If you're expecting to see half-naked, heavily tatooed Dayaks striding down the streets of Balikpapan or Pontianak, you'll be disappointed, because your first impressions of Kalimantan, which occupies the southern two-thirds of the island of Borneo, are likely to be of oil refineries and timber mills. Timber and mining interests have penetrated deep into the jungles, bulldozing and chainsawing at an alarming rate, fouling rivers and leaving indigenous cultures reeling from the social and economic intrusions of the 20th century.
The popular images of Borneo stem from the exaggerated accounts of early European explorers, though the stories surrounding Kalimantan's inland Dayak villages are indeed the stuff of legend - tattooed head-hunters, 'lost' tribes and exotic wildlife. Samarinda is the best starting point for fascinating longboat river trips to villages such as Tanjung Isuy, Muara Muntai, Melak (with its 5000-acre orchid forest) and Long Iram. Unfortunately in some tourist precincts packs of visitors in search of an 'authentic' Dayak experience pay by the hour to see the 'primitive cultures'. Tanjung Puting National Park, in central Kalimantan, is home to a vast variety of flora and fauna, including crocodiles, bear cats, orang-utan, monkeys and dolphins.

The equatorial river city of Pontianak, in west Kalimantan, is best seen at sunset, when its backlit houseboats and sweeping river vistas make Balinese sunsets look pathetic. Make use of the canals to explore the city and soak up its Chinese-Indonesian atmosphere. In the evening, young men crowd the wobbly wooden boardwalks along the south bank of the river to fly huge paper kites. Highlights include the wooden Mesji Abdurrakham royal mosque and the Javanese and Sulawesi-style schooners in Pinisi Harbour. Pasir Panjang's pristine beaches are close by, and the city is a great starting point for boat trips up the Kapuas.