Pangkalan Bun Travel Guide
Pangkalan Bun is the provincial capital of Kotawaringin Barat along the western border of Central Kalimantan. It's a busy but small town with a history stretching back centuries.
- Worth It?
- It's one of the best cities in Central Kalimantan.
- What to Do
- enjoy the architecture of the Kyai Gede Mosque and Old Palace, see orang-utans in the wild in Tanjung Putting National Park, and hit the beach at Keraya or Bogam Bay.
- Best Time to Go
- from June to October, the weather is often fine and dry.
- How Long?
- A few days are enough to see the town and the surrounding nature.
In town, the 200-year-old Palace of Pangkalan Bun can be visited. It is the only Banjar royal structure left in Central Kalimantan. The region's oldest mosque, Kyai Gede, is 300 years old and also a wonderful piece of living history.
Nature lovers will want to see the Tanjung Putting National Park, which is famous throughout Central Kalimantan for its wildlife and nature. There are four parts to the park, including beautiful beaches and a famous orang-utan conservation center known as Camp Leakey.
Other natural sites worth seeing are the coastal areas around Bugam Raya. The Bay of Bogam is particularly lovely and Keraya is a popular weekend getaway for locals. White Sand Beach not only has incredible sand but is also a major turtle conservation area. Also near Keraya is Patih Mambang Waterfall, which spills into the sea providing excellent surfing, scuba diving and fishing.
Travel to Pangkalan Bun - Getting There
There is a small airport at Pangkalan Bun that services regular flights from Jakarta via Semarang (1 hour) and a handful of other small regional towns. Ferries run from the port town of Semarang on Java to Kumai, which is near Pangkalan Bun, though the trip takes about 20 hours.
Pangkalan Bun Things to Do
Pangkalan Bun Attractions
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