![Twin Room at the Samboja Lodge](https://cdn.ahead4.com/thegreatprojects/images/b/4/1/2/9/b4129e4f210bda5859dd8e1def5baf9b.jpg?width=300&height=200&format=jpg)
This project offers you the chance to work on enrichment with captive orangutans and sun bears at the world-renowned Samboja Lestari Rescue Centre.
Your main activities whilst volunteering with orangutans at Samboja Lestari include husbandry, enrichment, reforestation, maintenance and construction work for both the orangutans and the sun bears resident here. You will be treated as pseudo-staff whilst on the project, meaning full participation in all of the centre's work.
Below is an example of a typical two-week itinerary. Please note, however, some activities may be subject to change during the time of your stay as they are dependent on weather conditions and the requirements of the project at the time.
Accommodation during your time on the project will be in twin-share rooms at the Samboja Ecolodge where all of the interior and exterior walls are built out of recycled materials! Each room comes equipped with fully working air conditioning, mosquito nets and an en-suite bathroom, with hot water and a western-style toilet.
You will have three meals per day provided for you while on this project. Breakfast is a variety of cereals, eggs, rice/noodle dishes, fruit, and fresh fruit juice. Lunches and dinners typically consist of rice with chicken, seafood, mutton or beef and vegetables, and sometimes noodles. Tofu and Soybean dishes are also provided for vegetarians, and each meal is served as a buffet. (Please contact us before booking if you have a severe nut allergy.)
This project is based at a rehabilitation sanctuary, and there are orangutans and sun bears here year-round, meaning there is no real preferred time to volunteer regarding the animals.
The weather is also quite constant throughout, and whilst it can rain at any time of the year due to the rainforest climate, you can expect mostly dry weather with temperatures averaging 29-31°C (84-88°F) in the daytime and 24°C (75°F) at night.
You will need to fly into Balikpapan Airport on your project start date, arriving between 7am-5pm, with most international flight routes going via Jakarta International Airport (Soekarno-Hatta International Airport). Upon arrival into Balikpapan Airport, you will be met by a project representative in the arrivals hall who will then transfer you to Samboja Lodge. This transfer takes approximately one hour.
If you arrive a day early and stay in a hotel close to Balikpapan Airport, we will be able to arrange your transfer to Samboja Lodge from there. Please let us know if you would like any suggestions.
To join this project, you will need a tourist visa which you can get on arrival in Indonesia. The cost of this visa is approximately US$35.
If you plan to stay in Indonesia for longer than 30 days, you can get a 30-day tourist visa on arrival and then extend your visa for a further 30 days by taking a trip to an embassy while in-country. Alternatively, it is possible to arrange a 60-day social/cultural visa in advance of your arrival and we can provide you with the correct documents to support your application.
We advise that you speak to the embassy in your country to see if there are any requirements for travel. Please note that your passport must be valid for a minimum of six months from your date of entry into Indonesia.
The work undertaken on this project can be quite physical, often in humid conditions, so a moderate level of fitness is required. No skills or experience are required; all that we ask is that you arrive with a commitment to the project and its aims, a passion for wildlife conservation, and the willingness to work alongside your team!
To volunteer on this project, you must provide negative test results to show you do not have HIV or Hepatitis B or C prior to arrival. A chest x-ray or QuantiFERON blood test to show you do not have Tuberculosis is also required. These are ESSENTIAL, as without them, you will be unable to join the project.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, additional safety measures have also been introduced to ensure the safety of all volunteers, staff members and the orangutans. These can be viewed by clicking here and may change at any time.
We are often asked whether or not volunteers will have the chance to touch or play with the orangutans whilst on this project. Our answer to this question is, and always will be no, and this is for good reason.
Orangutans are highly susceptible to human diseases, many of which are far more dangerous to an orangutan than they are to us. Also, an environment of constant change, with new volunteers going to the project every two or four weeks and being in contact with the orangutans would be very detrimental to the orangutans' well-being. With no consistency in their lives, behavioural problems arise. They also have a tendency to begin to trust humans which is damaging should they be released back into the wild, as they will become easy targets for poachers. Finally, an orangutan is around 7 times stronger than an adult male human so a no-contact policy is just as crucial for your safety as theirs.
That is not to say that you will have no interaction with the orangutans, it simply means that you will have no direct contact with them. You will still observe them on a daily basis and see how your contribution to their husbandry and enrichment makes a real difference to the lives of these apes. For more information, please view our article on hands-on contact with orangutans.
Take a look at wildlife adventurer Catherine Capon's trip to Samboja Lestari and discover what volunteering is really like!
Leslie, Alena and Charlotte review their experience at the Samboja Lestari Orangutan Project in Borneo.
ARTICLE | Jul 2024
Over the last few months, the volunteers have worked closely with the local staff to help the Borneo Orangutan Survival (BOS) Foundation prepare and renovate the new island at Samboja Lestari. The new island is now ready for orangutans Jeffrey and Yuyun to call home! This incredible achievement showcases the power of teamwork.
UPDATE | Jul 2024
In the past few weeks, there has been great progress on the orangutan islands. Volunteers finished the last levels of the concrete platforms and set up the ironwood poles. Soon Jeffrey and Yuyun can move from the neighbouring island. Then, volunteers will refurbish their old island for two more orangutans who can't be released back into the wild. Volunteers also helped the Borneo Orangutan Survival (BOS) Foundation with reforesting land secured with government help and planted 400 trees!
My daughter and I had an amazing experience with the Samboja Lestari Orangutan Volunteer Project. While we highly anticipated the activities to support the animals (which exceeded expectations), it was the enthusiasm, organisational skills and leadership of Kate, Wik and Sam that made it one of the best volunteer projects I've ever done. Our two weeks provided a lifetime of memories and many friendships with other volunteers from across the globe. We miss everyone and the orangutans so much!
All I can say is WOW, what an experience!! I loved every minute, the humidity not that much!! The rooms were better than anticipated, the food was excellent, and the staff at the Lodge were very accommodating, especially when I needed to change rooms due to two leaks from the ceiling. The experience was just incredible, and I feel very privileged to have been able to get so close to the orangutans and sun bears. The works we performed we could see the immediate benefit to the apes and bears, particularly from the enrichment activities plus collecting their bedding. The boat ride to feed to orangutans in the islands was very special. Also the tree planting we did will ensure in decades to come the jungle home of the orangutans will continue to be there! I was amazed as to how close we could get to the orangutans and sun bears, which enabled us to study their features, mannerisms and beauty. Kate, Wik & Sam are lovely people who looked after us, and answered our thousands of questions daily, The Great Projects is lucky to have such great staff. I have now started to look at what our experiences I... All I can say is WOW, what an experience!! I loved every minute, the humidity not that much!! The rooms were better than anticipated, the food was excellent, and the staff at the Lodge were very accommodating, especially when I needed to change rooms due to two leaks from the ceiling. The experience was just incredible, and I feel very privileged to have been able to get so close to the orangutans and sun bears. The works we performed we could see the immediate benefit to the apes and bears, particularly from the enrichment activities plus collecting their bedding. The boat ride to feed to orangutans in the islands was very special. Also the tree planting we did will ensure in decades to come the jungle home of the orangutans will continue to be there! I was amazed as to how close we could get to the orangutans and sun bears, which enabled us to study their features, mannerisms and beauty. Kate, Wik & Sam are lovely people who looked after us, and answered our thousands of questions daily, The Great Projects is lucky to have such great staff. I have now started to look at what our experiences I can do with The Great Projects. (Show More)
Whilst it was hard, planting the trees, knowing in 20 yrs there would be a jungle there, gave me a lot of satisfaction that I could make a difference.