Pontianak is the capital of the Indonesian province of West Kalimantan, on the island of Borneo, and bisected by the Equator. The city is mostly populated by ethnic Chinese, Dayaks and Malays, as well as significant numbers of minorities such as Bugis and Javanese.
The word pontianak — probably from bunting anak, "pregnant with child" — means the "undead vampire" of a woman who died during childbirth. Disguised as a beautiful woman, the pontianak goes around murdering unwary men in cold blood without showing any remorse, harming pregnant women and eating babies, but she can be controlled by plunging a nail into a hole in the back of her neck.
The most convenient way to explore Pontianak is either by taxi or rented car. The entire Pontianak is integrated by road link, parts of which are not well maintained. There are also plenty of cheap (Rp2,000) public buses but sometimes it can be kind of adventure to use them since the buses are not well marked, drivers and most of the locals do not speak English and the orientation is difficult. Also there are boats crossing the river and this is in general the most convenient and the cheapest (Rp1,000) way to get in to the other side.
1 Tugu Khatulistiwa (Equatorial Obelisk). It is built directly under the 0 degrees equator line. It is 11 km from the city centre and is comparably easily and quickly reachable by public buses (Rp2,000). There you can learn lots of interesting facts about the equator and to see how unique is Pontianak, one of the few cities in the world situated exactly on the equator line. There are friendly English-speaking staff and a souvenir shop, actually maybe the only one in Pontianak. Local tourist Rp10,000, international tourist Rp20,000. (updated Dec 2025) 2 Kalimantan Barat Museum, Jl. Jendral Ahmad Yani.
Sungai Kapuas (Kapuas River) divides Pontianak into two different sides. Get a boat ride along the river about five or six o'clock local time and you will see amazing views along this river. The locals who live along this river taking a bath in this river during these hours throughout the year. A unique tradition that should not be missed. During the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, there is a Meriam Karbit festival that is well worth visiting. Gawai Dayak is a festival that celebrates Dayak culture and runs in June, but they also do smaller events in May & July. Similar to festivals in Sarawak. Digulis Park in Pontianak is one of the best spot for walk, jog, or sightseeing.
Pontianak is quite popular among domestic tourists due to its wide range of food with strong cultural touch, most notably the Chinese. There are plenty of eating options for culinary adventurers, from street hawker food to local restaurant culinary to internationally franchised fast food. Street hawker food, where you can taste the local delicacy such as Beef Rice Noodle & Beehoon (fried, with soup, dried), Seafood Noodle (with soup & dried), Nasi Goreng (fried rice with chicken, beef), Nasi Uduk, Kwe Kia Theng (Teochew phrase, rice noodle in soya sauce soup with pork and intestines (optional), Bakso (fish or beef ball soup), Sate (chicken or beef satay), Kari Peng (Teochew phrase meaning c…
Try a local Pontianak drink made from aloe vera called es lidah buaya. 1 Kedai Sajadah Mualaf, Sungai Jawi Luar, Pontianak Barat. M-Sa, 09:00-16:00. Serves es lidah buaya. (updated Nov 2022) There are various coffeeshop with prices ranging from Rp10,000 to Rp50,000 in local variant and modern ones (air-conditioned and selling machine made)
Pickpockets and motorcycle thefts are quite common in town. Exercise necessary caution even when being in a shopping mall. Most commonly stolen are items left on motorcycles, such as helmets. Make sure you lock things in the bike or take them with you. Most shopping mall parking lots have CCTVs and security, but the occasional helmet theft can still occur.
Guide content from Wikivoyage contributors (CC BY-SA) — abridged; the full article has much more.
In Aug, Pontianak typically sees ~31°C daytime highs and 24 rainy days.
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