Sadly, last night we were told that the morning cruise starts at 6 am. We woke up at 5 to get ready, which was a little bit tough. We got on the boat, being the first ones there again, and able to get the front seats.
Today we saw proboscis monkeys, which are another of the Borneo big 5! We also saw what was described as a “Defeated alpha” proboscis monkey: one who was previously a top male who lost in a fight. Our guide pointed out injuries on the male to really drive this point home. We also apparently got extremely lucky and saw 4 orangutans on this boat ride. We were told that orangutans are solitary creatures, typically only seen in multiples if it is a mother and her child. We happened to see quite a few in a small area which was an incredible experience. We also saw MANY birds which the guide stopped for and pointed out. We had not brought any binoculars, but we were told that the boats usually have an extra pair. We shared the pair amongst ourselves and with the British couple and their friend behind us for this ride.
After the boat ride, we went to reception and learned that for a reasonable price, we could rent binoculars for the duration of the booking, as well as recieving a complimentary monacle/telescope for the duration. We went ahead and paid for this for the rest of the boat rides. We next went to breakfast at the restaurant, where eventually we heard some mild commotion. We headed around to an area with a small pool and heard from others that there was a rhinoceros hornbill in a nearby tree! We focused our binoculars and telescope and watched a beautiful rhinoceros hornbill for quite some time. This is another of the Borneo big 5, so we had now spotted 3/5!! Caitlyn also noticed a small gray/blue bird deep in the same tree. She asked the guides about it, and eventually after trying to show two guides, one finally saw it and told her that it was a pidgeon. We all (including the guide) cracked up about the fact that this elusive and exciting bird was “only” a common pidgeon.
We all later elected to go on the optional nature walk. There was a large raised boardwalk area behind the cabins that wound deep into the jungle and offered a good look at many of the animals in the Borneo jungle by foot. We opted in and were lucky to see a rare wreathed hornbill as well as a millipede that wound itself into a ball. We both were brave enough to even hold it! We finished the scheduled walk and David decided to rest in the room while
Caitlyn went out by herself back to the walkways. She was lucky enough to see a giant squirrel on this trip! We headed back to lunch together and saw a group of people taking a picture of a tree in the walkway to the restaurant. We headed over and realized that they had spotted a colugo: a type of flying squirrel. It was sleeping gripped onto the side of a tree trunk. We ate a delicious buffet lunch before next heading to the Orangutan talk.
This was an optional slideshow with one of the nature experts at the lodge. The gentleman who gave the talk was named Lee/Li (unsure), and was actually the man who helped us earlier to see the Rhinoceros hornbill and told Caitlyn that her bird was a pidgeon. The talk was incredible. We were offered some amazing information about the Orangutans and learned things that would be very difficult to even find on the internet regarding behavior and identification.
Towards the end of the talk, we heard some banging on the roof above us. Afterwards, we went outside and saw a big group of macaques jumping around the lodge and in the trees.
There wasn’t much going on from here until afternoon tea just before the late afternoon cruise. David elected to take a nap while Caitlyn and Laura headed back to the nature walk area. They apparently got very lucky and saw the very rare red form of the silver leaf monkey. After this we all went to the afternoon tea briefly.
There wasn’t much time for us before the afternoon cruise so we grabbed a very quick (and very hot) cup of coffee. They did offer both vegetable fritters and twisted doughnuts which were surprisingly delicious. We hopped on the late afternoon cruise, luckily getting the front row again!
We saw another crocodile, an orangutan mom and baby making a nest in a palm tree, and a beautiful sunset.
After the cruise, we headed to the restaurant for a delicious dinner. At dinner, we were again offered the optional night cruise. We decided to opt in again!
On the cruise, we mostly saw a lot of sleeping birds (all very beautiful but not very exciting). We did briefly see a crocodile in the water, but didn’t get a great view. One person behind us was a little annoying, but was a great spotter and kept seeing birds the guide didn’t even notice, which was kind of nice! Tired again after a long day, after heading back, we went straight to bed.
Steps walked: 10,376
Miles walked: 4.97
Bluming Travelers 