South Kalimantan

Understand

By land area South Kalimantan is the smallest province in Kalimantan but the capital province (Banjarmasin) is the largest city in all of Kalimantan. There is no active volcanoes in South Kalimantan. Its highest peak is Gunung Besar with 1,892 metres. The biggest outlying island is Pulau Laut (Sea Island) located in Kotabaru Regency. The major ethnic is Banjarese, with some small ethnic of Dayak and Bugis. South Kalimantan is the origin of Austronesian peoples who arrived in Madagascar between the 3rd and 10th century, and are most closely related to Dayaks living near the Barito River although locals mostly don't know about it.

Getting there

By plane Syamsudin Noor Airport, (BDJ IATA) is the biggest airport in South Kalimantan. Airline services are available from major cities in Indonesia. The airport has a fixed fare Airport Taxi service. You will need to buy a taxi coupon at the stand just outside the arrivals hall. A taxi ride to Banjarmasin is about 45 minutes, to Banjarbaru about 15 minutes. Another alternative is to prearranged an airport pickup with your hotel. Gusti Syamsir Alam Airport (KBU IATA)

By bus There are buses providing connections from Samarinda and Balikpapan in East Kalimantan, and from Palangkaraya, Sampit and Pangkalanbun in Central Kalimantan to Banjarmasin. The main bus/minivan terminus in Banjarmasin is located 6 km from city centre, hence the name of the terminus is Kilometre 6 Terminus, locals just call it "Terminal Pal Enam".

Getting around

"Taksi" (taxi) in South Kalimantan can be confusing for some people since locals call almost all the public transportation taksi except for buses. There several types of taksi:

Taksi argo, usually sedan type taxi which is metered Taksi kota/angkot/bamikro, is a name for minivan Taksi antarkota, is a name for inter-cities minivan (usually using Mitsubishi Colt L300 [1] and its variants). All public transportation are using yellow registration plate.

By taksi argo Taksi argo only available in Banjarmasin and Banjarbaru but if you are lucky you also can find it in Martapura. You can find taxi easily near by established hotels (such as Swiss Belhotel, Hotel Arum).

By taksi kota/angkot/bamikro Taksi kota usually only serve routes within the city. Banjarmasin, Banjarbaru and Martapura all have taksi kota. You can hail and stop it anywhere along the routes. The fare is based on how far you travel. To hail and to stop a taksi kota, just raise your hand and they will stop. When you're inside and want to stop, just say kiri (key-ree) or simply 'stop' out loud. You need to know the place you want to go. Make sure you have exact money to pay the taksi kota, handout to the driver when you get to your destination. Usually taksi kota drivers don't speak English.

By taksi antarkota Taksi antarkota with orange color serve route Banjarmasin-Martapura via Banjarbaru, and vice versa. Taksi antarkota with colors other than orange serve other routes (such as Banjarmasin-Kandangan, Banjarmasin-Barabai). You can hail and stop it anywhere along the routes. The fare is based on how far you travel. To hail and to stop a taksi antarkota, just raise your hand and they will stop. When you're inside and want to stop, just say kiri (key-ree) or simply 'stop' out loud. You need to know the place you want to go. Make sure you have exact money to pay the taksi antarkota, handout to the driver when you get to your destination. Usually taksi antarkota drivers don't speak English.

By becak

See

Floating markets Museums in Banjarmasin and Banjarbaru. Visiting some old mosques

Do

Exploring wetland area with Jukung/sampan at Nagara Visiting Dayak traditional house at remote village at Meratus mountainous area Bamboo rafting at Amandit river Hiking around Meratus mountainous range Canal tour at Banjarmasin

Eat

Soto Banjar is Banjarese chicken soup served with rise or rise noodle. Ketupat Kandangan Lupis Masak habang Bingka kentang Kasturi Lamang Apam Barabai

Drink & nightlife

Islam is the religion of the majority of South Kalimantan, so alcohol (beer, wine, spirits) are not widely available.

Fruit juices are plentiful, varied and delicious. Coconuts. Teh manis is tea with sugar. Apam Barabai

Go next

Bali - by far is the most famous destination in Indonesia Jakarta - the capital and the biggest city of Indonesia Surabaya - city of heroes Makassar - the gateway to Sulawesi Balikpapan