Indonesia - The Rough Guide to Southeast Asia on a Budget - page 320

ALONG THE SUNGAI MAHAKAM
Borneo's second-longest river, the Mahakam , winds southeast for over 900km from its source
far inside the central ranges on the Malaysian border, before emptying into the Makassar
Straits through a multi-channelled delta. An established three-day circuit takes in the historic
town of Tenggarong and the Benuaq Dayak settlements at Tanjung Isuy and adjacent
Mancong . With a week to spare, scanty forest and communities inland from the Middle
Mahakam townships of Melak and Long Iram are within range; ten days is enough to include
a host of Kenyah and Benuaq villages, as you venture up the changing Mahakam through the
rapids towards Long Iram and Long Bagun .
Unlike in Sarawak, less than a week on the Mahakam won't get you as far as the traditional
Dayak longhouses, and this experience does not come cheap - expect to pay around US$125
per day if travelling as part of a group; solo travel can also be prohibitively expensive. If you
don't go with one of the recommended tour companies in Samarinda (see opposite) it's easy
enough to find freelance guides there, but the quality varies dramatically. The best guides are
contracted to work for the tour companies. Beyond Long Bagun - the end of the line for kapal
biasa (river ferries) - guides are essential if you don't speak the language. Expect to pay around
Rp200,000 per day for a guide.
KOTA BANGUN TO TANJUNG ISUY
Where the trip begins in Samarinda or Tenggarong, the river is almost 1km wide, but narrows
perceptibly as you reach the one-street town of Kota Bangun (also linked by buses departing
from Samarinda's Terminal Sungai Kunjang (every 30min 6.30am-4pm; 3hr). Market stalls and
warung line the street either side of the main pier, and there are plenty of opportunities to
charter private boats from the town to explore villages upstream. It's essential to arrive by 3pm
if you want to reach the river villages before dark, otherwise there are spartan rooms at
Penginapan Mukjizat (Jl Mesjid Raya 46 T 0541 666 8586) that come with shared mandi
(Rp50,000), set just across the road from an ATM.
Beyond Kota Bangun, there's a definite thickening of the forest along the banks as the river enters
the marshy lakelands - though sadly, even here the effect of years of logging is evident. Around
two hours from Kota Bangun by ces (motorized one-person-wide canoe; Rp250,000) is the 3km
boardwalk, candy-coloured stilt village of Muara Muntai . Complete with convenience stores, a
hospital and several losmen (among them Penginapan Adi Guna, to the right coming up the jetty;
Rp50,000), Muara Muntai is the last place along the Mahakam to buy supplies. There's one daily bus
at 7.30am from Kuyung (a 20min ces ride downstream; Rp70,000) to Samarinda (5hr).
The boat ride towards Tanjung Isuy (chartered ces Rp450,000 return; 2hr depending on water
level), the first Dayak village on the Mahakam, takes you further into the jungle, passing
hornbills, sweeping kingfishers and pot-bellied proboscis monkeys along the way. The villagers
of Tanjung Isuy - a small township of gravel lanes, timber houses and fruit trees - live in
kampung houses rather than traditional longhouses, but it's still a good place to catch a
traditional dance performance in full costume. Accommodation is available at the museum-
like Losmen Louu Taman Jamrout (Rp90,000), a restored Dayak longhouse surrounded by
carved wooden patong posts (spirit posts). Moving on from Tanjung Isuy, you can either return
to Muara Muntai, or hire a ces to take you across the northwest towards Mancong (Rp220,000).
THE MIDDLE AND UPPER MAHAKAM
Along the Mahakam to the northwest of Muara Muntai, you'll pass a number of Dayak villages
that still practise the traditional Kaharingan religion; funerals here involve the sacrifice of water
buffalo. You can access some traditional villages via motorbike from the town of Melak. From
the small community of Barong Tongkok, 18km west of Melak, you can travel southwest to
Mancimai, worth visiting for its museum showcasing traditional farming methods, and Eheng,
the site of a fantastic traditional longhouse and a good place to buy local handicrafts.
Further northwest of Melak along the river, the villages have a more traditional character,
though the missionaries have done a thorough job and some of the groups are Christian
converts. It's challenging to travel by public transport beyond Long Iram - an attractive little
town with some remnants of colonial Dutch architecture - since there is little demand for it
and the water is not high enough during dry season. However, if you do continue towards
Long Bagun, you will pass through increasingly dramatic scenery dotted with Kenyah villages.

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