Samarinda City Borneo

unique forest city

samarinda, borneo, kalimantan, indonesia, city, mahakam river, cruise, trip, tour, expedition, travel, guide, safari, wildlife, orangutan, dayak, culture, longhouse

Samarinda Jump Off Point for Mahakam River Cruise Tours

Is the provincial capital of East Kalimantan. Located on the Mahakam river, the town occupies a space of about 167 square kilometers and has a population of approximately one million people.

Samarinda city established as a small village of Buginese settlers who, in 1668, arrived from Sulawesi, led by La Mohang Daeng Mangkona. Those stranded from Wajo to Parepare, from where they proceeded to Muara Pasir and Kutai region about 45 kilometers upstream along the Mahakam river coastal line of Borneo Island. On January 21, 1668, they officially founded the settlement which grow to a village, in 1730 became the city of Samarinda, and now-a-days is the capital of East Kalimantan province. The anniversary date is commemorated annually as the official birthday, with special tourism activities. For inland tourism Samarinda has a domestic airport with flights connecting to Bali, Java, Sulawesi and throughout Kalimantan island and forms the entrance and starting point for exciting Mahakam River cruise tour, to explore Dayak Culture longhouse villages in the jungle, and the gateway for an adventure journey to Kutai National Park wild Orangutan rainforest located little to the north. The city become an important trade hub and a sub urban region for the new capital of Indonesia which is bordering with Samarinda, and connect the Indonesian capital by a toll road in minutes.

Mahakam Delta & Samarinda

Samarinda is surrounded by rivers. The Karangmumus flows to the east of the town, the Karangasem river streams from the west which mouth in the Mahakam river, those rivers serving Samarinda as avenues for transportation. Noisy motorboats still cruise the Mahakam river up and down as water taxis to connect both sides of the city while recently 3 bridges connecting the river bank population of Samarinda Kota and Samarinda Seberang. Agile vessels, sea ships, and huge barges hustle and bustle to sail in to and from the hinterland on the Mahakam river makes it a busy and active infrastructure trade channel of Kalimantan 's resources. One unique feature of this provincial capital is that it is probably the only one that has a city forest, of almost 200,000 hectares in size.

“ NUSANTARA ” The New Capital City of Indonesia at Borneo
In 2019 The President of the Republic Indonesia Joko Widodo has announced to move the central government administration of the country to East Kalimantan. The New Capital is named “ Nusantara ” city which will replace the old Capital Jakarta at Java island which has a massive traffic jam that cause the economy a loss of millions a day beside the water and sinking problem that will soon occur. Nusantara City as the Capital will be intergrated in the jungle with a future design as a smart city of tranquil greenery as Borneo ‘s Rain Forest with natural green resources of energy to comply modernity of the future to help scoop the Climate problems as warming up of the Earth. The Nusantara City as the new capital is now under construction which will take a 25 years until 2045 to be finished completely. The government as departments of ministers, congress and parliaments with the president palace will be moved to the new Capital by the year 2024. Indonesian New Capital Nusantara at Kalimantan is located in between the 2 big cities of East Kalimantan “Balikpapan” and “Samarinda” at a hilly land side at the outer edge of the Balikpapan Bay and Handil Bay along the coastal line.
The Unique design of a rain forest smart city is since the construction started already a tourism hotspot, and promise for the very near future a drastic pull-up in tourism arrivals for Borneo Island.

Citra Niaga Shops
An attractive pleasent shopping center in the heart of Samarinda, the exhibition plaza covers an area of 2.7 hectares of clean and artistically designed open shopping area with lots of souvernirs for tourists.

Sarong Home Industry Samarinda
Sarongs from Samarinda are very well known of its high quality throughout Indonesia. Samarinda sarongs are woven in the home cottage industries, from high-quality silks.

Grand Mosque at the Mahakam River Bank
The Islamic Center is a Grand Mosque at the Mahakam River bank in Samarinda with its high of 107 meters it is widly seen from all corners of the city. The Mosque is the second largest in Indonesia, and a tourism attraction itself

Pampang Dayak village
Pampang Dayak Kenyah Village, is a transmigrated village of the migrated Apokayan Dayak is located 40 km north of Samarinda, here regular and private on-request Culture ceremonies are been held by Long Ear and tattoo Dayak in the art and colorful designed community longhouse.

Samarinda & Mahakam River Travel Information Guide

Tour Destination :
Samarinda, Mahakam River, East Kalimantan Indonesia

Main Interest & Tour Activities :
Cruise up the Mystic Mahakam River which is rich of Dayak mystic Culture and Longhouse and Dayak Culture mosaic art villages surrounded by Jungle and tropical Rainforest.
Small Dayak settlements along the almost upper part of the Mahakam River, for a jungle trail hike exploration to the isolated Dayak tribal villages in the rain forest to learn the animism believes and their survival in the jungle of Borneo, recommended visit time is 1 or 4 days
Pampang village near Samarinda is a Dayak Transmigration project for Apokayan Dayaks.
Sarong traditional Weaving at Samarinda Seberang can been visited, as it is home industry.
Mahakam Dayak Villages are Tanjung Isuy, Mancong, Eheng, Data Bilang, Rukun Damai, Long Apari, the Mahakam River is also the entry for a trekking to the Apokayan region or cross the Muller Mountains to the Kapuas River at West Kalimantan.
Kutai National Park Reserve can be reached from Samarinda by road to the north, here Orangutans and exotic wildlife and flora & fauna can be found, just at a 5 hours distance.
visit Nusantara City as the New Capital of Indonesia as a green smart Rain Forest future city

Culture :
Dayak, Javanese, Buginese and Banjarese

Flora & Fauna :
Low Land Rainforest

Tour Starting Point :
Balikpapan, or Samarinda airport East Kalimantan, Indonesia

Tour Transport Possibilities :
by Public Bus or car from Balikpapan to Samarinda, for Mahakam River Safari Tour cruises continue by Houseboat or public ferry to Long Iram, and then by motorcanoe cruise up to the upper Mahakam River, estimated travel time to reach Upper Mahakam River is 2-3 days.

Tour Ending Point :
Balikpapan, also possible to Trek via the Muller Mountains to Pontianak

Travel Distance to entry point :
125 Km to from Balikpapan Airport, Samarinda airport, East Kalimantan

Tour Duration :
Short Get Through Visit 1 to 10 Days

Tour Grade :
Moderate till challenging

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