Danau Sentarum National Park (DSNP) ,is located in a remote area of the
upper Kapuas River called "Kapuas hulu" in West Kalimantan province,
of Indonesia Borneo, and situated close to the Malaysian border of Malaysian
Sarawak, and is approximately 700 km. inland from the West Kalimantan
provincial capital, Pontianak. DSNP is an area of connected big lakes and
seasonally flooded by the tropical rains, as the water streams down from the
cloud Rain Forest hills of the surrounding area.
West Kalimantan 's Danau Sentarum National Park wildlife has 120 species of
fish, Among them are the Asian bony tongue, toman, betutu, jelawat, belida,
ketutung, and the beautiful clown loach. Other animals like proboscis
monkey, orangutan, estuarine crocodile, siamese crocodile, clouded leopard,
great argus pheasant, false gavial, and wooly-necked stork also inhabit this
national park.
a. Accessing the park and facilities
You can access Danau Sentarum national park either
from Nanga Suhaid, which is located south-west of Danau Sentarum or from
Lanjak, which is directly situated at the north-eastern edge of the park. A
journey through the entire park is possible. You can start the trip in Nanga
Suhaid heading towards Lanjak or vice versa.
Not only
the rich fauna and flora makes a journey through the park worthwhile but also
the living of the inhabitants in and around the park. Many houses in the small
villages are built on tall stilts and are connected by small bridges. But you
can also see floating houses situated on rafts made of large tree trunks. The
majority of the people living in the park are Malay, while the Dayak live
mainly around the boarder of the park.
1. Nanga Suhaid
Nanga Suhaid can be reached by boat only – speedboat
or longboat. You first have to travel either to Sintang or Putussibau. Please
refer to “Getting there and away” for more details about travel options to
Putussibau or Sintang.
- From Putussibau by speedboat the Kapuas River downstream – 5 hours
- From Sintang:
Ø
First to Semitau by
bus, 4 hours, – or by speedboat 5 hours
Ø
From Semitau by
speedboat to Nanga Suhaid and further into the park
 |
| above longboat |
You can find accommodation in Semitau. In Semitau it
is also possible to stay in “Lanting” (floating inns). Here you can also
arrange the journey into the park either by speedboat, longboat or motor
bandung – a kind of houseboat.
Note, there is no office of Danau Sentarum national
park in Nanga Suhaid or Semitau. Therefore you need to apply for an entry
permit in advance either in Pontianak or Sintang.
2. Tekenang Hill/ Bukit Tekenang
 |
| in addition to the guesthouse DNSP |
Bukit
Tekenang is located in the park. From the top of the hill you have a great view
over Danau Sentarum national park. It takes approximately 45 minutes by
speedboat from Lanjak to Bukit Tekenang. There is a fairly pleasant Guesthouse
at Bukit Tekenang, which invites for an overnight stay. The guesthouse is a
facility of the DSNP management.
b. Best time for a visit
Danau Sentarum national park can be visited throughout
the entire year. But one should keep in mind that during rainy season –October
to May – water levels are quite high. During that time the lakes of Danau
Sentarum national park may grow to a single water mass and many swamp forest
areas are inundated. As a consequence one may only spot the canopy of the lower
swamp forest areas. A boat trip during that time over the lake offers an
impressive experience though.
During
dry season starting from June until September many lakes may dry out entirely.
And at its end the landscape may be turned into grasslands with islands of
forest traversed by small rivers. During dry season one has a good chance to
explore all areas of swamp forest. If you are also interested in the cultural
living and traditions of local communities around the park, April to June is a
good time to come to Kapuas Hulu. During these months many communities have
their traditional “Adat festivals”.
