Are you ready for an unforgettable journey along the Mahakam River and through the Kutai National Park ?
This Borneo adventure is designed for nature enthusiasts, cultural explorers, and thrill-seekers eager to immerse themselves in the wild beauty of the island.
Welcome at the Balikpapan/Samarinda airport by your English speaking tour-guide, and transfer to your hotel. The rest of day is free.
Car transfers to Kota Bangun ( about 4 hours of road ), where you’ll embark on a motorized canoe for a 1-hour journey along the Mahakam River to Pela Village. Here you can visit the Dolphin Museum and, in the evening, enjoy a friendly game of badminton or football with the locals.
Morning transfers to observe dolphins at the confluence of Pela or in the Seamayang Lake delta during a 2 hours excursion.
Later, you’ll cross the Jempang lake to go to Tanjung Issuy village, where you’ll be welcomed with a typical dance (2,5 hrs).
The journey then continues toward your final destination, Muara Pahu (4-hours transfer).The day is dedicated to encounters with the local population, their villages and their surroundings. It’s an unique occasion to immerse yourself in the customs and traditions of the locals and gain deeper insight into Dayak culture and way of life.
Early departure by motorized canoe to Mancong Village via Ohong Creek (1-hour journey), offering the chance to observe the rich flora and fauna along the way. In Mancong, visit one of East Kalimantan’s oldest Dayak longhouses, a testament to the region's deep-rooted traditions.
The journey then continues toward your final destination, Muara Pahu (4 hours transfer).
Breakfast: Included
Lunch: Included
Dinner: Included
Accommodation: Anna Guesthouse
In the morning, you’ll once again take a motorized canoe and navigate along Kedang Pahu river, at the foot of Mt Bayon (2 hrs). There, you’ll visit a Dayak village known by the name of Terbisak. Renewed for its impressive “ long house” home to several Dayak Benuaq families. Around hundred of people still live together in this giant house and continue to hunt, and preserve traditional livestock farming methods.
You’ll continue your journey to Belowan river delta where the swamps are home to freshwater dolphin ( 30 minutes ). Final destination to Melak where you’ll pass the night.
Breakfast: Included
Lunch: Included
Dinner: Included
Accommodation: Simple hotel
Early morning transfer to the port, where you’ll board a motorized canoe to the village of Rukun Damai, home to the Dayak Kenyah & Kayan communities.
There, you'll have the chance to explore the village’s longhouse and immerse yourself in local customs and traditions.
The journey continues upstream toward Data Bilang.
Data Biland is a tribal village, home to Dayaks Kenyah which have immigrated from a faraway land.
You’ll discover its colorful “long house” and learn all about Kaharingan, the local religion, a mixt of Hindu beliefs and animism.
The area of Bilang is also home to Dayaks Bahau, renewed for their masked ceremonies , the Hudoq which celebrate planting and harvest seasons.
Return to Melak at the end of the afternoon.
Breakfast: Included
Lunch: Included
Dinner: Included
Accommodation: Simple hotel
On the way to Eheng by jeep, you'll discover an ancient longhouse of the Tunjung tribe, then continue toward Kersik Luway.
In the surrounding jungle, you might have the chance to see the famous black orchid.
In the afternoon, there’s an opportunity to stop at Ombau Asa Waterfall, where you can enjoy a refreshing swim.
Return to Melak in the evening.
Breakfast: Included
Lunch: Included
Dinner: Included
Accommodation: Simple hotel
Transfer to the harbor of Melak and return to Samarinda by speed-boat (6 hrs).
Breakfast: Included
Lunch: Included
Dinner: Included
Accommodation: Bumi Seniyur Hotel
In the mid-morning, visit the Dayak Knife Museum – home to the famous "mandaus", which were once used, among other things, for headhunting (30-minutes drive).
Then, head towards the traditional village of Pampang (2 hours), where the Kayan Dayaks will introduce you to their vibrant culture.
Dayak art, represented through tattoos and characterized by fluid geometry with influences dating back to the Dong Son era, primarily depicts scenes of daily life.
The women with long ears are also the last living witnesses of a culture that is slowly fading. In the afternoon, transfer (4 hours) to the mushroom city of Sangatta.
In the early morning, along the Sangatta River, a motorised canoe takes you towards Kutai National Park.( 30mn) . Barely arrived, and already off on an adventure to explore the surrounding jungle, getting up close to the wildlife—especially the fully wild orangutans.
Then in the late afternoon the call of the jungle offers you a unique nighttime experience, as wildlife becomes more active after dark.
Your continue your journey through the national park of Kutai.
The morning is devoted to mangroves exploration (2 hrs ), home to a rich biodiversity ( crocodiles, birds, monkeys …)
Return to Sangatta at the end of the morning, then transfer to Samarinda ( 5 hrs ).