Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Information
For internet access try popular Rifki Cafe on Jl Komyos Sudarso.
Getting There & Around
Putussibau Airport is only served by
Kalstar
( 0821 5202 2213)
, which has a daily
flight to Pontianak at 1.15pm. Taxis from the airport (10km) cost 35,000Rp, if you can
find one;
ojek
s cost 20,000Rp.
The local bus terminal is on Jl Diponegoro, near the market. Buses leave daily for
Sintang at 6.30am (120,000Rp, 10 hours), from where you can connect to the Entikong
border, and for Pontianak at 10am, noon and 2pm (economy/air-con 175,000/200,000Rp,
16 hours).
River boats use the pier on Sungai Kapuas east of the bridge. From Jl Merdeka, take
any street south to the waterfront.
The only way to get around Putussibau is to hire a scooter (100,000Rp per day), as
an-
got
have gone away.
TANJUNG LOKAN & SUNGAI BUNGAN
For those coming across the Muller Range on the Cross-Borneo Trek, the first stop in
Kapuas Hulu is the village of Tanjung Lokan, a small group of huts with a basic lodge
(50,000Rp) located on Sungai Bungan, a tributary of the Kapuas. From here it is possible
to travel all the way to Putussibau in one extraordinary seven-hour journey. But beware:
while undoubtedly a welcome sight after several days walking in the jungle, this village is
infamous for its fickle memory. Promises to numerous trekking companies have been
made and never kept, sometimes within a half-hour period, and trekkers have been
charged exorbitant rates for downriver passage. During our visit in May 2012 the local
chief and his advisors agreed to price the trip to Putussibau at 1,000,000Rp per seat, up to
4,000,000Rp per fully chartered boat, with guides travelling free. This was set out in writ-
ing in the chief's logbook with all his advisors present. Travellers should reference this
agreement if necessary.
The canoe trip downriver is one you will never forget. It begins by tackling Sungai
Bungan, the most thrilling stretch of water in Kalimantan. As the river picks up pace, you
pass through roaring gorges knifing through the jungle - a beautiful setting. The canoe is
crewed bow and stern with amazing skill, with the stern operator using the engine and
steering at the bow done with a paddle. In this way you hurtle downstream, twisting and
turning to avoid the rocks in your path. At one point the canoe must be slowly lowered
downstream by rope. When Sungai Bungan meets the Kapuas the rapids die off and the
