Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
In summary, this is off-the-beaten-track travel of the highest order. Outside the summer
season, you'll probably not see another foreigner your entire trip. There are few creature
comforts, making health precautions particularly wise, but you also have the flexibility to
turn back whenever you think you've seen enough (and the current downriver cuts the re-
turn journey in half). If you are comparing this with rivers elsewhere in Borneo, it is the
defining experience.
STAGES OF TRAVEL
The Mahakam is ascended from Samarinda in different stages, each requiring its own
form of transport, although there are also some personal choices to be made. Here is an
ideal itinerary:
Stage one: Samarinda to Kota Bangun by land
While Samarinda is where Mahakam
journeys are arranged, it is not where they typically begin. Travellers usually go overland
to Kota Bangun via Tenggarong, either by bus (20,000Rp, three hours) or by hiring a car
(450,000Rp), as this stretch of river is highly developed. Otherwise it is an eight-hour
journey from Samarinda by
kapal biasa
, which depart every morning at 7am.
Stage two: Kota Bagun to Muara Pahu by ces
This wonderful section of rivers, lakes
and marshes, which is full of wildlife, requires a
ces
to explore. Otherwise you can stay on
the main river and take the
kapal biasa
, but you are really missing out.
Kapal biasa
head
upriver every morning at 9am.
Stage three: Muara Pahu to Long Bagun by kapal biasa
A fulfilling stretch of river-
boat travel, with an overnight stay on the boat.
Stage four: Long Bagun to Tiong Ohang by longboat
The most exhilirating part of the
entire journey. Ever shot rapids upstream in a 400 horsepower speedboat?
Note that
kapal biasa
reach Long Bagun, 523km from Samarinda (350,000Rp, 36 hours),
when water levels permit. Otherwise they stop in Tering, 409km upstream (155,000Rp, 18
hours). From here on, transport gets expensive, with charter rates of 100,000Rp per hour
for a
ces
and 1,000,000Rp per hour for a speedboat. Be prepared to haggle, and remember
that the larger the group, the cheaper the individual cost to charter a boat.
