Sangkulirang: limestone, caves and the oldest art in Borneo

Sangkulirang is a district on the east coast of East Kalimantan, and the name is used for two things: the town and the karst landscape behind it. The karst is the reason to come. Hundreds of square kilometres of limestone rise out of the forest in towers, ridges and cliffs, riddled with caves, some of which contain paintings made tens of thousands of years ago.

It is not an easy place to visit. The roads are long, the infrastructure is thin, and the caves are reached on foot or by boat with a guide who knows the area. But the combination of landscape and prehistory is extraordinary, and the coast, with its fishing villages and empty beaches, is a bonus.

The karst landscape

The Sangkulirang-Mangkalihat karst is one of the largest limestone formations in Borneo, a maze of ridges, towers, sinkholes and caves that runs for more than a hundred kilometres along the coast. From the air it looks like a crumpled sheet of grey rock; from the ground it is a series of cliffs and valleys, with forest in the hollows and rivers disappearing into the limestone.

The karst is important for more than its shape. It holds a unique ecosystem, with plants and animals adapted to the lime-rich soil and the caves, and it stores water for the surrounding region. It is also vulnerable: quarrying, logging and palm oil have encroached on its edges, and the caves are easy to damage.

The cave paintings

The caves of the Sangkulirang karst contain some of the oldest figurative art in the world. Hand stencils, animals and human figures were painted on the walls using ochre, and dating has placed some of them at around forty thousand years old. The most famous is a large painting of a wild cattle, the banteng, in a cave in the interior.

The art is not a museum exhibit. The caves are dark, humid and fragile, and access is controlled. Visiting requires permits, a guide and a willingness to crawl and climb. Do not touch the paintings, do not use flash, and do not take anything away. The people who study the caves are still working out what the images mean.

For most travellers, the art is a reason to support the guides and the conservation effort rather than a sight to tick off. The experience of standing in a cave with a painting made by someone forty thousand years ago is powerful, and it depends on the place being protected.

The coast and the villages

Sangkulirang town sits on a bay, with a small port, a market and a row of shops. The coast around it is a mix of mangrove, fishing villages and palm oil estates, with boats running to the islands offshore. Pulau Miang, in the bay, has beaches and a reef; the smaller islands are quiet and rarely visited.

The villages are Bugis and Bajau, with a long history of fishing and sea trade. The pace is slow, the food is fresh and the hospitality is genuine. It is not a resort coast, and there are few facilities, but it is a good place to spend a day or two between the caves and the road.

Getting there and what to expect

The usual route is by road from Samarinda or Bontang, which takes most of a day, or from Berau to the north. The roads are partly paved and partly not, and the journey is slow. There are a few simple guesthouses in Sangkulirang town, and homestays in the villages, but nothing that resembles a hotel.

To visit the caves you need a guide, a permit and time. Arrange everything in advance through a local operator or the district tourism office, and allow at least three days: one to arrive, one for the karst, one to leave. The dry season, June to September, is the easiest time; the wet season brings mud, leeches and flooded tracks.

• Arrange permits and a guide before you arrive.
• Allow three days minimum, plus travel time.
• Never touch the cave paintings or use flash.
• Bring cash, boots and insect repellent.
• June to September for the driest conditions.

Permits, guides and costs

Visiting the caves requires a permit from the district or provincial authorities, arranged through a guide or a local operator. The process is not difficult, but it takes time, and it is not something to leave until the morning you want to go. Ask for help at the tourism office in Sangkulirang or Samarinda.

A guide is essential: the caves are unmarked, the tracks are faint, and the art is fragile. Expect to pay by the day, plus fuel and food, and to travel on foot and by boat. Costs are modest by international standards, but the logistics are not, and the money is best spent locally.

There is no tourist infrastructure to speak of: a few guesthouses in town, homestays in the villages, and simple restaurants. Bring cash, boots, a head torch, insect repellent and a first-aid kit. The nearest hospitals are in Samarinda and Berau, hours away, so travel insurance with evacuation cover is worth having.

Questions people actually ask

Can you visit the cave paintings at Sangkulirang?

Yes, but only with a guide and a permit, and access is limited to protect the sites. The caves are remote and the going is rough. Arrange the visit in advance through a local operator or the district tourism office, and never touch the paintings or use a flash.

How do you get to Sangkulirang?

By road from Samarinda or Bontang, which takes most of a day, or from Berau to the north. There is no airport in Sangkulirang itself; the nearest are in Balikpapan, Samarinda and Berau. The roads are partly unpaved, so allow more time than the distance suggests.