Things to See in Central Kalimantan

Kalimantan is an island of adventure and intrigue. Central Kalimantan with an area covering 153,800 square kilometres, mostly jungle but, offers so much for the traveller you see and do. The northern area is mountainous and difficult to reach. The central area is dense tropical forest. The southern area is swampy and has many rivers. The climate is hot and humid.
In particular the tribes living in these areas are an anthropologists delight as well as being of intense interest to the traveller. The tree Dayak sub-tribes inhabit the province and are the Ngaju, Ot Danum, and Ma’anyan Ot Siang. The Ngaju are nomadic. They adhere to the old Kaharingan religion. This is a form of ancestor worship mixed with elements of animism.
With approximately 6,000 people, the Ot Danum is the largest among the tree sub-tribes. The Ot Danum live in longhouses which sometimes have as many as 50 rooms. The women are known for their skill in plaiting rattan, palm leaves, and bamboo. Like other Dayaks, the men are good hunters, using simple tools. The art of Central Kalimantan clearly bears the marks of Kaharingan religion, which is the traditional belief of the Dayaks in the hinterland of Central Kalimantan. Building styles, statues and carvings have been influenced by the Chinese, and Hindu-Javanese. Aside from their aesthetic properties, many objects are appreciated for their magic value.
Places of Interest
Palangkaraya:
In the local Dayak language, Palangkaraya means ‘holy container’. Palangkaraya can easily be reached from Jakarta, Banjarmasin, Samarinda, Balikpapan and other points on the island by air. The town has become the centre of government, trade and education of the province. The Regional Museum of Palangkaraya contains a collection of historical and cultural interest from all over Central Kalimantan.
Kuala Kapuas:
It is located at Kapuas River, 40 km from Banjarmasin. A well-known tourist attraction is Telo Island, a pleasant fishing village and port. For the adventurer, white-water rafter and nature lovers, there is Gohong Rawai, known for its beautiful and challenging rapids. The gold mines of Teweh and Batu Api, Rungan district, are also interesting sites to be visited. In this region, gold mining is a major source of livelihood for the people, who pan for the valuable metal using the old traditional method.
Tanjung Puting National Park:
The Tanjung Puting National Park is a well-known nature and wildlife reserve in lowland and swamp forests, inhabited by orang utans, owa-owa, bekantan and other primates. One can visit the Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre which is supported by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
Sampit:
Sampit is the biggest timber port in Kalimantan. The Orchid Park of Pembuangan Hulu is home to a number of rare and beatiful orchid varieties. Hunters can engage in their favourite pastime of hunting park of West Kotawaringin.
Pangkalanbun:
Make sure to visit the old Palace of Pangkalanbun, constructed completely out of ulin (iron wood). It is the only Banjar royal legacy found in Central Kalimantan.
Tourist office location:
Jl. Tjilik Riwut Km.5, Palangkaraya 73112, Phone. (0536) 3231110 Fax : (0536) 3231007
Photo Credits: weltrekordreise.ch
http://www.indonesialogue.com

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Central Kalimantan Tourism Tours Travel Destinataions

Central Kalimantan Sightseeing is one of interesting place for holidays such as Bukit Batu, Pulau Kaja, Lake Tahai, Batanjung Beach is just a few attractions which are popular in Central Kalimantan province.


Tourism Central Kalimantan province have a tourism asset that is not inferior to other provinces in Indonesia. Natural attractions of Central Kalimantan is one of the mainstay of tourism in this province of Central Kalimantan. Some natural attractions are very attractive to tourists is the tour of forest nature reserves such as Bukit Raya and Monumental Forest group whose location is on East Kotawaringin. Here also there is waterfall Malau Large and Pauras which are located in North Barito.

Kaja Island tourism
One of the interesting tourist attractions in Central Kalimantan is in the village of Bukit Batu subdistrict Gohong Sei. The location is about 40 km from Palangkaraya, Central Kalimantan. The specialty of the island of Kaja because the island is bordered by two rivers named River Rungan in the East and Kaja Canal in the west. At the top there Kaja island in the middle of the lake and surrounded by highlands.

Lake tourism Tahai
Its location in the village Tahai, tumbles Tahai Village, Bukit Batu subdistrict. The distance is less than 29 km from the capital Palangkaraya. Access to Lake Tahai very easy because it can use 2 or 4 wheel vehicle and only takes about ± 30 Minutes.

Tourists who come here can play bike swan water, rowing or motor boat to pay the rent. Here too there is a Karaoke bar, a floating restaurant. Here also in providing good accommodation facilities with relatively low rental rates.
http://indonesia-liek.blogspot.com

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CENTRAL KALIMANTAN - INDONESIA DESTINATION & TRAVEL INFORMATION GUIDE

Central Kalimantan is the biggest province of the island. It occupies a surface of 153,800 square kilometers, most of it is jungle (80%), swamps, rivers and agriculture land. The northern area is mountainous and difficult to reach. Transportation facilities are limited much to the rough terrain. The central area is dense and fertile tropical forests, producing valuable commodities such as rattan, resin and the best woods. The southern area is swampy and has many rivers. Central Kalimantan has a humid and hot climate. CENTRAL KALIMANTAN : BRIEF HISTORY The three big Dayak sub-tribes who inhabit this province are the Ngaju, Ot Danum, and Ma'anyan Ot Siang. The Ngaju, like some other sub-tribes, moves from one region to another. They adhere to the old Kaharingan religion, which is a form of ancestor worship, mixed with elements of animism. They have seen progress. Many of them live in the towns, have enjoyed an education and are intelligent. The Ot Danum live in longhouses which sometimes have as many as 50 rooms. The unique longhouse is called betang. With approximately 6,000 people, the Ot Danum is the largest among the three sub-tribes. They are known for their skill in plaiting rattan, palm leaves, and bamboo. Made by the women, such products are sold in cities and towns such as Banjarmasin, Kualakapuas, and Sampit. Like other Dayaks, the men are good hunters, using simple tools. The art of Central Kalimantan clearly bears the marks of the Kaharingan religion, which is the traditional belief of the Dayaks in the hinterland of Central Kalimantan. Building styles, statues, carvings, and other products are related to the cultural elements of the Hindus, Chinese, and Hindu-Javanese. Aside from their aesthetic properties, such products are appreciated for their magic value. CENTRAL KALIMANTAN : PLACES OF INTEREST Palangkaraya Palangkaraya is the province capital of Central Kalimantan and situated in the up-stream region of the Kahayan river. In the local Dayak language, Palangkaraya means a holy container. Palangkaraya can easily be reached from Jakarta, Banjarmasin, Samarinda, Balikpapan and other points of the island by air. Nowadays, the town has become the center of government, trade and education of the province. The Regional Museum of Palangkaraya contains a collection of historical and cultural interest from all over Central Kalimantan. The Nature Reserve of Tangkiling lies 34 kilometers north of Palangkaraya. Small rivers flow through the reserve. Kualakapuas Kualakapuas is the capital of the Kapuas regency, south of Palangkaraya, on the Kapuas river 40 kilometers from Banjarmasin. A well-known tourism attraction is Telo Island, a fishing village and port. It is a pleasant site for recreation. For the adventurer, whitewater rafters and nature lovers, there is Gohong Rawai, known for its beautiful and challenging rapids. The gold mines of Teweh and Batu Api, Rungan district, are also interesting sites to be visited. In this region, gold mining is a major source of livelihood for the people, who pan for the valuable metal using the old traditional method. Gold mines are found in many places in Central Kalimantan. Sampit Sampit town, on the Sampit river and the capital of Sampit regency, is known as the biggest timber port in Kalimantan as well as in Indonesia. Here can be found many sawmills which process the timber for export. One can find many interesting tourism attractions in Sampit. Pandaran Beach is a park on the seaside at the mouth of the Sampit river. It is quite unique. One sees to one's north the river emptying its water into the sea. To the south is the wide expanse of the Java Sea. The Orchid Park of Pembuangan Hulu is a natural forest in which a number of rare and beautiful orchid varieties grow. Hunters can engage in their favourite pastime at the Serayan river which borders on the hunting park of Kotawaringin Barat. Pangkalanbun Pangkalanbun is the capital of the Kotawaringin Barat regency, in the western part of Central Kalimantan. It is busy  little town. In this town, the old Palace of Pangkalanbun, now 200 years old, can still be seen. Made of ulin (iron- wood), it is the only Banjar royal legacy found in Central Kalimantan. The Masque of Kyai Gede is the oldest mosque, being more than 300 years old, found in Kotawaringin district. The Tanjung Puting National Park is a very well-known nature and wildlife reserve for lowland and swamp forests, inhabited by orang utans, owaowa, bekantan and other primates. One can visit the Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre which is supported by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). CENTRAL KALIMANTAN : TOURISM EVENT Month Date Place Event August   Telo Island, Kuala Kapuas Art and Culture Festival August   Kuala Kapuas Art and Culture Festival

http://baliwww.com/kalteng/

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The Central Kalimantan Peatland Project (CKPP)

The Central Kalimantan Peatland Project was a project conducted between 2006 and 2008 which worked in a lowland peatswamp area of thousands of square kilometers in Central Kalimantan. The project was protecting a remaining peatswamp forests and restoring the degraded peatlands. The project has ended now, but a lot has been achieved in just a very short time.

Supported financially by the Dutch government, a consortium of 5 organisations works with the Provincial Government to restore a large logged, drained and burnt peatland in Central Kalimantan. Formally a rich peatswamp forest, this area has turned into a fire prone wasteland. This projects works on restoring the area; preventing loss of the organic carbon, involving and helping local people by planting valuable tree species and restoring biodiversity.

Drainage leads to decomposition

Drainage of the peatswamps leads to rapid decomposition of the organic carbon of the peat and to annual peat fires. This degradation has a devastating impact on the means of income for local people, their health, biodiversity, air pollution in South-east Asia and last but not least climate change as huge quantities of organic carbon become carbon dioxide. Peatland emissions from degraded peatlands will continue until all peat has disappeared. Emissions of degraded peatlands can only be reduced by restoration of the peatlands.

Failed Mega Rice project

The Central Kalimantan Peatlands Project (CKPP) is conducted in one of the main degraded peatlands of the region: the ex-Mega Rice project in Central Kalimantan. A poorly planned agricultural project of thousands of hectares has turned a rich and beautiful peatswamp rainforest largely into a disaster area.

Dedicated to maintain and restore the great natural and economic values of Kalimantan's tropical peatlands the project is restoring the area by closing drainage canals, ending the drainage, replanting forests and developing sustainable livelihoods.

Picture to the right:
CKPP builds dams to block drainage canals. The water level increases to natural level to stop CO2 emissions from degraded peatlands.

http://ckpp.wetlands.org/

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Central Kalimantan

Central Kalimantan (Indonesian: Kalimantan Tengah often abbreviated to Kalteng) is a province of Indonesia, one of four in Kalimantan - the Indonesian part of the island of Borneo. Its provincial capital is Palangkaraya.
The province has a population of 1.9 million (As of 2007 census). The population grew 2.7% annually between 1990 and 2000, one of the highest provincial growth rates in Indonesia during that time. Far more than other province in the region, Central Kalimantan is dominated by the Dayaks, the indigenous inhabitants of Borneo.

History

Since the eighteenth century, the central region of Kalimantan and its Dayak inhabitants were ruled by the Muslim Sultanate of Banjar. Following Indonesian independence after World War II, Dayak tribes demanded a province separate from South Kalimantan province.
 In 1957, South Kalimantan was thus divided to provide the Dayak population greater autonomy from the Muslim population in that province. It was approved by the Indonesian Government on 23 May 1957 under Presidential Law No. 10 Year 1957, which declared Central Kalimantan the seventeenth province of Indonesia. President Sukarno appointed the Dayak-born national hero Tjilik Riwut as the first Governor and Palangka Raya the provincial capital.
 The three major Dayak tribes in Central Kalimantan are the Ngaju, Ot Danum and Dusun Ma'anyan Ot Siang. The three major tribes extended into several branches of prominent Dayak tribes in Central Kalimantan such as Lawangan, Taboyan, Dusun Siang, Boyan, Bantian, Dohoi and Kodorin.
In addition to the indigenous Dayak tribes, the province also groups from other areas of Indonesia, including Javanese, Maduranese, Batak, Toraja, Ambonese, Bugis, Palembang, Minang, Banjarese, Makassar, Papuan, Balinese, Acehnese and also Chinese.

Geography

Central Kalimantan is the 3rd largest Indonesian province by area with a size of 153,800 km2, about 1.5 times the size of the island of Java. It is bordered by West and East Kalimantan provinces to the north, by the Java Sea to the south, by South and East Kalimantan provinces to the east, and by West Kalimantan province to west.
The Schwaner Mountains stretch from the north-east of the province to the south-west, 80% of which is covered in dense forest, peatland swamps, mangroves, rivers, and traditional agriculture land. Highland areas in the north-east are remote and not easily accessible. Non-volcanic mounts are scattered in this area including Kengkabang, Samiajang, Liang Pahang and Ulu Gedang.
The centre of the province is covered with tropical forest, which produces rattan, resin and valuable timber such as Ulin and Meranti. The southern lowlands are dominated by peatland swamps that intersect with many rivers. Sabangau National Park is a protected peatland area internationally acknowledged as sanctuary for the endangered Orangutan. Recently the peat swamp forests have been damaged by the Mega Rice Project, which unsuccessfully sought to turn large areas into rice paddies.
The province's climate is wet weather equatorial zone with an eight-month rainy season, and 4 months of dry season. Rainfall or precipitation is 2,776 - 3,393 mm per year with an average of 145 rainy days annually

Administration

Central Kalimantan is divided into 13 districts or regencies, which are headed a regent. (Capitals listed in brackets)

• South Barito (Buntok)
• East Barito (Tamiang Layang)
• North Barito (Muara Teweh)
• Gunung Mas (Kuala Kurun)
• Kapuas (Kuala Kapuas)
• Katingan (Kasongan)
• West Kotawaringin (Pangkalan Bun)
• East Kotawaringin (Sampit)
• Lamandau (Nanga Bulik)
• Murung Raya (Puruk Cahu)
• Pulang Pisau (Pulang Pisau)
• Sukamara (Sukamara)
• Seruyan (Kuala Pembuang)

and the provincial capital:

• Palangkaraya

In addition to the civil service, Central Kalimantan also recognises a traditional governing system lead by traditional leaders known as Demang. The province is divided into 67 traditional law areas known as Kademangan, headed by Demang. The system is intended to culturally recognise and preserve the customs and heritage of the Dayak tribes

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Kalimantan

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