Samboja, Kalimantan

Samboja Lestari is an area of restored tropical rainforest near the city of Balikpapan in East Kalimantan, Borneo created by the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation (BOS) led by Dr Willie Smits, with the aim of providing a safe haven for rehabilitated orangutans while at the same time providing a source of income for local people.

Since 2001, the once barren land has been planted with more than a million trees covering more than 1000 different species. With the growth in the forest, the density and diversity of wildlife has returned. So far 137 bird species and nine primate species have been recorded. Visitors can see rescued orangutans and sun bears in their natural habitat and experience the wildlife in the jungle. Visitors can also do a 2 week or 4 week volunteering course.

Things to See & Do

* Orangutans
* Sun bears
* Tropical Jungle
* Balikpapan
* Canopy walk at Bukit bengkirai

General information

Cruise Season - Jan - Dec
Currency - Rupiah (IDR)
Language - Indonesian
Population - 550,000 approx (Balikpapan)
Electricity - 2 round pins European style
Land Area - 265.10 km²
Time - GMT plus hours eight hours
International Country Telephone Code - +62

Port Location - The port is called Semayang and is located at Balikpapan.

Travel Links - Most people arrive by air. Balikpapan's Sepinggan International Airport has frequent flights from Jakarta, as well as commercial services from Surabaya, Banjarmasin and Makassar. There is also an international flight from Singapore operated by SilkAir a few times a week.

Semayang's seaport that serves cruises from Makassar, Pare Pare, Tarakan, Surabaya, and other eastern parts of Indonesia. This port is one of the busiest ports in Indonesia and the main gateway to Borneo, serving cargo ships not only from Indonesia and South East Asia.