Destination: Kalimantan --> East Kalimantan

• Culture and Heritage:

1. Pampang Village

Home to the Dayak Kenyah tribe, one of 200 subgroups of the Dayak ethnic group, this village is situated about 20 kilometers away from Samarinda, the capital city of East Kalimantan. It was declared as the first "cultural village" in the province and has attracted both local and foreign tourists. 

Lamin

A place high in cultural values, this village is offers you the chance to know and understand the local customs and the inhabitants' way of living. You can see their Lamin, longhouses where all members of a family or clan live together. The architecture of these houses are quite unique, because they are built high above ground,with big poles supporting from beneath. The space below are used to store livestocks and to avoid floods. 

You can also see the locals in their traditional costumes embroidered with colorful ornaments selling souvenirs and performing ceremonies and arts like traditional dance.  

Dayak dance

    2. Mulawarman Museum

Situated in the city of Tenggarong, this place was the Palace of the Kutai Sultanate until 1976 when it was handed to the Ministry of Education and Culture to be turned into a museum. Housing  a wide range of antiques, it's the place where you can learn more about the local culture.

With a very low price entrance fee, visitors can tour the museum and find so many interesting relics dating back to the pre-independence era. You can see the throne of the Sultan with two statues of Lembuswana, a mythical beast based on local legends, guarding its sides, small statues dating back to the era of the Kutai Martadipura, a Hindu Kingdom that once ruled the land and carvings made by the Dayak people. Foreign antiques can also be seen here. Look out for a collection of ceramics from China, Vietnam and Thailand.

Mulawarman Museum

After exiting the building, you will see the cemeteries of the previous Sultans, their relatives and local well-known people, such as the founder of Tenggarong Sultan AM Muslihuddin.

Mulawarman Museum's Royal Cemeteries

Don't forget to see the nearby shops to find local souvenirs. 

• Eco-tourism:

1. Kutai National Park

A wildlife reserve located nearby the city of Bontang. Extending over an area of 2,000 square kilometers, this national park is home to a wide range of ecosystems, such as mangrove forest, freshwater swamp forest and kerangas forest, a type of tropical moist forest. 

Most wildlife here are land mammals such as the endangered orangutan which is an endemic species, proboscis monkey, marbled cats and clouded leopards, but there are also reptiles like water monitors, crested lizards and estuary crocodiles. Also, look out for holes on trees and you might spot some wrinkled hornbills.

This park is easily accessible for visitors. You can reach it from the industrial city of Bontang, where you can also find tour guides as well as advice and information about the park. 

Orangutan