Banjarmasin is a city located on a delta island near the rivers of Barito and Martapura, which is found in the South Kalimantan province in Indonesia. Given its geographical setup, it is unsurprising that this capital of South Kalimantan is called the River City at times. With the size of 98.46 square kilometres and a total of 722,357 residents, Banjarmasin is among the highly populated cities in the area, making up the metropolitan area called Banjar Bakula together with the Banjarbaru city and the regencies of Banjar, Barito Kuala and Tanah Laut. It is divided into five districts. The economy of Banjarmasin is mainly driven by transportation and communication, which makes up 26.1 per cent of the city's GDP, followed by the processing industries of plywood, rattan and rubber as well as commerce.

Airports in Banjarmasin

Syamsudin Noor International Airport

Syamsudin Noor International Airport is the main international airport that functions to serve the cities of Banjarmasin and Banjarbaru as well as other surrounding areas, having located in Landasan Ulin district, which is 25 kilometres north from the city. Originally named as Airport Ulin and managed by the Government of Occupied Japan, it is now a public airport that is owned by the Government of Indonesia and operated by PT Angkasa Pura I. Covering an area of 257 hectares, with the airport terminal having the capability to accommodate about 12 aircraft at one time. Further, plans are made to expand the airport as it is currently running on an overcapacity, with 5.3 million passengers served in 2017 in the facility setup that is meant for 4 million passengers. It is located at an elevation of 20 meters above sea level with one runway measuring about 2,500 meters and is made of asphalt. There are a couple of flights to and from Kuala Lumpur via airlines such as Citilink Indonesia, Garuda Indonesia and Lion with a budget ranging around 704 ringgit to 1,264 ringgit, being mostly connecting flights.

How to Get Cheap Flights to Banjarmasin?

Traveloka is a travel search engine that makes it easy for travellers to find the cheapest flights to Banjarmasin and the nearby regency of West Kutai. All you need to do is key in the information in the search box, and the application will recommend the best trip according to your budget. It compares flight prices across some trusted airlines to help you to get the best possible deal. Use Traveloka’s price alert feature to be notified of flights in your desired price range to get the best flight price to Banjarmasin.

When is the Best Time to Fly to Banjarmasin?

The off-peak season to visit Banjarmasin as well as the nearby regions is usually in the month of December and could stretch to February which is the most humid period in Banjarmasin with a lot of precipitation. As such, one can expect travel costs to be much lesser if you are travelling around this month since the flight and accommodation prices may go down. The peak time to visit Banjarmasin is usually around the months of May, July and August due to more comfortable weather that is suited to go out, therefore expect prices to rise around this time.

Banjarmasin has a tropical savanna climate according to the Köppen climate classification that implies somewhat consistent temperature throughout the year at an average of 27 degree Celsius with no real dry season at all. Despite that, the city noticeably has drier and wetter times, in which November to May is usually the wet period whereas June to October is much drier. This is further proven by looking at the annual precipitation data, which is usually around 2,570 millimetres with the heaviest precipitation to occur from the months of December to March. The average low temperature is at 24 degree Celsius during December while the average high temperature is at 31 degree Celsius during the month of July.

When you get to Banjarmasin, you can look forward to participating in the handful of events being organized here, just like the locals do.

What are the Top 3 Things to Do in Banjarmasin?

Lok Baintan Floating Market – One of the most highly attractive places to visit in town, the Lok Baintan Floating Market is said to have been around since the days of the Banjar Sultanate in 1520. It is easily the most authentic and oldest floating market that could be found in town and perhaps in the province, with one needing to traverse the market entirely by boat.

Grand Mosque of Sabilal Muhtadin – Easily the largest mosque in town, the Grand Mosque of Sabilal Muhtadin completed its construction around the 1980s with its name given to honour the late Sheikh Muhammad al-Banjary Arsyad who worked hard to spread Islam in the Banjar kingdom back in the day.

Siring Kota Banjarmasin – This is a city park that can be found within the city area, which is the main place to gather for locals, especially during the evening after work with family and friends. It is easy to see why this is the case – the park is planted with a lot of trees, in addition to the attractions such as the gazebo, watchtower and old cultural house that has been restored by the local government as a place of attraction.