Exploring Pontianak, the Old City is Kalimantan’s West Coast

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Pontianak, the capital city of West Kalimantan, is not necessarily known for its tourism activity, but that doesn’t mean that this place is a dire destination. On the contrary, just like many cities in Kalimantan, Pontianak has wonderful natural surroundings.

Kadariyah palace. via Instagram/_muh.arif

Visiting Pontianak is interesting due to the many man-made parks and monuments in this city. Here are some of the nice places you can explore when visiting Pontianak.

Taman Khatulistiwa

Equatorial Monument. via Instagram/rolandbp

Literally means the Equatorial Park, you can find a monument that was erected to mark the exact spot where the equator line is. The monument is roughly three kilometers away from the center of the city. The monument has somewhat become the icon of this city, giving Pontianak a nickname of equator city.

Taman Alun-alun Kapuas

Taman Alun Kapuas. via Instagram/pontinesia

This park is the actual center of the city, just in front of the city hall. This is the favorite hangout place for youngsters in Pontianak. At night, the water fountain comes alive with not only a great water dance but also nice lighting play.

Melayu Traditional House

Rumah Melayu. via Instagram/baka.neko.baka

Melayu or Malay is one of the dominant ethnic group in West Kalimantan. As such, you can see the Malay cultural items almost everywhere. One of the most prominent is the Melayu Traditional House. This is a relatively new building, only constructed in 2003 and inaugurated in 2005.

Kadariah Palace

The interior of the palace. via Instagram/_muh.arif

This is the royal palace of Kadariyah Sultanate. This palace was built in 1771 by Sultan Syarif Abdurrahman, located some four kilometers from the center of Pontianak. Apart from the traditional house, you can also find a lot of Sultanate’s heirloom such as the throne, Pecah Seribu mirror, hand-written Quran, and many more.

Kampung Beting

Kampung Beting. via Instagram/ang.anggun

This kampong is the old town of Pontianak. This community is practically built on top of a river, so you can see stilts absolutely everywhere. Exploring this kampong is easy on a small boat, just like when it was built some centuries ago. Exploring this kampong will give you the image of what Pontianak years ago.

Digulis Monument

Digulis Monument. via Instagram/pontinesia

This monument was buit in honor of eleven Pontianak clerics that was exiled to Boven Digul by the Dutch colonial government. The monument is in the form of eleven spiky bamboos located on the roundabout of Tanjungpura University.

Waterfront Pontianak

The waterfront. via Instagram/daeng_aandy

This waterfront park is built at the bank of Kapuas River. It is essentially a stretch of a park with a wonderful view of the river. This park is a nice place to spend an afternoon as there are many sitting benches, a nice walk, and beautiful photo spots.

Tugu Khatulistiwa. via Instagram/pontinesia

Pontianak is a surprisingly a culturally rich city, with a long history and many spots to visit. You can learn a lot about the history of this city or enjoy a leisure walk at the picturesque riverside.

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