There are many tourist destinations in Kalimantan, one of which being Kotabaru. It is the capital city of Kotabaru district in South Kalimantan province. The city is located on a small island in the province.
There are many places of interest in Kotabaru. If you start from its seaport, go by ferry to a tourist object called Tanjung Serdang (Cape Serdang). The trip to the cape takes about 20 minutes. On the ferry trip, you can enjoy the interesting views of several small islands and mountainous areas. After arriving at the cape, you continue going to Kotabaru’s city center. In Kotabaru city you can see a lot of uniqueness such as a hilltop Pagoda building, an Islamic Center mosque with its unique dome, and interesting cafes along the seaside. Walking in the
Kotabaru
city is very enjoyable. The city is very friendly to the pedestrians and it provides very good pedestrian areas. While in Kotabaru, do not forget to visit Siring Laut, a large square near the beach from which you can enjoy the ocean view. At a place called Tamiyang Sea Park, you can go diving. If you want to see the city and Mount Bamega from the sea, you must rent a motor boat which is well available around the sea park. To go shopping, you should visit Limbur Raya, the biggest shopping area in Kotabaru.
A trip from Banjarmasin (the capital city of South Kalimantan) to Kotabaru takes around 9 hours by public transport or bus. You can go by bus or mini-bus. The fare for the AC bus is Rp 130,000 and for non-AC bus is Rp 80,000. The bus to Kotabaru departures from Banjarmasin’s Pal-6 Bus Terminal at 7 and 9 in the morning.
If you visit South Kalimantan, do not forget to visit Loksado, a very beautiful and fresh place that is located in Hulu Sungai Selatan district of South Kalimantan province. Loksado has a very interesting natural view and a variety of places to be used for outbound activities that the local people call ”lapah tapi rami” (tiring but exciting). To get there you can go from Banjarbaru towards Hulu Sungai Selatan district (Kandangan) by using a special transport for about 3 – 4hours. The fare is around Rp 30,000 – 50,000 per person. And then you continue by using a local rural transport towards Loksado sub-district. The transport costs Rp 10,000 per person, and it takes 40 minutes to get to the sub-district. After arriving at Loksado you have to walk for about 15 minutes to Mangkuraksa Information Hutt which is located at Kampung Malaris. Each of the tourist objects found around the compound can be reached in 5 to 30 minutes. To get to the local customs forest as far as Cintingan Basar basecamp, it takes between 5 and 7 hours by walking. The tourist destinations at Loksado are Haratai waterfall, Riam Hanai waterfall, Amandit river with its clear water, Tanuhi Hot Water, Dayak Loksado (dwelled by many Dayaks with their strong ethnical nuances), and Balanting Paring or Bamboo Rafting. You can travel in the river by using a bamboo raft. It costs you Rp 250,000 to rent a bamboo raft, but you can use the raft with 3 – 4 friends. Loksado tourist places are still natural because they are almost never exposed by media. If you are interested to visit Loksado, you can contact Yayasan Cakrawala Hijau Indonesia (YCHI).
There are many tourist destinations in Kalimantan, one of which being Kotabaru. It is the capital city of Kotabaru district in South Kalimantan province. The city is located on a small island in the province.