mahakam house boat

Kalimantan or also well known as Borneo Island is one of the big five islands in Indonesia, the largest archipelago country in the world. This particular island is one of the areas where we can still find thick tropical rain forests spread out along the island. As a matter of fact, over 80% of Borneo Island is filled with thick forest or more than 17 million hectares of its total area where you can find various different kinds of orchids overgrown in it including the famous ‘Black Orchid’.

Three major rivers in this particular island are Kapuas River, Barito River and Mahakam River. The latest mention river is the largest river in East Kalimantan of which length 980 km and catchment area are about 77,000 km2. Mahakam river derives from the Muller mountain ranges and flows south-eastwards to meet Kedang Pahu river from where the giant river meanders eastward passing the Mahakam lakes region.  For many years, visitors can enjoy Mahakam River safari along this muddy river to enjoy the gorgeous scenery all along the way.

The Mahakam safari is simply means a river touring all along the giant Mahakam River in a house boat of which is fully furnished for a normal floating house. All along the way you will feel amaze with the wonderful scenery of the river side’s surrounding. You may also visit the Dayak villages – the indigenous inhabitants of this island who have several different tribes but sharing similar customs and traditions.

As a matter of fact, Mahakam River is divided into three geographical sections as follow:

• The lower of Mahakam River: this section could be an easy and short tour for visitors.

• The middle of Mahakam River: including a series of villages to visit.

• The upper of Mahakam river: an isolated area that is usually reached by plane at the Datah Dawai airfield.

Due to the accessibility, generally, the majority of visitors only visit the lower as well as middle Mahakam River. However, if you want to explore more as well as experience great adventure, The Apo Kayan district along with the upper Mahakam River are the best place in East Borneo to learn and see more of the somewhat undisturbed Dayak tribe culture and customs.

Mahakam River is extremely important for the ecology of its surrounding due to its important part in hosting numerous rare water birds and the Irrawaddy dolphin