West Kalimantan · Indonesia
Singkawang travel guide
Singkawang is a city in West Kalimantan, Indonesia, home to about 230,000 people.
- Nearest airport
- PNK126 km · Supadio International Airport
- Currency
- IDRrupiah
- Time zone
- Asia/Jakarta
- Language
- Indonesian
About
About Singkawang
Singkawang (Selako Dayak: Sakawokng), or San-Khew-Jong (Chinese: 山口洋; pinyin: Shānkǒuyáng; Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: Sân-gú-yòng), is a coastal city and port located in the province of West Kalimantan, on the island of Borneo in Indonesia. It is located at about 145 km north of Pontianak, the provincial capital, and is surrounded by the Pasi, Poteng, and Sakkok mountains.
The city of Singkawang is along the west coast of Kalimantan, about halfway between the provincial capital Pontianak and the border with the Malaysian state of Sarawak. About 70% of the population of Singkawang is of Chinese descent, with most being Hakka people. Singkawang is a small trading town, famous for being multicultural and multi-religious. Singkawang has many nicknames, such as "The City of One Thousand Temples", or Amoy City (Amoy means "Girl" in Hakka). Indonesian government honored Singkawang for being one of the cleanest cities in Indonesia.
Wikipedia and Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Things to do
What to see and do in Singkawang
See
- Bajau Cape
- Cidayu Monument
- Hang Moi River
- Lotus Lake
- Pasir Panjang Beach
- Vihara Tri Dharma Bumi Raya
Do
- Raya Pasi Nature Reserve
- Sinka Island Park
- Bougenville Hill Recreation Park
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
When to go
The best time to visit Singkawang
Singkawang has no month that is both mild and dry by the measure used here. March is the warmest month, with average highs of 32 °C; December is the wettest, with about 480 mm of rain.
Comfortable means average daytime high between 18 °C and 29 °C and under 80 mm of rain in the month. Averages for 1991–2020 over the surrounding area, a grid square about 50 km across, so a coast or a nearby mountain can make the town itself warmer or cooler. Data: CRU TS v4.10, Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia (Open Database License).
Getting there
Getting to Singkawang: airports and arrival
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Supadio International Airport (PNK), about 126 km from the city centre in a straight line.
Getting in
Inadequate road infrastructure across West Kalimantan means a 140 km road trip from Pontianak is going to take three hours. Bus services between Singkawang and Pontianak are almost non-existent these days, apart from the once daily DAMRI Pontianak-Sambas service that stops by the city. Locals prefer pre-arranged 3-seater shared taxis (popularly known as travel) to get to anywhere along the Sambas-Singkawang-Pontianak route. Fare to/from Pontianak costs Rp150,000 per head, and Rp100,000 for Sambas as of August 2024.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
PNK · Supadio International Airport
Local knowledge
Eating, drinking and staying safe in Singkawang
Eat
Chinese food especially Hakka style dominates the food stalls or small restaurants, but Teochew style is also available. Minang style food can also be found here. Unique food like Rujak Ju Hie (鱿鱼炒; rojak with dried squid) is one of delicacies in Singkawang. Tofu (bean curd) Singkawang is famous in West Kalimantan, also Kembang Tahu (腐皮; silky smooth tofu with sugar gravy) is very popular in this city. Singkawang is also famous for its cakes. The variety of cakes is surprising and available from early morning till midnight. Choi Pan (菜粄:Steamed vegetable dumplings) is one of the many special traditional Chinese delicacies.
Drink
Kopi tiam (咖啡店; local coffee shop) with strong bitter robusta coffee can be found everywhere. Peaceful and safe feeling for everyone makes Singkawang to be one of the cities with lively nights.
Stay safe
There have been allegations of human trafficking in Singkawang, based upon the town's mail order bride illegal business. Most of the men who travel to Singkawang looking for young women to marry are from Taiwan, Mainland China, or Singapore. These men arrive and get in touch with brokers, these brokers then approach families with suitably aged daughters and generally offers these parents some money for each girl.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Questions
Singkawang: questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Singkawang?
Singkawang has no month that is both mild and dry by the measure used here. March is the warmest month, with average highs of 32 °C; December is the wettest, with about 480 mm of rain.
Which airport is closest to Singkawang?
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Supadio International Airport (PNK), about 126 km from the city centre in a straight line.
What currency is used in Singkawang?
rupiah (IDR).
Nearby
Destinations near Singkawang
Sources: city facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia; airports from OurAirports; climate from CRU TS v4.10 (University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit), 1991–2020 monthly means, 0.5° grid; places to stay, guest scores and amenities from each operator's own public pages. How this guide is made.