BORNEO (KALIMANTAN)

Borneo is the world’s second largest island, divided by three different countries where the Indonesian part, Kalimantan is by far the largest. Kalimantan is located north of Java and east of Sumatra. Tanjung Puting National Park is one of nature’s real wonders, and this  area was declared a national park in 1982.  Though the park has not always been protected, yet its 3,040 sq km  is still very wild and natural; from marshlands to large mangrove swamps with an incredible abundance of wildlife.

KOMODO ISLANDS

The Komodo Islands are located in the strait between eastern Sumbawa and western Flores and consist of the three major islands Komodo, Rinca and Padar as well as a number of smaller islands. Komodo National Park was formed in 1980 and became a World Heritage Site six years later. These fascinating islands are home to the very aggressive Komodo dragons, many over three meters long, with sharp teeth and a poisonous bite.

OCTOBER 7-16, 2023

DAY 1, (Oct 7) – ARRIVAL TO JAKARTA
Arrival to Jakarta during the day or evening. Overnight at FM7 Hotel next to the airport. The hotel has a free shuttle bus to the hotel from the arrival hall to the hotel. Depening on your arrival there will be an informal dinner at the hotel, that is paid on site by those attending the dinner.

DAY 2, (Oct 8) – ARRIVAL TO BORNEO
In the morning we fly to Pangkanal Bun on Borneo where we board a Klotok, a traditional wooden riverboat. After some time spent on the main river, we are met by a sign that welcomes us to the rainforests of Borneo. We turn onto a smaller river, and this is where our photo adventure begins for real. With dense rainforest on both sides, we make our way on the river and with a little luck we will have our first glimpse of the wild orangutans in the trees around us. Tom and Tesni will tell us what to consider during our first real meeting with the orangutans of Borneo. After mooring the boat, we follow a narrow path into the dense vegetation. Soon we are not only surrounded by all the animals of the rainforest, but in the trees above and around us we can see several orangutans moving around. Experiencing and photographing these fascinating animals at close range for the first time is a nature experience that is hard to beat. After a taste of what awaits us in the coming days, we anchor at Rimba Eco Lodge for check-in. After dinner we go to bed, excited for our next meeting with the rich wildlife of Borneo. (B, L, D)

DAY 3-4, (Oct 9-10) – BORNEO
In the morning, we leave our lodge, and the coming days are spent on exploring the rivers of Borneo further, in search of new photo opportunities. It is important to keep your eyes open to the motifs that may appear suddenly in the dense vegetation. Perhaps you will have the opportunity to photograph some long-nosed monkeys in the trees, the branches of which stretch out across the river. During our days in the rainforest, we will make several hikes into the forest in search of orangutans. We will visit Camp Leakey, where they reintroduce orangutans into the wild. Ahead, behind, or above – when orangutans are nearby, the photo opportunities can appear anywhere, and a quick photographer may leave the forest with action-packed images of the agile orangutans moving between the trees. When we are not taking pictures, we go through them. Tom and Tesni are on hand to give us tips and advice on what to consider when editing the images from today’s photo adventures. When the sun starts to go down, we eat dinner on the boat and talk before the crew prepare the beds on the roof of the boat. Now all that remains is to crawl into these beds covered by mosquito nets and fall asleep to all the sounds of the rainforest. (B, L, D)

DAY 5, (Oct 11) – BORNEO TO YOGYAKARTA
Today it is time to continue our photo adventures, and during the morning we leave Borneo’s rainforests behind us as after a few days of amazing photo opportunities, we make port at Kumai. Around lunchtime we fly to Semarang where we have lunch followed by a four hours drive to Magelang where we check in at our hotel, Sarasvati Borobudur. For a couple of hours in the late afternoon, we will work on image editing under the guidance of  Tom and Tesni. The evening is free for you to do what you want, and there is time to get some rest before the trip’s second part, which will offer just as amazing photo opportunities – at least. (B, L)

DAY 6, (Oct 12) – SUNRISE AT THE BOROBUDUR TEMPLE
The alarm clock will go off early in the morning, and we leave the hotel before the sun rises above the horizon. The goal of our early excursion is the Borobudur Temple, one of the world’s largest Buddhist shrines and one of UNESCO’s World Heritage sites. The sunrise over the temple is absolutely stunning and especially from a photographer’s point of view. The huge stone monuments that adorn the temple are excellent to use as foregrounds and call for creative compositions for the first pictures of the day. After exploring this unique World Heritage site, we make our way back to the hotel where breakfast awaits. After check-out we move towards Yogyakarta, where we check in at Gallery Prawirotaman Hotel. After the early morning you can spend the rest of the day as you wish. Perhaps you will take the opportunity to visit the local market to capture the pulse of the city with the camera, or to relax by the hotel’s swimming pool. (B)

DAY 7, (Oct  13) – YOGYAKARTA TO THE KOMODO ISLANDS
In the morning we fly to Labuan Bajo. Here, we board the boats that will become our home as we explore one of the world’s most fascinating places, Komodo National Park. From the open deck of the boat, we have a splendid view of the clear blue water and off at the horizon we can see the islands that have given the National Park its name coming closer. After a delicious lunch, we moor at Kelor Island, where you can go snorkelling and swimming in the crystal-clear waters surrounding the island. For those of you who want to enjoy a stunning view, a hiking trail leads up to the top of the island. During the afternoon we continue to a small uninhabited island to experience a rare experience at dusk – tens of thousands of bats take flight, and silently glide across the boat in the direction of land in search of food. A spectacular experience! During the evening, we will have dinner on the boat while we listen to our guides tell us what to consider tomorrow, when we go ashore to look for and photograph the mythical Komodo dragons. (B, L, D)

DAY 8, (Oct 14) – PHOTOGRAPHING KOMODO DRAGONS
In the morning we go ashore on Rinca Island, and together with our experienced guides we explore the island’s surroundings in search of the world’s largest lizard. We move down towards the beach and suddenly, as if out of nowhere, it comes towards us, the mythical Komodo dragon. With its long tongue, it uses scent to find its way while slowly moving over the soft sand, and we are struck by the feeling of having been transported to a bygone era. Once we have basked in the wonder of it all, it will not be long before we start filling our memory cards with pictures. By crouching down, you can photograph this mighty animal at a low angle. With stuffed memory cards we leave Rinca and make our way towards our next destination, Padar Island. As we go ashore, we find ourselves on the third largest island of the Komodo Islands. After a hike, we reach the island’s highest point and are rewarded with a stunning view of dramatic mountains, beaches white as chalk, and coral reefs that add colour to the clear waters. Back on the boat we moor at one of the coral reefs off the island and explore underwater life with our snorkelling equipment. (B, L, D)

DAY 9, (Oct  15) – KOMODO DRAGONS AND GIANT MANTA RAYS
Today, we continue to explore photo opportunities both above and below the surface. Our first stop of the day is Banunggulung, where we get another chance to photograph Komodo dragons at close range. We do not have to go far before finding the first motif of the day. Tom, who has been on the islands several times before, will show us what to consider in order to use the camera to convey the size of the dragons to the viewer. When we are not taking pictures, the island’s knowledgeable rangers tell us about the dragons’ way of life and how they hunt – they can follow injured prey for several days. After a hike on the island with many photo opportunities, we board our boat again where lunch awaits us. When we leave the boat next time, it is to slide down into the crystal-clear water that surrounds us. If we are lucky, we will see a giant manta ray. Seeing these huge animals quietly glide through the water is an amazing experience. When the manta rays have disappeared into the depths, we proceed to what can only be described as a paradise island. Around the small sandbank in the middle of nowhere lies a coral reef, whose colours and fish brings to mind Disney’s movie, “Finding Nemo”. After another day of amazing experiences, we see the sun set for the last time of our trip, and we end the evening by eating a farewell dinner together, as we sum up this journey of ours, that has given us so many photo opportunities and lovely memories. During the evening, Tom and Tesni will announce “Best picture of the trip”, which will go on to the final of the Picture of the year 2022.

DAY 10, (Oct  16) – HOME JOURNEY
After an early morning swim in the crystal-clear water, we return to Labuan Bajo, where we have lunch together before flying back to Jakarta for further transfer by ourselves. (B, L)

TOM SVENSSON – Wildlife photographer

Tom Svensson is a world known conservation photographer. Toms major driving force in life is conservation, and he travels regularly around the world to document endangered species, anti-poaching and illegal trading of animals. His skill as a photographer is to take pictures that touch people and makes a difference, here is seen as one of the best in the world. Tom is the only Swede elected into the IEPA, the International Environment Photographers Association. He is also a global Manfrotto ambassador and he is also in the Canon Nordic photographers program.

Read more about Tom here

TESNI WARD – Wildlife photographer

 Tesni Ward is an award-winning, professional wildlife photographer and Olympus Ambassador based on the outskirts of the Peak District. Having had an interest for both nature and photography all her life she finally took the step and became a fulltime photographer in 2016.  While the majority of her work focuses on British wildlife, she also photographs projects across the world. With her images and work as a photographer she wants to promote conservation and to educate the public on the struggles wildlife faces and what we can do as induviduals to help project the many species currently under threat from human activity. She often holds lectures and  writes for various publications, including Amateur Photographer, and she has won accolades in both the British Wildlife Photography Awards and the Terre Sauvage Nature Images Awards.

Read more about Tesni here

JAKARTA: FM7 HOTEL****+

BORNEO: RIMBA ECOLODGE**+

YOGYAKARTA: GALLERY PRAWIROTAMAN****

KOMODO: BOAT

In Komodo we will also stay on a boat which will be our base for three days, sleeping in beds below deck. There is also air conditioning on board that will be turned on during the night. The boat has a kitchen and two basic bathrooms.

PRICE

Price per person: £ 4 250 or USD 5 370

Included:

• Domestic flights according to the itinerary.
• All ground transfers according to the itinerary.
• Accommodation in a shared room.
• Meals according to itinerary (B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner).
• Orangutan and Komodo activities according to the itinerary.
• Local rangers during Orangutan and Komodo activities.
• Entrance fees according to the itinerary.
• Services of local rangers during all safaris.
• Participation by Tom Svensson & Tesni Ward during the entire tour.
• Workshops  during the tour.
• A tour leader from Zoom Photo Tours.
• Various conservation activities and lectures during the tour.
• Hotel taxes and other local fees.
• Travel documents and other travel information.

Excluded:

• Single room supplement £ 285 or USD 360 (not available on the boats)
• Return flights to Indinesia.
• All expenses of personal nature like drinks, laundry etc.
• Tips to the local guides. Approximately USD 10 / day.
• Cancellation & travel insurance. For more details, click here.
• Any other item not mentioned as included.

FLIGHTS

Airfare to Jakarta and back from Jakarta is not included in the price. You should arrive Jakarta not later than 6 P.M on day 1 and not book you flight home earlier than 9 P.M on day 10.

Should you wish, we will be more than happy to help you arrange all your flights. Just send an email to info@zoomphototours.com and we will respond with flight suggestions and prices.

GROUP SIZE

In order to for you to get personal photo guidance and the best experience with our photographer our groups are always small. On this tour the minimum and maximum number of guests are 8/18. If less than 12 guests just one photographer will join the tour.

PHOTO GEAR

• A DSLR Camera
• Telephoto lenses up to a 500mm
• Wide-angle lens, like a 24-70mm
• A Laptop computer with Photoshop or Lightroom software.
• Extra batteries, chargers etc.

TOUR LEADER

Apart from an award winning photographer, our tours are always accompanied by a tour leader from Zoom with good photo knowledge. Our tour leader will handle all logistics and general matters and make sure your having the best possible experience in Selous.

TERMS & CONDITIONS

For more information about Terms & Conditions click here.