We visited Kalimantan (Borneo) in March of this year and spent 3 nights, 4 days with Mr Danson's crew aboard one of his boats in Tanjung Puting. Overall, the experience was a trip of a lifetime. We were cared for by a gracious crew that comprised of a captain, co-captain, cook, and two guides. We saw a lot of wildlife, including multiple species of primates, birds, and reptiles.
Staying on the boat was quite comfortable. Whether it was time to dine, sleep, or lounge while boating, the crew arranged the deck to suit our needs. Sleeping on the deck (with mosquito net) was a unique experience -- we saw more stars than we had seen before, and sleeping to natural sounds was very relaxing. We went to bed soon after sunset, and woke up with sunrise.
The meals were amazing. We had a few dietary restrictions, but this did not pose any problems for our resourceful chef.
The days were comprised of boating up the Tanjung Puting, and hiking around the forests. The guides were flexible and responsive to our requests. We saw orangutans, gibbons, proboscis monkeys, turtles, kingfishers, and other forest species. We went to Camp Leakey and to a few orangutan feed stations.
Finally, Mr Danson runs his business very well. At the outset of our trip, a small airline that was scheduled to fly us to Borneo had to cancel its lone flight for the day. Mr Danson made re-arrangements seemlessly: he re-routed us there the next day, arranged for our boat to add on a day at the end for the same total trip duration, re-arranged the flight out of Borneo, and even assisted in arranging our hotel reservations in Bali (where we were going afterwards).
His business model focuses on educating locals on the importance of the rainforest and attempts to incorporate those who might otherwise participate in illegal logging into his productive business. He spends time educating children about conservation and gives money to support his community. We heartily endorse Mr Danson and his eco-tourism company.
