The Mahakam River is the most important traffic route in the central region of East-Kalimantan. Between the spring in the mountains and the delta along the coast, the river measures somewhere between 700 and 800 kilometers. In between several big rivers mouth in the Mahakam River. Big ships use the big river system until the highlands, where rapids eventually make any progress impossible; from there big canoos with motors are used.

The Upper-Stream

The Mahakam springs in the 1500 to 2000 meter high Müller Range, not too far from the border with Sarawak. Before streaming down about 100 kilometers to the first Dayak village, Long Apari, three side-rivers - Apari, Hubung and Kasau - join the Mahakam. After several dozen small mountain villages, the river falls down about 150 meters through several dangerous rapids. Besides several noisy longbot there is no other traffic here.
The Dayak along the Upper-Mahakam mainly live from agriculture ( ladang cultures ). Incidental income are gained from birds nests, ratten and washed gold. Because of the hard and dangerous transport through the rapids, basic goods are extensively expensife. Every once in a while a canoo turns upside down: the valuable goods are lost and sometimes also their even more expensife motors. People also get drowned regularly.

The Middle-Mahakam

The village of Long Bagun, on threehundred kilometers from the spring of the Mahakam, is the final destination of traffic on the river, besides several longbot. The river reaches the small city of Long Iram through several more than 150 km long valleys, this is the final destination of the organised, heavy traffic. A big part of the year, smaller ships will continue the trip to Long Bagun, but a period of drought in the hinterlands can cause the waterlevel to drop very fast and make traffic impossible.

To the Coast

After Long Iram, the river widens. The brown water turns through the endless lowlands to the sea. Slowly the small villages are replaced by small cities. Through the sky, the distance between Long Iram and Samarinda is about 175 kilometers but over water it's about twice that distance.
Near Muara Pahu, where a big side-river flows in the Mahakam, the hungry traveller is welcomed by a long row of food stalls. Several hours downstream, the river lingers between four big lakes. After that is streams towards the north to meet it's most important side rivers near Muara Kaman, the Kedang Kepala and Belayan.
Most boats will stop for a dinner on Senoni, about 30 km downstream from Muara Kaman. Sometimes there is cold beer or river lobster; after a visit to the inlands, Senoni is the place to be for a culinair trip.
Near Tenggarong, the governmental center of the Mahakam beaken, the river becomes a crowded traffic route for ships in all kinds and sizes. This lively crowd is kept until Samarinda, where the seaworthy ships make themselves ready for departure to Makassar Strait, 60 km to the east.