BANJARMASIN

1. Kampung Kraton: Unfortunately the Dutch pit paid to most of this magnificent building and its grounds during the occupation of the archipelago, however, you can still visit it remnants and it is here you can see the 300 year old Masjid Sultan Suriansyah. This was the first Mosque in South Kalimantan and built during the rule of Pangeran Samudera. There is also a royal burial site.

2. Masjid Raya Sabilal Muhtadin: The intricately adorned interior of this giant modern mosque that was completed in 1981 will astound you and it’s the second largest in Indonesia. It is a tranquil place set in lawn grounds.

3. Museum Waja Sampai Ka Putting: At one time this was an old Banjarese traditional house in the style of Bubungan Tinggi. Interesting collection of artifacts will hold your interest here.

4. Floating Markets: Get yourself an early start with this site as it trades is from dawn until around 9am. The canoes bounding off each other on the waters are a colourful plethora of foods from the area being traded and haggled over. Journey takes around 20 minutes by boat. The one great thing about this floating market is that you can sit at one of the cafes along the waters edge and the boats will come to you from which you can select your breakfast!.

5. Pulau Kembang: Translated it means ‘flower island’. Here you can visit the long-tailed macaques at a rather decrepit looking Chinese temple and you can buy nuts to feed them, however, the monkeys are quite aggressive and will try to steal it from you so be extra careful.

6. Pulau Kaget: A great place to see the famous Proboscis Monkey. There is no guarantee that you will see them though as they are really shy. But that is part of exploring anywhere – surprises happen.