A foodie’s mecca that was,until relatively recently even touted as a rival capital to Jakarta, Palangka Raya sits sprawled out between great swathes of wild rainforest and jungle in the very heart of Central Borneo. Here, it attracts travellers with the promise of noisy bazaars and earthy dishes laden with Indonesian spices, not to mention great access to some of the most fascinating nature reserves the archipelago nation has to offer!

For those eager to catch a glimpse of this would-be global city in action, the heady fray of the Pasar Besar and the Pasar Kahayan markets awaits in the centre; a hubbub of bartering locals, purring scooters and colourful assemblages of regional foodstuffs and handcrafted clothes. Nearby at JAlan Sudarso, bubbling pots of soto Banjar soup and the salty aromas of barbequing river fish belie the best places to savour legendary Kalimantan cuisine.

Away from the throbbing streets, Borneo’s backcountry also beckons with Palangka Raya tour guides pointing travellers to the leopard-dotted tracks and monkey canopies of Mount Tangkiling, or the famed Nyaru Menteng Orangutan Centre in the jungle.