UJUNG KULON JAVAN RHINO TOUR
Duration : 7 - 10 Day
Transport facility : Traditional wooden boatt
Difficult : Easy/moderate
Star - Finish : Jakarta
Price : Contact Us
Description of Javan Rhino Tour
Explore the rugged forest of Ujong Kulon NP in Java and become some of the first people ever to specifically look for the critically endangered Javan Rhino
Introduction:
We are specialists in tailoring wildlife watching all over the world and we have a great range of wildlife tours which focus on some of the world’s rarest wildlife. These trips are specialist and are run more like expeditions than your conventional wildlife holiday. This particular trip heads to the far western tip of Java, Indonesia and the forested park of Ujong Kulon. This is the last home of the critically endangered Javan Rhino, which is the rarest large mammal anywhere in the world.
The park is very dense and we will hike from the entrance to a little known river deep inside the park. The rhinos are mostly seen in this river and so most of the wildlife activities will be canoeing silently up and down this river in the early morning and late evening. We head into the park with a team of porters and spend the entire time camping in the forest.
Throughout the trip you will be guided by local park rangers and a zoologist guide (where available), and people with an intimate knowledge of the wildlife and habitats you will be visiting. This is a ground breaking tour that is unique in the world, we have negotiated special rates for the scientific permits that are needed to access the core area of the forest. For anyone who wants a chance of seeing this incredibly rare species you have to get in touch with us and we can provide more information about our group tour.
Tour Itinerary
Day 01:
Jakarta / Carita / Ujong Kulon National Park - We have recommended that clients arrive in Jakarta the day before the tour is due to start. , we want to start as early as possible so that we can get to the park and set up camp before dark. So once we have collected the group together we will head towards the western tip of the island of Java and the forest park of Ujong Kulon National Park. The drive will take around 3 hours or so to get to Carita, from here we will get into a speed boat and cruise along the coast to the park’s gateway. This boat trip will take round 2.5 hours and we will have lunch on board the boat. We will travel by the boat to Taman Jaya and then land at Laban in the park. Were we will explore once in the park may well vary from what is documented in the next few days and will be dependant on what the local guides and rangers recommend based on their experience and the recent movements of the rhinos. Being an expedition style trip a great amount of flexibility is needed and we will do everything we can to make sure we are in the right place at the right time to try and see one. We will hike south towards Karang Ranjang, searching for signs of the rhinos along the way, we will have the camp close but not too close to where we focus most of our efforts. Todays hike could be around 3 hours long, on arrival at the camp we will set up and settle in with some dinner. If the light is still good and people still have some energy we can take a little walk around. However we recommend that we are up and ready for the morning canoe along the Cikeusik River at dawn (or pre-dawn) so a good nights rest is a good idea tonight. (Lunch will be served en route to the park and then dinner will be prepared by the camp staff).
Days 2-8:
Ujong Kulon National Park - For the next 7 full days we will explore the forest as we search for the Javan rhino, we will rise early each morning as we aim to find a rhino as they use the river to bath and browse on the semi aquatic vegetation. In the past this has been one of the most fruitful ways to find and see the rhino. So by using a couple of canoes we will silently paddle up and down stretches of the Cikuesik River (and possibly other rivers nearby) for a while in the hope that we see one. We will come back to the camp for breakfast and then plan the next course of action, we will probably look to cruise the rivers at dawn and dusk and also have the opportunity to set up hides overlooking some of the wallows that the rhinos like to use. This is an option for anyone wishing to do this and of course we can hike around and try and find fresh evidence of the rhinos as they move through the forest. As mentioned this is just an overview of what is possible and the exact day by day plan will change and be discussed and dictated by the rhino’s movements. Alongside the rhinos there are many other species in the park, like all tropical forests there are many species of birds, reptiles and amphibians. Mammal wise there are Javan gibbons and ebony lutungs (both endemic to Java) in the trees, various squirrels around, Javan small-toothed palm civets, bantengs and even leopards in the park. However the leopards have a near mythical status here and the rhinos are seen a lot more often. It is also worth keeping an eye out in the rivers and sea as there are salt-water crocodiles here and so be careful when near the river banks and keep your hands and feet inside the canoe at all times. We will return to the camp for our meals and of course our tents for each night. We estimate that hiking per day will be around 2-3 hours, however some days maybe longer (~6 hours) and others much shorter. (All of your meals will be prepared and eaten at the camp in between our excursions into the forest.)
Day 09:
Handeleum – Today’s plan is very flexible, it all depends on where we have been camping, we may head straight from the camp back to Laban and catch the speed boat back to Carita from there, or we may get a boat to Handeleum Island. It all depends on how things have gone and what the rhino movements have dictated. If we do go to Handeleum we will take a boat for around 2 hours and on arrival there we could have the chance to canoe the Cigenter River. This was widely regarded as the best place to see Javan rhinos for many years, however many tourists came here (because of its proximity to the entry gate) and seemingly disturbed the rhinos that used to use this river a lot. Since then the sightings here have been very low, but if we are here we will give it a go as you never know. Breakfast will be served in the camp, lunch en route and dinner at the guest house).
Day 10:
Ujung Kulon/Jakarta - Return back to Jakarta in the day from Ujung Kulon and you willl be arrived in Jakarta in the evening, we recommend you can spned overnight in Jakarta hotel before return flights home for tomorrow. End the trip.
Service include :
Transportations, boat (traditional wooden boat), accommodation at the lodge/camping, meal (bf, ln, dn), mineral water, coffe, tea, milk, snacks, fruits, soft drink, entrance permits, snorkeling gear, vegetarian food available on request expert guidance, all ground and sea transfers as described in the program including private charter boat
Price excludes : Alcohol beverage, Personal travel Insurance, gratuities to guide and crew
Tips for visitors
To avoid the adverse effect of severe heat, smear uncovered skin with sunblock and to protect your health, use antimosquito cream while traversing the forest.
Wear muted-color garments while watching animals in their habitat or grazing locations.
For safety's sake during a trip, every group of tourists is advised to use the services of a guide.
Don't disturb or feed wild animals in the national park, especially long-tailed macaques on Peucang island, which look so tame.
Don't throw rubbish in the park, but collect and take it back to the guest house or outside the park. Obey all regulations effective in the national park and also the local customs..
Tour : All tour durations are flexible according to your schedule and budget. We can arrange airport transfers and accommodation for the duration of your stay in Carita
