Central Kalimantan
Tanjung Puting
A national park built around rehabilitation camps at Camp Leakey, Tanjung Harapan and Pondok Tanggui. The river is the only road in.
Region 07 / 07
Kalimantan
Indonesian Borneo: black rivers, orangutans and a chain of atolls off the east coast. The interior is reached by boat, and that is the attraction.
8 days
Pangkalan Bun to Berau
May to September
The shape of the trip
The river first, then the reef
Kalimantan is the Indonesian two-thirds of Borneo, split into five provinces. The south-central lowlands are peat swamp and blackwater river; the east coast has the Derawan archipelago, a handful of small islands with turtles, manta rays and a very slow pace. Between them is a lot of forest and not many roads.
The classic combination is a three-day klotok boat trip out of Kumai, near Pangkalan Bun, followed by a flight to Berau for Derawan and Maratua. It is not a loop: you backtrack through Balikpapan or Jakarta. Eight days is the minimum that does both without rushing.
Don’t miss
Orangutans, atolls and a slow boat
Three stops, two of them on water. Book the boat and the park permits before you arrive.
Central Kalimantan
East Kalimantan
Derawan
A small island with a big reef, green turtles in the seagrass and a village that runs on boats. The sunsets are the main evening event.
Derawan Islands
Maratua
A coral atoll with a lagoon the colour of mouthwash and a channel where big fish come in on the tide. Reach it by speedboat from Berau or Derawan.
Practical
When to go, how to move
01
When to go
May to September is the driest window, with easier river travel and calmer crossings to Derawan. The park runs year-round; the wet season brings high water, insects and occasional closures. July and August are the busiest weeks, so book klotoks early.
02
Getting there
Pangkalan Bun (PKN) has flights from Jakarta and Semarang. Berau (BEJ) is reached via Balikpapan (BPN) or Jakarta. Most itineraries pass through Balikpapan anyway; it is the region’s main airport and a useful place to break the journey.
03
Getting around
Klotoks are wooden riverboats with a cabin, a deck and a cook; three days and two nights is the standard Tanjung Puting trip. From Berau, a car to the jetty and a speedboat to Derawan takes about two hours. Maratua is another hour by boat.
A route that works
Eight days, river to reef
01
Pangkalan Bun
Land, buy supplies, and meet the boat operator. The town is small and the river is ten minutes away.
02
Tanjung Puting
Three days on a klotok: Camp Leakey, the feeding stations and a night on the river with the engine off.
03
Balikpapan
Back to Pangkalan Bun, fly east, sleep near the airport. A useful reset between river and reef.
04
Derawan
Fly to Berau, drive to the jetty, speedboat out. Two nights on the island, one day for the turtles and the reef.
05
Maratua
Speedboat to the atoll, one night in a lagoon-side bungalow, and the channel at first light.
06
Berau
Boat back, one night near the airport, and the morning flight out.
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