SOUTH KALIMANTAN

The Meratus mountains stride through the center of the province, effectively dividing South Kalimantan into two distinct regions. The eastern part of the province is mountainous and lust with dense tropical rain forests and is home to the “Orang Gunung” or Mountain people. Collectively called Dayak, they form the minority of the region’s population.

The southern section of the province, however, is much flatter and is characterized by large and powerful rivers, meandering through lowlands and depositing enormous of silt, at vast mangrove swamps all along the coast helping to make South Kalimantan an exceptionally fertile land. Many villages and settlements have been built along these rivers, particularly the Barito River, by the indigenous majority, the Banjar.

South Kalimantan is full of colourful and distinctive traditional arts and cultures which can be seen in its people’s ways of life, art, dance, music, ancestral dress, games and ceremonies. Exquisite traditional and commercial handicrafts are all made from local raw materials, which include a variety of precious and semiprecious stones, gold, silver, brass, iron and a wide variety of woods including bamboo and rattan. South Kalimantan, is one of the largest wood producers in Indonesia. Extensive forests with a wide variety of trees such as ironwood, meranti, pinus and rubber have helped to make the province a unique and rich natural resource.

The provincial capital, Banjarmasin, lays a short distance from the mouth of the Barito river at its confluence with the Martapura River. The rivers are literally the lifeblood of the city and everything revolves around them. They support hundreds of boats of all descriptions and are lined with tightly packed stilt houses. A lot of business is done on the waterways; floating markets flourish selling an enormous variety of goods including a tropical selection of fresh fruit such as Kesturi, a rare aromatic species of mango, durian, rambutan, butter fruit, pineapple, watermelon and banana.

South Kalimantan is well connected with cities all over the Indonesian archipelago through Syamsuddin Noor airport, which is about 25 km from Banjarmasin. This busy airport is able to cater to DC-9’s allowing Merpati Nusantara, Bouraq, Sempati and Dirgantara Air to service the province.

About 66 are routine flights per day. South Kalimantan can also be reached through seaport of Trisakti and Banjarmasin harbor. To towns in Kalimantan there are plenty of good rodas. If waterways are preferable, go by boat along large rivers which to almost every direction.

Source: Travel Panner