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The Jungle River Cruise is run by Kalimantan Tour Destinations a foreign owned company set up by two women pioneering the introduction of ecotourism into a part of Central Kalimantan that to date has virtually no tourism.

Inspired by the untapped potential of Central Kalimantan’s mighty rivers, Gaye and Lorna converted a traditional Kalimantan barge into a comfortable cruise boat with five double cabins, an inside sitting area and a upper viewing deck, bringing the first jungle cruises to the area.

Originally Lorna Dowson-Collins worked in Central Kalimantan with a local NGO on a sustainable livelihoods programme. The future livelihoods of the local people were under threat as logging left the land devastated with poor soils and no forest to fend from.

Kalimantan was teeming with the potential of her people and their fascinating culture, with beautiful forests of diverse flora and fauna, including the iconic orang-utan, and her mighty rivers providing access to these wonderful treasures.

An idea for a social enterprise emerged , which involved building a boat to journey guests to inaccessible places and provide comfortable accommodation.

Gaye Thavisin, an Australian expatriate, for 4 years operated an attractive, new hotel 36 km out of Palangkaraya in Kalimantan. Gaye was passionate about developing the tourism potential of Central Kalimantan and was also looking at the idea of boats. With her contract at the hotel coming to an end, the Jungle Cruise began to take shape!

Gaye and Lorna decided to set up a new company and developed a business plan which won a Dutch funded competition called Business in Development which sought innovative ideas for developing businesses that benefited the local communities and the environment.

The idea was simple to build a boat that would both be an attraction and transport guests to beautiful forest and villages.

KTD works with the villagers to help them manage their own tourist businesses, for example as guides, renting canoes, fishing trips, collecting traditional medicines in the jungle, developing handicrafts and provide them with a tourists trade. In future, it is KTDS’s intention to channel 25% of the boats profits back to the community through a micro-credit scheme to stimulate further business development.

Their idea took over two years to come to fruition as they worked to fund it and find the expertise needed to design and convert a traditional Kalimanan river boat known as a Rangkan into the beautiful boat she is today.

Designed by a French marine architect, with building works overseen by a British boat builder. The boat builder was hired to organise and improve the capacity of a local boatbuilding team.

Perusing through comments in the guest book it is clear that they’re vision, perseverance and hard work is greatly appreciated by their guests.

Gaye’s experience in hospitality is reflected in the delicious meals and attention to customer care. One guest described the meals, enjoyed to the back drop of emerald green forests and star lit nights as a “special gourmet experience!”

Lorna’s relationship with the villagers and environmental concern lend themselves to a unique experience. If you are want to share in this and make a difference to the community and environment, book yourself on something different and enjoy!

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