What a fabulous experience! We traveled on the Camp Leakey – Faces in the Forest cruise December 29, 2011 – January 08, 2012 from Singapore to Bali. Orion Expedition Cruises is a luxury expedition cruise line with unique itineraries. The main appeal is the spirit of adventure, yet clients have the comfort of fine dining, exceptional service, spacious accommodations and like-minded travelers.
The original itinerary was changed a couple weeks before departure, eliminating two stops in Borneo due to a silting build up at landing areas. These stops were replaced with two stops in the Riau Islands where we were the first ‘tourists’ to visit pristine beaches with excellent snorkeling. The highlight of the itinerary was visiting Camp Leakey at Tanjung Puting National Park in Borneo. The 2012 itinerary can be found on Orion’s website – they have added Ganung National Park.
Dr. Birute Galdikas, the founder of Camp Leakey (1971) was onboard (a special treat), she gave a number of lectures about her experience establishing Camp Leakey and the challenges of operating the Orangutan Care Center and forest devastation in Indonesia. Dr. Galdikas joined us at Camp Leakey for scheduled feedings and an exclusive opportunity to visit the Orangutan Care Center where we visited the jungle training area, the exercise area, and the nursery. We were able to ‘play’ with the adolescent orangutans and hold the babies in the nursery.
The exclusive opportunity to visit the Care Center was coordinated between Orion, The Orangutan Foundation (OFI) and Dr. Galdikas. A once in a lifetime experience! A couple of videos are posted on CTT’s YouTube Channel
