Indonesia - The Rough Guide to Southeast Asia on a Budget - page 319

about 100m off busy Jl A Yani. Free wi-fi reaches to the
second floor. Rp150,000
Gajah Mada Jl Jend Sudirman 328 T 0542 734634.
A more upmarket hotel in a central location, with friendly
staff and spacious, tidy rooms, the pricier ones with a/c
and hot water (R p315,000). Free wi-fi and buffet break-
fast. Rp270,000

logging of Kalimantan Timur's interior
began in the 1970s, its western
riverfront abuzz with mills. he town
is not particularly attractive, but it is
the gateway to the interior and a
convenient place to stock up for trips
up the Mahakam.

EATING
There are cheap warung along the coastal road, at the
Pelni harbour, next to the post o ce west on Jl Sudirman,
and on the north side of Taman Bakapai.
Balikpapan Plaza Pacifica Foodcourt Jl Sudirman.
On the upper floor of the giant Balikpapan Plaza. Great
for those who struggle with Bahasa, this food court has
pretty pictures of the food on offer. It's cheap and serves
great gado-gado (Rp22,000) . Daily 10am-10pm.
Bondy Jl Jend A Yani 1. Long popular among both locals
and expats, this rambling restaurant has indoor and
outdoor seating on a pleasant terrace, and offers seafood,
burgers (from Rp28,000) and steaks imported from New
Zealand (Rp100,000). Home-made ice cream and pastries
in the attached confectionery shop. Daily 11am-10pm.
Zeuss Jl Jend Sudirman. Sleek new seafood restaurant
next door to the equally popular Ocean's , with seating in
a plush, a/c lounge or outdoors on a breezy wooden deck
overlooking the sea. There's wi-fi and live music in the
upstairs bar (daily 8-11pm). Daily 10am-midnight.

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
By plane Until the long-promised opening of the new
Sungai Siring airport north of town, Samarinda is served
by Temindung Airport, linked to the city centre by taxi
(Rp40,000), ojek (Rp30,000) and red-brown B taksi
(Rp3500).
Destinations Balikpapan (4 daily; 25min); Berau (with
Kal Star; daily; 45min); Nunukan (with Kal Star; daily; 1hr
10min); Tarakan (daily; 1hr 20min).
By ferry The Mahakam river ferries use the Terminal Feri
on Jl Sungai Kunjang, connected to the town by green
taksis (Rp3500). All ocean-going vessels use the docks east
of the centre along Jl Sudarso. Pelni runs twice monthly
from here to Surabaya via Sulawesi. You can get tickets at
their o ce at Jl Yos Sudarso 76 ( T 0541 741402). For boats
upriver, it's best to be in the harbour by 6am. Journey times
vary widely depending on the state of the river, while
downstream journeys are much faster.
Destinations Daily boats upstream to Kota Bangun (7hr);
Long Bagun (water levels permitting; 40hr-3 days); Long
Iram (30hr); Melak (24hr); Muara Muntai (10hr); Surabaya
(fortnightly; 3 days); Tenggarong (3hr).
By bus Buses serving Balikpapan, Kota Bangun and
destinations further upriver use Terminal Sungai Kunjang,
on the north side of the river and 5km west of the centre
- take a green taksi A into town (Rp5000). Buses for
destinations to the north (Berau and Kutai) use Terminal
Lampake, 5km northeast of the city, from where brown
taksis link Jl Bhavangkara in the city centre (Rp5000).
Taksis to Tenggarong (Rp10,000) use Terminal Banjarmasin
on the south bank of the Mahakam.
Destinations

4

DIRECTORY
Banks and exchange There are scores of ATMs, and big
branches of BNI, BCA and BRI on Jl Sudirman and Jl A Yani.
For exchange, use PT Marazavalas (Jl A Yani 5).
Hospital International SOS Jl Papuk Raya 54 ( T 0542
765966).
Immigration O ce Jl Sudirman 23 ( T 0542 421175).
Internet There are internet cafés across the city, including
several on Jl Ahmad Yani and one on Jl P Antasari to the
north. Rates are around Rp6000/hr.
Pharmacies The Kimia Farma has two 24hr pharmacies,
one on Jl Sudirman near the Terminal Rasa, the other at
Jl A Yani 95.
Post o ce The main post o ce with EMS counters is at
Jl Sudirman 31 (Mon-Sat 8am-8pm, Sun 9am-5pm).

Balikpapan (every 15min 5.30am-8pm; 2hr
30min); Kota Bangun (every 30min 6.30am-4pm; 3hr);
Kuyung (downriver of Muara Muntai; daily 7.30am; 5hr);
Melak (about hourly until 1.30pm; 8hr); Tenggarong
(hourly; 1hr 30min).

INFORMATION AND TOURS
Tourist information The Dinas Pariwisata, or provincial
tourist o ce, is on the corner of Jl Awang Long and
Jl Sudirman (Mon-Fri 7.30am-5pm), where you'll
usually find helpful, English-speaking Dennis ( T 0821
5454 7600).
Tours There are several reputable companies in town
which organize trips up the Mahakam and to other parts of
Kalimantan, such as Kutai National Park (see box, p.321).

SAMARINDA
Some 120km north of Balikpapan,
the tropical port town of SAMARINDA
is 50km upstream from the sea, where
the Sungai Mahakam is 1km wide and
deep enough to be navigable by
ocean-going ships. It has become
increasingly prosperous since large-scale