Kumai - Activities, Attractions & Shopping
River tours to the Tanjung Puting National Park can be arranged in the numerous offices right on the main street. It is likely you will also be approached by individuals offering these services as soon as you drop anchor.
The main activity in Kumai is a visit to the orangutan rehabilitation centres. This can be done simply for a day on a fast speedboat, or for a few days on the much slower klotok.
Boats going up the river vary quite a bit in quality, so you may want to inspect the boat first before you book. See the comments section (speech bubble icon) for information cruisers who have done this excursion and as well as the Reports section.
You will see wild jungle, three Orangutan feeding stations, lots of apes, monkeys, snakes, crocodiles and birds. The open boats have rain protection for a good nights sleep on the river.
Guides are mandatory, cooks can (and should, for an authentic Indonesian meal) be arranged too. The boat will most likely pick you up and drop you right at your anchored vessel and the price should include a watchman for your anchored boat whilst you do the tour.
Latest fees reported March 2016 were as follows:
Total cost (off-season): 5.2 million rupiahs for 2 nights, 3 days (the rupiah was about 13,000 per US$ the time so approx US$400) for a couple. Everything was included: Klotok, captain, crew, cook, guide, food, park fees, and boat watchman (someone sleeping in the cockpit).
Breakdown of prices (in thousands):
750 day – boat
50-100 day – cook
200-300 / day guide
200-400 / person – food
250 /person/day park fee
100 /day camera fee
100 /day boat parking fee
Below are links to blogs by cruisers who approached a visit to the National Park in very different ways yet all left with unforgettable memories of their experience.
SY Sloepmouche visited in late 2022.
Cruising Notes for Malaysia and Indonesia
SY Migration, double-handers, visited in March 2016.
Our visit to Kumai and Tanjung Puting by Klotok
SY Totem, a family of five, visited in June 2013.
SY Dreamkeeper has a lovely and insightful article about their visit to Kumai in 2009 with incredible photographs.
http://www.svdreamkeeper.com/indonesialog.php
SY Moonshadow visited in 2005.
Borneo, the Kumai River and the Orangutan Rehabilitation Camps
Guides:
The following guides have been recommended by cruisers:
Joe Bowo: 081352792419
Adi: 0822 4222 1430
Yosi: 082157217075
Yomie: 081352736054
Yono: 081349022863
Last updated: August 2023
If you have information for this section, or feedback on businesses used, please let us know at [email protected]. We also welcome new information about businesses you have used (see Related Businesses).
Next Section: Shore Services: Restaurants, Bars & Nightlife
Related to following destinations: Indonesia, Kumai, North / Central Indonesia - Kalimantan
Port Navigation
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Hi everybody, I am new here.
I am researching some information on refuelling in Kumai.
I need aprox 2000 litres for my boss’ 82′ sailing yacht. We draw 4.7-3.0 meters lifting keel.
If somebody have any information, phone number of person that can help it will be very much appreciate.
I understand I am sitting in a very odd size yacht with strange requests ie a tanker can provide not less than 10000 l and a normal 40-50 footer can take a few hundreds litres but I thought I send the question out here any how.
Thank you again
Happy exploring
Riccardo
Orangutans Tour Kumai
We did a 2-day orangutan tour with Majid/Liesa who came out to our boat when arrived. He offered a one-day speedboat our for 1.7 million per person and two-day tour for 2.7 million per person. We had a look around town to get other offers the following day but struggled to find English speaking tour organizers who were willing to discuss prices.
We ended up negotiating a price of 4.25 million for the two of us for a two days tour (all inclusive and someone who sleeps in the cockpit). They could have organized beer but you can bring your own too if you want.
SY Juliane
Posted on behalf of Catamaran JAVA:
Visiting the orangutans from Kumai, Kalimantan.
This was a great experience, but we didn’t want to take a two-decker Klotok up the river in the Park for 2-3 days, even though it’s touted to be like an “African Queen” experience. This is far from the truth since the jungle is not that dense and there are probably 40-50 Klotoks on the river at any time.
So we opted to do a one day trip up and back in a speedboat which worked out for the best as the river was blocked to the last destination, Leakey Camp, by a “floating island” of vegetation (which happens quite often) and we had to turn around. The 30+ Klotoks we passed just kept on chugging upriver to the blockage, thus making their own blockade!
We rented our boat with driver from Adi (0822 4222 1430) who will most likely visit your vessel offering his services. Very nice guy was a good guide, good English and we just had to provide our own lunch.
Hope this helps some of my fellow Indonesian cruisers.
Evan del Faro, Catamaran JAVA – August 2017
Posted on behalf of Fritze, S.Y. Alytes:
Checking out of Indonesia in Kumai, Kalimantan
Kumai is listed as a secondary port of entry for Indonesia. It is very pleasant to check out of Kumai. First, you have to take a 20-minute taxi ride to the larger city Pangkalanbun in order to have your passports stamped.
Make sure you have a copy of your passports, CAIT, ship’s papers, crew list and the inward clearance (harbourmaster, not customs) of the first harbour you checked in at. Make sure that the back of any documents is also copied, showing any stamps of the harbourmaster.
They have a bit of a problem with their copy machines. You might need to go around the office and knock at the small door there, as the front door was closed twice during office hours with the officers relaxing in the back when we visited. However, they are very helpful and professional when awake!
CAUTION: This office does not have the technology to extend a social visa. You now have to take fingerprints and pictures for the extension. If you need to extend a social visa in Kalimantan, you have to take a four-hour taxi ride to Sampit. The processing of the extension took one complete day for our crew of three in Sampit.
With the stamped passports, return to Kumai, where the harbourmaster there will want to see a copy of your passports, CAIT, ship’s papers and crew list. He is especially interested in the crew list stamped by Immigration in Pangkalanbun. He will then grant you exit clearance in less than two hours. No need to wait at his office.
Cheers,
Fritze, S.Y. Alytes