Samarinda

Islamic Center minaret to Kampung Tenun over two days on the Mahakam

Two days suit Samarinda. Ride up the main minaret of the Islamic Center Mosque, opened in 2008 and one of Southeast Asia's largest, for views over the Mahakam, walk the Tepian riverbank, and cross to Kampung Tenun on the south bank to watch sarung samarinda being woven by hand.

Begin at the Islamic Center Mosque on Jalan Slamet Riyadi in the morning light. Opened in 2008 and modelled loosely on Istanbul's great domed mosques, it is one of the largest in Southeast Asia. Visitors can ride up the tall main minaret for a view over the Mahakam and the barges below. Walk east along the Tepian riverbank afterward and stop at the Pesut Monument near the governor's office, a tribute to the river's dolphins.

Spend late morning in Citra Niaga and Pasar Pagi for crafts and amplang, then cross the bridge after lunch to Samarinda Seberang. In the lanes of Kampung Tenun off Jalan Hos Cokroaminoto, weavers work at hand looms; you can watch and buy Sarung Samarinda straight from the families who make it. Come back for sunset on the river and a grilled prawn dinner.

On day two, if it is a Sunday, drive the 24 km to Pampang for the Dayak Kenyah dance performance in the longhouse in the afternoon. On other days go upriver to Tenggarong, about an hour away, where the former Kutai sultan's palace is now the Mulawarman Museum, with royal regalia and Dayak artefacts. Back in Samarinda, the botanical garden near the airport is a green break before a flight.

Udang galah, amplang and nasi kuning by the Mahakam

The Mahakam decides what Samarinda eats. The prize is udang galah, giant blue-clawed river prawns grilled or cooked in sweet soy and chilli and sold by weight at riverbank restaurants. Breakfast is nasi kuning, turmeric rice, and amplang, crunchy fish crackers, is the snack to take home.

The prize is udang galah, giant freshwater prawns from the Mahakam with long blue claws, grilled or cooked in a sweet soy and chilli sauce. Riverbank restaurants sell them by weight; ask to see the prawns before they cook them.

Breakfast is nasi kuning, turmeric rice with a dark, slightly sweet fish curry, usually made with snakehead or other river fish, sold from carts and small warung all over the city from early morning. Banjar cooking from South Kalimantan is everywhere too, so look for soto Banjar, a clear chicken soup scented with cloves and served with rice cakes.

For snacks, amplang is the local signature: puffy, crunchy crackers made from mackerel or other fish, sold in jars at Citra Niaga, along Jalan Slamet Riyadi near the Islamic Center and even at the airport. Pisang gapit, grilled banana pressed flat and soaked in palm sugar and coconut syrup, is the evening sweet; there are well-known stalls on Jalan Muhammad Said.

Durian lovers should try roti durian, soft buns filled with durian from Melak upriver, sold in bakeries and at the airport café. Coffee culture is newer here, with small Western-style cafés near Samarinda Central Plaza.

Pesut dolphins at Pela and the Erau Festival in Tenggarong

The Mahakam is one of Borneo's great river routes. The most rewarding trip is to Pela, a village near Kota Bangun about 110 km west, where boats look for the pesut, the critically endangered freshwater dolphin; Tenggarong, the old Kutai sultanate town upriver, stages the Erau Festival each year.

Sightings are best in calm early morning or late afternoon. Homestays in the village make an overnight stay easy, and the surrounding lakes are full of birdlife.

For longer trips, river boats from Sungai Kunjang continue far upstream toward Melak and the Dayak villages of the interior, a slow trip of days that needs planning and patience.

Closer to the city, Tenggarong is the old seat of the Kutai Kartanegara sultanate and the stage for Erau, a festival of court ritual, Dayak dance and boat processions that closes with a water fight in the streets. It runs for about a week in late September (21 to 29 September in 2026), timed to Tenggarong's anniversary, but dates are confirmed each year.

The weather helps from August to October, when rain drops to around 120-150 mm a month against more than 230 mm in April. Highs stay at 32-33C all year, so start river trips early.