Banjarmasin

Banjarmasin is the largest city in South Kalimantan. The city population was 625,395 at the 2020 census. Average temperatures vary from 24ºC to 32ºC. The weather is mostly hot and it still has rain even if it is hot season.

Introduction to Banjarmasin

The official founding date of the city is 24 September 1526, but its history is older than that. From the time of the ancient kingdom of Nan Serunai, to the Buddhist kingdom of Tanjungpuri and the Hindu kingdom Negara Dipa and its succesor Negara Daha and the rivers of Southern Kalimantan were always been the favorite spot of the (Malay) people. That’s why Banjarmasin old name was “Bandar Masih”, meaning the port of the (Malay) in Dayak Bukit dialect. In the chaotic time of civil war between the rightful heir of Negara Daha, Pangeran Samudera and his uncle, Pangeran Samudera was forced to flee for his life. At this time, Bandar Masih received him warmly, stopped paying taxes to his uncle and support Pangeran Samudera’s fight to get his throne back. When his uncle finally surrendered, Pangeran Samudera decided to make Bandar Masih his new capital, converted to Islam and begun his rule over the new Islamic Kingdom of Banjar. His day of victory was then celebrated as Banjarmasin’s birthday.

The name "Bandar Masih" slowly changed into "Banjarmasin" as the water tastes salty when in dry season (salty is "masin" in Banjarese language). The Kingdom flourished and back in its golden era, its power enveloped almost all of the area of what is now Indonesia’s part of Kalimantan. After the fierce Banjar War which produced a lot of highly-revered local heroes such as Pangeran Antasari, however, it was forced to surrender the colonial Dutch, following the total destruction of the palace ground and the capture of the last Banjarese Princess (Ratu Zaleha).

Banjarmasin continued to be the capital of Dutch Borneo throughout the colonial era. Even after the forming of the Indonesian Government, Banjarmasin was the former capital of Kalimantan province until it was divided into 4 provinces (West, East, Central and South) and then it became the capital of South Kalimantan. Little is left of its previous glory, but Banjarmasin silently kept her forgotten charm in unexpected places for the persistent travellers to find.

How to travel to Banjarmasin

Fly to Banjarmasin

• Syamsudin Noor the international Airport IATA Flight Code: BDJ There are daily Flights from major Indonesian city's including Jakarta and Surabaya, as well as Flights from most other city's in Kalimantan, such as Pontianak and Balikpapan. To go to the city, you can take a taxi (with fixed rate of Rp320,000 as of March 2022) or better yet, tell your hotel to pick you up. Or, if you walk about 2 minutes to the street outside of the airport, you should be able to share a mini-van which costs Rp35,000 to go to kilometre 6 terminal.

How to travel to Banjarmasin by car

The roads of Trans-Kalimantan are in bad condition, but if you’re patient and adventurous you can try to reach Banjarmasin from the neighbouring provinces of Central Kalimantan and East Kalimantan by car.

Travel by ship/cruise to Banjarmasin

Another alternative to get to Banjarmasin is by ship from various places in Indonesia to Banjarmasin’s main harbour, Trisakti. Be forewarned that the condition of passenger ship transportation in Indonesia is poor, albeit cheap and you might want to consider that before spending the night (at least 1 night if you come from Java). You best option 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. Plus and there are ferries from Semerang and Surabaya, both on Java. There's a ferry every 2 days between Surabaya and Banjarmasin.

The ferry between Surabaya and Banjarmasin is 21 hours. If you have a problem with cigarette smoke, thit is not a good method of travel. Smoking is permitted in the sleeping area. There are no cabins. Muslima travelling alone will receive a considerable amount of male attention. The food is not good.

Travel by boat to Banjarmasin

Alternatively, if you are coming from the neighbouring provinces of East Kalimantan and Central Kalimantan and there are a lot of boat transportations through the rivers of Kalimantan. This could be an adventurous or boring ride depending on your taste. A range of boats are available, from slow moving boats to speedboats. It’s a great choice if you are extremely adaptable with the local residents’ way of life.

How to get around in Banjarmasin

Your best option would be the metered taxi, insist the driver to use the meter if you have to. Alternatively, you can use “angkot” or “bamikro” or public shuttle microbuses (Rp5,000 per passenger), which are also called “taxi” by the local residents. Also available is by "ojek" (motorcity taxi) and "becak" (tricycle rickshaw), that cost around USD2.00-2.50 or Rp35,000 - 20,000 for inner city trips. There are some really old orange-colored "bajaj' (auto rickshaw) on the city streets as well.

Another options is to hire a motor bike. Amelindo Bike Rent offers motorbikes from Rp85,000/day. And for a Rp60,000 service fee and they will bring the motorbike to or pick it from a given address.

With the arrival of "online taxi" transportation services like GoJek/GoCar and Grab, visitors and local residents alike can now get around the town at a much cheaper rate by downloading and using the associated mobile applications. A ride across town in a new vehicle can be as affordable as Rp40,00-25,000. More traditional taxis are comparatively expensive in Banjarmasin (often charging a minimum fee of Rp70,000, even for a ride as short as crossing the street). Make sure you use Indonesian phone number! Good luck.

What to see in Banjarmasin

Architectural legacy

Banjarese and 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. The palace ground was totally destroyed by the colonial Dutch, but you can still visit its remnants in Kampung Kraton, along Jalan Pangeran Samudera. There, you can see Masjid Sultan Suriansyah. Built during Pangeran Samudera’s rule, it is the first Mosque in South Kalimantan and contains the royal burial site.

• Museum Waja Sampai Ka Puting - this was an old and genuine Banjarese traditional house in "Bubungan Tinggi" style (one of the 12 styles and the most bona fide one) before it was transformed into a museum.

• Masjid Sultan Suriansyah - The oldest mosque in South Kalimantan, more than 300 years old.
• Masjid Raya Sabilal Muhtadin - a giant modern mosque completed in 1981 and the second largest in Indonesia. The name was taken from a very popular Classical Islamic Jurisprudence Written by Syeikh Muhammad Arsyad Al-Banjary called “Kitab Sabilal Muhtadin” means “the right path”.

Rivers

Pandukuhan di Banjarmasin - Pandukuhan di Banjarmasin

Banjarmasin is abundant with wide and mighty rivers. The rivers have always been a part of Banjarese way of life. Every morning there are floating markets in which farmers and traders bring their goods to trade on boats. It has always been a farmers’ market and it’s interesting to see the river-based way of life. The rivers are also the main venues for boat races and other festivities.

The main attractions are the waterlogged suburbs traversed by canals; much of the city's commerce takes place on water.

• Floating markets - trading is from dawn until around 09:00. Get there early. Journey takes around 20 minutes by boat.

Actually, in South Kalimantan and there are three floating market.

• Canal trips : There are many destination or ways for canal trips, for example : kelayan river, kuin river, or other small rivers around Banjarmasin

• 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. There is an entrance fee of Rp 250,000 and on Sunday it is Rp 650,000 (prices correct as of January 2023).

• Pulau Kaget (lit. Surprised Island) : see the proboscis monkey (Nasalis larvatus) and the mascot fauna of South Kalimantan. No guarantee you will have a good look at them, though, as they are really shy.

• Pulau Bakut Island under the bridge : here there is also proboscis monkey. Rp 800,000, which can be haggled down (price correct as of January 2023). You don't go onto the island but you can see from the monkeys from the boat.

To reach these islands, you will need to employ a local to take you by boat. One recommendation is to contact a tour guide called Mukani, who has 20 years' experience. Telephone +62 813 511 94444. Alternatively, you can ask around and negotiate a price.

Muslim Travel Tips

In Sunday mornings, people from Banjarmasin have a tradition of walking, running, jogging, cycling or go with whatever you want toward the suburbs that is called "Pal Tujuh". There and they would go to the "Pasar Ahad" or "Sunday Market" which opens only on Sundays. Enjoy local treats such as Ketupat Kandangan and Apam as your warm breakfast over there.

• Waterboom Alfin Large outdoor swimming swimmingpool with some slides and other attractions.

1. You should visit the place called 'Siring Banjarmasin' ,there are a lot of seller that sell so many varieties of fruits and they are selling it on their boats. So it called "floating market" in banjarmasin.

2. Siring Pierre Tendean. This place is nice to spend the family time, especially on weekend. People are coming from various places to enjoy the small, kind of replicaton of floating market, sellers, etc. What is more interesting is that people can try the motor boat (ketolok in Banjarmasin).

3. We can trace the river in banjarmasin by using "klotok" (small motor boat) and the journey will start from siring to the port in front of the mayor's office then back to siring

4. Fishing in Martapura River is also one of the activites that Banjarese people or the tourist do. There are some fish you can get like Haruan, Papuyu, Sapat, Patin, Lele and many more. So,prepare your fishing equipment and join the local group to get local fish in Banjarmasin

5. Why don't you try going to Duta Mall in the center of town. You can find a lot of things to eat there.

Shopping in Banjarmasin

• Semi-precious gems and stones.
• Rattan products.
• You can buy original clothing from Banjarmasin, it calls "Sasirangan". Now, sasirangan fabric can be applied into other things like bags, shoes, viels and so on.

You can also buy souvenirs like amplang, local labelled T-shirt, Accessories with Banjarmasin's logo/attributes.

Halal Restaurants & Food in Banjarmasin

Banjarese love their Vegetarian foods and even though they are most of the times very excited about other kinds of foods and they adore their own local specialties more than others. The ones in restaurants, malls, or foodcourts are fine for beginners, but to find the real taste of Banjarese food, you have to go to hidden places in small streets because there you’d find the ones that are famous among the local residents. Foods that are available throughout the year and are very popular with the local residents:

• Soto Banjar - "Soto" is a type of Indonesian soup. Soto Banjar is a uniquely Banjarese variant of Soto, popular in other places throughout in Indonesia. Don't miss the chance to try the real and genuine taste in its place of origin! Soto in Banjar meant that it is served with lontong, while Soup is served with Rice, for the same meal.
• Apam - Although not specifically Banjarese and the Apam here has its own twist. Enjoy it sweet and warm, accompanied with tea.
• Bingka - A specialty of Banjarese, it came in many flavours. The pride of the Banjarese people, it's very sweet and creamy.
• Ketupat Kandangan - It's actually a specialty of Kandangan, but you can also find it in Banjarmasin. Known as a festive food, especially favored during Eid al Fitr.
• Klepon Buntut - Similar to Klepon, a palm sugar filled Snacks coated with grated coconut found across Java, however this one has smoother texture and the flling is more liquidy.
• Nasi Kuning - it's Legit, can't get enough with this food, you guys must try it.

However, in the month of Ramadhan the Banjarese went all out with their traditional delicacies. Heaps of wadai (traditional cakes) and other treats mostly unavailable throughout the year will suddenly appears in Ramadhan. Though most travel guides won't suggest you to travel during the month of Ramadhan in Indonesia, it's an amazing experience to see the emergence of many "Pasar Wadai" (Cakes Market) all over the city, with treats such as:

• Amparan Tatak - banana pudding. It's so sweet and creamy with coconut milk.
• Bingka Barandam - Although named "bingka", tasted nothing like it. It's somekind of a cupcake soaked in sweet syrup.
• Putu Mayang -

Apart from localities there are 3 KFCs, 2 Pizza Huts and a Dunkin Donuts. If local taste doesn't suits you, go to Duta Mall and you'll discover National as well as International famous outlets.

One should try the Banjarese tea, which is somewhat different with the teas found elsewhere in Indonesia.

It is a strongly Muslim area, so don't expect to find alcohol outside large hotels.

if you have interest to find tropical fruit there's one new agrotourism area at banjarmasin its named Mek farm. there you can find and try some original tropical fruit its might be hard to find at other place. like durian, avocado, keledang, some kind of kalimantan local manggo and there is a restaurant too. the restaurant serve only Indonesian traditional food.

It's easy to find the farm. It's about 5 kilometers from the airport and you can use taxi, vehicle rent or local transportation service like angkot and becak.

eHalal Group Launches Halal Guide to Banjarmasin

Banjarmasin - eHalal Travel Group, a leading provider of innovative Halal travel solutions for Muslim travelers to Banjarmasin, is thrilled to announce the official launch of its comprehensive Halal and Muslim-Friendly Travel Guide for Banjarmasin. This groundbreaking initiative aims to cater to the diverse needs of Muslim travelers, offering them a seamless and enriching travel experience in Banjarmasin and its surrounding regions.

With the steady growth of Muslim tourism worldwide, eHalal Travel Group recognizes the importance of providing Muslim travelers with accessible, accurate, and up-to-date information to support their travel aspirations to Banjarmasin. The Halal and Muslim-Friendly Travel Guide is designed to be a one-stop resource, offering an array of invaluable information on various travel aspects, all carefully curated to align with Islamic principles and values.

The Travel Guide encompasses a wide range of features that will undoubtedly enhance the travel experience for Muslim visitors to Banjarmasin. Key components include:

Halal-Friendly Accommodations in Banjarmasin: A carefully selected list of hotels, lodges, and vacation rentals that cater to halal requirements, ensuring a comfortable and welcoming stay for Muslim travelers in Banjarmasin.

Halal Food, Restaurants and Dining in Banjarmasin: A comprehensive directory of restaurants, eateries, and food outlets offering halal-certified or halal-friendly options in Banjarmasin, allowing Muslim travelers to savor local cuisines without compromising their dietary preferences in Banjarmasin.

Prayer Facilities: Information on masjids, prayer rooms, and suitable locations for daily prayers in Banjarmasin, ensuring ease and convenience for Muslim visitors in fulfilling their religious obligations.

Local Attractions: An engaging compilation of Muslim-friendly attractions, cultural sites such as Museums, and points of interest in Banjarmasin, enabling travelers to explore the city's rich heritage while adhering to their values.

Transport and Logistics: Practical guidance on transportation options that accommodate Muslim travel needs, ensuring seamless movement within Banjarmasin and beyond.

Speaking about the launch, Irwan Shah, Chief Technology Officer of eHalal Travel Group in Banjarmasin, stated, "We are thrilled to introduce our Halal and Muslim-Friendly Travel Guide in Banjarmasin, a Muslim friendly destination known for its cultural richness and historical significance. Our goal is to empower Muslim travelers with accurate information and resources, enabling them to experience the wonders of Banjarmasin without any concerns about their faith-based requirements. This initiative reaffirms our commitment to creating inclusive and memorable travel experiences for all our clients."

The eHalal Travel Group's Halal and Muslim-Friendly Travel Guide for Banjarmasin is now accessible on this page. The guide will be regularly updated to ensure that Muslim travelers have access to the latest information, thus reinforcing its status as a reliable companion for Muslim travelers exploring Banjarmasin.

About eHalal Travel Group:

eHalal Travel Group Banjarmasin is a prominent name in the global Muslim travel industry, dedicated to providing innovative and all-inclusive travel solutions tailored to the needs of Muslim travelers worldwide. With a commitment to excellence and inclusivity, eHalal Travel Group aims to foster a seamless travel experience for its clients while respecting their religious and cultural values.

For Halal business inquiries in Banjarmasin, please contact:

eHalal Travel Group Banjarmasin Media: info@ehalal.io

Ramadan Celebrations in Banjarmasin

Ramadan 2025 in Banjarmasin

Ramadan concludes with the festival of Eid al-Fitr, which may last several days, usually three in most countries.

The next Ramadan shall be from Friday, 28 February 2025 to Saturday, 29 March 2025

The next Eid al-Adha shall be on Friday, 6 June 2025

The next day of Raʾs al-Sana shall be on Thursday, 26 June 2025

The next day for Mawlid al-Nabī shall be on Monday, 16 September 2024

Muslim Friendly Hotels

• There are many hotels at Jl. Angkasa by the Banjarmasin airport, in walking distance to the airport.

• Swiss Belhotel
• Save Hotel
• Hotel SAS
• Hotel Istana Barito
• Hotel Arum
• Hotel Victoria
• Hotel Roditha, rates from USD75. Full air-con, free breakfast, slippers and cable TV.
• Hotel CitraRaya, rates from USD 17. Full air-con, free breakfast for two.

News & References Banjarmasin

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