Wow Borneo cruise review: Cruising into the heart of Borneo

We

Wow Borneo at a Glance

cruised central Borneo for 3 days and came across Orangutan. The feeling of vast wilderness is bewildering. Wow Borneo is the most luxurious cruise company cruising in the area. The itinerary offers a mix of orangutan’s encounters, beautiful landscapes and meeting with local communities. Read on for my Wow Borneo cruise review.

What Is a Borneo River Cruise Like?

Forget ocean cruising — Borneo’s version is a slow houseboat journey up Kalimantan’s rivers on a five-cabin wooden boat, with breakfast served while you move upstream and motorised canoes for the shallow side channels. The rhythm is villages, forest and water: Dayak settlements, the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation’s pre-release island at Palas, and long stretches where you are the only tourists in sight. It is not a top-end ship like Seabourn or Ponant, and it is not trying to be — what makes it exceptional is the country you travel through, in relative comfort.

Getting to Palankaraya for the Wow Borneo cruise

The Wow Borneo departs from Palankaraya which is easily reachable from Jakarta (1-Hour flight) and from Bali (3-Hour flight with a connection).
We arrived a day earlier so that we could explore Palankaraya, but we didn’t find much to see or do. So, my recommendation would be to try and arrive on the morning of the cruise and go from the airport to the boat directly.

If you need accommodation in Palankaraya, Bukit Raya is a guesthouse/NGO that has many social projects in the region. They have a beautiful treehouse that is perfect for a night stay but beware of spiders that crawl around the guesthouse. Swiss Berlin Hotel is the place to stay if you don’t like spiders. You can contact Bukit Raya here. https://www.bukit-raya.com/

Tip: If you can choose your airline, Garuda is usually more reliable than Lionair

Check-in

My Wow Borneo cruise review has to start with the check-in. The Wow Borneo Company picked us up from our hotel and drove us to the boat. We were annoyed by the pick up as we stopped to another hotel to pick up two more guests and we waited for them for almost 30 minutes on a polluted road. Another car was already waiting for them so I was puzzled as to why we waited for them without any reason at parking lot instead of going straight to the boat. We stopped on the way to buy beer and wine as the Company doesn’t provide that, but allows you to bring your own. Once onboard; our cabin was assigned to us and the trip began.

The Boat and the Cabins

We were aboard The Rahai’iPangun, a traditional Kalimantan river-boat with 5 cabins.
We had 2 double deluxe en-suite cabins with air-conditioning. The cabins were comfortable but might feel a bit cramped for 2 people; especially since there are no cupboards or space to put our clothes.

While the cabins looked a bit cramped, the upstairs deck was very spacious with plenty of seating and lounging space.
What makes this boat truly luxurious is the sense of space of upstairs deck and Cruising the beautiful river in lonely wilderness.
The boat was very stable that nobody suffered from seasickness, but the generator was very loud throughout the night.

TIP: For 2 person shared room, I would recommend the luxury cabin or even the family cabins as those are a bit more spacious.

Itinerary and Activities on the Wow Borneo cruise

The itinerary for the day was filled with 2 to 3 activities. The activities were seamlessly organized with a compact boat, a local guide and a car waiting for us at each stop.
Wow Borneo tries to work with local communities. Mostly, the excursions were led by a local guide in addition to the boat English speaking guide. The local guides included village elders or the local teacher which is a great way to appreciate the local culture or tradition. The boat guide was knowledgeable and spoke perfect English.

DAY 1 PALANGKA RAYA – START CRUISE – KATIMPUN

We cruised past the stilted and floating houses of the Provincial Capital and continued upstream along the forest-lined river while passing villages. We stopped at the village of Petuk Katimpun and walked the boardwalks to visit the small library foundation. The library was very busy as they were awaiting the visit of a minister. We got treated to Singing and Dancing by the local kids. The boat then continued upstream to a beautiful black water lake system. We jumped on small canoes for a memorable sunset cruise through the peatland.

DAY 2 PALAS ISLAND – BOS – SEI GOHONG

The day started off at 8 AM. The boat moved up the Rungan River while we enjoyed our breakfast. On arrival to Palas Island, a pre-release island operated by the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation (BOS), we took a motorized canoe to observe the orangutans and later continued to the BOS Education Centre where orangutans were awaiting the release in socialization cages. However, we were not allowed to walk on the orangutan’s island and had to keep some distance. The orangutans were easily seen and it was a stunning experience; to see them interacting with each other and being busy doing their daily activities.
Afterward, we took a car and went through Tangkiling Hill to visit Dayak cultural spirit houses.

DAY 3 SEI GOHONG – KANARAKAN – DEPARTURE

It was sensational breakfast while cruising for Kanarakan; passing through Orangutan islands and there we spotted 5 of them during breakfast.
When we took a compact boat to Kanarakan; we were met with the elder of the village; Dayak Ngaju. We attended the welcoming ceremony and then we strolled around with him to see the Home gardens, rubber field & rubber tapping demonstration, and other livelihoods of the village
After visiting the village, we cruised back to the main boat for our last lunch and orangutans sighting before taking a car back to the airport.

When to Go on a river cruise in Kalimantan?

The cruises operate year long but it is better to avoid the period between July to October, as it is the dry season and the river might run dry, which will completely ruin the purpose of a river cruise…

Prices of the Wow Borneo cruise

Those are the prices at time of writing in 2018

Relaxing Orangutan & Dayak Village Cruise 2 night
Superior Large double en-suite air-con private terrace USD 942 per person (fan-cooled USD 863 pp), 1 cabin
Double en-suite air-con cabin USD 817 per person (fan-cooled USD 681 pp), 2 cabins
Family cabin -
1 double air-con USD 734 per person (fan-cooled USD 660 pp) 
& 2 single bunk beds USD 557 per person (fan-cooled USD 504 pp)
Twin cabin fan-cooled USD 541 per person, 1 cabin

Conclusion of my Wow Borneo review

While guests on this boat should not expect a top-end cruise like Seabourn or Ponant, what makes this cruise exceptional is the areas traveled, the activities offered and the feeling of being the only tourist in the area and all in relative comfort. We thoroughly enjoyed our cruise. We recommend it to anyone wishing to meet orangutans and visit the deep peatland forest on Borneo.

While in Borneo, also check out the Derawan islands for great diving. And while you are in Indonesia, do check out Alor and West Timor as they also offer amazing cultural encounters and stunning nature

If you like cruising to amazing destination and encounter the local culture, you will also like the Seatrek Komodo cruise

For more information  on Wow Borneo cruise and to book, click here

Wow Borneo: Frequently Asked Questions

Do you see orangutans on a Wow Borneo cruise?

Yes — that is the centrepiece of the itinerary. On day two the boat reaches Palas Island, a pre-release island operated by the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation, where we watched orangutans from a motorised canoe, then visited the BOS education centre where others waited in socialisation cages before release. You keep your distance and you do not walk on the island, which is exactly as it should be.

When is the best time for a Kalimantan river cruise?

The cruises run year-round, but avoid July to October: that is the dry season and the river can run too low, which defeats the purpose of a river cruise.