Suherdjoko, Contributor, Balikpapan, East Kalimantan

Suherdjoko, Contributor, Balikpapan, East Kalimantan

Something will be missing from your trip if you do not see
Kalimantan's famous forest.

Such an experience is possible at Wisata Alam Bukit Bangkirai,
a tourist resort offering a back-to-nature experiences in
Kutainegara, East Kalimantan, where one can roam stretches of
forest area by moving from one tree to another along a canopy
bridge -- a hanging bridge connected to a number of trees as high
as 30 meters off the ground.

At the bridge, about 30-meters long, one can feel strong winds
blowing, which causes the bridge to sway.

The bridge is safe though. It is constructed by the Canopy
Construction Association of the United States. Three Americans
and three Indonesians, led by Robert Oates, built the bridge
after surveying the trees for a month in January 1998 to find out
whether they would be good enough for the bridge. It took the
team another month to build the bridge, the construction of which
was completed in March 1998.

This bridge, which is the outcome of cooperation between the
team and state-owned forestry firm PT Inhutani I, will be strong
enough for 15 to 20 years, or about when the supporting trees
will die.

The bridge comprises steel wires spanned between trees and
wooden planks for footsteps. There is also a fence on both sides
of the steps for safety.

So far, the team has built two canopy bridges. One is the main
bridge connecting five trees, with a winding wooden staircase
around the trees and to reach the bridge one has to climb 123
steps.

The second canopy bridge, located about 200 meters away from
the main bridge, is smaller in size, connecting two trees and
spanning only 15 meters. To get to this bridge one does not have
to climb up but simply takes a path and steps onto the bridge.

At the bridge, one can look around, savoring a great variety
of trees or enjoying the chirping of birds. For the experience, a
local visitor pays Rp 10,000, while a foreign visitor pays Rp
20,000.

"It's really worth it. I have never climbed a tree some 30-
meters high before. It's nice walking along the canopy bridge,"
said Indah, a visitor from Surabaya.

"At first, I was afraid, but then when I learned that it was
really safe, I got up there. The idea to set up this bridge is
great," said Atik, Indah's friend.

The Bangkirai Canopy Bridge is easy to reach once you arrive
at Sepinggan International Airport in Balikpapan or Balikpapan
harbor. There, you can proceed by car heading to Banjarmasin. The
resort itself is about 58 km away from Balikpapan and takes two
hours to reach.

According to resort staff member Jali, around 400 visitors, a
third of them foreigners, visit here every Sunday.

"Some of the tourists are afraid to get on the bridge," he
said. He added that one who feared heights or suffered from heart
problem was not advised to try.

The resort area, a protected forest free from illegal logging,
covers about 15 million hectares.

Bintoro Wardianto, chairman of a tourism surveying team in
Balikpapan, and his colleague, Yusuf Ernawan of Surabaya-based
Airlangga University, said the bridge attracted people to come,
as well as local Dayak people's culture and performing arts.

"More people would come if the road was better. If the road is
in poor shape like it is now, it's hard to get through during the
rainy season," Ernawan said.

Apart from the bridge, one can enjoy orchids at the tourist
resort as it houses various species like black orchids (Coelegyne
pandurata) and sugarcane orchids (Grammatophyllum speciosum).

At night, one can enjoy the sight of unique, phosphorescent
fungi that emit light in the darkness.

"Locals call these fungi Flores fungi, root fungi or umbrella
fungi. They are all radiant at night. To be able to enjoy these
phosphorescent fungi, you must go along a path at night," said
Suparno, a local guide.

Unfortunately, birds chirping can only be heard from a
distance. At times, the birds perch on very high trees. According
to the guide, the place is home to various birds like Buceros
rhinoceros -- locally known as enggang birds.

This resort is also a site for captive breeding of sambar deer
(Coruus unicolor). Tourists visiting the 3.5-hectare captive
breeding site may touch these tame deer.