Barong Tongkok village of
Indonesia East Kalimantan Province is the Government center of West
Kutai Regency. Dayak Tunjung Tribes and Kersik Luwai Rainforest with
it's famouse Black Orchid and
wildlife.
Destination
: Barong Tongkok
Main Interest & Things to do
:
Dayak Culture and Jungle Trek
recommended visit time is 1 or 2 days
Dayak Tunjung and Dayak Bahau are the major tribes,Barong Tongkok
actualy became the center of West Kutai Regency.
The area
along Barong Tongkok is filled with Rubber plantations, and lowland
rainforest
a Traditional longhouse with 35 Dayak Tunjung
families can be found at Eheng village about 35 km from Barong
Tongkok.
Black and other wild orchids at Kersik Luwai Reserve
about 25 km from Barong Tongkok
Ombau Asa waterfall about 40
km from Barong Tonkok along the way to Eheng.
Tering Lama is
the place where Dayak Bahau and Hudoq ceremonies can be found, it's
about 50 km from Barong Tongkok.
Melak and Tering villages are
jump off points to the hinterland of the Mahakam river if public
ferries can't cruise further up the Mahakam river.
Jungle Trek can be done between villages
Culture : Dayak Bahau,
and Dayak Tunjung
Flora & Fauna :
Lowland Rainforest & excotic tropical
wild life
Starting Point
: Balikpapan
Transport Possibilities :
by Public Bus from Balikpapan to
Samarinda, cruise up Mahakam River by public ferry, or by chartered
motorcanoe to Melak either Tering village, from here chartered cars
have to be used to surround the area, no public transport is availeble
here.Daily public buses go up to Melak and Barong Tongkok from
Samarinda bus terminal.
Estimated travel time to reach Barong
Tongkok is 1 to 2 days from entry point Balikpapan.
Ending Point :
Balikpapan
Distance to enry point
: 450 Km to from Balikpapan
Airport
Duration : Short Get
Through Visit 5 to 6 Days
Overnights : Simple
Hotels
Grade :
Usual
EAST KALIMANTAN
BARONG TONGKOK AREA INFORMATION
Mahakam River
The Mahakam river is 920 kilometers long, running over the Muller
Mountain , which forms the border between East and West Kalimantan,
between Indonesia Kalimantan and the Malaysian state of Sarawak. The
river as many tributaries, and in a number of places is 400 to 500
meters wide. With it's length of 920km
the River is the second
largest river of Indonesia, starting at the Muller Mountians and ending
in the Sulawesi Sea.The muddy river at some places will be up to 2 Km
wide and is the high way in to the interior of East Kalimantan. The
lower half of The Mahakam River is populated by Malay and Kutai tribes,
the upper half by the native Dayak tribes. Your journey will take you
through impenetrable tropical forest and dense undergrowth draped in
giant orchids , mangrove flowers and lianes. Instead that much of the
jungle is secondairy growth or has been clearcut. The wildlife is
unusually diverse, monkeys, gibbons, wild ox, wild cats, flying lemur,
martins , weasels, fresh water dolphins, orang utans, sun bear,
leopard, snakes, hornbill birds, parrots, parakeets, and crested
fireback pheasants. Also many kinds of beautiful butterflies and
metallic beetles, poisonous polypods, brightly colored millipedes
&
giant walking sticks can been seen. To get an impression of the
different Dayak cultures & lifestyles, head up to the rivers
tributairies.
Long Iram
Long Iram is more like a small town. A boat service connects the
village with Tenggarong. Small lodgings are available.
Barong Tongkok
Barong Tongkok is a nice village and good for spending the night.
Several small waterfalls are found in its surroundings. There are
lodgings, shops, and motorcycles to take visitors to other Dayak
villages. Linongangmapan is 300 meters
aside from the village road between Barong Tongkok and Tering. An
ancient megalith site is found here. To reach the location, one must
walk for a distance of about 40 kilometers, starting from kersik Luway.
Melak
Melak is a rather busy little town and the capital of a district. It
can be reached from Long Iram in about 30 hours or from Tenggarong by
motorboat. The inhabitants of Melak are dayaks of the Tunjung
sub-tribe. Lodgings and a modest restaurant are available in Melak and
it has an old longhouse (betang). Local handicrafts can be bought here.
Kersik Luway Nature Reserve
Kersik Luway is a National Park Reserve between Melak and Barong
Tongkok, 18
kilometers to the south. The "Black Orchid" (Coelogyne pandurata) which
blossoms between April and December, grow s on shrubs in this 5,000
hectare reserve. Many hundred of other orchid species also grow in this
forest. The reserve is located 170 kilometers from Samarinda and can be
reached in 32 hours by boat. Other tourist spots in this regions
include Jentur Gemuruh waterfall and Kersik Kerbangan, a forest known
for is wild orchids. Visitors usually stay at Sekolag Darat village.
Pepas Eheng village belongs to the Barong Tongkok district, 209
kilometers from Samarinda . Plait work, rattan furniture and Tunjung
Dayak statues are made here. The village can be reached from Melak in
one hour by car.
Muara Oahu is a district town at the meeting point of the Kedang Pahu
and Lawa river, in the Mahakam hinterland. Twenty-eight villages, with
a total population a bout 11,000 are found in this area.
The cultural heritage of the Dayak people is very much evident at Tolan
village. There are two traditional houses and a graveyard which are
worth seeing. The people here live from panning for gold, looking for
bird's nests and tilling the dry fields.
Tanjung Isuy
Tanjung Isuy is a settlement of the Benuaq dayak. There is an original
traditional longhouse in the village which welcomes visitors. Woman can
be seen weaving ulap doyo, the traditional free-fiber cloth typical of
the area.Visitors can also see the guardian statues and the grave of a
Benuaq king.In this area, 149 kilometers from Samarinda via Muara
Muntai, we can see floating houses on Lake Jempang .There is a grand
old longhouse in Mancong, 15 kilometers from Tanjung Isuy. Also visit
the lamin ( Longhouses ) of Pentat and Lembunah, on the Ohong River.
Various species of birds, iguanas, and bekantan (Proboces monkeys) live
in the forest along the river .
Muara Muntai
Muara Muntai is not far from Lake Jempang. It is a convenient stop for
visitors traveling into the hinterland.
Lake Semayang
Lake Semayang lies at the other side of Lake Melintang,and covers a
surface of 13,000 hectares. Many villages are found in its
surroundings.There are several beautiful small lakes in the vicinity,
such as Manggah, Barambai, Rabok, Tempatung, Kedang Mubung, Wis and
Siran.
Pesut Mahakam ( Water dolphin )
If one is lucky, one might see a pesut Mahakam (orcela fluminalis),
fresh water dolphin, during the trip. The species is also found in the
Mekhong river in Cambodja and in the Amazon. In the Mahakam it usually
surfaces towards sunset in the vicinity of Loangkang.The RASI
Information and Rehabilitation Center at Muara Pahu can tell you
more.Another animal indigenous to East Kalimantan is the Bekantan
monkey (Nasalis larvatus), a big monkey with a long nose and reddish
brown fur. Bekantan monkey can be seen in the trees alongside rivers.
Memorable Borneo