THE LAST IRRAWADDY DOLPHINS
Once common along the Mahakam, the population of the Critically Endangered freshwater Irrawaddy dolphin (pesut) has declined precipitously in recent years. Today there are less than 90 left, and they must dodge gill nets and ship rotors in an increasingly murky river polluted with coal mine and oil palm plantation run-off. The playful, round-faced survivors can often be seen in the Pela/Lake Semayang area.
Muara Muntai
Considering the price of ironwood these days, the streets of Muara Muntai might as well be paved with gold. This riverside town's nearly 20km network of richly weathered boardwalks clack loudly with passing motorbikes, adding to the rich Mahakam soundscape. The sound of money has also caught the attention of unscrupulous traders who offer to replace the boardwalks at cost, then sell the 'reclaimed' lumber to builders in Bali, circumventing restrictions on the trade of new ironwood. Base yourself here for day trips to Lakes Jempang or Melintang.
4Sleeping
Penginapan Sri MuntaiGUESTHOUSE$
(%0853 4963 0030; s/d 50,000/100,000Rp)
Bright-green Sri Muntai wins the award for best front porch: a breezy hang-out above the street. Wide hallways and clean rooms are also a nice touch.
Penginapan Adi GunaGUESTHOUSE$
(%0823 5241 8233; r 50,000Rp)
Basic fan-cooled rooms and large, shared mandi.
8Getting There & Away
Kapal biasa pass in the afternoon heading upriver, and around midnight heading down.
A ces to/from Kota Bangun (the nearest bus) runs 200,000Rp for the two-hour journey.
Charter a ces (400,000Rp to 700,000Rp) to Lake Jempang country, to visit villages and longhouses, with the impeccably cheerful Udin Ban (%0813 3241 2089).
Lake Jempang
Located south of the Mahakam, seasonally flooded Jempang is the largest of the three major wetlands in the lake region. This birdwatcher's paradise is home to over 57 waterbird, 12 birds of prey and six kingfisher species. The fishing village of Jantur occupies the main outlet (sometimes inlet) on the east end, while the Dayak villages of Tanjung Isuy and Mancong are hidden on the southwest end. During high water, ces can cut back to the main river at Muara Pahu from the west edge of the lake.
Jantur
During the wet season, Jantur appears to be floating in the middle of Lake Jempang. It is built entirely on stilts in the marshy wetlands which disappear under 6m of water in the rainy season. During the dry season, floating mats of water hyacinth can choke the channel through town, creating a transportation nightmare.
Gardening here may be difficult, but the residents do have fish – plenty of fish – producing more ikan kering (dried fish) than any other village in the regency. The boardwalks and rooftops are typically covered with thousands of splayed fish, some protected under the watchful eye of meter-tall pet storks.
If you can manage a homestay, you'll find Jantur is a pleasant village filled with friendly people. At the very least, stroll the boardwalk and say hello to the groups of laughing Banjarese women squatting by the river processing the morning's catch.
Tanjung Isuy
Tranquil Tanjung Isuy is the first Dayak village most people visit on their Mahakam journey. A fire took out the waterfront in 2015, giving the new mosque skyline supremacy. The historical longhouse, Louu Taman Jamrud, still stands as a sort of museum/craft shop/losmen.
1Sights
Lamin Batu BuraHISTORIC BUILDING
Few lamin (the local word for longhouse) around here are occupied outside of community ceremonies these days, but this Benuaq Dayak house is bucking the trend. While the men are off in the fields, women sit on the split bamboo floor weaving naturally died fibres of the doyo leaf into beautiful decorative cloth called ulap doyo. Walk 1.5km south of Tanjung Isuy, staying left at the fork.
4Sleeping
Louu Taman JamrudLONGHOUSE$
(Jl Indonesia Australia; r 110,000Rp)
Vacated in the 1970s and refurbished as a tourist hostel by the provincial government, this stately longhouse is guarded by an impressive array of carved totems (some of which may be NSFW.) Travellers can commission a Dayak dance for 600,000Rp to 1,000,000Rp, depending on how many performers you require.
Losmen WisataLONGHOUSE$
(Jl Indonesia Australia; r 110,000Rp)
Long, but not culturally significant, this lodge's common areas have wall-to-wall windows giving you a superior view of the lake; views that formerly were enjoyed by Louu Taman Jamrud next door.
8Getting There & Away
Charter a ces in Muara Muntai to get here via Jantur, or in Muara Pahu to get here via the Sungai Baroh (Baroh River), if the water level permits.
Tanjung Isuy is 25 minutes by Kijang or ojek from Mancong.
A truck leaves in the morning for the intersection with the main road between Samarinda and Melak, where you can hop on a bus.
Mancong
For optimum jungle drama Mancong is best reached by boat on the Ohong creek from Lake Jempang. You'll meander past monitor lizards, sapphire-hued kingfishers, bulb-nosed proboscis monkeys, banded kraits and marauding macaques. They'll see you, but whether or not you see them… The journey beneath towering banyan trees is as much a part of the experience as your arrival.
1Sights
Mancong LonghouseHISTORIC BUILDING
This exquisitely restored 1930s longhouse is flanked by intricately carved totems. Those with chickens represent a healing ceremony. The souvenir shop across the parking lot can rustle up blankets and mosquito nets if you absolutely must sleep in the otherwise vacant building (75,000Rp).
8Getting There & Away
To visit Mancong from Tanjung Isuy, charter a ces (500,000Rp return, three hours each way) or take an ojek (100,000Rp, 10km, 25 minutes).
Muara Pahu
Lining one side of a big curve in the Mahakam, this town is the upriver exit point from Lake Jempang when the water is high enough. You can stroll the boardwalk, or sit and watch the tugboats haul coal downriver while waiting for the evening kapal biasa.
4Sleeping
Pension AnnaGUESTHOUSE$
(s/d 50,000/100,000Rp)
Four rooms in a small signless home, 90m upstream of the Sungai Baroh bridge.
8Getting There & Around
Although dolphins are increasingly rare here, you can still charter a ces (700,000Rp per day) to explore the primate and bird life of Sungai Baroh, which leads to Lake Jempang and Tanjung Isuy. Pak Aco (%0813 4652 3132) knows how to slow down for wildlife. Kapal biasa pass after 8pm heading both up and down river.
Melak
Melak could be anywhere in Indonesia. Sendawar, the regency seat next door, is trying to out-develop itself, with each new government building more massive than the last. It is all very disorienting, and somewhat alarming considering this is likely a preview of what's to come upriver.
That being said, however, centuries of culture can't be erased with a few years of coal money. Spend any time here and you are as likely to find yourself invited to a Dayak funeral as to stumble across a cock fight. Start your wandering with the still-occupied longhouse at Eheng (30km southwest of Melak) or the Kersik Luway (h8am-4pm) orchid preserve.
4Sleeping & Eating
Despite (or perhaps because of) the development around Melak, the lodging options here are limited and uninspired. Instead, consider spending the night in a floating homestay, or see about negotiating sparse accommodation at Eheng longhouse.
Basic food stalls can be found along Jl Pierre Tendean. Head downriver from the dock and turn right at the next major road.
Hotel FlamboyanHOTEL$
(%0545-41033; Jl A Yani; r fan/air-con 115,000/165,000Rp; a)
Offers private mandi with Western toilets. Clean, but definitely not flamboyant.
Hotel MonitaHOTEL$$
(%0545-41798; Jl Dr Sutomo 76; r incl breakfast 240,000-360,000Rp; aW)
The best option in town, but about 2km uphill from the kapal biasa dock. It's o
ften full with mining clients, so book ahead.
Rumah Makan Jawah IndahSEAFOOD, INDONESIAN$
(Jl A Yani; mains 25,000-35,000Rp; h24hr; W)
Ready to cook any Javanese food you desire at any hour you require. Across from the dock.
FLOATING HOMESTAY
Floating houses and shops are a defining feature of the Sungai Mahakam. Where basic buildings are constructed on logs pulled from the river, people live lives as recognisable as they are different. Children jump into the river to bathe before putting on class uniforms. Their school bus is a canoe. Satellite dishes sit on roofs made from cast-off lumber. Homestays are basic, and involve sleeping on a mat and using the river outhouse, like everyone else. But, sitting at river level with a cup of coffee, watching river traffic at sunset, is an inimitable and unforgettable experience.
Murni (%no English 0813 5042 8447; Melak; r incl dinner & breakfast per person 50,000Rp) offers a homestay in his floating house directly across from the Melak harbour with free transport in his ces. Additional sightseeing trips are negotiable.
8Information
88 NetINTERNET
(Jl Pierre Tendean 58; per hr 5000Rp)
Internet access. Head downriver 150m from the dock, and turn right on Jl Pierre Tendean; it's next to hotel Anugerah.
8Getting There & Away
AAir Kalstar flies to Balikpapan twice daily (720,000Rp, 30 minutes), while Susi Air services Samarinda (544,000Rp, Monday and Wednesday) and Data Dawai (390,000Rp, Monday and Wednesday).
ABoat Kapal biasa leave for Samarinda daily at 8pm or 10pm and pass heading upriver at 1am. Charter a ces for 500,000Rp to 800,000Rp per day depending on your negotiating skills.
ABus Two buses for Samarinda depart in the morning (100,000Rp, nine hours).
AKijang Run to Samarinda (200,000Rp, eight hours), Balikpapan (275,000Rp, 12 hours), and Tering (150,000Rp, one hour).
Tering
A planned community deep in gold-mining country, Tering is sometimes the last stop for kapal biasa, depending on the water level. It is really two settlements straddling the river: Tering Baru, a Malay village where the kapal biasa docks, and Tering Lama, a Bahau Dayak village on the northern bank, where a magnificent wooden church with intricate painted pillars has a bell tower supported by totem poles.
Kapal biasa arrive at 9am. Even during low water, they sometimes continue to Long Iram, an hour further upriver. Downriver kapal biasa leave around noon. A speedboat to Long Bagun is 300,000Rp for the four-hour journey. Kijang depart from the dock for Samarinda (300,000Rp) and Melak (150,000Rp).
Long Bagun
The misty mountain village of Long Bagun is the end of the kapal biasa route at high water and is a fine terminus for your Mahakam adventure. Somewhere in the village, a local entrepreneur is bent over a grinder, polishing a semi-precious stone into a pendant…a Chinese shopkeeper is sweating over a forge, melting gold from nearby mines to sell in Samarinda…a group of women is tying intricate beadwork for their children's next traditional dance performance…and you can see it all, or simply sit beside the river with a cup of coffee and just be.
4Sleeping
oPenginapan PolewaliGUESTHOUSE$
(%081 350 538 997; r 100,000Rp)
This mountain lodge with traditional furnishings is a breath of fresh air after the concrete boxes downriver. In fact, it is the best hotel on the upper Mahakam. Rooms are small, and bathrooms shared, but a nice breeze on the porch keeps you outside. Find it at the upriver edge of town, across from the longhouse.
8Getting There & Away
Boats now pause at Ujoh Bilang, 3km downriver from Long Bagun, where you'll be required to register with the tourism office on the dock.
Speedboats heading up- and downriver troll for passengers along the waterfront in the morning. We've heard of at least one intrepid Huck Finn building a bamboo raft and floating back to Samarinda.
DON'T MISS
THE WAY TO BORNEO'S HEART
From Long Bagun you embark upon the most thrilling ride on the Mahakam: the longboat to Tiong Ohang (800,000Rp, four hours). This serpentine adventure takes you through some spectacular gorges with scenic waterfalls and ancient volcanic peaks. At some undefined point, the uncanny realisation strikes…you've entered the heart of Borneo.
Be warned, however. Two major sets of rapids bar the way. Riam Udang is dangerous at high water, while Riam Panjang gets nasty at low water. In 2015 yet another boat broke apart in the tumultuous waters killing five passengers including one foreign backpacker and her guide. Insist on, and wear, a life jacket (baju pelampung).
A nearly completed dirt road from Long Bagun to Long Apari (three hours upriver from Tiong Ohang) will likely be paved in a few years, changing the mystique of this journey entirely.
Tiong Ohang
Divided by the Mahakam, Tiong Ohang is united by its creaking suspension bridge which offers scenic views of the surrounding hills. This is the last stop before starting, or ending, the second stage of the Cross-Borneo Trek, the Muller Mountains. This is where local guides and porters are assembled, but these services are best arranged in advance by a tour company. The trailhead is two-hours upriver by ces (1,000,000Rp).
4Sleeping
Putra ApariGUESTHOUSE$
(r 60,000Rp)
The only accommodation in town. Rooms have no fan and share mandi, but there is a nice porch with a cross-breeze, overlooking main street.
The Muller Mountains
The second stage of the Cross-Borneo Trek, the journey across the Muller Mountains, is a very different experience from what precedes it. This is neither a cultural tour nor a wildlife-spotting expedition. In fact, views of any kind are scarce. This is a purpose-driven rainforest trek, and a difficult one.
Most people do the crossing in seven or more long, wet days. The trek follows a narrow path – if that – through a green maze with uncertain footing and nearly constant creek crossings, some chest high. Campsites are a tarp. Cooking is done over an open fire. There will be blood – from leeches if nothing else. They are harmless, but their bites easily become infected in the damp environment.
All things considered, the experience hasn't changed much since George Muller first crossed his namesake range in 1825. While that first trek ended with the locals cutting off Muller's head (likely at the behest of the Sultan of Kutai), the primary risk today is breaking a leg or merely twisting an ankle so far from outside help. To that end, heed all the precautions, and choose an experienced tour company or guide, which has considered the concept of risk management.
The Muller Trek is a horizontal Everest. You tackle it for the same reasons you climb. And when you succeed, it is both a lifetime memory and a noteworthy achievement.
MULLER TREK SAFETY REQUIREMENTS
Choose a professional local tour company. Do not even think of organising this yourself.
Ensure that someone in your party has a complete first-aid kit and knows how to use it. Pack epinephrine, and know why.
Wear proper shoes. The trail will be extremely greasy at times. Your feet will be constantly wet. The locals wear rubber sneakers with cleats. A sturdy pair of trail runners is a good option. Leather will quickly disintegrate. Take care of your feet.
Wear proper leech protection. Tucking your trousers into two pairs of tight-knit socks is fairly effective. Some people swear by spandex, which can also help with chafing.
Be firm about setting the pace at which you walk. Local guides and porters are not always aware of the difference between their skill level and your own. It is also in their interest to get across and back as soon as possible. Be sure to spread walking hours evenly among the days of the journey.
Do not trek at night. Locals have no problem with this, but it greatly magnifies the risk, particularly if it is raining.
Bring 10 days' worth of food. If there is a problem midway, you'll need enough to last until someone walks to the nearest village and returns with help.
Kutai National Park
> Kutai National Park has seen its share of troubles. All but abandoned in the late '90s as a conservation failure ransacked by logging and fires, new studies are showing all is not lost. The wild orangutan population has recovered to as many as 2000 individuals, and pockets of forest are still relatively intact. Research is happening at the north end of the park, while Prevab station near Sangatta offers Kalimantan's best chance to see truly wild orangutans.
There are plans to restore the unfortunately abandoned Kakap Camp at Prevab, but until then, you can stay in the bare musty rooms of the ranger station. From there, several kilometres of trail fan out through decent secondary forest, where large buttressed trees still provide plenty of hiding spots for orangutans. The rangers are experts at moving slowly and listening for the telltale rustle of the canopy that betrays a critter's location. Bring mosquito repellent.
Call the lead ranger, Pak Supiani (0813 4634 8803), before visiting so he can organise your permit and a boat. To get here, take a bus from Samarinda to Sangatta (42,000Rp, four hours) and a taxi to Kabo Jaya, where a park boat will ferry you to the ranger station (300,000Rp return, 15 minutes). Park permits are 150,000Rp per day (225,000Rp during holidays). Guides (required) cost 120,000Rp per two-hour trek.
Berau
Lonely Planet Indonesia Page 122