Betung Kerihun National Park
Betung Kerihun National Park (previously Bentuang Karimun) or Taman Nasional Betung Kerihun (TNBK) is the largest national park in West Kalimantan province, Indonesia. It is situated in Kapuas Hulu, along the Malaysian border. The park was established in 1995, and has a total area of 8,000 km2. Together with the 2,000 km2 Lanjak Entimau Wildlife Sanctuary in Malaysia, it has been proposed to form a World Heritage Site named the "Transborder Rainforest Heritage of Borneo".
Betung Kerihun National Park is hilly and mountainous topography, with altitudes ranging from 150 m to almost 1,800 m. The topography is characterized by steep slopes, with more than half of the park area having slopes over 45%. The highest peaks are Mount Kerihun (1,790 m) and Mount Lawit (1,767 m). Expanse of hundreds or rivers are prominent characteristic of TNBK. The park is located at the headwaters of the Kapuas River. The park largely consists of two ecoregions, Borneo montane rain forests, which covers about 2/3 of the area, and Borneo lowland rain forests.
Betung Kerihun National Park with unique landscape and high biodiversity has several attractions and challenging tourist destination. It is the best moment to explore the potential of biodiversity or around the area are still widely open.
In the lowland forests the dominant emergent tree is dipterocarp species, which are replaced at higher altitude with oaks (Quercus and Lithocarpus ssp.) and chestnut trees (Castanopsis ssp.). At least 97 species of orchid and 49 species of palm have been identified in the Park.
The fauna of the park is rich, with 300 species of bird (25 endemic to Borneo), at least 162 fish species and at least 54 mammals. The park is home to endangered Bornean orangutan and seven other primate species: Müller's Bornean Gibbon, White-fronted Surili, Maroon Leaf Monkey, Southern Pig-tailed Macaque, Crab-eating Macaque, Sunda Loris and Horsfield's Tarsier.
Several Dayak tribes, including Dayak Iban, Dayak Taman, and Dayak Bukat live in the park. There are 12 villages in and around the park, 2 of which are located inside the park (Nanga Bungan and Tanjung Lokang) and 6 are adjacent to the park boundary. They live from hunting, collecting non-timber forest products and subsistence farming based on a pattern of shifting cultivation.
Getting to Know the Traditional Houses of West Kalimantan
Indonesia is a country of Bhinneka Tunggal Ika, where there are many provinces inhabited by various ethnic groups. Not only the culture and cuisine are different, the traditional house designs of each province are also different. Traditional house designs have their own philosophy and function. It’s no wonder that none of the designs are exactly the same, including the West Kalimantan traditional house belonging to the Dayak tribe named Rumah Radakng. Radakng’s house is often also referred to as a long house. This term really describes the state of a…
A Piece of Heaven Called Temajuk Beach in Sambas
Temajuk marks the point where Indonesia ends and Malaysia starts. Not yet known to many domestic and international travellers, Temajuk Village features a tidal beach with soft, white sands dotted with granite rocks. Underwater sightseeing is made possible as the water is clear. Temajuk beach, actually running at a very long 60 km of coastline, is a tidal coast area featuring soft, white sand and preserved environment. One thing that differs this beach from Balinese beaches is portruding granite rocks distributed evenly throughout the coastal environment. In places, granite rocks…
Sinka Island Park, Singkawang – West Kalimantan
Sinka Island Park Singkawang is a small town in the west Kalimantan, but there are many interesting tourism inside the town. One of popular destinations in Singkawang is Sinka Island Park; there is a zoo which has many kind of animals and a recreational park family vacation and playground for children. Sinka Island Park is located in ” kelurahan sedau”, ” kecamatan Singkawang selatan”, around 9 km from Singkawang center. To reach this park, from Singkawang center you can go to there by bus, motorcycle, and our personal vehicle. In…
Enjoy The Culinary And The Palace On Pontianak
Pontianak Pontianak is officially the capital city of West Kalimantan province, the ethnic of Tionghoa call this city as Khun tien. This city is famous as the City of Equatorial for it passed by the earth zero degrees latitude. The name of Pontianak was belived had something to do with the folk tale about Syarif Abdurrahman which was haunted by the ghost of Kuntilanak when he walked along the 1.1 megameter Kapuas River, which is the longest river in Indonesia. Abdurahman Sharif had fired the cannon to drive away the…
