Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
and Loksado, forming a great circle. Once you've done this, you've done Kalimantan and will know it far better
than the locals, who sadly cannot afford this luxury.
Getting There & Away
The only entry points to Kalimantan that issue visas on arrival are Balikpapan's Seping-
gan Airport, Pontianak's Supadio Airport and the Tebedu-Entikong land crossing between
Kuching (Sarawak) and Pontianak. All other entries from outside Indonesia - by land, sea
or air - require a visa issued in advance.
Air
There are no direct flights from Europe or the Americas to Kalimantan. The major cit-
ies are reached via Jakarta. See individual city sections for airline options.
For European travellers, a good strategy is to combine a round-trip ticket to Kuala
Lumpur with a discount ticket from KL to Balikpapan on
AirAsia
(
www.airasia.com
)
,
which also reaches KL from London.
Silk Air
(
www.silkair.net
) flies between Singapore
and Balikpapan, but not inexpensively.
Batavia Air
(
www.batavia-air.co.id
)
flies between
Kuching (in Sarawak) and Pontianak.
Boat
Major ferry ports in Kalimantan include Balikpapan, Samarinda, Banjarmasin and
Pontianak.
Pelni
(
www.pelni.co.id
)
and other carriers connect to Jakarta, Semarang and
Surabaya on Java, and Makassar, Pare Pare, and others on Sulawesi. At time of research
the ferry from Tawau (Sabah) to Nunukan and Tarakan wasn't operational, but there was
an alternative speedboat service.
Bus
Air-con buses link Pontianak with Kuching (140,000Rp to 200,000Rp, nine hours),
cities along Sarawak's central coast, and even Brunei (600,000Rp, 25 hours).
Getting Around
Kalimantan is both immense and undeveloped. River travel is as common as road travel,
and transport options can form a complex picture. To assess your options locally it is often
easiest to visit a travel agent, as the situation is ever-changing and many fares are unpub-
lished.
Highways between major cities range from excellent to pockmarked, with the region
from Muara Wahau to Berau being the worst. Many connections feature basic buses or air-
con for a bit extra. A Kijang (4WD minivan) taxi can be chartered between cities; the
front seat is best. Intracity journeys can be taken in a Colt, a small minibus, usually blue,
