Destination : Barito
River, South Kalimantan, Indonesia
Main Interest & Things to do
:
Culture and Jungle Trek
recommended visit time is 3 or 4 days
Banjarnese and Ngaju Dayak Culture,
Rainforest and
traditional farming, with pepper and
rubber plantations can be found along the Barito River
Jungle Trek can be done between villages and into the Meratus
Mountains, crossing to Loksado area for Bamboo Rafting
adventure
Culture :
Banjarnese and Dayak Nagju
Flora & Fauna :
Swaps, Rainforest & excotic
tropical
wild life
Starting Point
: Banjarmasin
Transport Possibilities :
by Public boat or ferry, or charter a
motor canoe to cruise up Barito
River.
Ending Point : Banjarmasin
Distance to enry point
: Barito River is 600 Km long and runs
through Banjarmasin city
Tour Duration : Short
Get
Through Visit 5 to 6 Days
Overnights : Local
Houses
Grade :
Usual
BARITO
RIVER AREA
INFORMATION
Floating
Market
The
Floating Market of Banjarmasin is a traditional
market at the estuary of the Kuin river,
a tributary
of the Barito. From daybreak boats come from villages around the rivers
Tabuk,
Jelapat, Anjir and Selapat, bringing vegetables, fruits and other daily
needs
and household utensils. Buyers and sellers come to the market in small
boats
and close their transactions on the water. All daily needs
can be obtained at this
market.
As the day proceeds, the
atmosphere becomes
more cheerful. The number of buyers increase, and more boats gather. At
a
little past noon, the market quietens down. The now empty boats leave.
The
number of buyers dwindles, and finally everything is quiet again on the
river.
The best time to see market in action is in the early morning, between
6 a.m
and 7 a.m.
Mantuil
Mantuil is an attractive floating
village
on
the outskirts of Banjarmasin.
Palui Hijau
Recreation
Park
The Palau Hijau recreation park is
suitable
for family recreation. There is a fishing pond, a mini zoo, a
playground and
other entertainment facilities. The park is located 24 kilometers from
the
center of the town, near Syamsuddin Noor
airport.
Sabital
Muhtadin Grand
Mosque
The Sabital Muhtadin Grand Mosque
is the
biggest and the most beautiful mosque in South
Kalimantan.
It lies in the center of the town, and is the pride of its citizens.
The mosque
and its yard occupy an area of about ten hectares. The Martapura
river
flows in front. It was built in 1974
and officiated by President Soeharto on February 9, 1981.
The mosque
also has facilities for religious education and a
library.
Kembang
Island
is a
delta at the estuary of the Barito River
which can be reached in 10 minutes from the Floating
Market, by motorboat. Total delta is 60 hectares, and is
inhabited by thousands of tame monkeys and birds. There
is also a sacred place where the Chinese go to pray. The
best time to
watch the monkeys is in the early morning or in the afternoon, when the
groups
of monkeys come out of their hiding places to the side of the rivers,
waiting
for people to throw food to them. Sometimes a monkey will jump onto a
visitor's
shoulder to grab the food he is
holding.
Kaget Island
Kaget
Island
is
wildlife a reserve at the estuary of the Barito River.
It can be reached in two
hours by
motorboat or in one
hour by speedboat. The total land surface of this island is
approximately 85
hectares. It is inhabited by the Bekantan (Nasalis larvatus), proboscis
monkeys, a species found only in Kalimantan.
The monkey has reddish brown fur, a prominent nose, and slanted eyes.
Bekantans
like to play in the forest and come in the morning or afternoon. Visit
at
around 6 a.m or around
sunset.
Martapura
Martapura
is the capital of the Banjar regency, 36 kilometers southeast of
Banjarmasin.Martapura, particularly the Cempaka district, is a well
known
producer of diamonds.Several mining villages exist, such as Lukaas and
Sungai
Tiung, lying five kilometers from
Martapura.
People can be seen panning for diamonds
at
villages in the Cempaka
district, eight kilometers from Martapura. Panners usually work in
groups. Each
group consists of the 16 to 18 people. The oldest person is
usually named the head of the group. Before starting to
work, they ask
for guidance from "the expert one" the spirit of the
village - so
they will be led to the
richest
mining
grounds.
First,
the panners have to come to an agreement with the owner of the land,
who has
the right to 10 percent of the
diamonds found. Then,
several people are chosen
to dig a
hole, while others
remove the soil or remove any water from the hole with buckets or with
a pump.
The holes are usually six to 10 meters deep. The sides are
propped up with logs to prevent them from collapsing. As
long as no
diamonds are found, the
digging
continues in a
horizontal direction so that tunnels are
formed.
They
work without schedule. It can start in the morning and continue until
midnight,
under the light of
lanterns.
Deposits
are usually found
at depths of 10
to 15 meters, in
rocky earth layers. The dirt is taken
out and
washed.
If
diamonds are found, the
head of
the group must
immediately be notified. The right to offer the diamond for sale
belongs
the group leader
only.
In the
past, it was strictly prohibited
to talk to the person
washing the gored. According to the local belief
the
diamonds become frightened and hide among the grains of sand. Women
are strictly
forbidden to step over the
pits. The rough
diamonds are referred to
as
"virgins".
South
Kalimantan diamonds are classified into four
types:
petrous
diamonds (yellow and of low quality), black diamonds (black and
believed to posses
mystical powers), white diamonds and
pink diamonds
(the best sparkling with the colors of a
rainbow).
The
Trisakti diamond was the most expensive diamond ever found in this
region. It
weighed 160 carats and belonged to the pink diamond
category.
Diamonds are
cut
and
polished in the Diamond Market of Martapura. Such places
are always better
known than the sites
where the diamonds
are found. That is why Martapura is
also
known as Diamond Town.
There are
several well known
experts in diamond processing in
Martapura.
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