South Kalimantan – Kalsel – is Kalimantan’s most densely populated province and covers area of 37,660 square kilometers. The people of Kalsel are Banjarese, as ethnically mixed a group as one is likely to find. Their ancestors include four Dayak groups – the Ma’anyan, Lawangan, Bukit and Ngaju – as well as Malays from Sumatra, Javanese, Sundanese, Arabs, Chinese and Buginese. The Banjarese dialect is closely related to Malay.

The geography of the South Kalimantan is shaped by the Meratus Mountains that divide the region into two distinct areas. The eastern part of the province is filled with mountains covered with dense tropical rain forests, home to the “Orang Gunung” or Mountain Peoples. Collectively called the Dayak, they form the minority of region’s population. The southern section of the province is much flatter with large rivers meandering through lowlands to vast mangrove swamps along the coast, helping to make South Kalimantan an exceptionally fertile land. Many villages and settlements have been built along these rivers, particularly the Barito River, by the indigenous majority, the Banjarese. Near the coast, the province is covered with tidal swamp, some of which has been successfully reclaimed by rice farmers.

The capital city of South Kalimantan, Banjarmasin is the most interesting urban center of Kalimantan. It lies a short distance from the mouth of Barito River at its confluence with the Martapura River. The rivers are literally the life-blood of the city and everything revolves around them. They are lined with tightly packed stilt houses. A lot of business is done on the waterways; floating market flourish selling an enormous variety of goods including a tropical selection of fresh fruit such as Kesturi, a rare aromatic species of mango, durian, rambutan, butter fruit, pineapple, watermelon and banana. Near islands, in the Barito River, are populated by troops of monkeys. Banjarmasin also has hotels of all categories and many good restaurants. There are many travel packages that can arranged with travel agency to visit the Dayaks of the Loksado area or the Tanjung Putting orangutan reserve in South Kalimantan.

South Kalimantan is full of colorful and distinctive traditional arts and cultures which can be seen in its people’s ways of life, arts, dance, music, ancestral dress, games and ceremonies. Exquisite traditional and commercial handicrafts are all made from local raw materials which include a variety of precious and semi precious stones, gold, silver, brass, iron and wide variety of woods including bamboo and rattan. South Kalimantan is one of the largest wood producers in Indonesia. Extensive forests with wide variety of trees such as ironwood, meranti, pinus and rubber have helped to make the province a unique and rich natural resource.

South Kalimantan is well connected with cities all over the Indonesian Archipelago through Syamsuddin Noor airport, which is about 25 km from Banjarmasin. This busy airport handles DC9’s, allowing Merpati Nusantara, Bouraq, Sempati and Dirgantara Air to service the province. South Kalimantan can also be reached by sea at Trisakti and Banjarmasin. For interior travel there is a paved road from Banjarmasin reaches all the way to Balikpapan. By river, one can reach Palangkaraya, the capital of Central Kalimantan, from where you can explore the far interior of the island.