Balikpapan overview

This sleepy fishing village on the east coast of Borneo really hit the big time when oil was discovered. Fans of kerosene, paraffin, diesel and gasoline will be fascinated by the refinery best viewed from one of the surrounding hills at sunset. Those who manage to tear themselves away from the refinery might like to marvel at how clean the surrounding streets are. If you are very quiet and lucky you may even see an Australian or American ex pat in the commercial district. Those arriving by air will probably fly into Sepinggan International. One hour by car away is an orangutan sanctuary, which encourages visitors to volunteer to help out. Even though it is an oil producing town, Balikpapan suffers frequent power cuts, so pack a torch.