally wore a sleeveless sports crop top + layered with a thin breathable long sleeve + covered pants + socks + shoes + wide bucket hat + polarised sunglasses.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Dylan B

Review Date: 11 Feb 2026

Review Body: I highly recommend this trip. It’s a great for photography as there is plenty of space on the klotuk (riverboat) to keep your camera at the ready while you relax and watch the reflections of ancient plants in the river or study it for the snouts of patient crocodiles. I saw more than twenty orangutans, not just at feeding stations but in the trees and swinging between them as well as on the foot trail. Along the river were dozens and dozens of proboscis monkeys, an alpha and his harem of females and kids, plus the rival group of bachelor males vying for their opportunity at procreation. Long tailed macaques brewed up trouble with their playful antics, one made off with our bananas by leaping to the river and swimming across to the other side. A lonely charismatic white cheeked gibbon swung through the trees like a child’s toy. Many birds are visible, lots of kingfisher species and storks and croaking hornbills and other technicolor dream coat varieties flying and singing overhead. The boat is comfortable, much like a house, with plenty of space to store your stuff and a comfy bed to sleep on with a mosquito net. There is your knowledgeable guide, a helpful deck hand, the skilled captain and the cook who made three wonderful meals a day. (Guide Vera, Cook Ira ,Capt Dedet, Boat assistant Agus) They make sure you are very well taken care of. We did short treks (about two hours each) during the day to see animals and plants like pitcher plants or fungi or local medicinal plants, plenty of cool insects, the most colorful and varied butterflies you’re likely to see anywhere, truly kaleidoscopic, giant ants matching, industrious termites, and moths. At night we trek hunted for nocturnal species and found frogs, lizards, spiders and mouse deer. The ammoniac whispers of the nocturnal tarsiers were everywhere. Only the creator who fashioned this rainforest and its denizens via evolution knows what is was truly like over the last hundred million years. But floating along the tea black river will at least give you glimpse of the forgotten eons of time, like shaking the hand of a centenarian and looking into their ancient eyes. Dylan

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Ky

Review Date: 26 Jul 2026

Review Body: This cruise was one of the highlights of our trip to Indonesia. We navigated on a small klotok that was absolutely clean and spotless, which isn't always the case on boats and was immensely appreciated. The boat was comfortable, with a clean shower (even the shower head was spotless!) and a cozy bed with a mosquito net on the upper deck. The crew was fantastic. The captain was very skilled, spotted animals along the way and was always smiling. His assistant was helpful and efficient and kept the boat in perfect condition. The cook, Ira, was very talented : we had some of the best food of our entire trip on board (special mention to the pandan cakes and the sweet potato fritters with brown sugar, which were unforgettable!). Our guide, Tiyo, was energetic, positive and incredibly knowledgeable. He could spot countless animals during the cruise and the different activities, was always enthusiastic and engaged, answered all our questions and did everything he could to help us whenever needed. He was also very patient with my fear of heights and my dislike of some of the bugs we encountered in the jungle :) We met many orangutans, including wild ones, and also saw crocodiles, proboscis monkeys, macaques, spiders, scorpions, snakes and even a tarsier. The evenings on board were peaceful and relaxing, and we loved watching the star-filled sky. The canoe ride through the jungle was absolutely beautiful, surrounded by the sounds of nature. We also took an evening stroll in a nearby village with Tiyo, which we really liked for its peaceful atmosphere. Planting a tree on the last day also felt like a meaningful way to end the experience. A huge thank you to Arif, the entire crew and Tiyo for this unforgettable adventure ! We wish you all the very best.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Mara

Review Date: 03 Aug 2026

Review Body: This was truly an unforgettable experience and one of the highlights of our trip to Indonesia. From the very beginning, Arif was incredibly helpful. Even though we booked quite last minute, he did everything he could to find us a boat and organize the trip. He also provided us with lots of useful information before our departure, making everything smooth and stress-free. The entire staff was wonderful—kind, professional, and always ready to help. A special thank you goes to our guide, Qoriah, who was absolutely amazing. She was incredibly knowledgeable, passionate, and always happy to answer our questions. We learned so much thanks to her, and she made the experience even more memorable. The activities were fantastic. The night trek was exciting, and the day trek to the third feeding station was equally interesting. We were also very lucky to see so many orangutans, as well as many different species of monkeys and other wildlife during the river cruise. One thing I particularly appreciated was the company's commitment to conservation and sustainability. Instead of giving every guest single-use plastic water bottles, they provide a large water dispenser so everyone can refill their own bottles. It may seem like a small detail, but I think it is a very important and responsible choice. Overall, this is an incredible experience that I would recommend to anyone. It is truly one of those once-in-a-lifetime adventures that you will never forget. Thank you again to Arif, Qoriah, and the whole team for making our trip so special!

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Tammy Ascher

Review Date: 25 Sep 2026

Review Body: My husband and I booked a private 4D/3N Klotok boat trip in Indonesian Borneo through Seek Sophie. They arranged our tour with Orangutan Applause and we explored Tanjung Puting National Park. This trip exceeded every expectation! The entire experience was seamlessly organized from booking, pickup, and drop-off thanks to Seek Sophie and Arif & Dessy! Life on the boat was exciting and comfortable. We saw an abundance of wildlife, including spectacular close-up views of orangutans at the feeding platforms (and the cutest babies), and also wild orangutans in the trees along the river (including an alpha male). We also saw countless Proboscis Monkeys and Long-tailed Macaques (they were very entertaining), a few crocodiles, snakes, lizards and a wide variety of birds. Our guide, Vera, was fantastic! She was knowledgeable, attentive, and passionate about the animals and forest conservation. Even though, as a wildlife guide she sees the animals daily, her enthusiasm remained high, and her excitement was contagious. She’s one of the best wildlife guides we’ve ever had! The boat crew was equally fantastic! Our captain, Ian (Eyon sp?) and deckhand, Danu kept us safe and always positioned the boat perfectly for wildlife viewing. Chef Lili prepared delicious local Indonesian meals. We especially loved the whole fish and pumpkin soup! There was literally more food than we could eat! This was truly an unforgettable trip! Thank you to the entire teams at Seek Sophie & Orangutan Applause for making our trip so special!

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Erfy Arriany

Review Date: 30 Jun 2025

Review Body: When I decided to go on a 4D3N slow boat cruise through Tanjung Puting National Park, I honestly didn’t expect to fall in love with the place. It wasn’t the most comfortable or luxurious trip (we were sweating buckets most of the time, and even a cold towel felt like a five-star treat), but if you love disconnecting and being in nature, this trip is such a treat. And I really appreciated being off-grid - no signal, just the sounds of the jungle and the river! One of the biggest highlights for me was of course the orangutans. My last encounter with them was at the zoo. So to see them in the wild, where they truly belong, was surreal. You’re not guaranteed to see one of the dominant males, but when I saw King Roger calm, powerful, and completely at home in the trees — I was like… daaaamn. What a privilege it is to see him in his natural habitat. Honestly, the more time I spent in the park, the more I was reminded of how important it is to be mindful about the companies and organisations we support when it comes to eco-tourism. Coexisting means learning to respect space, set boundaries, and accept that animals deserve a home just like we do. And big shout out to the boat crew! Always making sure we were well-fed, and pampering us with little touches like cold wet towels and a bottle of Coke after our wildlife walks (which were very well needed and appreciated). It's those thoughtful details that really made the experience extra comfortable.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Yun Hua

Review Date: 30 Jun 2025

Review Body: I honestly didn't expect to enjoy this trip as much as I did, especially since it’s not usually the kind of adventure I’d go for, but I wanted to try something different. And it turned out to be such a great experience! My favourite parts were definitely the peaceful river cruises and just chilling on the boat. Tree planting was also a meaningful highlight - we even got to personalise and name our own tree, which was a nice touch. And of course, seeing wild orangutans and monkeys up close was super cool. You really feel like you're in their world. Sleeping on the boat was actually way better than I expected. It was cool at night, the mosquito nets worked well, and I managed to get good rest. I was pleasantly surprised food-wise. The meals were tasty and filling for a houseboat. Also, I usually get motion sickness pretty easily, but the boat was stable and moved slowly along the river, so it was very manageable. Our Seek Sophie guide was fantastic too — knowledgeable, friendly, and made the trip smooth from start to end. If you’re thinking of going, just be prepared that it’s a bit of a “roughing it out” kind of experience. No signal, cold water for showers, limited power for charging. Would also recommend bringing a small fan for the hikes. But if you're up for an adventure, it's well worth it. Definitely recommend!

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Natasha & Alex

Review Date: 27 Sep 2026

Review Body: Amazing must do experience! We loved every minute of the trip! I booked and was worried about the comfort of the klotok and safety in the jungle, but everything was way above our expectations. The klotok was spotless, bathroom had everything we needed, shower is cool water and refreshing. Food is amazing and varied, our chef Tarmi is so talented. After excursions, we would come back to cold towels, cold cokes and snacks. The bed sheets we changed everyday. Sleeping was comfortable, not too hot and you’re covered with mosquito net. Our captain (Halim) stopped the boat multiple times when wildlife was spotted. Our guide Tiyo was very knowledgeable and fun. He also prioritized safety and was prepared when I wasn’t feeling well, even had an oxygen monitor on board to monitor vitals. Of course the wildlife was the star, it’s very special to see them in their natural habitat and see how much the locals care for them. There were active forest fires in the national park on our last night, the team kept us safe and handled it well. - Bring: bug spray, sunscreen, anti-nausea meds (boat rocks), travellers diarrhea meds - we went in September: very dry season, no need for leech socks or rain jacket because of el niño. guide said almost no malaria.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Lina

Review Date: 20 Apr 2025

Review Body: I have visited a few places around South East Asia where you can see orangutans (Leuser National Park in Sumatra, Kinabatangan River in Sabah and Semenggoh in Kuching) and this place by far was the most impressive in terms of abundance of wildlife. Not only did we see orangutans at the feeding platforms where it's a fairly high probability, but also loads along the river banks. In addition to orangutans we also saw loads of proboscis monkeys and macaques. Plenty of hornbills and kingfishers and even a quick glance of a crocodile. I would also highly recommend Dessy's and Arif's team for this trip as their company focuses on slow cruising letting visitors enjoy wildlife in their natural habitat. We ended up seeing more orangutans eating in the trees than we could count! We did get lucky with fruiting season as it was happening during our visit in mid April (but it can vary!) The guides are incredibly knowledgable, full of stories of the local orangutan lives and behaviours. The crew is super friendly and the food is very good! Do be prepared for the boat trip. Although relaxing, it is exposed to the elements so do bring bug spray, sun protection and change of clothes (for hot, wet and cooler weather). Highly highly recommend!!

Review rating: 5

Itinerary Day 1

Itinerary Summary: Orangutan viewing at feeding station, jungle trek & river cruise in Tanjung Puting

Itinerary Description: 08:00 AM Pickup from your hotel or Pangkalan Bun Airport 08:30 AM Transfer to Kumai Port & board your private speedboat 09:00 AM Depart up the Sekonyer River — fast but scenic cruise 09:30 AM Arrive at Tanjung Harapan Village, sight seeing around the jetty 10:00 AM Canoeing to the black water channel Sungai Buluh for approx 2 hours 12:00 PM Packed lunch on the village rest area 13:00 Visiting Orangutan Information center in Tanjung Harapan 14:00 Jungle walk to the Orangutan Observation Site in Tanjung Harapan 15:00 Orangutan Observation 17:00 Sunset hunting and wildlife spotting in the river banks 17.30 Cruising back to Kumai 18.00 Transfer back to hotel Note: Timing may vary based on river conditions and speed