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Postcards from the Field: An Expedition to Borneo

Karst areas that we explored in East Kalimantan, Indonesia. © Matt Struebig

Introduction

Hidden deep in the jungles of Borneo are a series of uncharted limestone caves which shelter rare and unknown species. The Nature Conservancy launched a month-long biological expedition to the caves of East Kalimantan in Indonesia to discover and document these strange new creatures.

Read the dramatic account of Karen Foerstel, a Nature Conservancy staffer, as she travels upriver into one of the most remote corners on Earth.

An Expedition to Borneo

  • Day 1: Into the Unknown
    July 31, 2004
    Our intrepid explorer joins a team of scientists in their journey up the Tabalar River in order to study the unexplored karst systems of East Kalimantan on the island of Borneo in Indonesia.
  • Day 2: Off the Map
    August 1, 2004
    Our company hikes their way up a mountain so remote that it is not named on any map.
  • Day 3: A Sack Full of Bats
    August 2, 2004
    While the scientists record species, a rare object of beauty is discovered.
  • Day 4: Return to Civilization
    August 3, 2004
    The adventure draws to a close, but only after a long, grueling hike to a plateau visited only by three people in all of history.

Photo credits (top to bottom): © Matt Struebig.