Sambas

Sambas is a regency that is located in the north-west of West Kalimantan. Sambas used to have a few kingdoms, the most famous one the Sambas Royal Sultanate with its palace “Istana Alwatizkhoebillah” and its first sultan “Sultan Sulaiman”. After the Indonesian independence, the Sambas sultanate merged into the territory of the Indonesian Republic and today Sambas has become an autonomous region. The majority of the population in Sambas is of “MelayuPuak”, “Melayu Sambas”, Chinese or “Dayak” origin. There are many traditions and customs that the “Melayu” community still maintains until this day. To the west of the region is the NatunaSea, to the south it borders Singkawang region, to the east the Bengkayang region and to the north it borders with Serawak (east Malaysia).

Get in

There are two ways to reach Sambas, the first is by plane from Jakarta to Kubu Raya (Supadio airport) where several methods of transportations are available such as Taxi or Bus. The distance between Supadio airport and the town of Sambas is approximately 240km. Traveling to Sambas passes through the city of Pontianak, the town of Mempawah and Singkawang. The estimated travel time from Supadio airport to the town of Sambas is approximately 6 hours including an hour of resting time. The cost of using an airport taxi is approximately Rp 600,000-700,000, however by using a travel taxi the cost is approximately Rp 135,000-150,000. The second way to reach Sambas is by crossing the border of Sarawak (East Malaysia), however the quality of the road is still poor and under maintenance.

Get around

“Ojek” (motorcycles) can be booked to get around Sambas

See

• Istana Alwatzikhoebillah. The Sultan's palace is beautifully situated at the junction of 3 rivers: little Sambas river, Teberau river and Subah river. The original palace in this location was built by Sultan Muhammad Tajuddin I (Raden Bima) who regined from 1668-1708. The current palace building dates from the reign of Sultan Muhammad Mulia Ibrahim Shafiuddin who ruled Sambas from 1931-1944 and was executed by the Japanese occupation forces in 1944. The graveyard of the Sultan is located nearby the palace and is locally known as Makam Sultan Mohammad Tsafioedin. The palace is constructed entirely from ironwood with golden yellow as its dominant architectural colour. The complex includes a mosque, built in 1885, in a synccretic Javanese mosque style using a tall, multi-level timber roof instead of the more globally ubiquitous Islamic dome.
• Sebedang Lake

Do

• Fishing. There are various activities to do in Sambas, such as fishing shrimps at night in Kartiasa, Sambas. Rowing in the evening on the Sambas river, by renting a small boat to enjoy the view.