Sangalaki Island is a small island covering an area of 15.9 hectares. This island is one of the islands that are part of Derawan Archipelago. Derawan Islands is a group of islands famous in the world. Aside from Sangalaki Island, another famous island of Derawan Islands are Kakaban and Derawan Island. Sangalaki Island located in the waters of the northern peninsula of Berau.
Administratively, Sangalaki Island located in Berau Regency of East Kalimantan Province. Most sea turtles in the world are an endangered species. That includes species hawksbill and green turtles that live on Sangalaki Island. Not only that, but Sangalaki Island is also a major nesting site for green turtles in Southeast Asia.

Therefore, it makes sense Sangalaki Island has a turtle conservation facility that is very good. Not so hard to find a turtle on Sangalaki Island. When you are walk on the shore visible some traces of turtle. Usually this turtle come to Sangalaki Island at night. At night can be found dozens of turtles that come here. Each year a total of more than 3,700 turtles who come to this island.
The turtles came to Sangalaki Island to lay eggs, especially when the sea water was high tide. Activities of the turtles lay their eggs on Sangalaki Island arguably a natural spring. Because after the completion turtles lay eggs, eggs that have hatched would be monitored. If it is not safe position where turtles bury their eggs, then there will be a few officers from the Natural Resources Conservation Center (BKSDA) which move the eggs to another location that is considered more secure.

Some animals such as lizards who also lives on Sangalaki Island known to prey on turtle eggs. One adult turtle can lays about 100 eggs. Every night there are more than 20 adult turtles laying in Sangalaki Island. Because they spawn in a close time, so when there will be thousands of children hatched turtles called “tukik” or hatchlings were scrambling for first towards the sea. Unfortunately, although the number of newly hatched hatchlings could reach thousands, but only a few of them will survive to adulthood.

When just touched the waters there are some hawks flying above the ocean lurking hatchlings. An eagle is capable of consuming 3 to 4 turtle hatchlings. Not to mention the various predators prey hatchlings were at sea. Even when they are grown and large with a strong shell, still not safe from predators.

There are sharks are known to prey on adult turtle with strong canine teeth and able to snag a hard shell turtles. From the thousands of hatchlings that hatched on Sangalaki Island, only dozens who managed to live to adulthood. Most of adult turtles will return to Sangalaki Island to spawn. Unlike Derawan Island of fully developed for tourism purposes, only 3% of Sangalaki Island built. The rest is left in as natural a state as possible. Because it is on Sangalaki Island more emphasis in conservation and ecology. But that does not mean there are no facilities at all here. There are some facilities is available that provide various best facilities for snorkeling, diving, up to the inn.

To get there:
To reach Sangalaki Island, you may take an airplane from Soekarno-Hatta airport in Jakarta to Sepinggan airport (BPN) in Balikpapan. From Sepinggan, you may take a Deraya airplane to the capital of Berau city, Tanjung Redeb. Deraya serves commuter and chartered flights. During this journey, you may see the life of the local community in the Kalimantan hinterlands which are not influenced by modernization.Upon your arrival in Tanjung Redeb, you have another journey by speed boat along the Segah River to Sangalaki. In total, it takes about 8 to 9 hours from Jakarta to Sangalaki. In addition to visiting Sangalaki, you could also visit equally interesting neighbouring islands such as Maratua, Derawan, and Kakaban islands.

Maratua island is one of the outer islands in Indonesia that located in Sulawesi Ocean and it bordered with Malaysia. Maratua island is administratively located on Berau regency, East Kalimantan.

Maratua is a small and long island, and it has sharply curve at the edge and it located at the south side of Tarakan city.

Maratua Island is also part of Derawan Islands.

By the strategic location and the richness of its marine, Maratua island is now popular by the Travelers from many countries. The tourists who give visit to this island are mostly spending their time by doing swimming, snorkeling and diving. Hence, this Maratua island is popular by its name of Paradise island.

www.indonesia-tourism.com

Bangkirai Hill

Bukit Bangkirai is a natural tourism area which is managed by PT. Inhutani I Unit I Balikpapan. This tourist area is located in Samboja District, Kutai regency, East Kalimantan. Bangkirai hill can be reached by traveling overland for 1.5 hours from the city of Balikpapan.

This tour offers the charm of a tropical rain forest that is still natural, and facilitated with some infrastructures like restaurants, hall for meetings, a swimming pool and jungle cottage or cabin. In this area there is a canopy bridge along 64 m that hanging in 5 Bangkirai’s trees at a height of 30 m. The bridge is the first editorial in Indonesia, second in Asia and the eighth in the world. Its construction was made in the United States.

The age of this canopy Bridge is expected to be able to survive for 15-20 years according to age and durability of materials. If you want to travel to Canopy bridge you will enter through the path with dense forests where there are shady trees therein.

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Bontang

Bontang is a city in East Kalimantan province, Indonesia. The city is located about 120 kilometers from Samarinda, directly have border to the East Kutai regency in the north and west, Kutai Kartanegara regency in the south and Regency Makassar Strait in the east.

In this city stand three large companies in different fields, Badak NGL (natural gas), East Kalimantan Fertilizer (fertilizer and ammonia), and Indominco Mandiri (Coal) and has a petrochemical industrial area called the Kaltim Industrial Estate. Bontang city itself is oriented in the industrial, services and trade.

Date back to the early begin, Bontang city was just only a village which was located in watershed and then change to be a city. Formerly, Bontang was also had simple governance, which lead by the elder man named Petinggi or the official.

As the time goes by, Bontang continued to grow . In 1952 it set to be a village led by the Indigenous Elders called Tetua Adat. At that time the leadership was divided in two: the things related to the governmental was under the Kepala Kampung or a headman. While, the things related the custom was under the headman called Tetua Adat Jauh.

There is no particular meaning of Bontang in some traditional languages around Borneo. According to the folklore, Bontang name was arrive from the Dutch acronym “bond” or group/colony, and “tang” is come from the Indonesia word of Pendatang or immigrant. This refer to the condition in Bontang itself, that much more have some immigrant like in Balikpapan or in some area in Kalimantan.

Bontang cis known for its industries and services, those two sectors have provided the main income for this area. Moreover, inside the three giant companies, they complete their manufacture with modern facilities like, housing facilities for employees, sports facilities, recreational spot, playgrounds, hospitals to hotels, those would add to regional cash from the service sector. The service sector and manufacturing industry are the two field operations which absorb the most labor in Bontang people.

Those three giant companies are the economic main support in Bontang. The existence of the giant companies has increased the trade activity with the emergence of new demand for commodities of daily life purposes.

The best part in Bontang is the Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) which become the main commodity that sustains the economy in Bontang. This city is awarded the natural resources, especially natural gas which is in very large amount. It’s a bless.

Looking from the tourism sector, Bontang also has potential in its tourism related in their coastal area with white sandy beach. There is also a fisherman village that can be a tourist attraction. The popular destination in Bontang is like, Beras Basah Island, Segajah Island, Bontang Kuala and Kutai National Park. They also have potential in marine aquaculture with competitive commodities such as shrimp, crab, grouper, shrimp, lobster, red snapper, sea cucumbers, seaweed, and oysters and those are in great demand by foreign markets.

www.Indonesia-Tourism.com

Balikpapan

“Gawi Manuntung Waja Sampai Kaputing”, this is the Balikpapan slogan taken from Banjar language which mean, when starting a job should be accomplish perfectly. Balikpapan, is Indonesia city part of East Kalimantan province. A resource-rich region well known for its timber, mining, and petroleum export products.

There are some folklores that indicate the early begin of Balikpapan name, but there are no one for sure mention the right history about the name. Balikpapan, according to Bahasa Indonesia, balik is behind and papan is a plank. One of the folklore said that it comes from a folk story where a local king threw his newborn daughter into the sea to protect her from his enemies. The baby was tied beneath some planks, which were discovered by a fisherman

The early history of this city was influenced by some details, the era of Kutai reign that give the authority to the VOC and Dutch East Indies. On the era of Dutch East Indies, this government finally bought the area from the Sultan of Kutai Kertanegara. to support businesses, particularly for petroleum mining operations by establishing an oil refinery, operating offices and employee housing, this contribution is still exist until this day which become Pertamina settlements staffs.

Moreover, during world war II, Japanese fleet captured Balikpapan from Allied troops and the Dutch East Indies. under the leadership of Sakaguchi Shizuo. The Indonesia independent proclamation was late to find out in this town, which was about 1945-1946. Finally in 1949, this area submitted to the Government of the Republic of Indonesia States, which continues to the Republic of Indonesia.

Balikpapan is a rich city in its province. Some multinational corporations conduct business activities in East Kalimantan province. Such companies as Pertamina (Indonesia), Total S.A. (France), ChevronTexaco (US), Schlumberger (France), BakerHughes (US), Weatherford (US), Thiess Contractors Indonesia (Australia), and Halliburton (US) use Balikpapan as their base of operations in the region. Governmental public services also attract many people to work in this area, with presence of Bank Indonesia, Finance Department, Port of Semayang, and several others.

The local inhabitant in this city is still dominated by Javanese, which mostly are the transmigrant from other island, other ethnic who stay in Balipapan is Tionghoa, Banjar, Paser, Kutai, Bugis, Batak and other minor ethnics. The local people are mostly speak in Paser language or Banjar language, or just speak in Bahasa Indonesia. Other tradition or way of life is refer to each tribe related. There is no particular culture or tradition indicate the Balikpapan culture, because this is a city which become the land of transmigrant and expatriate.

Even Balikpapan is an industrial city, there are some destination that still become the tourism attractions like Bangkirai Hill Nature Tourism, Crocodile cultivation, The refinery, The People struggle Monument, Wanawisata KM 10, Bakapai Park, Wain river forest protection, Australian monument, Manggar segarasari beach, Melawai beach, Agro tourism and Japan monument.

www.Indonesia-Tourism.com

East Kalimantan

East Borneo is the second largest province in Kalimantan. This province is ao rich with its natural resources that coming from two main cities of Samarinda, which is the capital and the center of timber product, and Balikpapan as a petroleum center with oil refinery. Since Indonesia start the mineral and natural resources for foreign investment in 1970s, East Borneo become the center area for those exotic forest products like timber and petroleum. Moreover, the existence of Pertamina as an oil refinery company from the Royal Dutch Shell company in 1965 make East Borneo become rich province in Kalimantan Island.

At early begin, this province was the location of the eldest Hindu Kingdom of Kutai. The popular history remain about Kutai is about the ancient manuscript of Pallava which is written on Sanskrit language.

East Borneo has several ethnic people that live in. Most people acknowledge that Dayak people is the main ethnic, but there is also one important ethnic that have an important role since the history remain, that is Kutai People. Kutai people is the East Borneo indigenous that occupied the coastal region of East Kalimantan since earlier. Besides, other ethnics that live in East Kalimantan are Bugis, Javanese and Makassar. Bugis and Javanese language is the second main language that being used by the local inhabitant. Most of Bugis people stay in Kalimantan, Samarinda, Sangatta and Bontang. While Javanese mostly stay at Samarinda and Balikpapan.

East Kalimantan is mostly depends on earth resources activity such as oilfield exploration, natural gas, as well as coal and gold mining. Those are the main sector for their economic field. However, the agriculture and tourism object is also become the addition for their commodity. East Kalimantan has several tourist destination such as Derawan Islands in Berau Regency, Kayan Mentarang National Park ini Nunukan, Crocodile Husbandry in Balikpapan, deer husbandry in Penajam, Dayak’s (native Kalimantan people) Pampang Village in Samarinda and many others.

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The BLUE SKY HOTEL is located in the west side of the Oil City of Balikpapan, five minutes drive from Major Oil Company offices and twenty five minutes drive from Sepinggan International Airport, which makes it the perfect location for our business or pleasure trip to Balikpapan.

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Superb cuisine as available in our Golden Palace Suki and Oriental Restaurant, Kaizeki Japanese Retaurant, Garden Coffee Shop and Island Seafood Restaurant. Enjoy tea and coffee at our Lobby Piano Lounge or Sunset Lounge (on the Executive Floor at level eight) or perfectly mixed cocktails in the Color Beat Pub & Lounge or at our Wine Cellar – An abundance of choice with wonderful facilities to delight both the business and holiday traveller.

We can offer excellent conference and banqueting services tailor made to suit any meeting or ocassion. Our well equipped facilities include the magnificent Kalimantan Ballroom which can be divided into nine separate conference rooms. In addition 2 new meeting rooms and a new Board Meeting Room and also a Business Center complete our extensive range. Round the clock Room Service, Body Fresh Health Club & Spa and Drug Store all combine to ensure that you have a wonderful experience at the BLUE SKY HOTEL.

Blue Sky Hotel
Jl.Letjen Soeprapto No.1 Balikpapan, Kalimantan Timur
Phone : +62 542 735844/45
Fax : +62 542 424094
Email : bluesky1@indo.net.id
Website : http://blueskybalikpapan.com