
Tanjung Puting is the largest and most diverse
protected example of extensive coastal tropical health and peat swamp forest
which used to cover much of Borneo
Tanjung Puting is one of the natural
wonders of the world! You may not believe this after you have been there only
two days or three days, but after the fourth or fifth day something happens.
You are captivated completely by the purity of the air, the openness of the
night sky with the most remarkable view of the Milky Way, the magnificence and
dignity of the gentle orangutans, the thundering downpours that instantly cool
the air, and the clarity of the brilliant crimson sunsets.
Tanjung Puting is the largest and
most diverse protected example of extensive coastal tropical health and peat
swamp forest which used to cover much of southern Borneo. The area was
originally declared as a game reserve in 1935 and a National Park in 1982.
While the Park has a checkered history of weak protection, nonetheless, it
remains substantially wild and natural.
Tanjung Puting is covered by a
complex mosaic of diverse lowland habitats. It contains 3,040 km2 (or 1,174
square miles) of low lying swampy terrain punctuated by black water rivers
which flow into the Java Sea. At the mouth of these rivers and along the sea
coast are found nipah / mangrove swamps. Mangroves teem with animal life. Tanjung
Puting also includes tall dry ground tropical rain forest, primarily tropical
heath forest, with a canopy of 30 meters (approximately 100 feet) with
“emergents” exceeding 50 meters (approximately 165 ft) in height, seasonally
inundated peat swamp forest with peat in layers two or more meters
(approximately 7 feet) deep, open depression lakes formed by fire, and open
areas of abandoned dry rice fields now covered with elephant grass and ferns.
The tropical heath forest which is called “kerangas” in parts of Borneo, is
only found on very poor, typically white-sandy soils and is characterized by
medium-sized trees.
“Clouded leopards, civets, and
Malaysian sun bears cavort in the park as do mouse deer, barking deer, sambar deer,
and the wild cattle known as banteng.”
The
best known animals in Tanjung Puting are the orangutans, made famous through
the long-term efforts of the Orangutan Research and Conservation Program
(predecessor to OFI), based at the landmark Camp Leakey
research station. Tanjung Puting also boasts the bizarre looking proboscis
monkey with its “Jimmy Durante” nose as well as seven other primate species.
Clouded leopards, civets, and Malaysian sun bears cavort in the park, as do
mouse deer, barking deer, sambar deer, and the wild cattle known as banteng.
Tanjung Puting hosts over 230 species of birds, including hornbills, deep
forest birds, and many wetland species. Tanjung Puting is well known for its
“bird lakes,” seasonal rookeries for a half a dozen species of endangered
waterbirds, including the only known Bornean nesting grounds for white egrets.
Tanjung Puting also has two species of crocodiles, dozens of snakes and frogs,
numerous threatened species, including the fortune-bringing and highly
endangered “dragon” fish also known as the Arwana (bony-tongue). Among the most
flamboyant of these animals are the many species of colorful birds,
butterflies, and moths found in the Park.
Tanjung
Puting sits on a peninsula that juts out into the Java Sea. The peninsula is
low lying and swampy with a spine of dry ground which rises a few feet above
the omnipresent swamp. The north of Tanjung Puting is characterized by gentle
hills and gold-bearing alluvial plains. In the past maps of the region commonly
portrayed a ridge of mountains coming down into Tanjung Puting. This
mountainous ridge does not exist; in fact, nowhere does the altitude rise above
100-200 feet in Tanjung Puting.
Visiting Dayak village and joining the traditional dancer, experience the local tasty food and amazing nature.
Joint the bamboo rafting adventure through the clear water and beautiful nature of Loksado river, Banjarmasin.
Explore Borneo’s jungle to find wild orangutan and another amazing animal at Kutai National Park, East Kalimantan
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