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Banjarmasin
Largest city in South Kalimantan, Indonesia

Banjarmasin

Banjarmasin is the largest city in South Kalimantan, Indonesia.

Plan a trip to Banjarmasin→From Balikpapan

It was the capital of the province until 15 February 2022. The city is located on a delta island near the confluence of the Barito and Martapura rivers. Historically the centre of the Banjarese culture, and the capital of the Sultanate of Banjar, it is the biggest city in South Kalimantan and one of the main cities of Kalimantan. The city covers an area of 98.37 km2 (37.98 sq mi) and had a population of 625,481 as of the 2010 Census and 657,663 as of the 2020 Census; the official estimate as of mid 2025 was 682,360. It is the third most populous city on the island of Borneo.

Get in

Getting to Banjarmasin

  1. 01
    Syamsudin Noor International Airport
See

Worth seeing

Banjarese, the name of South Kalimantan’s ethnicity, have a unique way of building their houses and other structures in harmony with nature. There are at least 12 types of traditional Banjarese houses, which have unfortunately lost their popularity in modern times. Still, you can see a few houses that were built with traditional techniques all over Banjarmasin if you really search for them.

  1. 01
    Museum Waja Sampai Ka Puting
  2. 02
    Masjid Sultan Suriansyah

    The oldest mosque in South Kalimantan, more than 300 years old.

  3. 03
    Masjid Raya Sabilal Muhtadin
  4. 04
    Pasar Terapung Siring Banjarmasin

    Jalan Siring Tandean,.

  5. 05
    Menara Pandang Banjarmasin

    A four story observation tower of peculiar architecture from which you can view the Martapura River and expanse of Banjarmasin.

  6. 06
    Siring Martapura River Park/Bekantan Statue
Do

Things to do

There are many destination or ways for canal trips, for example along the Kelayan River or the Kuin River. Pulau Kembang (lit. Flower Island) - visit the long-tailed macaques at the decrepit Chinese temple, 20 minutes by boat. You can buy nuts to feed them. The monkeys are quite aggressive if you have food and will try to steal it from you.

  1. 01
    Waterboom Alfin

    Jalan Tembus Mantui, Kelayan Selatan, Banjarmasin Selatan.

Eat

Where to eat

Banjarese loves their local cuisine. While restaurants, malls, or foodcourts are fine for beginners, to find the real taste of Banjarese food, you might have to join the locals among hidden places on the streets. Warung Warteg Pal 2 -, Jl. Ahmad Yani No.92-143. Traditional local streetfood, made with lots of passion. If you like Banjarese food, this is the place to go. Food Court at Duta Mall, in the center of town.

How locals move

Getting around Banjarmasin the local way

  • Get inYou best bet is Express Ferry where it’s available, 8 hours from Java, and 2 days + 2 nights of sea trip from Jakarta Tanjung Priuk Harbor Passenger Terminal.
  • Get inPlus, there are ferries from Semerang and Surabaya, both on Java.
  • Get inThere's a ferry every 2 days between Surabaya and Banjarmasin.
  • Get inThe ferry between Surabaya and Banjarmasin is 21 hours.
  • Get inA range of boats are available, from slow moving boats to speedboats.
  • Get aroundAlternatively, you can use “angkot” or “bamikro” or public shuttle microbuses (Rp5,000 per passenger), which are also called “taxi” by the locals.
  • Get aroundAlso available is by "ojek" (motorcity taxi) and "becak" (tricycle rickshaw), that cost around USD2.00-2.50 or Rp15,000 - 20,000 for inner city trips.
  • Get aroundThere are some really old orange-colored "bajaj' (auto rickshaw) on the city streets as well.

From Wikivoyage: Banjarmasin, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us. Last edited 2026-01.

Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Muhammad Haris (CC BY-SA 4.0), Wikimedia Commons.