Garuda Indonesia Colours Magazine August 2016 | Page 100

96

Travel | Tarakan

© David Metcalf

Tarakan is the gateway to some
of the last pristine rainforest in
Kalimantan, much of which is
accessible by small canoe.

I have visited the city of Tarakan on several occasions,
never staying more than one night. For me, it’s an overnight
stay as I hurry off to explore the many wondrous sights nearby,
such as the pristine 150-million-year-old rainforest and the many
Dayak tribes still living close to their traditional ways in remote
villages, or jet off on a boat to take in some of the stunning
pristine tropical islands.
This is all within three hours of Tarakan;
but on a recent journey, I decided to stay
a bit longer and see what this city of
230,000 residents really has to offer.
One of the first things I discovered was
a 21-hectare forest right in the middle
of the town full of large, very active proboscis
monkeys. I was told by the hotel concierge
to make my way into the forest around
9am for feeding time. He said it would
be a certainty that I would come in close
contact with these large mammals. I obliged
and found myself there at 9am – the only

person in a damp, swampy forest,
camera in hand and no monkeys.
By 9.30am there were still no proboscis
monkeys, and it was starting to get
unbearably hot. I had thoughts of going
back to the hotel and complaining to
the concierge when suddenly I heard
the deep, ancient sound of a wild animal
quite close and a bit unnerving.
Suddenly, branches started cracking, trees
began to sway, and I was surrounded by ten
of these large primates as they came for their

morning feed. I was mesmerised watching
these huge monkeys swing and dive between
trees right in the middle of a city, and I am
sure there is nowhere else on earth this
happens. This is not a zoo, but a forest
preserve that somebody many years ago
had the vision to protect, and it now
provides a haven for these creatures.
The reddish-brown proboscis monkeys
(called ‘Bekantan’ by the locals) typically
grow up to 90cm tall and weigh 15 to 20kg.
They are native to the island of Borneo.
Tarakan is an island situated about 100km
south of the Malaysia border in eastern
North Kalimantan. North Kalimantan split
away from East Kalimantan and became its
own province in 2012. Seventy per cent of
this province contains original, pristine
forest, so it has a lot of potential for
eco-tourism.
The original inhabitants of Tarakan are
the Tidung people, a sub-tribe of the