West Kalimantan is not a large tourist destination, and therefore not a place where you can expect to find many tourist facilities. The region has about four million inhabitants, and the largest concentration of people with Chinese background in Indonesia. The most important town is Pontianak, founded in 1770 by an Arabic trader. Pontianak has an airport with departures to and from for example Singapore, Kuching and Jakarta.

It is also possible to go with plane from here to the interior of the island. Places along the coast is reasonably easy to access, but to go inland to Dayak land demands some more preparations. It is possible to fly to Sintang, or go by boat on the great rivers from Pontianak. There are regular bus routes from Pontianak to Kuching on the Malaysian side of the border.

The longest river in Indonesia is located on West Kalimantan; Sungai Kapua which is as much as 1.143 km long. Riverboats are still the most important means of transport here, even if transport by road becomes more and more common. Datu is the northernmost point on west Kalimantan and is located on a cape which is split between Indonesia and Malaysia. The people here are mainly Malay, and the population is sparse. The only way to get to this area is by boat. The Natuna islands of the Riau province are located just north of here.

See also:

• More photos from West Kalimantan
• Maps of Indonesia

Satellite photos:

• SPOT Datu
• SPOT Pontianak

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