VISIT TO DANAU SENTARUM

         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.

1. From Putussibau by speedboat the Kapuas River downstream – 5 hours
2. 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”.