ORANG UTAN TREKKING SAMBOJA Lodge Tour IV 5 DAYS / 4 NIGHTS Balikpapan Kalimantan Borneo

DAY 01
BALIKAPAPAN - AIRPORT - SAMBOJA.
Upon arrival at Balikpapan airport proceed to Samboja Lodge by car about 1 hour driving late afternoon available observe the Orang utans around the lodge. Have dinner at the Lodge.

DAY 02
TREKKING.
After having breakfast then trekking to plant the fruit trees to support the foundation for supply of food the future for the orang utans. Observe the Orang Utan around the lodge, and also the other animals in Borneo sun bear.
This area is strictly for the orang utans survival foundation which has been developing since 1992 in Borneo , now at Samboja Lodge has about 210 orang utans  that have been released into 6 islands around lodge. After lunch proceed to Bukit bangkirai for canopy bridge and to Black river for observing proboscis monkey and late afternoon back to Lodge.

DAY 03
SAMBOJA LODGE - SUNGAI WAIN.
Breakfast at lodge then continue the trip to Sungai wain by car about one hours then trekking 4 hours to observe the real jungle of Borneo and observing wild life and natural picher plans, overnight at Camp simple camp. No Ac at Camp. Meals provided.

DAY 04
JUNGLE TREKKING - BALIKPAPAN
Having breakfast at the Lodge then trekking to observe wild life such as: sun bears, orang utans or bird watching and back to Balikpapan to stay overnight at Balikpapan. Sagita hotel. MEALS PROVIDED.

DAY 05
HOTEL - AIRPORT.
Breakfast at hotel then transfer to the airport for next destination

INCLUDED
*Accommodation standard room
*Transportation
*Meals
*English speaking guide
*Trees FPR planting

EXCLUDED
*Air ticket
*Insurance
*Excess baggage charges
*Other expenses happened due to the flight delay or cancellation
*Laundry
*Other personal expenses

Samboja Lodge is about 38 km from Balikpapan, East Kalimantan.

A new venture for The Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation (BOSF) is the construction of our Samboja Lodge facility. Here, for the first time, visitors will be able to work closely with us in the many projects currently active in Samboja Lestari in aid of saving our rainforests and the orangutan.

The Lodge's unique design is based upon local architecture. All interior and exterior walls are made of recycled materials. The cosmetic touches are all traditional Kalimantan handicrafts and are produced by both local and Dayak communities around the Island. You can even purchase these items if you decide you like them!

The Lodge is surrounded by lush vegetation and each room has its own patio or balcony in which to enjoy the greenery. The glass doors can fold open allowing you to choose between having a barrier to nature, or being completely open to it!

The area around the Lodge has been planted with many indigenous tree species, flowers and fruiting trees. There is also a salt lake, which attracts many animals right beside the Lodge. The Lodge rooms also overlook the Orangutan Islands. At night, the evening sky is full of stars and the Southern Cross is easily visible.

It is our hope that your stay with us will encourage you to continue your support for the preservation of our natural spaces. Through our planned visitors activities, you will be able to become a part of our daily work team. In this way, you will gain first hand knowledge on what is required to rebuild a forest and protect its wildlife. So come on, get your hands dirty, work and eat with us, and plant your own special tree as a lasting memory of your visit! You will even be able to track your tree's progress on the Internet.

Rooms

The Lodge currently has 26 rooms completed (22 standard rooms with beds for sharing, AC) and 2 suites (queen size beds, AC and hot water) and 2 treetops suites (king size beds, fantastic views, AC and hot water).

The Lodge consists of two long levels and a center tower.
The lower level contains 12 rooms (6 on either side of the center tower), each with its own patio, private bathroom and twin beds for double occupancy.
The upper level has 10 rooms with balcony, private bathroom and twin beds for double occupancy as well.

The upper level has two VIP guests rooms with Queen size beds, air conditioning and hot water.
The ground level portion of the center tower houses a communal area for dining, laundry and kitchen facilites, Internet access area

The upper level of the tower accomodates two master VVIP suites complete with king size beds, Jacuzzi and large picture windows overlooking the Samboja Lestari area.
There is also a large viewing platform open to all guests

Orangutan Island
Some orangutans live on six man-made islands (a nice walk from the Lodge). The Island orangutans have chronic Hepatitis B and are not release candidates. They most likely contracted the virus from their previous ‘owners’. Therefore, they can only be viewed from the land. However, the Islands erode quickly and are constantly in need of repair. Guests will be able to work with us to shore up the Island edges with stones to prevent further erosion. Every day workers bring over many kinds of fruits, vegetables and leafy branches. Though there is No Contact for Visitors permitted with any of our orangutans, we could use your help in making new behavioral enrichment devices for them, preparing their food and even in taking observational data!
 
Activities at the Orangutan Islands will begin at 8am and continue until 4pm with a return to the Lodge for lunch. The islands are easily reached on foot from the Lodge. Visitors will help the technicians with the following:  

    * Cut and prepare orangutan foods
    * Take behavioral observations (clipboard and data sheet will be provided)
    * Clean surrounding island area (rakes provided)
   
Island Building
The Orangutan Islands periodically need shoring up due to natural erosion. Visitors can really get into the spirit of hard work in muddy conditions helping us with this important task. Large stones need to be placed and anchored along the island shore. Resident orangutans are moved during this process as the river is temporarily drained.

Forest School Sleeping Cages
The sleeping cages for the orangutans in our Forest School program are built of wood and wire. We are trying to come up with a modular design for easy construction and our building team could use some help!

There are a number of other animal species in Samboja Lestari that have returned to this regenerating forest. Some of the animals you might spot on guided walks early morning and late afternoon through our Nature Trail (taking census data as you walk) are: eagles (3 different species), many other birds, lizards and snakes (blood pythons), small mammals (deer and pigs) and many amazing insects (walking sticks, beautiful butterflies, millipedes etc.). You might even spot wild primates newly arrived to the area such as gibbons, macaques (2 species), and proboscis and red leaf monkeys.