Sentarum Lake in Sintang Regency, West Kalimantan Province

One of the most popular tourist sites in Sintang Regency of West Kalimantan Province is called Sentarum Lake. The location is near to the border between Sintang and Kapuas Hulu Regency, actually. The local government even gave a national park title to this site. Not to mention tourists can find three different highlands where they can witness the lake from above. These include Tekenang, Lanjak, and Nanga Kenelang Hill. That means they can choose a certain viewing spot to enjoy sightseeing and photography, depending on where they come from! Still, the accessibility is considered difficult, as tourists need to use a boat to reach the location later. Here is further discussion about the lake.

The Nuance
As mentioned before, Sentarum Lake features three famous hills called Nanga Kenelang, Lanjak, and Tekenang. Most visitors come from nearby regions, especially Sintang and Kapuas Hulu Regency, without a doubt. In terms of size, the lake is indeed vast. It resides on Sentarum National Park, which has a total area of 1320 km per square. No wonder, people consider it as the biggest national park in Asia. Various species of flora and fauna live in that area, too!

Exploring Sentarum Lake
Due to the unspoiled environment and lushness, Sentarum Lake is popular among adventurers and nature lovers. The first thing to enjoy is trekking at available hills! Later, tourist can enjoy sightseeing from the top of the hills, as well. Moreover, each of the hills offers a different difficulty and landscape. As an alternative, tourists can simply take a boat in order to reach the lake and explore nearby rivers. One thing, this activity would cost some money, so everyone should have prepared some budget beforehand.

For the information, Sentarum Lake has abundant water only in 10 months of the year. At the rest months, the lake becomes shallower and creates several small ponds. Lots of fishes can be seen clearly at these times. No wonder, lots of locals and outsiders take advantage of it for fishing! They can get more fishes only when the lake is receded. Don’t forget to carry a fishing rod and other required equipment, though.

What is next? Aside from witnessing the beauty and fishing, tourists come to Sentarum Lake for certain reasons. For instance, they want to see various species of flora and fauna. It is said more than 500 species of plants grow in that area. As for animals, more than 140 mammals live comfortably there! Another thing to see is the presence of local tribes who live nearby. These include Punan, Dayak Iban, Kenyah, and Sontas Tribe!

Nearby Attractions

• Batang Ai National Park
• Betung Kerihun National Park

How to Get There
For outsiders, it is recommended to reach the first checkpoint, which is Pontianak City. The best way to get there is indeed by airplane. From Jakarta City, in this case, tourists can take an airplane service at Soekarno – Hatta International Airport and head to Supadio Airport at Pontianak right away. This flight usually takes around 1 hour and 25 minutes. From Supadio, they should take another flight and reach Sintang Regency afterward. This time, the flight would take only about 40 minutes. From Sintang, they can use local transportation service and head to Semitau. As an alternative, they can take Bandong or traditional longboat to get there faster. From Semitau, they should take a speedboat and head to Lanjak. Have no worries. This long and tiring trip is quite worthy.

Where to Stay

• Sendang Banyu Kahuripan Hotel
• Badau Permai Hotel
• Multi Sentosa Hotel