Balikpapan Orangutan & Borneo Forest Walk
Journey from Balikpapan into the Borneo forest to encounter orangutans — the Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) is one of humanity's closest relatives and is found in forests accessible from Balikpapan, with rehabilitation centres and forest reserves providing opportunities to observe these extraordinary great apes.
Balikpapan City Centre & Waterfront Walk
Walk Balikpapan's modern city centre — the oil city on the coast of East Kalimantan has grown from a Dutch colonial oil settlement into one of Borneo's most prosperous cities, with a waterfront, shopping centres, and the infrastructure of a city that has been transformed by petroleum revenues.
Balikpapan & Nusantara New Capital Walk
Explore Balikpapan's role as the gateway to Nusantara — Indonesia's new capital city being built 80km south of Balikpapan in East Kalimantan. The relocation of the Indonesian capital from Jakarta has made Balikpapan the primary access point for the most ambitious infrastructure project in 21st-century Southeast Asia.
Balikpapan Dayak Culture & Interior Borneo Walk
Connect with Dayak indigenous culture near Balikpapan — the interior Kalimantan accessible from the city is home to several Dayak communities whose longhouse traditions, forest knowledge, and distinctive material culture represent the pre-petroleum indigenous heritage of Borneo.
Balikpapan Food & Local Flavours Walk
Eat through Balikpapan's food scene — the prosperous oil city has a diverse food culture combining Banjar cuisine from South Kalimantan, Javanese migrant food, Bugis seafood, and Chinese cooking, with the city's prosperity supporting a restaurant scene more developed than most Indonesian cities of its size.
Balikpapan Oil Industry Heritage Walk
Explore Balikpapan's petroleum heritage — the city that became the centre of Dutch colonial oil production in Borneo in 1897 and was the target of major WWII Allied operations to recapture its oil facilities is one of Southeast Asia's oldest oil towns, and its history is inseparable from the petroleum industry.
Balikpapan Mangrove Forest & Wildlife Walk
Explore Balikpapan's extraordinary urban mangrove reserve — the city has preserved a significant area of mangrove forest within its boundaries, providing habitat for proboscis monkeys, monitor lizards, mudskippers, and mangrove birds accessible by boardwalk from the city centre.
Balikpapan Beach & Coastal Nature Walk
Discover Balikpapan's beaches — the city has several beaches along its southern coastline facing the Makassar Strait, ranging from the popular Melawai Beach near the city centre to the wilder beaches of the Sepaku area, offering swimming, sunset watching, and seafood dining.