We would like to see wile orangutans, do some hiking to see other wild life and then have a couple of days beach time before returning home.

In Calang, once a jumping-off point for tourists to see orangutans, bears and tigers, geography may have been one reason for the destruction.

People are seeing orangutans, the dense foliage of the forest makes it difficult to compare scale and shape.

We're still seeing orangutans in the forest; they are coming into captivity in enormous numbers.

It is not necessary to take tours to see orangutans unless you prefer doing it that way.

If you want company and still see wild orangutans, going to the Kinabatangan River is probably your best bet, though it has its drawbacks, too.

Witnesses could possibly be seeing orangutans; however: 1) this species has long been thought to have died out in all but the northern regions of Sumatra and 2) witnesses almost never describe the animal as having orange fur.

The question of where to see orangutans in South-East Asia has been asked so often on this forum that I have decided to write a standard post about it.

First you should decide whether you want to see wild orangutans or are happy with the more circus-like experience offered by the so-called "rehabilitation centres" (the accessible ones of which in fact exist to serve mass tourism much rather than to rehabilitate apes).

Responsible Travel (www.responsibletravel.com) operates a "strenuous walking holiday" in Borneo's Crocker Mountain Range, where trekkers can expect to see gibbons, orangutans, and these cuddly critters.