How to choose an ethical orangutan tour
The orangutans cannot choose who visits them. You can, with twelve questions any good operator answers without hesitation.
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Why distance and no feeding matter
Orangutans share most of our diseases, and a cold that is mild for us can be dangerous for them. Close contact also teaches them to approach people, which ends badly once they leave the protected area. Rangers handle the supplementary feeding at the platforms; visitors watch.
Red flags
- Offers of selfies, holding or touching orangutans.
- Guides who call orangutans with food or sounds to bring them closer.
- No licensed guide on board, or a guide who cannot show a licence.
- Rubbish thrown in the river, or single-use plastic everywhere on board.
- Prices far below everyone else, which usually means the crew is underpaid or the park fee is skipped.
Supporting conservation
Your park fee goes to the national park. If you want to give more, organisations working in the area, such as Orangutan Foundation International, which supports Camp Leakey Source: confirmed, accept direct donations. To compare Tanjung Puting with other places on the island, use the destination matcher for seeing orangutans.
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Questions travellers ask
Is it ethical to visit orangutan feeding platforms?
Platforms support orangutans that were rehabilitated or live in a disturbed forest. Visiting them with a licensed guide, at a distance and in silence, is a recognised form of low-impact tourism that funds the park.
How close can you get to orangutans?
Follow the ranger’s instructions on the day. As a rule, keep well back, let orangutans pass, and never block their path.
Can I volunteer with orangutans?
Be careful with paid volunteer programmes that offer contact with orangutans; responsible rehabilitation keeps human contact to a minimum.