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The island of Borneo is home to a rich array of plants and wildlife, making it highly valued by adventurers and lovers of flora and fauna. The island’s most famous residents are orangutans, irresistibly enchanting when observed in their natural habitat. Known as ‘forest people’ in a direct translation from Bahasa, orangutans are indeed almost human in many ways.

: Borneo is rich in flora and fauna.

: Orangutan in the forest at Camp Leakey

It was revealed last week that the last of the three legendary female primatologists followed her fellow ‘trimates’ to the great rehabilitation centre in the sky. Although Lithuanian-Canadian scientist Biruté Galdikas never achieved the worldwide recognition of Jane Goodall or Dian Fossey, her work was no less important. What Goodall did for chimpanzees and Fossey for the mountain apes of Rwanda, Galdikas did for orangutans in Indonesia. Perhaps the geographic removal from the famed wildlife of the African continent precluded orangutans from garnering the same attention as their counterparts despite enduring similar threats from Homo sapiens, the great destroyers of planet Earth. In any case, Ms Galdikas’ legacy survives her, to the benefit of both orangutans and Pearl Expeditions visitors on itineraries that include the island of Borneo, where she established Camp Leakey, named in honour of the man who encouraged all three of these amazing women to pursue the study and observation of their chosen subjects.

Comfy beds await in Paspaley Pearl’s chic cabins

Ms Galdikas’ indefatigable drive to protect the Pongo pygmaeus species from further decimation led to the creation of Orangutan Foundation International and Camp Leakey, a research centre and rehabilitation facility where orangutans could recover from poaching, deforestation, captivity, and other human-related threats. It is thanks to her efforts that the Indonesian government set aside 650,000 acres of forest on the island of Borneo and declared it the Tanjung Puting National Park, an orangutan sanctuary. It is with this background knowledge that Pearl Expeditions brings its fortunate passengers to Camp Leakey to observe wild orangutans in their native habitat. Experts in their fields, the expedition leaders on board MS Paspaley Pearl have been here before, as have repeat passengers whose curiosity and fascination with Borneo’s unique ecosystem draw them back to this very special part of the world. Indeed, Ms Galdikas herself used to lead visitors to Camp Leakey deep into the forest before ill health prevented her from doing so. Orangutans are not the only interesting inhabitants of Borneo’s forests; there are monkeys in the trees among the hundreds of species of colourful birds, big and small, from vibrant kingfishers to majestic hornbills.

: Borneo’s forests are home to many species of plants and animals.

: Are you looking at me

Unlike the orangutans, who are known for their trait of building a new nest every night up in the treetops, passengers on board Paspaley Pearl can return to their comfortable cabins at the end of another day out exploring the islands of Indonesia. Even an orangutan would be envious of the supreme bedding and large bathrooms with picture windows that let you appreciate the scenery while showering. They would certainly enjoy the excellent, abundant cuisine that would satisfy the hungriest of forest dwellers, as well as their visitors.