Balikpapan is East Kalimantan's main port and air hub, a prosperous oil city with better infrastructure than most of Borneo. Most travelers pass through on the way to Samarinda and the Mahakam River, but the city itself has real assets worth a day or two: the Wain River Protected Forest on the northern edge of town shelters orangutans and proboscis monkeys in 10,000 hectares of lowland rainforest, and Bukit Bangkirai, 45 minutes out, has a canopy walkway through old-growth dipterocarp forest.
The city has a reputation for cleanliness unusual in Indonesian cities of its size, and the oil wealth has produced decent roads and facilities. Melawai Beach on the bay is the main evening gathering spot, ringed by seafood warungs with views across the water. The Battle of Balikpapan Memorial recalls the city's role as one of the most contested points in the Pacific War — it changed hands twice, in 1942 and 1945. With the new Indonesian capital Nusantara being built just north of the city, Balikpapan is growing fast — construction workers and government contractors have added to its already international character.