
Help to rehabilitate the largest number of rescued orangutans in the world by volunteering at this orangutan sanctuary – made famous by the TV show Orangutan Jungle School!
Below is an example of a typical two-week itinerary. Please note that some activities may be subject to change during your stay, as they are dependent on weather conditions and the requirements of the project at the time.
You will stay in either an authentic longhouse or one of two houses situated opposite in the jungle surroundings of the sanctuary's grounds. Rooms are based on a twin-share, same-sex basis with 1 double room available for couples at request. Each room comes complete with bed linen, a fan, and mosquito nets. All rooms have their own en-suite bathrooms, complete with a western toilet, shower, sink and mirror. There is a kitchen and communal area in the longhouse, which is free for all volunteers to use, and has free Wi-Fi available, but please bear in mind that the signal can be intermittent. There is a free, regular cleaning service if you wish for your room to be cleaned and there are also laundry services available, though this come at a small fee.
Volunteers enjoy three meals per day at the project, with all meals and drinking water included in the project fee. Your lunches and dinners will be prepared for you and will consist of typical Indonesian food, such as rice, noodles, and fried vegetables. Breakfast, however, is prepared by volunteers, but the food, such as cereal, yoghurt, bread and eggs is supplied. Vegetarians can be catered for but please let us know in advance so the appropriate food can be purchased. (If you have any severe nut allergies, please contact us prior to booking.)
Alcohol is permitted and beer can be purchased at the sanctuary but may only be consumed at the volunteer accommodation. Snacks are not currently available onsite, but they can be purchased from a small local store which is a 15 minutes walk from the accommodation.
This project is based at a rehabilitation sanctuary, and there are orangutans here year-round, meaning there is no real preferred time to volunteer regarding the animals.
The weather is also quite constant throughout, and whilst it can rain at any time of the year due to the rainforest climate, you can expect mostly dry weather with temperatures averaging 32°C (90°F) in the daytime and 23°C (73°F) at night.
You will need to fly into Palangkaraya Airport on your project start date, arriving between 8am-5pm, with most international flight routes going via Jakarta International Airport (Soekarno-Hatta International Airport). Upon arrival into Palangkaraya Airport, you will be met by a project representative in the arrivals hall who will then transfer you to the Nyaru Menteng Orangutan Sanctuary. This transfer takes approximately 40 minutes.
If you arrive a day early and stay in a hotel close to Palangkaraya Airport, we will be able to arrange your transfer to Nyaru Menteng from there.
To join this project, you will need a Social Visa (C6), which you must obtain prior to arrival in Indonesia. This visa permits a stay of up to 60 days and can be applied for with ‘My Visa Indonesia’. We will provide all the necessary documentation you require and the cost of this visa is approximately $250.
Please note, your passport must be valid for a minimum of 6 months from your date of entry into Indonesia.
There is a moderate level of fitness required to take part in this project. There may be small construction tasks that will take place in humid conditions, as well as short walks which involve walking uphill. The other tasks are not too physically strenuous, but for the reasons mentioned above, we advise that you ensure you can cope with the few physically demanding tasks involved. There are no specific skill sets or experience that are required to join this project, but volunteers must always be willing to work as part of a team.
To volunteer on this project, you must provide negative test results to show you do not have HIV or Hepatitis B or C prior to arrival. A chest x-ray or QuantiFERON blood test to show you do not have Tuberculosis is also required. These are ESSENTIAL, as without them, you will be unable to join the project.
Due to Covid-19, additional safety measures have also been introduced to ensure the safety of all volunteers, staff members and the orangutans. These can be viewed by clicking here and may change at any time.
We are often asked whether or not volunteers will have the chance to touch or play with the orangutans whilst on this project. Our answer to this question is, and always will be no, and this is for good reason.
Orangutans are highly susceptible to human diseases, many of which are far more dangerous to an orangutan than they are to us. Also, an environment of constant change, with new volunteers going to the project every two or four weeks and being in contact with the orangutans would be very detrimental to the orangutans' well-being. With no consistency in their lives, behavioural problems arise. They also have a tendency to begin to trust humans which is damaging should they be released back into the wild, as they will become easy targets for poachers. Finally, an orangutan is around 7 times stronger than an adult male human so a no-contact policy is just as crucial for your safety as theirs.
That is not to say that you will have no interaction with the orangutans, it simply means that you will have no direct contact with them. You will still observe them on a daily basis and see how your contribution to their husbandry and enrichment makes a real difference to the lives of these apes. For more information, please view our article on hands-on contact with orangutans.
Join us in the heart of the Bornean rainforest with the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation, where you can help rescue and rehabilitate orphaned and displaced orangutans, all while experiencing the breathtaking beauty of Indonesia.
Arga, a dedicated Orangutan Veterinarian from the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation, explains the journey of a young orangutan going through the rehabilitation process and the meticulous care required to prepare them for a life of independence.
ARTICLE | Apr 2025
The Nyaru Menteng season is back, and our first groups have hit the ground running. Take a look at what volunteers have been up to and hear from volunteer coordinator Matt about a special current project!
UPDATE | Mar 2025
After returning from Forest School today, young orangutans Bumi and Monyo couldn’t resist playing with the freshly cut grass. They had a blast tossing it at their caretakers and ended up covered in it!
NEWS | Jan 2025
The very best in orangutan conservation - read about the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation's milestones in rescue, rehabilitation, and reintroduction from an unforgettable 2024!
My second time at Nyaru Menteng and it did not disappoint. Matt the team leader was amazing, and he helped inspire us to make amazing enrichment and two hammocks. It was an amazing and rewarding experience. The highlight was watching the juveniles return from jungle school with their surrogates at the new location.
Lauren was really helpful when I was booking, Cess and Oyo looked after us all week. My favourite was seeing Bumi pop out from forest school to watch us paint their jungle gym. Also, seeing the Orangutans on the pre-release islands, while we were waiting for our second covid test. Making and giving the enrichment activities was very rewarding. The hilltop walk was hot but the views were worth it. I can't wait to go back and see how the man made islands are developing. Thank you all for an experience of a life time.
Just getting our breath back from having had this amazing experience. Thanks to The Great Projects for affording us this opportunity and for making the whole process and experience easy throughout. Spending time in the company of these amazing animals is a privilege not to be taken lightly and I will always be grateful for it. The project is a raw, emotional and physical challenge but worth it for every minute. Contributing to the care and development, preparing food and providing enrichment to the orangutans and working on infrastructure projects is so rewarding when you get to see what a difference it can make to both the ones who will ultimately reach release to the wild through the hard work of the BOS Foundation, its workers and the volunteers, but also to the unfortunate ones who will not make it that far but will be looked after and loved at Nyaru Menteng. The bond with each orangutan grows quickly when you spend time around them and particularly when you get to know their back stories, some of which are very sad indeed. Their personalities are incredible to witness. The people around you can make such a difference to any experience.... Just getting our breath back from having had this amazing experience. Thanks to The Great Projects for affording us this opportunity and for making the whole process and experience easy throughout. Spending time in the company of these amazing animals is a privilege not to be taken lightly and I will always be grateful for it. The project is a raw, emotional and physical challenge but worth it for every minute. Contributing to the care and development, preparing food and providing enrichment to the orangutans and working on infrastructure projects is so rewarding when you get to see what a difference it can make to both the ones who will ultimately reach release to the wild through the hard work of the BOS Foundation, its workers and the volunteers, but also to the unfortunate ones who will not make it that far but will be looked after and loved at Nyaru Menteng. The bond with each orangutan grows quickly when you spend time around them and particularly when you get to know their back stories, some of which are very sad indeed. Their personalities are incredible to witness. The people around you can make such a difference to any experience. We went as a couple and were so fortunate to have been paired for this experience with a wonderful multinational team of 6 other volunteers who worked hard for each other, laughed together, ate together and grew close over the weeks. I think that it is fair to say that we had a blast and have all made new life friends. Lastly, but certainly not least, throughout our time we were looked after and led by Cess, our project leader, and Melda our BOS Foundation team member who made the experience what it was for us all and made orangutan warriors of us all! Thanks so much to you both and to Borneo, its chaos and its lovely people x (Show More)