Join earth-music medicine wisdomkeeper Kirsty Ka and David Metcalf for an inspirational and expansive journey into the sacred lands and holistic lifeways of the Dayak Iban people of West Kalimantan, Indonesia. This eco-spiritual journey offers a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in ancient culture, learn holistic wisdom, partake in meditative walks and nature quests, make ceremonial offerings, receive personal healings and deepen your understanding of how to live in the heart and closer to Mother Earth. On October 4th we fly to Puttisibau, Indonesia. There we will meet our Dayak guides and travel to the village of Sungai Utik. This Dayak community was recognised by the United Nations Development Programme’s Equator Prize in June of this year for their successful preservation of community forest, traditional culture and sustainable way of life. Our local guides will take us into original forests, up pristine rivers and into Lake Sentarum National Park to explore one of the most significant wetlands on the planet. This little known and rarely visited area is home to several tribal communities and renowned for its beauty, tranquility and abundant wildlife. During our time in Kalimantan we will visit several Dayak Iban villages, sleep in traditional longhouses, share meals, listen to ancient stories, sing songs, learn about their weaving practices and be treated like family. Throughout our journey Kirsty and the Dayak elders will intersperse periods of reflection and time to attend to personal wellbeing. They will share universal practices, facilitate space for you to harmonise mind-body-spirit, deepen connection with inner wisdom, listen to Mother Nature and evolve personal consciousness. On October 11th we will return home from Kalimantan with a wealth of new experience, connections, holistic practices and inspiration for life. Kirsty Ka facilitates healing and transformational retreats around the world. Working closely with indigenous elders and communities, their programs blend native wisdom, shamanic-somatic healing, nature immersion, elemental ceremonies and music medicine to help people embody their true essence and find contentment in a world of constant change. KIRSTY KA is a keeper of earth and sound medicine, retreat facilitator and life consultant. She offers earth-based wisdom, ceremonies, nature immersion, music and holistic practices to help people empower and transform their lives, professions and relationships. Her work focuses on helping others find peace, joy, confidence and wholeness; relate to the sacredness of the Earth, daily life and all of our relations. DAVID METCALF is a professional photographer and film producer based in Bali. He has traveled into indigenous communities on a regular basis for the past seven years and supports a number of cultural and environmental programs. He was the co-founder of the first international indigenous film festival in Bali in 2018. He has dedicated his life to helping preserve and support the wisdom and beauty of indigenous wisdom. COST : $2,600 USD – INCLUDES LOCAL TRANSPORT BY AIR-CONDITIONED VAN, BOAT TRIPS, ALL FOOD, ACCOMMODATIONS AND LOCAL GUIDE FEES. This program supports indigenous Dayak communities and their culture. 10% of all moneys from this trip goes directly to support indigenous preservation projects. Interested to join? Email Central Borneo Guide – Miss Lun Pratiwi at cbguide.info@gmail.com 

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“We believe that the human body is inhabited by a life giving spirit. We call this an amirue. When a person dies, his or her spirit becomes an adiau, just for the time of its journey to the place where the amirue resides. During the nine days of the Ijame ceremony we help the adiau make its way.” These words were spoken to me by Ibu Nyupur, a wadian (shawoman) from Murutuwu. This village is located six hours by road from Palangkaraya, Central Kalimantan, and lies deep in the heart of Dayak Ma’anyan country. The Ma’anyan are one of approximately 200 Dayak tribes, the original inhabitants of the large island of Borneo. In July this year Murutuwu Village played host to an Ijame, or death ceremony, which I was fortunate to attend. The Wadian There are two types of wadian in the Dayak Ma’anyan culture. Some preside over “life ceremonies”, such as healing, purification and thanksgiving. Others preside over “death ceremonies” and are experts in the afterworld. “Death ceremony” wadians play a critical role during the Ijame, as they are responsible for dealing with the bad spirits who may try to intervene and prevent the adiau from making its passage to the world of spirits where it belongs. The wadians do this by making special food offerings (pisarakan) and performing ancient chants throughout the night. The Ijame Ceremony The Ijame death ceremony has been conducted for hundreds of years, but only in Paju Epat, an area including four villages in East Barito. It is the only ceremony that the entire village community participates in and plays an important role in keeping the Ma’anyan culture alive. Ijame is conducted in an area of the village where the cemetery and the village assembly hall, or balai, are located. A cremation structure (papuian) is erected in the area. This is where the bones of the deceased are placed for burning on the final day. There is also a large coffin-like box made from ironwood (tambak), which is a repository for family ashes. Digging up of the Bones The Ijame I attended began with the digging up of the bones of a local villager, who had died two years previously. Bones from three others were brought from neighbouring villages, and they were all placed in a temporary small wooden repository in the assembly hall. On the first day of every Ijame, special offerings are placed in four areas on the outskirts of the village to keep the bad spirits away. This is also the time that the idiran is constructed. Daily rituals are then performed during the ceremony, including the slaughter of at least one pig. Each evening the wadian perform endless chants, offering food, supplies and guidance to the adiau spirits. Cockfighting On the second day cockfights and gambling begin and are performed in the morning and afternoon. The losing (dead) cock from each fight is then hung up on a post, as an offering for the spirits and later made into soup. I was asked to share a bowl with the village cultural leader (kapala adat) and I can vouch for its tasty flavour! Preparations and Animal Sacrifice During the following days, the men focus on constructing the papuian, while in the assembly hall the women prepare baskets, rice and other items considered of use in the spirit world. Day eight attracts officials and others from neighbouring villages to join in the feast. This is the day of slaughter when pigs and buffalo are sacrificed, speeches are delivered and a festive mood takes over. The Burning The ninth and final day is the busiest. It begins with the wadians’ chanting, then the idaran is dismantled and the wood used as a platform on which the ashes will be raked after burning. Various other rituals are performed until the bones are ready for burning. After burning, the ashes are retrieved by the families of the deceased and placed in the tambaks. Then a chicken is released as a symbolic gesture of the soul’s journey to freedom. In the evening the best orator in the village delivers a final speech. It always includes some local history and traditional stories. The Preservation of Ijame So what of the future of Ijame? In the past, there were sometimes hundreds of deceased cremated at one time at these ceremonies. Back in those times almost all the people in the Paju Empat villages were animist. However, missionaries started making their way into these areas in the 50s and have been very successful in their conversion efforts. Today, most of the Dayak Ma’anyan do not follow their ancient ways. There are only a few hundred that are truly animist. The search is on for the younger generation to fulfil the role of wadians. The Future of Ijame As Pak Batarius, the kepala adat and “wisdom keeper” of the village explained, “It seems the younger generation are losing their culture, and this is of great concern to those of us who are responsible for passing on the wisdom and knowledge of the ancestors. Ijame is an important ritual, and we hope it will continue. This year the tourism office of the local government helped fund the ceremony and we hope other foreigners like you will come and witness this special event. This will help us get funding to have more death celebrations like this in the future. The high cost can sometimes be a barrier”. As the first foreign visitor to come to Murutuwu in many years, I was welcomed with genuine hospitality and immediately included as part of the village family. It was such an honour to witness the Ijame. Many young people attending the Ijame seemed to marvel at this expression of their original culture. They enthusiastically watched and took part in the rituals. I had the distinct feeling that, in participating, they were gaining a better understanding of their identity and appreciation of their culture. In the end, I was left thinking that the future was in good hands. Published in Hidden Heritage October...

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The harvest time has finally reached West Kalimantan, Borneo, Indonesia, where the Dayak people celebrate together the so-called Gawai festival (or harvest festival). Borneo is a land full of biodiversity, and it is famous for the animals icons of this island: the orangutan and the hornbill. The Dayak people are the inhabitants of this special place. These people are highly tolerant of other beings and are blessed with a unique culture characterized by a special togetherness, as well as being well-known for the magic science employed by their ancestors. West Kalimantan is populated by 3 main tribes being the Chinese, the Malay and the Dayak. Each of these tribes has its own festivals, and Gawai, an event held every year in the West Kalimantan provincial capital Pontianak, is one of the biggest festivals in the province. During Gawai festival in West Kalimantan, various kinds of competitions are held, and participations to these are also open to Dayak people not originally from West Kalimantan Province tribes. Dayak participants that gather in Pontianak are from all over the place, in particular from Sarawak, Brunei Darussalam, Central Kalimantan and East Kalimantan. Competitions held at the Gawai festival include regional dances, playing blow pipe, tattoo making, pig catching, beads competitions, crafts-making, traditional spinning top, traditional singing, story-telling and more. No wonder thousands of tourists come to visit over and over every year, and their number is soaring. In addition, Gawai festival-goers can try popular west Borneo dishes such as Bir Pletok, Choi Pan and Aloe vera on ice, as well as visiting tourist sites such as the equator monument, monasteries, palaces and a Dayak house. How to get there: You can fly to Pontianak from several locations after your international flight, including the nearby Bali or Jakarta. Join a Central Borneo Guide tour, browse www.centralborneoguide.com Central Borneo Guide is a tourism guide service that was set up by Yun Pratiwi, a local Dayaknese woman from Central Borneo. The main idea of their service is to help local and international tourists to visit and to explore the Indonesian Borneo. They specialize on culture, nature and on the local Dayak ethnic people. Tourists can get full advantage of Central Borneo Guide experience and knowledge of local culture, which provides them a memorable experience not easy to match. Credit photos by Apriyadi (from Spirit of the Hornbill dance academy)

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From high heels to outdoor shoes: WWF Venturing into the Heart of Borneo where development and conservation meet. WWF-Malaysia Communications Officer Amanda Nayra took part in a memorable five-day cross-visit to West Kalimantan, Indonesia, with stakeholders from Sarawak Government agencies and community leaders. During this trip, they saw how nature conservation co-exists with sustainable economic activities. 26 April 2017, KUCHING: Never in my life would I have thought that I would be packing high heels and outdoor shoes at the same time. I had a wedding to attend to in Sabah and a working trip in West Kalimantan – held back-to-back in the same week. From being dolled up on a Saturday night, I caught the first flight out of Kota Kinabalu to Kuching early the next morning, and hopped onto an express bus to explore West Kalimantan. West Kalimantan forms part of Heart of Borneo (HoB), an area earmarked for sustainable development. WWF-Malaysia and WWF-Indonesia are embarking on a new pilot transboundary corridor project that aims to drive HoB’s future towards a green economy that will benefit human and nature for posterity. The new pilot project, which began in 2016, is a two-million hectare area, spanning northern West Kalimantan to central Sarawak, and runs for four years. I was on the cross-visit organised by WWF-Malaysia and WWF-Indonesia to West Kalimantan from February 27 to March 3, 2017. The visit aimed at giving stakeholders in Sarawak, such as Forest Department Sarawak, State Planning Unit and community leaders, a first-hand experience of how people in Meliau and Empangau integrate nature conservation with economic development. Our first destination in West Kalimantan was Lanjak, a small town situated an hour away from Lubok Antu Immigration Post in Sarawak. After dinner and settling in a homestay in Lanjak, my colleagues gave briefings to stakeholders on objectives of the new pilot transboundary corridor project and cross-visit. On the second day, from Lanjak, we headed towards Meliau, a conservation area that WWF-Indonesia is working in. In a five-seater boat with the capacity of 40 horsepower, we cramped ourselves with our bags to venture through Sentarum Lake. Two hours in the boat may sound long, but the spectacular view of the lake made the trip feel short. We passed several villages on our way to Meliau and what captured my attention were egrets sitting on the village jetty waiting for an easy catch. Too bad it was drizzling; I could not take a decent photo from the boat. In Meliau, we received a warm welcome from the longhouse communities. WWF-Indonesia Environmental Services Coordinator Hermas Maring briefed us on the conservation works by local communities in the area, and how the organization helped in shaping the people’s mindset to be proactive in conservation. A tour around Meliau longhouse showed how the community has evolved throughout the years. For example, they no longer bathe in the river and now have communal areas in every room in the longhouse. Clean water comes directly from Peninjau Hill, which is located behind their village, filling up their pipeline. There are also a small library and communication towers located in the village. In the evening, we hopped onto a long boat and toured the many lakes surrounding Meliau. As we cruised into a lake, the brownish water slowly turned black. We turned into narrow streams to venture into Lake Merebung, protected by the villagers through customary laws. Generally, fishing is permitted in the lakes throughout the year, though the activity and equipment are strictly regulated. Fishermen can only use harsh mesh with the size of above four inches, thus allowing small fishes to pass through their nets. Fishermen are also prohibited from using crickets, cockroaches and frogs as baits as these will increase the chances of arowanas being caught. The Asian arowana is listed in Appendix 1 of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and is a protected species in Indonesia. Those who break the rules will risk getting a fishing ban for up to three years. We spotted some old orangutan nests built high up on trees along the streams. The locals claimed that orangutan sightings are common in the area, but whenever tourists happen to be around, orangutans somehow disappear. Orangutans are known to be shy creatures and usually will avoid any contact, even with other animals. For me, the best part of this tour was witnessing a flock of hornbills flying freely in the sky. Previously my only encounter with hornbills was in a zoo.  I was so excited that in five seconds all I did was point ecstatically at the birds. I only remembered to take photos at the last minute when they were already flying away from us. At night, the villagers served us fish freshly caught from their backyard. There were so many choices of fish that I couldn’t help tasting them all. After dinner, Sodik Asmoro, the leader for a local ecotourism committee group called Kaban Mayas (loosely translated from Iban as Friends of Orangutan), gave a short presentation on how the development of ecotourism has changed things for the better in the area over the past few years. Communities are now more open to conservation after realising that they can capitalise on flora and fauna found in their surroundings. Through ecotourism, they are able to benefit from homestay, boat and canoe rental services. With the help from WWF-Indonesia, the villagers set up Kaban Mayas as the guardian to ensure sustainability of the ecosystem and orangutan habitat in the area. Besides arowana, Meliau is home to a number of other fish species such as toman, piang, kerandang and piyam. The area is also blessed with 28 species of mammals including orangutan, avifauna (201), amphibians (22), reptiles (18) and plants (353). We left Meliau for Empangau on the third day. It was a three-hour journey in the same five-seater boat we used earlier. We were informed by Empangau villagers that they would do a fish restocking activity to tie...

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Each and every travel destination in the tropical island of Borneo, Indonesia, has its own attraction: the amazing orang-utans in Central Kalimantan, the ever-popular river floating market in South Kalimantan, culinary specialities with aloe vera in West Kalimantan, the Virgin Forest of North Borneo. The travel destination par excellence of East Kalimantan is Maratua Island, which boasts a captivating underwater world. Maratua Island is a small island inhabited by the Bajau tribe, which is famous for their diving expertise and for the valuable skill of accurately sensing changes in the wind speed and direction. The Bajau have been a nomadic, seafaring people for most of their history (they are in fact commonly known as sea gypsies), they are very dependent on the sea and they cannot cope with living on coastal areas. The Bajau have very simple words to explain this: “If there is no sea, we cannot live”. Maratua Island is definitely a popular tourist destinations which attracts a high number of visitors thanks to its several attractions: an abundant sea life, turtles and dancing fish that chose Maratua as their favorite place to lay eggs, beautiful scenery spots that will spoil your eyes, and a peaceful nature and slow pace of life. If you are lucky, you can even encounter dolphins, whale sharks and stingrays in Maratua! If you plan to visit Maratua Island, ensure a tour to nearby islands like Kakaban, Charitable, Nunukan and Derawan. On Kakaban Island, you can swim with thousands of jellyfish in the mangrove-fringed lake in the center of the island. Charitable Island is a turtle conservation area, with stingrays often sighted around it. Nunukan Island has amazing sceneries and is home to a luxury resort. Derawan Island is located in an area between the river mouth and the sea and it is cheaper to stay there thanks to its vicinity to the coast. It is in Derawan where the bulk of tourists tend to stay. Maratua Island is rarely visited by tourists because of the high cost of getting there in the fist place. There are no ATMs on the island and cash is the king there. The key to Maratua Island is having a travel agent taking you through all necessary steps for a visit to paradise. Yes, because once all is organized and you arrive on the island, you can forget about money and just enjoy the stunning beauty of Maratua. Remember, there is no need to dive to watch sea-life: a mask and a snorkel is all you need there! Central Borneo Guide can help sort out transportation and accommodation into a complete package. Check them out at www.centralborneoguide.com – they are local people and can offer you different kind of special tours off the beaten track. You will not regret a visit to Maratua Island, the most popular tourist destinations in Indonesia after Bali, Gili and Raja Ampat. GETTING THERE:  Plane: Jakarta – Balikpapan – Berau (1 night stay in Balikpapan or Berau), or Surabaya – Balikpapan- Berau (1 night stay in Balikpapan or Berau). Vice versa for the return trip. Boat: Berau to Maratua is about 3 hours of navigation. Speedboat leave between 9 am to 2 pm. The weather on this island is erratic and unpredictable after 3pm, so 2pm is really the last available time to travel there by boat. Central Borneo Guide wishes to thank David Metcalf, a professional photographer from New Zealand, who helped them to start and keeps supporting the cause. All photos on this article are by him. Follow David on http://davidmetcalfphotography.com  or read about his charity project and documentary Long Sa’an – the journey back

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Located in the jungle on the south of Central Kalimantan, Indonesian Borneo, and enclosing Katingan Regency, Pulang Pisau Regency and Palangka Raya City, Sebangau National Park was established in 2012 and has an area of approximately 568,700 hectares. Amongst Sebangau National Park amazing natural features, the vast variety of protected flora and fauna species include 166 flora species – among those species is the Ramin tree, a genus of about 30 species of hardwood trees -, 116 bird species – one is the Bangau Tong-tong, a kind of stork-, 35 species of mammals and 36 species of fish. Sebangau National Park provides the suitable habitat to Orangutan, Proboscis Monkeys, Macan Dahan (clouded leopard), Owa gibbons and more. Moreover, Sebangau National Park is one of the last Peatland swamp forest – tropical moist forests where waterlogged soil prevents dead leaves and wood from fully decomposing – left at Central Kalimantan. This is an area with great economic importance as it provides a source of living to the local inhabitants, and for this its protection receives a considerable amount of support from the local community. As an icon of natural tourism for Central Kalimantan, Sebangau National Park is a regional pride and an essential ecosystem that needs to be preserved. This task is efficiently covered by the park management board, Balai UPT, whose duty is to implement conservation projects based on legislations and regulations. Their tasks include area restoration, unblocking of clogged canals, forest rehabilitation and fire control, society empowerment, nature tourism, enhancement of the population of threatened species, research and protection. Area restoration is particularly essential at Sebangau National Park. The main pressing function is the creation and up-keeping of canal dams – locally known as Tabat. Built out of wood, Tabats have the function to block water from flowing out from peat land areas to rivers so land around the canals remain wet and humid during droughts. Another function of Tabats is to secure land areas from the risk of forest fire. Sebangau Natural Park management together with WWF Indonesia have already built over 1000 dams since 2006, and planting activities amount to an area of 9,418 hectares. This important rehabilitation in the area has not been quite enough to make up to the massive loss of 85% of the total wood in the area due to massive logging concessions given out between 1980 and 1995. It has been estimated that the park will need several centuries to be back to its pre-logged state. Despite the damage still perpetrated by illegal loggers, which blocks some of the orangutans routes, a recent study has shown that, thanks to the proper protection of the western part of the park, the hydrological integrity of the forest has been maintained, and it is ecologically resilient. Other challenges faced by Sebangau National Park management include the implementation of regulations, the control and prevention of forest fires and the marketing of the park to the tourist sector, with a consequent need to improve existing services.   Central Borneo Guide (CBG) is a tourism guide service started by Yun Pratiwi, a local Dayaknese woman from Central Borneo, who strives to facilitate local and international tourists to visit and explore the nature and the local culture of the Dayak people of Borneo. Their tour to Sebangau National Park and Rungan River will allow you to explore primate country and the conservation forest, to experience traditional village life on the river and to gain contact with the local Dayak culture in a pristine jungle environment. For a peep at this fantastic tour program, CLICK HERE ! Central Borneo Guide wishes to thank Tatan Suwardi for the data of the above article, and David Metcalf, a professional photographer from New Zealand,who helped them to start and keeps supporting the cause. Follow David on http://davidmetcalfphotography.com  or read about his charity project and documentary Long Sa’an – the journey back

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Special offering this year! Central Borneo Guide would like to offer people to join their special tour in Central Kalimantan this October 4th-7th 2016. The price of package is USD 700/person, quota is 6 people in a group.   Central Borneo has unique tribes that are rich in culture and tradition like no other. The tribe you will visit is almost similar to American Indians for their clothes and traditional dances. The area has iconic primates such as Orang Utan and proboscis monkeys. We would like you to join our Orang Utan and Dayak Cultural Tour. This tour supports small local business in Palangkaraya, the capital city of Central Borneo. Small local business include batik makers and the Spirit of Hornbill Dance Academy in Palangkaraya. By booking this tour you also support small local business and give them a chance to improve their life. Tour schedule is as follows: Day one The group will be picked up at Tjilik Riwut airport and transferred to the hotel to check in. Lunch will be in a restaurant serving traditional food. The group will then meet and greet the Spirit of Hornbill Dance Academy, before being taken to Old Town. Day two The group is taken to the Bapalas Island to see the Orang Utan conservation camp on small boats, as well as to Kaja Island, another Orang Utan park. Back to Palangkaraya, the group will visit Museum Balanga to discover the ethnography of Dayak people and their old religion. Lunch will be followed by a visit to a batik workshop. The group will learn how to make traditional batik. Finally, the group travels back to the hotel and get ready for dinner. Day three The group will board a river cruise to visit Ransel Buku in Petuk Katimpun village. The project is designed to give a chance to local children to love books, the environment and the culture – we would like to encourage you to donate some education book or story books, stationary and anything you feel like to this program. Back to Palangkaraya for lunch, after which the group is taken to a traditional souvenir shop. Last activities are a visit to a museum and a special dance performance exclusively performed for the group. Day four Transfer to airport early morning. End of tour. ——————– Quota is 6people in a group. Price includes entrance to all locations, meals and alcoholic drinks, hotels, car rental and boat. Price excludes personal expenses, flight tickets and tipping the guide. If the quota is less than 6 people, additional charges may apply. For details, price list and booking visit this link http://centralborneoguide.com/package/orang-utan-and-dayak-cultural-tour/ or contact Pratiwi Yun at pratiwiyun@gmail.com or +62811 5233 389 Here are some reviews of the tour in Trip Advisor: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g303951-d10376399-Reviews-Central_Borneo_Guide-Palangkaraya_Central_Kalimantan_Kalimantan.html 

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Tanjung Puting National Park was designated as a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1977. Tanjung Puting National Park has several ecosystems as it consists of lowland tropical rainforest, dry land, forests, freshwater swamp forests, mangrove forests, coastal forests and secondary forests. This area is mainly dominated by lowland forest plants like Gelatin (Dyera costulata), Ramin (Gonystylus bancanus), Meranti (Shorea sp.), Keruing (Dipterocarpus sp.), and Rattan. Endangered endemic species contained in Tanjung Puting National Park include orangutan (Pongo Satyrus), proboscis monkey (Nasalis Larvatus), maroon leaf monkey (Presbytis rubicunda rubida), bears (Helarctos malayanus erysipelas), deers (Tragulus javanicus close), clouded leopards (Neofelis nebulosa), and cats (Prionailurus bengalensis borneoensis), all protected. Tanjung Puting National Park is the first location in Indonesia designated as an orangutan rehabilitation center. There are three more locations: Tanjung Harapan, Pondok Tanggui, and Camp Leakey. Bornean orangutan has a dark reddish fur and tail. As they grow older, adult males develop big cheek pads that give their face a sinister look. THE TOUR DAY 01, Airport-Kumai-Tanjung Puting Arrival at Pangkalan Bun Airport, meeting with tour assistants and driving to Kumai by taxi (25 minutes), passing several villages. Upon arrival in Kumai, we board the boat and slowly sail up to Tanjung Puting National Park to explore the Sekonyer river by klotok (a traditional wooden boat), observing wildlife such as Proboscis monkeys (long nose monkeys), long tail monkeys, birds along the river sides. Dinner, sleeping on the boat. The boat is a traditional wooden river boat about 14m long by 2m wide with roofed upper deck where you can sit and observe the rainforest. The guides team includes boatmen, cook and a tourist guide. On the boat, you will be provided with a simple mattress, a pillow, a mosquito net, meals, mineral water. Toilet on board. DAY 02, Tanjung Puting-Pondok Tanggui-Camp Leakey-Nipa Area After an early breakfast, you get boated up to Pondok Tanggui Camp to witness orangutan feeding at 9am. Upon arrival at Pondok Tanggui, we walk to the feeding area. After the orangutan feeding session, we take a short trekking in the forest, then proceed to Camp Leakey (about 1,5–2 hours boating time). After a lunch on the boat, you have the opportunity to take a short trek, or you can chose to visit the information center before watch orangutan feeding again at 2 pm. After visiting Camp Leakey, we slowly boat down to Nipa Palm Area (house of fireflies). On the way down can still observe monkeys, birds and other animals, and in the evening if the weather is good we can witness lots of fireflies along nipa palms. Dinner and night on the boat. DAY 03, Nipa Area-Kumai-Pangkalan Bun Airport After breakfast, we sail down to Kumai and then transfer you by car to Pangkalan Bun Airport for your final destination. If you have extra time we can offer you a City Tour, or you can chose to stay longer in Tanjung Puting National Park (depending on your flight schedule). The tour price includes: guides, boat, ranger fee, meals, soft drinks and other snacks, entrance permit to Tanjung Putting. The tour priceexcludes: personal expenses, ticket flights, tipping to guide. To be remembered: this tour starts in Pangkalan Bun, if tourist needs to be picked up in Palangkaraya-Palangkalan Bun, additional charges may apply. If the quota is less than 5 people, additional charges may apply, as specified in the price list. More info and bookings with Central Borneo Guide on http://centralborneoguide.com/package/borneo-orangutan-tanjungputing/

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Central Kalimantan is the third largest province in Indonesia; located in the island of Borneo, it is divided into 13 districts and one single town: its capital Palangkaraya. Each Dayak district has its own language, and there are more than 15 Dayak languages, with the majority of Central Kalimantan speaking Dayak Ngaju. Isen Mulang Festival is a very special event celebrated for the past eight years, which seems to get bigger every year. It comprises a series of competitions held yearly in the month of May in Palangkaraya, exposing the Dayak culture of Central Kalimantan. Isen Mulang (Isen = Abstinence, Mulang = Surrender) means ‘never give up and strive to achieve’. Isen Mulang Festival fosters the spirit of Dayak citizens: to unite, build together, tolerate and to keep the human dignity high. During the competitions, there are races and dancing contests both inland and on the coast, and dances, songs, beauty, sports and traditional games. Thousands of Dayak males and females from the forests and inland villages, young and old, representing their districts and hometowns, participate in a National Carnival traditional parade held mainly in the center of this small town. Isen Mulang Festival also holds an exhibition that promotes regional produce and handicraft made with regional resources: a wide range of local food and snacks (including a grand food baking competition) as well as clothes and wicker items. Also presented are the traditional Manyipet, a local blowpipe, and the Gasing, a spinning top, as well as a fascinating but serious game of ‘fireball football’ (Sepak Sawut), which sees teams compete on a small sized football field with coconuts that are literally doused in petrol and set alight! There are competitions to catch fish by the bare hand, traditional canoe races (Besei Kambe), Prince and Princess of Tourism competition, wood chopping, blow dart shooting, traditional Karungut singing and very loud contest of building ornamental Dragon Boats, where much care and effort is put into decorating the boats in intricate Dayak motifs, which are then paraded up and down the river. Each area of expertise has a winner, with participants collecting points that will count towards winning the title of overall champion. Local people dance, socialise and pose for cameras. Needless to say, all Dayak citizens are always very enthusiastic to participate in this festival, which also attracts many other Indonesian cultures – Java, Sumatra, Sulawesi, Papua, the Maluku Islands, Bali and Nusa Tenggara are all represented through the streets of Palangkaraya – and lots of foreigners who attend this important cultural event. Beautiful Dayak women sing and dance, young warriors dressed in feathers, their bodies adorned with tattoos, chant ancient songs and swing their machetes in the air. It is one of the few opportunities in Kalimantan to watch a gathering of so many Dayak tribes together in one place. Be part of moments of this event, which occurs on May the 18th each year. This is a great opportunity to talk to the very friendly people of Palangkaraya, who are very excited to meet foreigners. Watch the parade and join in the festivities in a spirit of dance, fun, joy and cultural expression, with the large stage filling with giant feathers, bear claws, pointed hornbill beaks, bells and chains. More info and bookings with Central Borneo Guide on http://centralborneoguide.com/package/isen-mulang-festival-cultural-show-extravaganza/

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Yulia the batik woman was introduced to me by my sister two years ago. Her mother is a senior batik artisan from Palangkaraya who grew up amongst economic problems. As her family could not only rely on making batik, she had to find different ways. At one point she even had to pull out of ‘the world’s longest batik’ contest. When Yulia grew up, her main wish was to create a batik-makers community in Palangkaraya. Despite the several challenges she faced in order to realize her dream, including borrowing money from an Indonesian Bank so she could buy tools and raw material, she finally founded the “Komunitas Pecinta Benang Bintik” –  ‘Batik Lovers Community’. Palangkaraya’s batik lovers joined the group and Yulia’s mission to promote the cultural heritage of batik making in Central Kalimantan went as far as making clothes using batik’s fabric and let the locals borrow them for free. One of Yulia’s main ordeal was to find customers who would be prepared to pay money for her batiks. She went through months without a single product being sold, and struggled to repay the bank loan. However, Yulia’s spirit was strong and she managed to put a great idea into practice: open the batik making workshop to the public and charge to visitors who want to learn the technique of batik-making in Central Kalimantan. This was the key of her turning point: one by one, customers started pouring in. I love Yulia’s talented batik art, and I can assure you not all Dayak people can make batiks like hers. I enjoy supporting and financing a small business like this, one that can empower local people and uphold local Dayak products and arts in Central Kalimantan, which is almost extinct in the modern era. Yulia has such a tremendous potential which in my opinion cannot go wasted. Once we decided to include Yulia batik making school in our tour, we made an effort of marketing this activity. My clients are so happy with the time they spend with Yulia the batik woman, and her batik learning center has become one of the main things that tourists can do in Palangkaraya. Central Borneo Guide strongly support small businesses in the local community of Palangkaraya. Browse Central Borneo Guide’s website or book their tours on http://centralborneoguide.com 

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Central Borneo Guide (CBG) is a tourism guide service that was set up by Yun Pratiwi, a local Dayaknese Woman from Central Borneo. The main idea of their service is to help local and international tourists to visit and to explore the Indonesian Borneo. They specialize on culture, nature and on the local Dayak ethnic people. Tourists can get full advantage of Central Borneo Guide experience and knowledge of local culture, which provides them a memorable experience not easy to match. Central Borneo Guide was started in order to provide work opportunity for the local communities and to support Siti and her Spirit of the Hornbill Dance Academy, a project aimed at preserving the Dayak culture and traditions, as well as encouraging guests who come to watch their performances to take part in dance classes. Central Borneo Guide turns a visit to Central Kalimantan a stress-free experience. They provide well-organized packages in the area of biodiversity, natural scenery, local people and culture, on education and on river life of Borneo Island. They work together with hotels, car rentals, restaurants, and some local tourism organizations to ensure visitors get the most memorable experience during their trip. Central Borneo Guide policy hire speedboats and cars for their tours directly from the local community so they are gaining direct benefits from visitors. Packages, duration and itinerary of each trip can be arranged to suit your personal planning and needs. If you are coming as a group and need assistance with transportation, accommodation, local knowledge, immigration reporting, guides, sightseeing etc, Central Borneo Guide can be of assistance. They have experience with Triple Eleven NGO, International Photographer, National Geographic, Green School Bali, International Model from Brazil, and Walhi NGO. They have professional guides from Central Kalimantan who can speak English, as well as Dayaknese language and Bahasa Indonesia. Central Borneo Guide is actively supported by David Metcalf, a professional photographer from New Zealand. Check on his website www.davidmetcalfphotography.com – or read about his charity project and documentary Long Sa’an – the journey back. Browse Central Borneo Guide’s website or book their tours on http://centralborneoguide.com  Read about Sebangau National Park HERE !  

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Following 2014 exciting dance performances and colourful costumes by the Dayaks Dancers from Borneo, in 2015 Bali Spirit Festival  hosted a Borneo tent. It was there that I met David Metcalf, a masterclass photographer and author of the book “Looking for Borneo”, exhibiting 250 spectacular colour photos of Borneo. David is passionate about the Dayak people and has spent years exploring the outer reaches of one of the most ecologically diverse landscapes on the planet. He introduced me to a group of Dayak dancers directly from the jungles of Kalimantan: the Spirit of the Hornbill dance academy, 19 Dayak dancers flown in directly from the jungles of Kalimantan, Borneo. Spirit of the Hornbill perform Dayak dance and music, and have prepared a workshop that is part of a program in tour to lift the Dayak cultural traditions through dance. I learned that the academy had been formed just over one year before by Siti Habibah from the Dayak Ngaju tribe, Central Kalimantan. They teach young children from the age of seven years about Dayak dance and culture and perform in regional competitions. In 2014 they represented Central Kalimantan against many dance groups from around Indonesia in Semerang, and the older members of the group have performed in Jakarta on two occasions and at the Bali Writers festival. The spirit of the Hornbills dance academy was about to enter a new stage. The team of dance teachers will be heading out to the villages in Central Kalimantan to provide teaching to the Dayak children who currently receive no dance teaching at all. The idea is to give those kids some hope and to preserve their culture through dance. Borneo’s forests and culture is fast disappearing. One way to raise awareness is through cultural expression and dance, and communicating to people the importance of developing this art form. Siti, the leader of the dance studio, is a very talented dancer and teacher and needs support to take her studio from its humble beginnings to the next level. They do not have any musical equipment so the children mostly aged between 6 and 12 have to dance to a CD. When they perform they have to hire a traditional musical instrument if they can afford it. Siti started her studio by saving for many months to raise the $500 required to pay for the rent on the studio for the following 12 months. The objective is to buy the musical instrument they need, then dance uniforms, and other Dayak accessories to demonstrate and express their culture. You can read about Siti in David’s website: http://www.davidmetcalfphotography.com/siti-dayak-dancer/ . David’s objective is to help Siti achieve her dream, raise awareness about Dayak culture and pass on this aspect of Dayak culture to the younger generation, encouraging more young Dayaks to dance. If you wish to help, you can support Siti through Gofundme: https://www.gofundme.com/Sitis-Dream  Spirit of the Hornbill dance academy performance at the Bali Spirit Festival was great; they designed a special dance for the opening night, and were the chosen band to close the festival. You can watch them on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlFFZaFaMlc  Read about David Metcalf movie, Long Sa’an, raising awareness about the plight of the forests and wildlife. For great adventures in the Indonesian Kalimantan, check Central Borneo Guide by Yun, Siri’s sister. 

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It was at the Bali Spirit Festival 2015, and precisely at the opening Government and Music conference held at the ARMA (Agung Rai Museum of Art) that we were introduced by Bali based photographer David Metcalf to the touching story of a village called Long Sa’an and of its community. The conference highlighted the main theme of the BaliSpirit Festival 2015: the support for the survival of the indigenous people of Indonesia. The event was attended by ARMA owner and Bupati of the Gianyar Regency Mr. Agung Rai, as well as by the makers and protagonists of the movie Long Sa’an – The Journey Back (Indonesian talented, award-winner film-maker Erick Est, young Balinese musician Robi Navicula, who has a passion for raising awareness about the plight of the forests and wildlife, village elder Philius, and photographer David Metcalf himself) and by Ibu Siti and members of her Spirit of the Hornbill, a local Dayak dance academy from Kalimantan, Indonesian Borneo. Dave developed the idea of a movie on Long Sa’an while visiting Setulang, a village of about 800 people situated deep in the Indonesian Borneo near the Malaysian border, on a photographic expedition with partner Rex Urwin, a master coach and workshop developer who has been involved in working with cultures and eco tourism. Dave and Rex became very attached to the Khenya Dayak tribe that live in the edge of the pristine rainforest, and listened to their stories: some of them were moved to their current village from deep inside the forest in 1969 and have never been back since, and nowadays have a deep longing to return to their original village Long Sa’an, five days by canoe up the river, but they can’t afford the cost of the journey. Since that moment they pledged to raise enough money to grant seven of these elders their dream of visiting their ancestors’ burial grounds up the Kayan river, deep in the heart of the forest. Money was raised and are still been raised since efforts to make a difference to seeing life-changing projects like this become a reality are never enough. Dave has so far donated most of his savings in order to bring people from all over the world, pay for the production of the documentary and mount the expedition, and has managed to secure the support of Jason Houston, one of USA’s foremost environmental filmmakers and photographers. You can donate money to this project by clicking https://fundrazr.com/campaigns/6kIi0/sh/23FfU8 The subsequent expedition to this ancestral village in North Kalimantan where the spirits dwell, resulted in a multimedia film-documentary blending film, still photography, music by Robi Navicula, paintings by Wolfgang Widmoser, a famous artist based in Ubud, and voices, showcasing the Dayaks’ unique culture, bringing them together with representatives of other indigenous peoples from around the world, and raising awareness of the environmental threats this pristine rainforest is facing. This movie will be a way of preserving the Dayak’s threatened way of life in the forest – much of which has already been lost – for future generations. This tribe is so connected to the forest THE DAYAK AND THE NEED TO RAISE AWARENESS The wise Dayaks are spiritually connected to the forest and consider it ‘Tala Olen’ meaning ‘Forbidden forest’. They are spiritually connected to the forest, to the rivers and to the land and have strict cultural rules about cutting down the trees or damaging them in any way. The Dayak people’s forest is not the only one ecosystem under threat. In large part of Indonesian Borneo, or Kalimantan, logging practices and dam projects regularly destroy huge swathes of the environment. Kalimantan represents only 1% of the Earth’s surface but 5% of its flora and fauna, including untold numbers of trees and plants still undiscovered by mankind, amongst these unknown species that could have huge medicinal benefits. Yet, 52% of Kalimantan’s forest has already been lost. So this documentary will be used not only to depict the Dayak’s culture but also to raise awareness about the imperative need to save the forests and the wildlife. Several artists and activists from several cultures will accompany David to tour it around Australia, New Zealand, the USA and Canada in the hope that by showcasing the beauty of the forest and the unique cultural beliefs of the Dayak, they will showcase the potential for eco-tourism in this area as an alternative to damaging logging and dam projects. A trailer of the documentary was played at the conference and repeated at a workshop at the Bali Spirit Festival. Here a few links that will satisfy your curiosity: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmmUU9pTox0 http://www.thejourneyback.info/#!contact/c1z0x https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XK6qf4KjPQ#t=24 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OwSkVFlspM#t=35 To know more about the documentary: http://www.thejourneyback.info Starring: Philius Kevin Locke David Metcalf Co-Staring: Rex Urwin, Gede Robi (Navicula), Ardi Sayuti, James Greenshields, Dave Gaffy, Martin Holland, Jerome Brookes-Metcalf, Bisin, Benyamin, Remond, Efred, Ramses, Sarang Follow the project on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LongSaanMovie?fref=photo To get in touch directly with David please contact +62 8111 331255 or email davidmetcalf3@mac.com

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