Samarinda

Samarinda is the capital of East Kalimantan, on the eastern part of the island of Borneo, 60 km from the Makassar Strait.

Understand

Currency	rupiah (IDR)
Population	831.4 thousand (2021)
Electricity	230 volt / 50 hertz
Time zone	UTC+08:00
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Get in

By plane

Samarinda International Airport

Interior of Samarinda International Airport at night

1 APT Pranoto (Samarinda) International Airport (AAP  ^IATA). Also known as Sungai Siring (the name of the district containing the airport), is on Sungai Siring in the north of Samarinda. Designed by Arkonin, it has since been named "Indonesia's 3rd Best Airport" by Bandara Awards in 2019. Before the pandemic, most major cities in Java and Bali were served by at least one daily flight to this airport.  

Buses from the airport are cheap ($3) and convenient but slower. One company runs buses from the airport: Damri. Buses travel across Samarinda Botanical Garden (Taman Borneo), Travel Samarinda, one of the largest botanical garden in East Borneo.

Two bus routes run into town from the airport. The most useful for most visitors is Route 2, which runs down Bhayangkara Road to Sungai Kunjang Station. This takes 90 minutes, running every hour 06:00-17:00, fare $3.

Taxis that are available: GrabAirport taxi, Yellow taxis (Aerocab), White taxis (Angkasa), Kilat taxi, Sewa Mobil Samarinda, Red taxis (Sentra), and Blue taxis (Primkopau)

Do not take illegal taxis, as they charge much more and are not licensed.

The airport has a cafe near Indomaret serving traditional Samarinda Roti Durian with distinctive Melak (West Kutai) durian flavour, and Samarinda fish cracker snacks (amplang).

By bus

There are many buses from Balikpapan. The journey takes 2 hours and costs Rp45,000 (non AC) & Rp55,000 (with AC).

See

Samarinda panorama at night

Around the city

• 1 Baqa village (Kampung Tenun), Gg. Pertenunan Jl. Hos Cokro Aminoto, Rapak Dalam, Samarinda Seberang. Centre of traditional weaving sarong called Sarung Samarinda. (updated Aug 2022)
• 2 Islamic Center Mosque (Masjid Islamic Center Samarinda), Jl. Slamet Riyadi No.1, Teluk Lerong Ulu. Inspired by the Hagia Sophia in Turkey and opened in 2008. A major attraction in the city. (updated Aug 2017)
• 3 Monumen Pesut, Jl. Gajah Mada, Jawa, Samarinda Ulu (near provincial government office of East Kalimantan). Monument of the icon of Samarinda, Mahakam river dolphins. (updated Aug 2022)

Wildlife

• 4 Pela village (Desa Wisata Pela), Liang Ulu, Kotabangun (110 km west of Samarinda City). Watching Mahakam dolphins or locals called Pesut Mahakam. (updated Aug 2022)

Do

• Mahakam River boat trips, Dermaga Pasar Pagi Samarinda. Only available on weekends (Saturday/Sunday) in one schedule. Trip time is about 3 hours, from 17:00 to 20:00 WITA. Rp70,000. (updated Aug 2017)
• 1 Pampang Cultural Village (Desa Budaya Pampang), Pampang (24 km from Samarinda). Su 2-4pm. Dayak tribe cultural show. 

Buy

• BIGmall. Daily 10:00–22:00. A big modern mall, true to its name. (updated Aug 2017)
• Citra Niaga. Daily. Street market. (updated Aug 2017)
• 1 Mesra Indah Mall. (updated Aug 2017)
• Pasar Pagi. (updated Aug 2017)
• Pasar Segiri. Market. (updated Aug 2017)

Eat

Buy traditional and other food in market, or amplang (fish crackers) in Surianata next to Islamic Centre.

• Amplang Indah Sari, Jl. Slamet Riyadi No 18 RT 15, ☏ +62 852 5054 1965. Local food with delicious taste. Made from special ingredients and local fish. 
• Pisang Gapit, Jalan Muhammad Said (Jl. Moh. Said). 
• The Muster Station Cafe. Address is No 27 Jalan Pangeran Hidayatuuah. About a 5-minute walk from the Samarinda Central Plaza. Good wifi. Has a food menu.
• Barbershop Cafe. Near the junction of Jalan Mulawarman and Nahkoda streets. There is a yellow sign pointing the way. About a 3-minute walk from the Samarinda Central Plaza. A small off the main street cafe with Western-style coffee choices, plus a simple menu and wifi.
• 1 Roti Gembong Juanda, Jl. Juanda 8, Air Hitam, Samarinda Ulu, ☏ +62 811 552 0800. 07:00-21:30. Roti gembong is a Kutai traditional bread. (updated Aug 2022)
• RM Amado, Jl. Pangeran Diponegoro No.43, Pelabuhan, Kec. Samarinda Kota, Kota Samarinda, Kalimantan Timur 75112. provide Soto Banjar, the most famous Soto Banjar in Samarinda. 33000IDR. (updated Feb 2023)

Sleep

• 1 Violand Hotel, Jl. Ahmad Yani No. 129, ☏ +62 8136 7059 437. 35 minutes away from Samarinda International Airport, this hotel is one of several hotels near the airport and has 36 guestrooms. (updated Jun 2023)

Go next

• Derawan, a common short-term destination for locals that is 1.5 hours away by plane (Susi Air). It is one of the world richest areas in marine biodiversity.

• By bus to Balikpapan

• By private boat to Pare Pare