Water is the main street in Banjarmasin, Borneo's river city, where traders paddle boats laden with fruit at dawn, a promenade runs beside the river at dusk, and monkeys live on a river island. The area also has hand-dyed cloth, diamond fields and, in the hills, bamboo rafts.
Traders, mostly women in wide hats, paddle small wooden boats loaded with fruit, vegetables and local cakes, and sell to each other and to visitors boat to boat on the river. It feels like a village market that simply happens on water.
Best time: Around dawn
Tip: It is at its best around dawn, so expect a very early start; by mid-morning it is usually quiet. Which mornings are busiest can change, so check for your dates and arrange the small boat (klotok) the day before.
The market closest to the city, where the Kuin River meets the wide Barito. Boats gather in the first light to trade produce, fish and snacks, and you can hop on a klotok to drift between them and sip hot coffee from a passing boat.
Best time: Around dawn
Tip: Be on the water around sunrise; it thins out as the morning goes on. The river is busy with working boats, so wear the life jacket offered, keep bags dry and bring a light rain layer.
The city's riverside promenade along the Martapura, with paths, small stages, stalls and a viewing tower called Menara Pandang. In the evening locals stroll here, and short boat rides leave from the bank.
Best time: Late afternoon to evening
Tip: A relaxed first-evening walk after arriving. Whether the tower is open to climb varies, so check; otherwise enjoy the promenade and the city lights on the water.
A small, leafy island in the Barito River where a troop of long-tailed macaques lives. Locals visit a little shrine here, and the island is often combined with the Kuin floating market in the same boat trip.
Best time: Morning
Tip: Keep food, bottles and loose items hidden - the monkeys are bold and will grab them. Do not feed them or touch them. For wild proboscis monkeys, look into Pulau Kaget, a separate boat trip.
A wooden mosque with a tiered roof in the Banjar style, widely regarded as the oldest in Kalimantan and tied by tradition to the 1500s. Nearby lies the tomb of Sultan Suriansyah, the first Banjar ruler to embrace Islam.
Best time: Morning
Tip: Both are places of worship and respect: dress modestly, speak softly and ask before photographing people. Visiting times around prayers can differ, so check before you go. It pairs easily with the Kuin market after sunrise.
The home of sasirangan, the Banjar cloth made by stitching or tying patterns and dyeing it in bold colours. Small workshops and shops show how the patterns are made, and the cloth is said to have once been linked to healing ceremonies.
Best time: Morning to mid-afternoon
Tip: Workshops are small and dyeing may not be happening every day, so check ahead if you want to see it. Ask whether a piece is hand-made or printed - prices differ a lot.
A small museum in a building styled on a traditional Banjar house, telling the story of South Kalimantan's struggle for independence in the 1940s and showing old objects. It is a good way to see how Banjar houses look and are built.
Best time: Morning
Tip: Opening days can be limited, so check them before you go. Exhibition labels are mostly in Indonesian - a guide helps bring the stories to life.
A green valley in the Meratus Mountains where visitors ride bamboo rafts down a clear river between forested slopes. Villages of the Dayak Meratus people, suspension bridges and waterfalls are close by.
Best time: Morning, dry season
Tip: Rafting depends on the river level, which can be too high after heavy rain or too low in a very dry spell - check for your dates and use local rafters. It is a long day, so many visitors sleep a night nearby. Ask before photographing villagers.
South Kalimantan is known for diamonds. At Cempaka, near Martapura, miners still sift gravel by hand in open pits looking for rough stones. The nearby town of Martapura is famous for its gem and jewellery shops.
Best time: Morning
Tip: Look and enjoy first; if you want to buy, ask for a written receipt and compare shops, because quality and price vary widely. Mining areas can be muddy and active sites are not always open to visitors, so check before you go.
Soto Banjar is a clear, spiced chicken soup with rice cake or vermicelli and a fragrant broth. Ketupat Kandangan is rice cake in a coconut-milk sauce with fish, and nasi itik is rice with duck. Try the sweet traditional cakes (wadai) too.
Best time: Morning and evening
Tip: Most places are halal. Many food stalls open early and sell out by late morning, so go for breakfast. Ketupat Kandangan is named after a town in the Meratus direction, so it is easy to eat on the way to Loksado.
Airports
Syamsudin Noor International Airport BDJ
Banjarbaru, Indonesia
It is about 23 km in a straight line from Banjarmasin.
Tjilik Riwut Airport PKY
Palangkaraya, Indonesia
It is about 141 km in a straight line from Banjarmasin.
Each month shows its average temperature in °C and its mm of rain per month.
Jan27.2 °C350 mm
Feb27.4 °C339 mm
Mar27.6 °C348 mm
Apr28.0 °C272 mm
May28.1 °C200 mm
Jun27.5 °C167 mm
Jul27.0 °C117 mm
Aug27.2 °C77 mm
Sep27.9 °C78 mm
Oct28.5 °C142 mm
Nov28.3 °C286 mm
Dec27.5 °C412 mm
Driest months: Jul, Aug, Sep. Wettest months: Jan, Mar, Dec.
Long-term averages from NASA POWER; the area covered is large, so local weather can differ.
Costs
Prices here are about 29% of US prices (World Bank, 2025). This compares a country's overall prices, not the cost of a trip.
Practical information
Getting there
Syamsudin Noor Airport (BDJ) is in Banjarbaru, roughly 40-60 minutes by car from central Banjarmasin, with direct flights from Jakarta, Surabaya and a few other cities (Jakarta takes roughly two hours). Some travellers also arrive by road from Balikpapan or other parts of Kalimantan, but those drives are long.
Best time
The drier months, roughly May to September, are usually the most comfortable for boats, the Meratus hills and rafting. It is hot and humid all year, and heavy rain can raise river levels, so check conditions for your dates. Floating markets are best at dawn, so plan early mornings and an easy afternoon.
Respect & dress
The Banjar are mostly Muslim: cover shoulders and knees at mosques and tombs, remove shoes where asked, and ask before photographing people, especially women traders and villagers in the hills. Most food is halal and prayer rooms are easy to find. Use sun protection on the water and carry insect repellent.
Getting around
In the city use ride-hailing apps or taxis, and hire a klotok boat with a boatman for the markets - always wear the life jacket. Lok Baintan, Martapura, Cempaka and Loksado are spread out, so a car with driver is the easiest way to combine them; Loksado is best with an early start.
Who can help
Emergency numbers in Indonesia
112 - general emergency (free, works from any phone where the service is live). 110 - police. 118 / 119 - ambulance and medical emergency. 113 - fire. 115 - search and rescue (BASARNAS). English is understood in the main tourist areas; elsewhere ask your hotel to call for you.
Report a lost passport to the nearest police station (get the police report), then contact your embassy or consulate for an emergency travel document. Keep a photo of your passport in your e-mail or phone - it speeds everything up. The official embassy list linked here shows where to find your country's embassy or consulate.
Big cities and Bali have international-standard private hospitals (e.g. Siloam, BIMC in Bali, Mayapada, RS Pondok Indah in Jakarta). Public referral hospitals are cheaper but busier. Ask your hotel or travel insurer for the nearest suitable hospital.
local government
Ministry of Tourism of Indonesia (Kementerian Pariwisata)
Helps with: Indonesia's national tourism ministry. Its contact page lists a call centre, a WhatsApp contact centre, an email address and its office in Jakarta for tourism enquiries.
Who qualifies: Anyone travelling in Indonesia or planning a trip there.
International Organization for Migration (IOM) Indonesia
Helps with: The UN migration agency, operating in Indonesia since 1979. It works with governments and partners on migration management and crisis response.
Who qualifies: Migrants, governments and partners working on migration. It is not a help service for ordinary tourists.
Helps with: The ICRC says it works with the society on training first responders in pre-hospital care, reuniting separated families and emergency preparedness. No contact details are given, so use the society's website.
Who qualifies: The page does not say who can use it. It names the society as the ICRC's partner in Indonesia.
