A strait sunset
Over the Makassar Strait.
Central Balikpapan's seafront, a beach and promenade where families gather in the evening to watch the sunset over the Makassar Strait, with oil tankers and anchored ships on the horizon, for Balikpapan has been Kalimantan's oil town for more than a century. The promenade has stalls and simple restaurants serving grilled corn, seafood and drinks, and the area comes alive in the late afternoon. The beach is sandy but not the best for swimming; it is a place to stroll and sit. It is free and always open, and the food is cheap and mostly halal. Come before sunset and sit with a drink to watch the sun set into the sea. For swimming, Manggar beach in the east of the city is better.
Over the Makassar Strait.
Ships on the horizon.
Cheap food.
Central Balikpapan, on the seafront
It is not ideal, being a city beach near the port. Manggar Segara Sari beach east of the city is cleaner and better for swimming.