Black River and Bukit Bangkirai

Our last day at Samboja, we took two tours outside of the facility to see some of the local wildlife. Our first tour was to the Black River and began at 0600 in the morning. We boarded a small motorboat and cruised along the river looking for Proboscus Monkeys. Not long after we launched, we spotted the first troop of monkeys, foraging in the trees along the banks of the river. The large male was positioned above the rest of his harem, which included females and babies. As we passed by them they all came crashing down into the foliage below and scampered off. The Proboscus monkeys are a comical looking breed of monkey. The males have big long noses and the pattern of their fur looks like they are wearing a vest. The females have shorter turned up noses and are much smaller. We saw several troops during our hour long cruise along the river. We also saw several monitor lizards swimming in the river and or sunning themselves on the trees.


Our second tour took us to the top of the forest canopy at Bukit Bangkirai. As we climbed up the trail leading to the canopy towers, the sound of the jungle cicadas resounded like a giant skill saw. Upon reaching the towers we climbed about 100 feet to the top of the canopy. There were 4 platforms connected by small swinging bridges. As the wind blew through the tree tops the platforms swayed and creaked but seemed to be sturdy enough. We lucked out and got to see 2 Great Hornbills. We were unable to see any other birds as we arrived too late in the morning for birding.

After returning to the lodge from our morning of touring, we were able to assist the workers at Samboja with feeding the Sunbears. We placed a variety of fruit in hanging tires, platforms, logs, and other hidey-holes. Apparently the bears like a little treasure hunt when it comes to meal time. Tomorrow we begin our long journey back home with our hearts and minds filled with memories of a fabulous adventure in East Kalimantan, Borneo.