Mahakam
River Dayak Longhouse Adventure
Tours
The
Fascinating Mahakam River at Indonesia Borneo Island is
a intriguing history of
Sultan Kingdoms and traditional Dayak Tribes, with a wealth of
ecological and cultural treasures that
survive deep within the rainforest jungle of Indonesia ’s
largest island. It's the highway into Kalimantan ’s dense
jungle where you can discover the rich Dayak Culture and their
Longhouses. The grand
diversity of exotic flora and wildlife from black orchids to fresh
water dolphins and orangutans give you an unforgettable trip at East
Kalimantans.
The
Mahakam River is the most important traffic route in
East-Kalimantan. Between the spring in the mountains and the delta
along the coast, the river measures somewhere 1.000 kilometers. In
between several big rivers mouth in the Mahakam River. Big ships use
the big river system until the highlands, where rapids eventually make
any progress impossible; from there “longboats”
(big canoos with
motors) are used.
UPPER
MAHAKAM RIVER
The
Mahakam springs in the 1500 to 2000 meter high Müller Range,
not too far from the border with Sarawak. Before streaming down about
100 kilometers to the first Dayak village, Long Apari, three
side-rivers - Apari, Hubung and Kasau - join the Mahakam. After several
dozen small mountain villages, the river falls down about 150 meters
through several dangerous rapids. Besides several noisy longboat there
is no other traffic here.
The Dayak along the Upper-Mahakam mainly live from agriculture ( ladang
cultures ). Incidental income are gained from birds nests, ratten and
washed gold. Because of the hard and dangerous transport through the
rapids, basic goods are extensively expensife. Every once in a while a
canoo turns upside down: the valuable goods are lost and sometimes also
their even more expensife motors. People also get drowned regularly.
MIDDLE
MAHAKAM RIVER
The
village of Long Bagun, on threehundred kilometers from the
spring of the Mahakam, is the final destination of traffic on the
river, besides several longbot. The river reaches the small city of
Long Iram through several more than 150 km long valleys, this is the
final destination of the organised, heavy traffic. A big part of the
year, smaller ships will continue the trip to Long Bagun, but a period
of drought in the hinterlands can cause the waterlevel to drop very
fast and make traffic impossible.
COAST
& DELTA OF THE MAHAKAM RIVER
After
Long Iram, the river widens. The brown water turns through
the endless lowlands to the sea. Slowly the small villages are replaced
by small cities. Through the sky, the distance between Long Iram and
Samarinda is about 175 kilometers but over water it's about twice that
distance.
Near Muara Pahu, where a big side-river flows in the Mahakam, the
hungry traveller is welcomed by a long row of food stalls. Several
hours downstream, the river lingers between four big lakes. After that
is streams towards the north to meet it's most important side rivers
near Muara Kaman, the Kedang Kepala and Belayan.
Most boats will stop for a dinner on Senoni, about 30 km downstream
from Muara Kaman. Sometimes there is cold beer or river lobster; after
a visit to the inlands, Senoni is the place to be for a culinair trip.
Near Tenggarong, the governmental center of the Mahakam beaken, the
river becomes a crowded traffic route for ships in all kinds and sizes.
This lively crowd is kept until Samarinda, where the seaworthy ships
make themselves ready for departure to Makassar Strait, 60 km to the
east.
Tour
Destination : Mahakam
River, East Kalimantan, Indonesia
Main Interest & Things to do :
Jungle
trek, and exploring the Flora and Fauna which can't be found anywhere
else in the world, as only in along this Mahakam River which is the
second longest River in Indonesia, and Third longest in the World, and
steams from the Muller Mountains into the Sulawesi Sea. Several Tourism
object can be found along the Mahakam River in East Kalimantan as : Muara
Muntai, Tanjung Isuy & Mancong, as Dayak Benuaq villages with
Longhouses, settled along the Jempang Lake, surrounded with lowland
rainforest and wild life. Melak,
Kersik Luwai National Park, Eheng and Ombau Asa villages, at the
middle pasrt of the Mahakam River, Kersik Luwai as a national Park is
famous of it's wild and Black Orchid, Eheng is a Tunjung Dayak village
with a Traditional Longhouse, Ombau Asa has a waterfall as nature
beauty,Melak is a jump off point for further routes into the Kalimantan
hinterland.
Data
Bilang and Rukun Damai, are Dayak Bahau and Dayak Kenyah villages
with traditional Culture and Longhouses, surrounded by tropical
rainforest and jungle.
Long
Bagun is the last village which can reached with public river
transport, and is a transit place for further inland transportation
facilities, from here Longboats here to be chartered, crossing the
dangerous rapids, to move on to the upper Mahakam River area or
trekking cross Borneo to west Kalimantan either to the Apokayan area.
Long
Apari as the last village at the Mahakam River with traditional
Dayak Culture and virgin Rainforest, traditional blow pipe hunting and
forest trekking can be done here.
Recommended
visit time for the Mahakam River is 3 till 15 days.
Culture :
Dayak
Benuaq, Dayak Tunjung, Dayak Modang, Dayak Kenyah, Dayak Bahau,
Dayak Kayan, Dayak Punan, Kutai
Flora & Fauna :
Tropical
Rainforest and Wild life
Tour
Starting Point : Balikpapan,
East Kalimantan, Indonesia
Tour
Transport Possibilities :
by
public bus or chartered car from Balikpapan to Samarinda and by public
ferry or chartered motor canoe cruising up the Mahakam River
Tour
Ending Point : Balikpapan,
East Kalimantan, Indonesia
Travel
Distance to enry point : 1400
Km
till Long Apari from Balikpapan Airport
Tour
Duration : Short
Get Through Visit 3 to 8 Days
Accommodation
& Hotels : Simple
Hotels, Local Houses or Jungle Camp
Tour
Grade : Usual
till
Challenging
