Highly Commended Responsible Cruise Operator 2010

At the World Travel Market in London last week, Rahai'i Pangun Jungle River Cruises was Highly Commended in the Virgin Holidays Best Responsible Cruise Operator category.

To have a look at all the award winners, follow this link http://www.responsibletourismawards.com/pastwinners.htm

Womens Own Adventure journeys into Kalimantan

Canoeing from the Rahai'i Pangun

An orangutan in the branches on the river bank

Longhouse at Tumbang Malahoi

Meeting villagers & sharing a locally grown, roasted and spiced coffee

Australian travel company Womens Own Adventure have sent their first clients on the Jungle River Cruise and Longhouse trip. Transferring direct from the airport to the Rahai'i Pangun, the two adventurous women made themselves at home in the comfortable cabins for the 5 day journey up the Rungan River. After sighting orangutans, canoeing the lakes and rivers spotting proboscis monkeys, stretching out on the deck sofas, visiting villages and learning the 'welcome dance', Nicki and Kate set off for their 4WD trek, along roads just being built, to the traditional longhouse at Malahoi.

'Hard to beat' was their last appraisal of the trip after their final refreshing night at the Rungan Sari Resort!

Venturing to the Upper Kahayan longhouses

Lebaran holiday in Indonesia, what perfect time for us working here to escape the tiny city of Palangkaraya and head for the 'real' Borneo jungle and the old Tumbang Korik longhouse.

Distant and isolated as ever, it takes a combination of bumpy car rides, noisy local 'klotok' canoes and sacks full of patience, flat tyres, breakdowns and racing rapids to get there.

Setting off up the Kahayan River from Tumbang Mirih, we turned off on the Hampatung tributary. Stopping en route at a Dayak tiwah ceremony in full swing in a tiny village, we were thrown straight into another world. At Tumbang Korik, we slept in the very longhouse where tribal reps had gathered after walking from all over Borneo to meet 130 years ago to iron out a deal with Dutch missionaries to stop head hunting. We lay on those ancient boards, watching daylight twinkle through the uneven walls, living from dawn to dusk by the river.

Following our parang machete wielding guide, we were swallowed by a tall forest. Stumbling up and down hills, over creeks and marshes, listening to the whir of the great black burung endang or hornbill overhead and the shrill calls of smaller birds, we passed through in the half light.

Our last day was a long klotok ride to another longhouse over on the Kahayan River, a re-construction of the original place of the signing ceremony at Tumbang Anoi - it was considered too dangerous to bring the Dutch visitors up our rock strewn river which was named after the many wrecks littering its course. We still saw lots!

And the finale, we rode the Kahayan River through the narrow gorge near the Dayak holy rock of Batu Suli . Feeling alive but badly sun burnt, we climbed up the steps to our losmen in Tewah. No comparison with the longhouse!

An iconic Indonesian experience

... writes our recent guest, Benjamin Reader, in his blog 'Travel Adventures in Indonesia'

Palangkaraya, the capital city of Central Kalimantan province, is where Gaye Thavisin and Lorna Dowson-Collins have located Kalimantan Tour Destinations, a travel agency that is pioneering ecotourism in a part of Indonesia where the potential is high yet to date little has been achieved.

The city is situated two thirds of the way up Central Kalimantan's largest river, the Sungai Kahayan, which has its genesis up near the border of West Kalimantan in the Northern Mountains and winds its way 600 kilometers south emptying into the Java Sea near to the border with East Kalimantan and Banjarmasin.

The presence of one of Kalimantan's mighty rivers and its proximity to some of the last remaining pristine Borneo lowland rainforests and their orangutan and other exotic flora and fauna made Palangkaraya the perfect location for Kalimantan Tour Destinations to launch their keynote ecotourism experience, Jungle River Cruises aboard the Rahai'i Pangun.

Jungle River Cruises provides travelers to Central Kalimantan with minimal impact viewing of its rainforest, wildlife and riverside Dayak villages from the vantage point of a traditional river mode of transportation. It also benefits local communities by generating alternative livelihoods and teaching new skills that contribute to the development of a sustainable local eco-tourism economy. From my perspective, it is also an easily accessible and effective weekend wind-down from the stresses and strains of living in fast paced Asian metropolises such as Jakarta, Singapore, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok.

The Rahai'i Pangun is a traditional river freighter converted by Kalimantan Tour Destinations into a comfortable river cruiser, perfectly designed for viewing the impenetrable walls of jungle passing by on either side, whilst protecting its passengers from the fearsome stinging hot Borneo sun and lashing rainstorms often hitting the river hard at dusk.

The deck is covered by a protective canvas that unobtrusively allows three hundred and sixty degree views yet can be extended further when the rains hit to keep you dry. It also has very comfortable rattan furniture covered in soft cushions perfect for snoozing away the cruising hours, exactly what I was escaping Jakarta to do.

A highlight of a Rahai'i Pangun river cruise is the delectable local cuisines, my favorite being the giant freshwater prawns farmed down the river close to the sea, and the river fish cooked in a variety of forms. Local coffee is on call but if your pleasure is downing a cold beer while soaking up the atmosphere as time slowly passes you by then it's bring your own and the crew will keep it ice cold. Sleeping two, cabins are comfortable. Screens over the windows keep mozzies at bay, important as malaria is present. You have to be careful to shut the windows before the inevitable afternoon storm hits as soggy mattresses tend to detract from the deep sleep you'd expect when surrounded by jungle serenity.

Just north of Palangkaraya the smaller black water Sungai Rungan joins the brown water Kahayan. Interesting features of the Rungan are the plentiful lakes and islands, and the flooded forests. Natural obstacles and the flatness of the land cause the rivers of Central Kalimantan to follow a course that weaves back and forth like a wriggling earthworm. Over time the river tends to revert to the shortest route leaving loops of water cut off from its main flow and creating what are known as oxbow lakes or leaving islands around which it continues to flow.

The Nyaru Menteng Orangutan Rehabilitation Project uses these river islands as halfway houses for over 600 orphaned orangutans. The orphans are first taught skills they need to survive in the wild and then placed on these islands where they can be observed. Passengers can view them as they congregate on wooden platforms near to where the Rahai'i Pangun anchors for a night. We also saw hornbills flying slowly in the jungle foliage, eagles and kingfisher. Proboscis monkeys and the common macaque also made appearances. We didn't see any gibbons although their throaty call could be heard at dusk and we passed a gibbon sanctuary where access is strictly limited due to gibbon susceptibility to disease.

Getting to Palangkaraya to join the Rahai'i Pangun for a cruise isn't hard. Garuda and Lion Air have daily flights out of Jakarta. The Garuda flight took an hour and a half and cost Rp 1.3 million return. A more adventurous and time-consuming route is to come overland from Banjarmasin or even to come up the Kahayan River on a boat. However one gets there, a river cruise with Kalimantan River Cruises is worth doing and rates as one of those iconic Indonesian experiences.

Rahai'i Pangun Newsletter No. 2

First guests from Tischler Reisen

Large European travel company Tischler Reisen have included the Rahai'i Pangun Jungle River Cruises in their current catalogue. This week we had their first guests.

Over 3 relaxing days of calm weather, the Rahai'i Pangun journeyed up the Rungan River seeing orangutans peacefully on river islands, taking canoes for exhilarating excursions into the shimmering flooded lakes, visited the BOS Foundation's Education Centre to see orangutan rehabilitation programs, stood at the site of the holy Batu Banama rock to see spirit houses and cruised to a tiny village to see traditionally made kecapi or stringed music instruments and watch as the finishing touches were put on a hand built canoe.

Our guests set off this morning for the next leg of their Indonesian adventure, to Bali and Komodo.

George Soros on the Rahai'i Pangun

George Soros & party aboard the Rahai'i Pangun, moored in Tundai Village

Here's the official Antara Indonesian News Agency report on George Soros' visit to Central Kalimantan. The Rahai'i Pangun was used by the party to overnight on the Kahayan River during the group's excursion to the down river village of Tundai.

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Soros visits Kalimantan forest

Antara News, Sunday, July 25, 2010 02:37 WIB

Palangkaraya, Central Kalimantan (ANTARA News) - Noted US fund manager George Soros conducted a natural tourism visit to a number of tropical forest locations in Central Kalimantan.

Soros was welcomed by Central Kalimantan Governor Agustin Teras Narang at Cilik Riwut airport on Saturday noon.

"I am visiting Central Kalimantan to observe its forests and peat land in my capacity as a United Nations envoy for the environment," Soros said.

He said that he would obtain a lot of information directly in the fields. Not only that, Soros said he would also get information directly from the locals staying in the forest surrounding.

"During my tropical forest trip I will get information directly from the field. I myself is a United Nations envoy for the environment and was assigned by the UN secretary general," Soros said.

In the meantime Central Kalimantan governor Agustin Teras Narang said Soros was interested in the local government`s policy, particularly on forest and peat land.

"Soros admitted that the Central Kalimantan government pay attention to the sustainability of forest and peat land," the governer said.

from http://cempaka-nature.blogspot.com/2010/07/soros-visits-kalimantan-forest.html

Turn off the river to Tundai

As if floating on the glistening black ox bow lake waters stained by the forest litter as they surge and overwhelm the landscape, the tiny Tundai community sits isolated from dry land in a world of its own. Making its living from the bounty of the Kahayan River and the myriad of ox bow lakes and canals created by the meandering main course, the community spends the high water season preparing innovative fish traps. Intimately knowing the habits of the fish species in the area gives rise to the unique hand crafted bamboo cages and gates which are immersed in the ink black waters.

Making its living entirely from the river in the past, this village worries about the long term future of fishing in a province where the rivers are muddied by rapid development and a gold rush. To broaden its income, villagers have opened their cottage doors to visitors, and are inviting you to share this unique riverine lifestyle for a few days. Share their homes, experience their livelihoods and enjoy their community life.

As a special bonus, during the high water season, accompany villagers by canoe into their protected community forest to spot some of the unique flora and fauna of magical Kalimantan, including the iconic orangutan. This is an unforgettable and responsible way to see one of the world's unique animals in its native habitat.

New Zealand International School visits Palangkaraya

School trips made easy and adventurous are now possible in Central Kalimantan.

The New Zealand International School Group thrived on 4 days of trips and activities, including boat cruises, meeting villagers and learning about traditional livelihoods, climbing atop Tangkiling Hill, exploring lakes by canoe, visiting the BOS Orangutan Education Centre and visiting Dayak historic sites.

Staying in simple Eco Village rooms, the group left regaled by the traditional local food and memories of a varied and unusual program.

Borneo Reborn, says Simon Pitchforth

In this month's issue of Jakarta Java Kini, Simon Pitchforth waxes lyrical about his Central Kalimantan escape a'board the Rahai'i Pangun :


Indonesia contains a great many areas of natural rainforest within its borders, however the famous island of Borneo remains perhaps the most iconic and evocative of these. Despite the environmental pressures on the region, Borneo (the Indonesian half of the island is known as Kalimantan, which translates as ‘River of Diamonds’) still offers tourists one of the world’s largest natural wildernesses.

Jakarta Java Kini headed to the Central Kalimantan city of Palangkaraya recently in order to further explore the island’s heart of darkness, to have its environmental consciousness raised and, above all, to enjoy a extraordinary three day boat tour through the steaming jungles of this remarkable region.

Palangkaraya and its beautiful surrounding rainforests are relatively quiet places next to the hectic hurly-burly of Java. The city itself has a mere 250,000 residents whilst the huge sprawling expanses of Kalimantan as a whole contain a mere 2 million people, compared with Java’s 120 million. The majority of the population are Dayak, the original indigenous tribes people of Borneo.
The city of Palangkaraya itself is a pleasant place and many of its residents still practice the indigenous Dayak animist religion of Kaharingan, which is related to Hinduism. Increasingly however, the population is turning to either Christianity or Islam. Palangkaraya still sports many Sandungs though, traditional Kaharingan shrines to the dead that most closely resemble Native American totem poles. Elaborate purification ceremonies are held to honour the Dayak dead and these involve the ritual exhumation and cleaning of the bones some time after the initial burial of the deceased.

Palangkaraya is also a city steeped in more recent history, as well as ancient tribalism. Sukarno, the republic’s first president, was a big fan of the city and even considered making it the Indonesian capital. Indeed, pay a visit here and you will be confronted with wide, impressive boulevards that are at odds the town’s modest population and which were built by the Russians when Mr. Sukarno was flirting with the red menace. Indonesia’s first president also had a fancy woman shacked up in town and her house is an infamous tourist spot. Sukarno’s successor, Suharto, came up with the idea of making Indonesia self-sufficient in rice and his mega-rice project drained the peat swamps in the huge rainforests around the town. Alas the rice failed to grow due to the acidic, peat soil and Indonesia has now become the world’s third largest emitter of greenhouse gases as the now dry peat dumps its carbon into the atmosphere.The problems of illegal logging, slash and burn agriculture, forest fires, illegal gold mining, palm oil plantations and endangered species currently face the delicate eco-systems here, however the area remains one of outstanding beauty.

Into the Heart of Darkness...

One tour company is now attempting to raise environmental consciousness whilst offering a terrific holiday to boot. Lorna Dowson-Collins and Gaye Thavisin, in a bid to open up Kalimantan to ecotourism revenue whilst raising awareness of the area’s problems, set up Kalimantan Tour Destinations a few years back. This pair of adventure lovers have truly revolutionised tourism in the area and have successfully navigated the often tortuous waters of Indonesian bureaucracy to come up with something truly special. Having sunk a lot of their own money into the venture, this intrepid pair’s project literally took float in the form of The Rahai’i Pangun, a magnificent converted river barge that they offer once-in-a-lifetime luxury tours into the jungles on.

The boat can house up to ten paying holidaymakers in comfort and is a truly magnificent vessel on which to head down the region’s huge rivers into the upper reaches of Central Kalimantan. The staff is attentive and treats the guests to some truly tantilising local food, including enormous prawns and super fresh local fish. The cabins are modern and all feature bathrooms, fans and comfortable beds. You’ll be spending most of your time up on the spacious deck though, sprawling on the comfortable sofas, enjoying the 360 degree, panoramic jungle sweep and taking simply gigabytes of photos.

Tours run from two days up to a week in duration and offer the chance to see a beautiful natural wilderness, as well as many wild orangutans which can be observed and photographed frolicking and feeding on the river banks. Jakarta Java Kini had a marvellous time on its three-day cruise as the Rahai’i Pangun gently pottered up the river from Palangkaraya.

The rivers are between 50 and 100 metres wide in nearly all places and are flanked by a dense green carpet of swampy rainforest on either side. These forests are absolutely teeming with life, although there’s not much of the human kind. As well as orangutans, proboscis monkeys, hornbills and many other species can be spotted. As dusk draws in, the combined sounds of nature emanating from the verdant vistas that flank the boat offer true transcendence from the day-to-day grind. There is also the opportunity to head up some of the rainforests smaller channels in a tiny fishing boat on an exciting hour long diversion from the main cruise.

Lorna and Gaye are driven by a vision to protect the area’s fantastic jungles and to create new sources of income for the local rainforest dwelling communities. Poverty is a large threat to biodiversity and so hopefully, by introducing ecotourism to the region, new sources of income can be generated for the Dayaks and some of the chainsaws will fall silent. The tour has already attracted a whole host of admirers and representatives from the United Nations as well as Australian and European parliamentary delegations and even the Prince of Denmark have all had their eyes opened by this truly special journey.

Jakarta Java Kini can’t boast the highfalutin pedigree of these VIPs, however we hope that this article may sway you towards supporting this fantastic adventure and, let us not forget, enjoying one of the most memorable holidays that you’ll ever have. Indeed, as you gently glide along the crystal clear, ultra-calm mirror surfaces of the jungle rivers and humanity recedes behind you, it’s hard to recall that you ever had a care in the world. On our final night, an amazing electric storm illuminated the skies around us for hours whilst the sound of a million species blanketed us like a soothing echo of humanity’s pre-urban past. Why not take a jungle river cruise yourself and dine on some of the biggest river prawns you’ve ever seen in your life whilst you watch orangutans at the riverside chomping down bananas? It’ll be one lunch date you won’t forget in a hurry!

New flights mean daily access to Jungle River Cruises from Singapore

Palangkaraya is much more accessible after Lion Air introduced its new evening flights. The same airline departs Palangkaraya early morning to improve access to international flights, or for you to make an early return to work in Jakarta!

In addition to its morning flight from Jakarta, Garuda Indonesia will be offering an afternoon service from June.

We list current flight information in the right hand column of this blog. However, please check the timetables directly from the airlines' websites or your travel agent as departure times can vary.

PRESS RELEASE

NEW FLIGHTS TO TAKE YOU DIRECT TO THE HEART OF BORNEO

Palangkaraya 25 May 2010 -

Indonesia’s Borneo, known as Kalimantan – is now easier than ever with Lion Air’s new flights.

Weekends from Singapore are now possible and what better way to escape the Metropolis than to head for the primal experience that only this part of Borneo can offer.

Kalimantan Tour Destinations introduce their unique Rahai'i Pangun Jungle River Cruise in Central Kalimantan, a pioneering eco cruise in the heart of raw Borneo where rivers remain the highways.

The Rahai’i Pangun offers guests a comfortable and safe journey, which engages with villagers en route and supports local communities develop alternative livelihoods. Passing by emerald green river islands now home to rehabilitated orangutans made famous by Animal Planet’s Orangutan Island.

Imagine sitting on a comfortable chair, eating a delicious meal, and watching orangutans peacefully in their natural environment. Knowing that by being here you are supporting the growth of eco tourism that will impact on the conservation of this rare animals' habitat.

Operating now for 2 years and already doubling our occupancy, our cruise has recently hosted amongst other well known dignitaries, Henrik, HRH Prince Consort of Denmark, and Harry Jenkins. Speaker of the House of Representatives in the Australian Parliament.

We differentiate ourselves from the already well known Tanjung Puting National Park, by being able to offer comfort and a well rounded cultural as well as nature experience.

Adding on to our boat cruises; we have a range of Longhouse Tours and other jungle adventures, including speedboat safaris and simple village Homestays. We are able to tailor design tours for guests who want an individual service focused upon particular interests.

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To find out more - a short film of our cruise can be seen on www.youtube.com/thevaughnbrothers (see Rahai'i Pangun) or contact us Kalimantan Tour Destinations. Jalan RTA Milono, KM 1,5, Kevin Maulana - 2nd Floor, Palangkaraya, Central Kalimantan, Indonesia. (Website) www.wowborneo.com. (Email) kalimantantours@gmail.com. (Office phone) +62 536 3222099.(Office mobile) +62 811 520648