Balikpapan Tour East Kalimantan

Balikpapan Town

Balikpapan City is the Gateway of East Kalimantan to the jungle of Indonesian Borneo island. Balikpapan recently has grown in importance for the tourism industry since the opening of the International airport flight routes, but more-over with Samarinda city as the connection with Indonesia country new capital. Balikpapan town has a population of about 800.000 people and beside the domestic and international flight connections, the harbor connects Sulawesi and Java island by Pelni passenger ships over the route Surabaya - Ujungpandang - Balikpapan.
Outwardly, Balikpapan presents two different faces. The first is the old Dutch-built section of the town, the other newer part is the result of the last decades oil industry and mining boom.
Balikpapan is the entrance to the Kalimantan interior destinations, such as the jungle Dayak settlements in the hinterland along the big rivers. One of them is the Mahakam River, a massive muddy stream which is the busy trade infrastructure channel to deep Borneo. Samarinda mark the start for a trip on the Mahakam River, as Kalimantan ’s greatest adventures of poison blow darts speeding through rain forest to hit dangerous bears, giant snakes and enormous leeches deterred many early explorers to the land of the former headhunters who now-a-days still practice the mystic animism believes in the the deep dark jungle terrain of Borneo. For those tourist who visit Kalimantan, the trip does not seem complete without a visit to East Kalimantan, despite most travel guidebooks, which seek travellers to visit the rehabilitation centres only in Kalimantan. The rain forest of East Kalimantan contains a wealth of rare flora and fauna as the wild black Orchid (Clogena pandurata), Nephents Amularia and Rattan vines growing in the forest up to 200 meters long. So do various species of valuable tropical hardwoods trees.
Among the animal species typical for Borneo, East Kalimantan counts the highest wild orangutan population living in the forests, beside the endemic Proboscis Long nose monkeys, chimpanzees (Pongee pygmaeus), and the Mahakam River fresh water Irrawaddy dolphins or pesut (Orcela fluminalis) along with many bird varieties.
The cultural and artistic traditions of the islands indigenous Dayak population are still preserved in this dense jungle region, especially in the hinterland of East Kalimantan. Sailing up the streams near the Malaysian border, one can still meet Traditional Dayak settlements which are little touched by the modernity.

Balikpapan
The name Balikpapan is from an overloaded ship, which capsized near Tukung Island. A Dutch geological map of 1870 singes a small village with the name Balikpapan bay.
Now-a-days Balikpapan is East Kalimantan leading oil town, and a very important in Indonesia, Balikpapan was during World War II the target of assaults by both the Japanese and the Allies.
Balikpapan is the main gateway to East Kalimantan province. It has grown in importance for tourists since the opening of the International flight routes. Balikpapan town has a population of 800.000

Future New Capital “ Nusantara “ City of Indonesia
The President Joko Widodo have announced to move the Indonesian Capital from Jakarta to East Kalimantan Borneo Island in 2019. The new Capital plan, of a modern, and environmentally friendly smart forest city on Kalimantan Borneo Island. This new capital, named Nusantara, or in Indonesia names IKN, is set to be located between the cities of Balikpapan and Samarinda. The project is being developed in four main stages. The first stage aims to relocate the central government administration of Indonesia to East Kalimantan by the year 2024. The second stage involves moving foreign embassies to the new capital, and this is expected to be completed by 2030. The third and fourth stages will focus on developing urban areas, research facilities, and other essential infrastructure, with the entire project planned to be completed by 2045. The new capital is designed to be a smart city, incorporating clean and green energy sources. It will have a lush green space at its core, preserving Borneo's unique rainforests and creating a special environment that promotes sustainability. The goal is to make this Indonesian New Capital a major tourist destination, offering a one-of-a-kind experience that combines modernity, nature, and innovation in a way that no other city in the world can match.

Sungai Wain & Sunbear Rehabilitation with an education center
Sungai Wain is a conservation area that includes swampy regions and mangrove forests, and it is home to several wildlife species such as orangutans and sunbears.
The sun bear holds a special place as the mascot of Balikpapan City, but it is currently a threatened animal. In recent decates, the sun bear population in Borneo has declined. The conservation forest, located 28 kilometers away from Balikpapan, is a forest land area as a natural habitat for sun bears, allowing them to be conserved in a more natural setting. Alongside the rehabilitation center, there is also an education center, which provides visitors with valuable information about sun bears and their natural behaviors and instincts.

Black River ( Sungai Hitam )
Located about 35 kilometers from Balikpapan, a small River called Sungai Hitam, or Black River, with lowland and mangrove forest, which streams into the Balikpapan bay. The area covereved with forest, is home to wildlife creatures as the proboscis species, only found at Borneo. Birdwatchers will enjoy the mangove bird life here with kingfishers during your pleasant canoeing tour at the black river, from where you can spot the animal wildlife species, including monekys lizards and birds while the mangove forest along the river bank pass away.

Bukit Bangkirai Hard wooden hill forest
Bukit Bangkirai Jungle is a vast area covering 10,000 hectares, filled with tall diverse hardwood trees of the Bankirai species. It is located on a hilltop, approximately 38 kilometers away from Balikpapan City, along the route towards Samarinda. One of the highlights of this jungle is the tree-top bridge, which is suspended high in the trees, about 40 meters above the ground. This unique structure offers a stunning panoramic view of the surrounding East Kalimantan Rain Forest hills, making it a breathtaking experience for visitors.

Balikpapan Travellers Information