Vehicles are one of the important things that need to be considered when planning to travel in Balikpapan. For those of you who have high mobility, car rental is the right choice. Now, you can rent a car easily only through Traveloka App. We provide trusted car rental partners. You can choose the type of car as needed while in Balikpapan. This way will make your trip in Balikpapan easier and more comfortable. See the following car rental rates in Balikpapan:

Welcome to Balikpapan

Balikpapan is the large city in East Kalimantan. Besides being the cleanest city, Balikpapan is also listed as the city with the highest living cost in Indonesia. Balikpapan is widely known as "Kota Minyak" because it is one of the largest oil producers in Indonesia. Looking back at its history, Balikpapan is one of the pioneer cities of the country's oil industry. These days, many of the world's oil and gas industries in Indonesia based in the Balikpapan City. The bays in this city are mostly used as an offshore oil refinery. With this background, Balikpapan is known as the city with the largest economy on the island of Borneo. Besides the oil sector that has become onward, Balikpapan offers wonderful tourism. The city, which earning Adipura frequently has beautiful natural tourist destinations, such as Lamaru Beach, Kemala Beach, Agro Tourism Park, Bangkirai Hill Nature Tourism and Sungai Wain Protection Forest. Although it is a large industrial city, Balikpapan is still able to maintain cleanliness and comfortable environment. People usually visit this city for business and tourism. As the condition of living cost in Balikpapan is high, using public transportation to get around the city will end up being more expensive than driving a car. For this reason, car rentals in Balikpapan are often used by tourists for time and cost efficiency.

The Most Popular Destinations in Balikpapan

1. Bangkirai Hill

Bangkirai Hill offers 1,500 hectares of beautiful tropical rainforest. In particular, people visit this conservation area because they are curious about the first canopy bridge in Indonesia. The 64-meter bridge relies as high as 30 meters on, connecting 5 bangkirai trees that still live more than 150 years old. The sensation of climbing the bridge in the middle of the dense forest offers the freshness. Balikpapan Nature Preserve is located in Samboja District, Kutai Kartanegara. The distance is about 58 kilometers from the downtown and can be reached by driving a car for approximately 2 hours. The access to this area must pass the Balikpapan – Samarinda road (Jalan Soekarno Hatta) which is long and wide. Therefore, tourists should use a car rental with a driver for a safer and more controlled trip.

2. Lamaru Beach

Located on the edge of the bay makes Balikpapan has a large number of beaches in the town area. Each beach town has its charm. For beach tours with family, Lamaru Beach is always the first choice. The uniqueness of Lamaru Beach can be seen in a row of cypress trees that seem to fence the beach from the outside world. The white sand also adds the beauty of the panorama. This beach, which is located in Jalan Mulawarman has a slightly jutting position, so it is isolated from the city crowd. Tourists often bring family and relatives to this beach using car rental. The car makes tourist easier to move positions in a wide beach area. As a family recreation destination, Lamaru Beach is very friendly for children and parents. It is because the sloping surface makes the water calm and shallow up to several tens of meters. The facilities are also perfect for the family. These facilities included tire buoy rentals, banana boats, paddle boats, mats, horse carts, horses, food stalls and souvenir shops.

3. Bekapai Park

This city park is a place for people to enjoy fresh air in the center of Balikpapan. The people's park is so beautiful, clean and well-maintained environment like an oasis in a strategic area. The tourists can find it on Jalan Jenderal Sudirman, close to Pasar Klandasan, Plaza Balikpapan and the Great Mosque. Usually, local people reach this place using either an angkot (public transportation) or on foot. Tourists who come in a group can use rental car services and park their cars in the available parking area. Bekapai Park is usually crowded in the morning and evening. People visit this park to exercise before starting other activities in the morning. Parents can also use tracks with hard floors for the foot massage. When the night is coming, Bekapai Park will be transformed into a lively colorful garden with lights, fountains and dozens of food stalls. Of course, this makes Bekapai Park become the right destination to experience the excitement of Balikpapan with a local atmosphere.

4. Borneo Orangutan Survival (BOS) Foundation Samboja Lodge

Visiting Borneo is incomplete if you have not met orangutans directly in their natural habitat. In Balikpapan, tourists can do this at BOS Samboja Lodge. As a place for breeding orangutans, BOS Foundation Samboja Lodge offers educational tours. Tourist will be invited to see orangutans directly and learn how to conserve orangutans. Sekolah Hutan (Forest School) becomes an exciting attraction because visitors can see orangutans learn, play and practice survival skills before finally released to the wild. Of course, Samboja Lodge can be an exciting destination for a family trip. Here, tourists can teach their children as early as possible to love nature and animals. To enjoy the activity totally, tourists can spend the night in the hotel that provided by the management of this area. Other facilities are also available such as a library, computers, pool tables, a restaurant and bar, swimming pool and a large parking area.

5. Pasar Inpres Kebun Sayur

Despite its name, tourists will not bring home vegetables after visiting Pasar Inpres Kebun Sayur (the Kebun Sayur Traditional Market). It is because Pasar Inpres is the center of Borneo’s souvenirs. Hundreds of East Kalimantan handicraft products are sold in this market. The flagship products that sold here are precious stones, beads, as well as batik cloth, typical Balikpapan tenun and sarong. Also, tourists can also find typical Dayak tribal handicrafts, such as traditional handmade clothes, bead hats, bracelets and rooted skull cap, traditional miniature houses and Mandau (Dayak’s traditional weapon). Pasar Inpres Kebun Sayur should be visited on the last day whenever you visit Balikpapan. It is because anyone will buy many unique things here. Moreover, all the goods in Pasar Inpres Kebun Sayur are cheap and negotiable. To enjoy your visit maximally, use a rental car that can accommodate many shopping bags. The tourist can find this market on Jalan Letjen Suprapto, Margasari, Balikpapan Baru.

6. Teritip Crocodile Farm

Besides orangutans, you can also meet giant crocodiles closer. The tourists can enjoy a scary experience in Teritip Crocodile Farm, which is located at Jalan Mulawarman No 66, Teritip, East Balikpapan. The location is approximately 25 kilometers from the downtown. Tourists can reach this place by angkot number 7. However, you should use a car rental service to make it more comfortable (especially if you travel with a group). This captivity is rehabilitating more than 1,400 crocodiles from various species, including rare crocodiles and freshwater crocodiles. The size of the crocodiles is 1 – 2 meters on average. There is also an adult crocodile that reaches 5 meters in length. The crocodiles are kept in an area of ​​5 hectares. Tourists can see the treatment of this giant reptile directly, then feed and take pictures of the crocodile from a safe, close distance.

7. Kemala Beach

Kemala Beach is mentioned as "the Bali of Balikpapan". The atmosphere on the beach reminds us of the Jimbaran’s beachfront culinary area. Similar to that popular destination of the Island of the Gods, Kemala Beach offers a seaside culinary center. The beach cafes sell various types of food, mainly fresh seafood and Western cuisine. Usually, tourists come here using car rental. They enjoy dining time while accompanied by the freshness of the beach breeze and beautiful scenery. All of that becomes perfect when the sunset. Although famous for its culinary, Kemala Beach is still able to provide complete recreation for the family. This beach offers various rides, such as banana boats and Jet Skis. The cost of renting a vehicle is around IDR 30,000 per person for a banana boat and IDR 850,000 per person for Jet Skis (1 hour duration). However, these costs are worth it to entertain your family or relatives in Balikpapan.

Traveling Around Balikpapan by Car

As an industrial city on an island with dense tropical forests, road conditions in Balikpapan are very good. However, traveling in this city is far more comfortable and safer to use a car. Moreover, the highway in this city is vast and there are a lot of large vehicles. Tourists are advised to take advantage of car rental services while visiting Balikpapan. Some main destinations are located quite far from the downtown and must through intercity roads that are quite vulnerable. The examples are Bangkirai Hill, Teritip Crocodile Farm and Samboja Eco Lodge. The car rental services with experienced drivers can accompany the tourists traveling around the city safely. Currently, online car rentals in Balikpapan are available. This method is useful because users can get complete information and can compare prices from many providers in one application only. One of Balikpapan online car rental service providers is Traveloka. The process is natural, fast, safe and the cost is affordable.

The Best Times to Visit Balikpapan

Balikpapan offers the perfect experience if visited at the best time. Read these following suggestions:

• The main attractions in Balikpapan mainly feature outdoors charm. Therefore, visit this city during the dry season to avoid the rain.
• The dry season in Balikpapan occurs in April to October. If you want to feel the warmest conditions of this city, come at the end of September to October or May.
• For tourists who do not want to feel the heat, avoid visiting Balikpapan from January to March. The city temperature in that month could reach 32 degrees Celsius.
• For budget travelers, visit Balikpapan in low season which usually occurs in between September and December. Flight ticket and hotels are cheaper during this time.

Traveling Tips by Car in Balikpapan

For a pleasant trip in Balikpapan, use a comfortable car and pay attention to the following:

• The roads and traffics in Balikpapan are quite risky for people who do not know the city’s conditions. Therefore, make it easy to travel by car rental which includes a driver.
• Choose a car rental as needed. Consider the budget, number of passengers, length of trip and desired priority.
• Rent a car from a trusted car rental provider. Tourists can choose and order on the Traveloka App. This service provides a complete and guaranteed car rental service, flexible package adjustments, also secure payments and data collection.
• Check the condition of the car before traveling. Make sure the car is in good condition and have complete letters.
• Read the terms and conditions of renting the car carefully, to anticipate various things outside the plan. Do not hesitate to ask the provider if something is unclear.
• Always save provider and driver data as emergency contacts.
• Simpan data penyedia dan sopir sebagai kontak darurat.