West Kalimantan

West Kalimantan (Kalimantan Barat, Kalbar) covers about 147,000 square kilometres of western Borneo, with about 5.5 million people. The capital Pontianak sits almost exactly on the equator — a tugu (equator monument) marks the line. The province has substantial Dayak (the indigenous Borneo peoples), Chinese-Indonesian, and Malay populations, and the equator and the 1,143-km Kapuas (Indonesia's longest river) define much of its identity.

Geography

The province has a long coastline on the South China Sea, with extensive lowland swamps and the Kapuas River system draining a huge inland basin. Mountainous terrain on the eastern border with Central Kalimantan and the international border with Sarawak (Malaysia). The interior remains heavily forested though deforestation for palm oil and pulp has been substantial.

Pontianak

Pontianak (population about 700,000) sits where the Kapuas meets the smaller Landak River. The equator passes through the city's northern outskirts at the Tugu Khatulistiwa equator monument.

Notable Pontianak sights:

• Tugu Khatulistiwa: the equator monument; tourists can stand straddling the equator
• Kadriah Palace (Istana Kadriah): 18th-century sultanate palace
• Jami Mosque: the historic mosque opposite the palace
• Kapuas River cruises: scenic, especially around traditional floating houses
• Chinatown (Gajah Mada area): substantial Chinese-Indonesian community

Ethnic mix

West Kalimantan is one of Indonesia's most ethnically diverse provinces:

• Dayak (~34%): the indigenous peoples of Borneo; several distinct sub-groups (Kanayatn, Iban, Mualang)
• Malay (~34%): coastal Muslim population, historically influential
• Chinese-Indonesian (~9%): one of the largest Chinese-Indonesian populations outside Java; the city of Singkawang is sometimes called Indonesia's "most Chinese" city
• Javanese, Bugis, Madurese: migrants

The relationship between these groups has had periods of tension; the 1996-1997 and 1999 Dayak-Madurese conflicts in West Kalimantan caused significant displacement.

Singkawang

Singkawang on the north coast is one of Indonesia's most distinctively Chinese cities — Chinese-Indonesians are the majority. The Cap Go Meh festival (15 days after Imlek/Chinese New Year) features the famous tatung procession of men in trance walking on swords and skewers, one of Indonesia's most striking cultural events.

Other destinations

• Putussibau: gateway to the upper Kapuas and traditional Dayak villages
• Gunung Palung National Park: orangutan habitat, less visited than Tanjung Puting
• Betung Kerihun National Park: largely undisturbed rainforest
• Sanggau and Sintang: river towns on the Kapuas

Practical

• Airport: Supadio International Airport in Pontianak; smaller airports at Sintang, Putussibau, Singkawang
• River travel: substantial, especially on the Kapuas
• Best time: dry season May-September
• Climate: hot, humid, equatorial; the equator literally crosses the province
• Tourist infrastructure: very limited outside Pontianak

West Kalimantan is one of Indonesia's less-visited provinces and is mostly relevant to specialist travellers (Dayak culture, the equator, the Kapuas river system) and to business travellers connected to its plantation and natural-resource economy.