Samarinda is the capital city of the Indonesian province of East Kalimantan on the island of Borneo. The city lies on the banks of the Mahakam River with a land area of 718 km2 (277 sq mi). Samarinda was one of Indonesia's top ten Most Liveable Cities in 2022, ranks first on East Kalimantan Human Development Index and it is the most populous city on the entire Borneo island, with a population of 727,500 at the 2010 Census and 827,994 at the 2020 Census; the official estimate as at mid 2021 was 834,824.
Samarinda is East Kalimantan's largest exporter and fifth-largest importer. The city has the highest number of bank headquarters in East Kalimantan.In 2021, Samarinda Harbour became the busiest passenger port in East Kalimantan. The container port in Samarinda is also the busiest in East Kalimantan, handled more than 271 thousand twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) in 2019.Samarinda is known for its traditional food amplang, as well as the cloth sarung samarinda. As of 2021, the city has 3 bridges connecting its river banks: Mahakam Bridge, Mahakam Ulu Bridge, and Achmad Amins Bridge. The city center is on one side and the other side is named Samarinda Seberang.
Buy traditional and other food in market, or amplang (fish crackers) in Surianata next to Islamic Centre.
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Buses from the airport are cheap ($3) and convenient but slower. One company runs buses from the airport: Damri. Buses travel across Samarinda Botanical Garden (Taman Borneo), one of the largest botanical garden in East Borneo.
Two bus routes run into town from the airport. The most useful for most visitors is Route 2, which runs down Bhayangkara Road to Sungai Kunjang Station. This takes 90 minutes, running every hour 06:00-17:00, fare $3.
Taxis that are available: GrabAirport taxi, Yellow taxis (Aerocab), White taxis (Angkasa), Kilat taxi, Red taxis (Sentra), and Blue taxis (Primkopau)
Do not take illegal taxis, as they charge much more and are not licensed.
The airport has a cafe near Indomaret serving traditional Samarinda Roti Durian with distinctive Melak (West Kutai) durian flavour, and Samarinda fish cracker snacks (amplang).
