Klotoks are a wonderful way to travel the Sekonyer to Camp Leakey. They are called klotoks due to the unique sounds of their one cylinder engines. They travel at just the right speed to get you to your destination, while at the same time allow for wildlife viewing and photography in the vegetation along the river.
This is the engine room of the klotok
Click on the link below to hear its unique sound for a few seconds
The four of us spent 3 days and 2 nights on this klotok as we cruised the Sekonyer river upstream to Camp Leakey, stopping at feeding stations along the way
Some people still live along the river and eke out a basic living
Many different kinds of powerboats navigate the Sekonyer as they move supplies and people back and forth to Kumai
The Sekonyer river has an abundance of wildlife. Many birds, large crocodiles (which is why swimming is not allowed any more), garials (fish-eating crocodiles), macaques, and proboscis monkeys to name just a few.
This is a stork-billed kingfisher
This is a male proboscis monkey
Click here to see a full page of proboscis monkeys jumping from tree to tree
This is a rainforest, so when it rains, it pours. This brings out the birds to catch the hatching insects. We were there at the end of the dry season, so it only poured a short period of time. In the rainy season it can rain nonstop for days.
When the hard rain comes we have to “batten down the hatches” and ride it out
This movie below shows the birds that catch the insects that have hatched due to the rains
Before you get to your final destination of Camp Leakey there are several stops along the way at feeding stations for the semi-wild orangutans. They feed the orangutans (and other critters that show up) a combination of milk, banana, and pineapple. These animals are having a hard time finding adequate nutrition in the devastated rainforest, so this supplemental feeding is highly beneficial to them.
Depending on your specific itinerary, the first feeding station is Pondok Ambung
The next one is Pondok Tanguui
This is the equator, which means around 12 hours of sunshine and 12 hours of daylight every day since there are no seasons. As the sun sets around 6 PM its interesting to hear the night sounds of the rainforest and see the fireflies and nocturnal animals.
Before we went to bed our first night at Pondok Ambung we went on a jungle night walk
We met a cute frog
He took a liking to Jade and jumped on her
You sleep on the klotok on comfortable mattresses with mosquito netting. Even though we chatted away, and even sometimes played cards, most people went to bed early since you would be up early as the gibbons did their morning serenade.
It was still hot and humid at night when we went to sleep. Portable fans were a big help
Before we went to bed a sociable Praying Mantis made friends with Jade and then promptly fell asleep on her hand!
Our boat captain got up early to do some fishing (to no avail that day)
After our early morning yoga class it was time to continue upriver to Camp Leakey
The tranquil morning waters gave a perfect reflection on the klotoks docked from the night before
Its interesting to be in a rain forest in the early morning, seeing the mist, and listening to the hoots of the gibbons
Other klotoks were returning from Camp Leakey as we proceeded upstream
The river narrows significantly as you approach Leakey
Camp Leakey! Hard to believe I was here 21 years ago to the month. Click on the photo below to learn much more about Camp Leakey
Click here to return to the Orangutans of Borneo home page.