7 Best Places to Visit in East Borneo, Indonesia..
The indisputable favorite of Indonesia’s more than 17,000 islands, Borneo lives up to its reputation as one of the tropical big island in Indonesia. Here, the island is more known as Kalimantan.This is very large island and divided into some provinces/regions. There are simply many places to visit in Borneo, but I’ve narrowed it down to 7 of best places to visit,only in East Borneo.:-)
1.Derawan’s Archipelago , Berau
My first recomendation for travelers is the Derawan Archipelago. It should be your compulsory agenda in the list of places to visit here … For Eastern Indonesia, along with Wakatobi ( in Sulawesi) and RajaAmpat in Papua, this is a paradise for those who loves diving or snorkeling. There are other islands around Derawan which are also wonderful , namely Maratua, Sangalaki and Kakaban islands. The last island is the most favorite for me because the sensation of swimming accompanied by millions of jellyfish that do not sting is very unusual. . .
Another great experience to do that you simpy can’t miss is that we may also release the turtles (baby turtles) to the beach when visiting Sangalaki Island.
In fact Derawan is included in the district of Berau, but at that time I reached this area through Tarakan, at North Borneo. Derawan has often appeared in various holiday programs on television or you just searching on google and for sure you get the information very easily:-)
2. .Bengkirai Hill Canopy/ Suspension Bridge, Balikpapan
The spot is located in Bukit Bengkirai, not far from Balikpapan City … but you have to go deep along the edge of the forest to get to the location of this one. It hangs over a height of nearly 30 meters, and yes ..its really hanging and feels like swinging all the time..which is quite scarry for me !
There are 3 suspension bridges here that connect several large trees … that’s why the bridge also called for canopy bridge. It is said that this is the first one in Indonesia.
For me this is a test of guts and it was proven that I only dared to cross 2 bridges in between … because the 3rd one was the longest and the most unstable. This bridge consisted of an iron sling and if there’s so many people aroud there , so it would be more swaying. By the reason , we have to keep balance our body position … :-p
But don’t worry , there is an officer who will regulate the ‘traffic’ between bridges. So if it is felt that the load is quite a lot, we have to wait for our turn to cross again … How is the sensation? Its the mix among fear of the heights,overjoyed to see the beauty of the forest from the top of the tree and satisfied because i could overcome the anxiety in myself …
3. Pampang Tourism Village,Samarinda
Those who are curious about the typical cultural tourism of the Dayak tribe, you should visit this place. This place is the closest tourist location to Samarinda. Samarinda is the capital city of East Borneo’s Province. Just come on Sunday, because every Sunday afternoon would be routinely held performances of dances typical of this native tribe at Lamin. Lamin is the traditional house for Dayak Tribe.
For me, the most memorable was the event when the dancer blowed chopsticks to the top which is the balloons are hung on the lamin stage. To get into the lamin and watching the show we have to pay a ticket — and will get an unique bracelet’s souvenir reading “PAMPANG. At the end of the performance you can even dance together complete with the musical accompaniment. And if you would love to , we could also take pictures together with some old ladies in this tribe whom still preserve their traditional traditions of long-eared and tattooe.
4. Kutai National Park (KNP) ,Sangata
This protected forest area is in the East Kutai district, not far from the city of Sangata … the entrance road is on the side of the road that connects the cities of Bontang and Sangata. Exactly in the Sangkima area. It is said the area reached nearly 190 thousand hectares, but in my opinion it didn’t reach that much huh? On the way to Sangata, it can be seen how much forest has been changed..:-( Most of it is turned into rice fields. KNP is the broadest representative of ironwood forest, where we can find the highest and largest ironwood tree in Indonesia.
There is a trekking tour here, where there is a ‘road’ made of wood along the forest. Besides that, we can also observe animals such as orangutans, proboscis monkeys, birds and honey bears. Sometimes this forest area is also used as a research site. Unfortunately, because the time I had at that time was limited, so I couldn’t meet all the animals that were there.
5.Mulawarman Museum, Tenggarong
If you like historical tours, then don’t miss this one. This museum is among the oldest museums in East Borneo. This point is a historical’s evidence of the Kutai kingdom. One of the first Kingdoms that once existed in Indonesia.This museum stores various historical items including the Yupa inscription. In the museum yard there is a royal symbol that is the very famous which is Lembuswana statue. Lembuswana is is a mythical animal that symbolizes the Kutai Kartanegara Kingdom and now become a symbol of Tenggarong City, Kutai Kartanegara Regency.
Tenggarong city is around 1–2 hours drive from Samarinda . Actually, in addition to the Mulawarman Museum, there are several tourist attractions that must be visited, including the wooden museum and Kumala’s island. Yet, the Wooden museum also known as the Crocodile Museum . It keeps crocodile monsters that have been preserved. While i was lived in Borneo, I often hear the stories about the cruelty of crocodiles, which are said to have eaten several ‘victims’ of people who lives near the rivers.
The best time to come to this city is in the middle of the year, because at that time there was the Erau festival which was full of typical Kutai traditional events.
6. Black Orchid Region,Melak
For orchid lovers, there’s nothing wrong if you want to make some efforts coming to this place. Why is that so? Because the journey is quite far from Samarinda. This area is placed in Melak, West Kutai regency … actually the capital of West Kutai is Sendawar, but this Melak district feels more famous. It could take 10 hours drive from Samarinda!
There are other options to get there, namely by water bus (bus air) or speed boat along the Mahakam’s River . This river is the biggest in this province..Its also quite long river . It coud take days for explore this river..
I used the speedboat from starting point at Kota Bangun and from there connect to the land for about 3 hours. The location of the Black Orchid tourist area is in Grit Luway, Melak. Black Orchid has a mystical power according to the local community that is the Dayak tribe. In their belief, stealing this plant can be a serious violation of customs so it’s no wonder they respect this black orchid. However, who knows which version is correct, according to the story I heard, the existence of this orchid has also begun to become endangered due to being stolen by ignorant hands.This plant usually grows at the end of the year, mostly in December. Because I came at the wrong time, then I did not find this one flora … but it’s not too bad being able to go along the Mahakam’s river because to travel around itself was no less fun!
7. Beras Basah Island, Bontang
Actually in the city of Bontang there are several famous tourist areas such as the fishing village of Bontang Kuala, or Café Singapore (here lies a statue that resembles a Merlion statue in Singapore)
But the most charming place for me in this city is Beras Basah Island … At that time I departed from the port of Marina, LNG Badak by speedboat ride and with a trip of 20 minutes we have arrived!
The most charming point for me is a lighthouse at the end of the island. That was remind me of a book that I used to read in my childhood : Enid Blyton’s book (the Famous Five adventure ) while on this island. We could make a tent , snorkelling around or just relaxed sit at the beach all the time..:-) For the photographers , this location is also often used as a favorite photo hunting spot because of its beautiful location.
