Guide to Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo)

Kalimantan is the Indonesian part of the island of Borneo, the third largest island in the world. The Indonesian part covers around 580,000 km² (225,000 sq mi) although the vast area is home to only 12 million people, so most of the area, particularly the interior, is very sparsely populated. The vast rainforests in Kalimantan are some of the most bio-diverse areas in the world.

In 2022, Indonesian president Joko Wikdodo announced that Indonesia would be moving its capital from Jakarta to a new purpose-built city called Nusantara in East Kalimantan.

This guide divides the island into four areas:

• Balikpapan — is called Oil City in Indonesia, because most of the major oil & gas companies have offices there
• Banjarbaru — capital of South Kalimantan
• Banjarmasin — the biggest city in Kalimantan. Famous for its floating market.
• Pangkalanbun
• Palangkaraya — capital of Central Kalimantan
• Pontianak — capital and culinary centre of West Kalimantan
• Samarinda — capital of East Kalimantan
• Singkawang — the city of one thousand Chinese temples
• Tarakan — an inshore island and the largest city of North Kalimantan

• Apo Kayan — remote highland plateau inhabited by Dayak tribes
• Derawan — an offshore island with diving and marine attractions
• Gunung Palung National Park
• Loksado — the gateway to Meratus mountainous range
• Nagara
• Nusantara — Indonesia's ambitious new capital, still very much under construction but now open to limited tourism
• Tanjung Puting National Park — home of the famous Bornean Orangutan

While in Malay and English, Kalimantan is used to refer only to the Indonesian-controlled part of Borneo, the term is used to refer to the entire island of Borneo in Indonesian.

Flora and fauna

The Borneo rainforest is 130 million years old, making it one of the oldest rainforests in the world and 70 million years older than the Amazon rainforest. Borneo is very rich in biodiversity compared to many other areas. There are about 15,000 species of flowering plants with 3,000 species of trees, 221 species of mammals and 420 species of birds. Subject to mass deforestation, the remaining Borneo rainforest is one of the only remaining natural habitats for the endangered Bornean orangutan. It is also an important refuge for many endemic forest species, as the Asian elephant, the Sumatran rhinoceros, the Bornean clouded leopard, and the Dayak fruit bat.

Climate

Averages of Kalimantan

Kalimantan has an equatorial climate, with the average temperature ranging between 23 and 31°C. The island receives around 300mm of rain per year, with a light rainy season between March and May, and a more intense one between November and January. Rainfall however considerably lower than in many neighbouring parts of Indonesia.

There are 74 living languages spoken in Kalimantan. Indonesian is the official language, while the Banjar language serves as a lingua franca on much of the island except in West Kalimantan, where Malay is more popular. Other major languages include Dayak (Bornean) and a number of dialects related to the Chinese Hakka and Minnan (Teochew) languages.

By plane

There are several international airports in Kalimantan, with connections to and from Malaysia. In addition, there is a wide array of flight connections to and from other Indonesian islands, mainly Java.

• Supadio Airport (PNK) near Pontianak is the primary airport on the Indonesian side, with domestic flights from Medan and the main cities of Java.
• Syamsudin Noor Airport (BDJ) near Banjarmasin is an airport located in South Kalimantan, with good connections to destinations throughout Kalimantan and Java.
• Sultan Aji Muhammad Sulaiman Sepinggan Airport (BPN) near Balikpapan with domestic flights from many Indonesian cities, and international flights to Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.
• Samarinda APT Pranoto International Airport (AAP)
• Juwata Airport (TRK) near Tarakan servers the northeast of Kalimantan, with a range of domestic destinations.
• Also the airports of Tanjung Redeb (BEJ), Pangkalan Bun (PKN), Ketapang (KTG), Sampit (SMQ), Palangkaraya (PKY) serve destinations on Java island.

By land

There are three official border crossings between West Kalimantan and Sarawak, namely (from West to East) the Biawak-Arau crossing on the Kuching-Singkawang road, the Tebedu-Entikong crossing on the Kuching-Pontianak road (see Pontianak to Kuching), and the Lubok Antu-Nanga Badau crossing in a more remote area. There are other informal crossings used by locals who live in the border area, but their legality is questionable, and you are strongly discouraged from using them as a foreigner to avoid any potential legal issues.

Although Kalimantan shares a border with Sabah, there are no border crossings on that segment.

By ferry

There is an international daily ferry connection from Tawau in Sabah, Malaysia, to Nunukan and Tarakan in North Kalimantan province.

Domestic ferry connections to several ports of Kalimantan (Pontianak, Ketapang, Kumai, Sampit, Banjarmasin, Batulicin, Balikpapan, Samarinda, Tarakan, and Nunukan) are operated by PELNI. In almost all cases it is advisable for tourists to fly instead, except perhaps for trips to Kalimantan from relatively nearby islands such as Bangka-Belitung and the Riau Islands.

Distances on Kalimantan are long and public transport is spotty and expensive. The easiest option may well be to book an arranged tour.

Diving

Most diving activities takes place in the Berau Archipelago in the Celebes sea, around the islands of Derawan, Sangaliki and Maratua in East Kalimantan, there are also some less visited dive sites in West Kalimantan, these include Batu Payung and Radayan island in the vicinity of Singkawang and Karimata islands reserve further south, some 100 kilometers of the coast from Ketapang.

In West Kalimantan, you may eat Chinese-Indonesian cuisine, Malay cuisine, and Dayak cuisine. Banjarese cuisine is easily found in South Kalimantan. When you visit East Kalimantan, you can try local Kutai cuisine.

River boats are known to sink, especially on the Kapuas River. If you travel on a river boat, ensure a life jacket is provided and do not get on a dangerously-overcrowded boat.

• Brunei
• East Malaysia: Sabah and Sarawak