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Bang Saen

Bang Saen is a beach town on the Eastern Gulf Coast of Thailand. It is the closest beach to Bangkok.

Understand
Bang Saen is a town that is famous throughout Thailand. It is the closest pleasant beach getaway spot from Bangkok as well as any provinces north of Chonburi. Most visitors typically come from provinces to the north and northeast of Chonburi. It is much closer, cheaper and more free of hassle than Hua Hin or Pattaya's beaches.

Bang Saen is a sleepy town weekdays. The town is a host to a major university, Burapha University. During the day, most of the people you will see are students. On weekends, travellers, families, and groups of friends come from surrounding areas or other provinces in Thailand to spend a day at the beach.

Nearly all of the visitors to Bang Saen are Thai. There are foreign tourists all year round, though they are small in number. There is a Scandinavian Village in Bang Saen, with probably 200-300 residents. Many menus and shop names are in English as well as Thai.

Bangsaen Beach legend
The story goes that there was a fisherman's village that had Kamnun Bire as the headman. He was widowed and had a handsome son, who was named Saen. Many ladies in the village aimed to marry him, but he did not care about any of them. One day, Saen went to play with a kite on the beach, but the waves and the wind were very strong, so the string snapped and his kite flew away. After the storm gradually subsided, Saen tried to find his kite, so he climbed a mountain. Then he found a lady who had picked up his kite on the mountain peak. Her name was Sammuk, and she was so beautiful that Saen fell in love with her. He wanted her to give his kite back they got to know each other. After that, he came to see her every day, and both of them loved each other more and more. A couple of months later, Saen gave a ring to Sammuk and promised that they would love each other till the end of the world. If they broke the promise, they would commit suicide by jumping down the mountain where both of them first met. Then one day, Bire found out the truth then he was furious and did not allow Saen to see Sammuk. She waited for Saen every day until she heard a rumor that Bire would provide a lady to marry Saen. Both Sammuk and Saen felt sad, but they could not do anything. During blessed water ceremony on the wedding day, Sammuk turned over the ring to Saen and jumped off the mountain immediately. She jumped off the mountain as they had promised, then Saen jumped off following Sammuk. Bire was very upset and built a memorial monument for Saen and Sammuk.

Get in
The only way into Bang Saen is by van or bus. It is close to Sukhumvit Rd. So you can take transport directly into Bang Saen, or take any transport that goes along Sukhumvit (which is usually either to or from Bangkok or Pattaya).

Bus from Bangkok Arrive at Bang Saen either directly or via Pattaya. If you take a bus to Pattaya, you must get off at Nong Mon Markets (tell the bus driver you want to stop at Nong Mon). You can take a bus to Pattaya or Bang Saen from Mo Chit or Ekamai bus stations in Bangkok. The thing about taking a bus to Pattaya is that they come far more often and the buses to Bang Saen may only stop at Nong Mon and continue further south anyway.

Minibus Minibus stations are at Victory Monument in Bangkok. There are a few stations that go to Bang Saen. There is one very close to Center One (just outside of McDonalds) and there is one next to Century Plaza. They are the fastest ways to Bang Saen and usually go directly into Bang Saen and stop at either Laem Thong or near Burapha Hospital, though it depends the company. If you can't find a minibus to Bang Saen, you can take a minibus to Pattaya, but ensure that you get off at Nong Mon (tell the van driver specifically).

From Nong Mon into Bang Saen via songthaew (red bus) Songthaews will usually always travel to and from Bang Saen Sai 2. Sometimes though for special occasions they will travel to and from Bang Saen Sai 1. Tell the driver where you would like to go to. The trip is 10 baht, paid on exiting, although it could be 15 or even 20 baht if late at night.

Taxis usually cost from 700-800 baht from Bangkok to Bang Saen (excluding the expressway tolls). Expect about 500-600 baht from Suvarnabhumi Airport (excluding the 50 airport fee and expressway tolls).

If you are going from Pattaya, take a bus to Bangkok and ask the driver to stop at Nong Mon.

Get around
There are two main transportation methods in Bang Saen. Either a motorcycle taxi or a songthaew. There are two colours of songthaew operating in Bang Saen, the red ones generally operate between Bang Saen beach, along Long Haad Bang Saen Road (where both Burapha University and Laemtong shopping centre are located), and then north along Sukhumvit Road to Chonburi town. The orange ones usually head south from Nong Mon market, along Sukhumvit Road, to Si Racha.

Drink
Along Long Had Bang Saen Rd, but before the corner of Bang Saen Sai 2 Rd there are numerous pubs and 2 clubs. Browse around before entering anywhere. The 2 clubs are Burdoc, which plays both Thai and English music and Be Chic, which plays Western music.

Sleep
There is a whole range of accommodation, from the cheapest being a small fan room for 150 baht to luxury hotels for 3,000 baht.

title: Bang Saen


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Bangsal

Bangsal is a tiny little port in northwestern Lombok, about 1 km away from the town of Pemenang. It's strictly a transfer point on the way to and from the Gili Islands, and few people hang around here any longer than necessary.

By shuttle bus
If arriving in Lombok from Bali by ferry and you haven't booked an end-to-end travel package then getting from Lembar to Bangsal can sometimes be problematic. You can take a shuttle bus service to Bangsal from Lembar, Mataram or Senggigi with

By public boat
The only reason to come to Bangsal is to travel to and from the Gilis, and that means you have to deal with the Koperasi Angkutan Laut (Sea Transport Co-operative), which monopolises transport to the islands. Try to get to Bangsal by 10:00 or earlier as boats go in the morning. The public boat office in Bangsal may close at 16:00, make sure you have checked the departure times back to Bangsal from the Gillis. Public boats operated by the Koperasi run in the afternoons however the late afternoon services are operated by the Koperasi Shuttle boat at a slightly higher tariff. See the individual Gili articles for detailed information on this. Public boat leaves/arrives on the beach, not the wharf. Expect water up to ankle or above depending on weather conditions.

 * Departing to Gili Islands from Bangsal. In theory, it's very easy. Upon arrival at Bangsal beach buy a ticket for the Public boat; Rp 18,000 to Gili Air, Rp 21,000 to Gili Meno and Rp 23,000 to Gili Trawangan (Jun 2024). These prices are per person/per trip. Buy your ticket and then wait until enough people show up (20-50p depending on boat). More may board and overload the boat. Early in the morning, this rarely takes over an hour. You will be told by the ticket sellers when it's time to go. Normally that information is broadcast over the Public Address system. Tickets are numbered and colour-coded. If you arrive at Bangsal later in the day you may be in for a longer wait. If you aren't in the mood to sit around, you can charter an entire boat to Trawangan or the other two islands. This may present a reasonable alternative if you can share the cost with a few fellow travellers and the practice is quite common. The official Koperasi Charter boat price from Bangsal to Gili Air/Meno/Trawangan is Rp 560,000/650,000/750,000 one-way, Rp 1,000,000/1,150,000/1,300,000 both way (Jun 2024). Negotiated private charters may be higher or lower than this figure depending upon both availability and your own negotiating skills. Don't talk to too many people as they may possibly all then seek a commission from the boat operator, hence driving the price up. Try to just pick one person to negotiate with, preferably the actual operator rather than a tout or helper and then negotiate slowly, calmly and with great patience.
 * Official prices and Koperasi operations. Details of the official Koperasi boat service prices and services are detailed in the three articles covering Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno and Gili Air.
 * Bangsal Cowboys. Life is made harder by the touts hanging around the port who will seriously hassle you to buy boat tickets to the Gilis from them. They use various ruses including claiming that your ticket is no longer valid, that tickets have sold out, or are unavailable. They also work hard on people arriving in the afternoon trying to install a state of fear that there are no services running when in fact there are both Public boats and later supplementary Shuttle boats running. Do not believe them and do not give in to them as they are normally just trying to play a game of deception. Above all, do not let them lead you to any alternative 'ticket offices' or informal arrangements. They will claim it is real office. Many travelers had been tricked to go to a small shack on the right on the way to the Jetty. Instead just head further toward the water and turn left at the end of the approach road where you will see a large sign, the ferry terminal and the real ticket office. The ticket desk is inside, in the north eastern corner of that building. It is normally manned by polite and friendly girls. There are also toilets in there for those who may require them. The "cowboys" will be hanging around and about, avoid small talks with them. Also watch out for new 'friends' who will talk about mosquito borne illnesses as part of casual conversation. They may try to guide you toward nearby shops where mosquito repellent and coils are marked up excessively or sell to you directly at absurdly marked up prices. Don't waste your time haggling over the prices as there are fairly priced alternatives at the shops on the islands.

The way to sidestep this hassle is to book an organized tour with someone like Perama that will take you directly to the Gilis for around Rp 100,000 per person, bypassing Bangsal entirely. Another alternative is to Go to Teluk Nare 4-5 km south of Bangsal and charter a speedboat to your island. Many chose to pre-arrange their transfers with a hotel or dive operator. Such transfers normally depart from the much less frenetic Teluk Nare.

If you are travelling from Bali, you might consider the Fastboats, they will drop you off at the Gilis islands. It may cost Rp 375,000-600,000 per person 1-way. See the Gili Islands articles or the Padangbai, Bali articles for information on those services. However overall the air services linking Bali to Lombok offer safer and more comfortable all season alternatives to the sea crossing.

By speedboat
Hotels, dive operators and fast boat operators can also arrange speedboat pickups, using the alternative ports of Teluk Nara and Teluk Kode. All Bali-Gili-Lombok ferry services (see Gili Islands) also terminate at one of these two.

By charter boat
At Senggigi and Mangsit beaches you will find many private perahu or traditional outrigger boat operators. Many tour guides will offer services or to assist in arranging a trip for you. These can be one way, two way or a day trip to the Gillis. Be careful to negotiate the price and details to common agreement before boarding or determining a final price. Do not automatically expect the boat to have adequate or possibly any safety equipment at all. Ensure you check such equipment for yourself prior to agreeing to the charter. Some traditional perahu boat operators cannot swim so do not expect them to be able to save you should difficulties arise. Also ensure that the price includes fuel and where you will be travelling and for how long a time. Ensure you will return to shore well before dusk. Do not expect the boat operator to be able to communicate fluently with you in English or even Bahasa Indonesian. Often the guide accompanies and some of them offer a good service and an enhanced experience due to their local knowledge. Look on the beaches yourself, enquire at your hotel or at a travel or tour agency in Senggigi or Mangsit.

By taxi
Metered taxis are not usually readily found in Bangsal, but the touts hanging around can rustle up a Toyota Kijang or similar vehicle that will seat four or more people with luggage and cost around Rp 150,000 to anywhere in Senggigi or further south to Mataram.

Taxis are a more viable option on the way in to Bangsal from places such as Senggigi or Ampenan. A metered taxi will cost approximately Rp 70,000 from Senggigi. A taxi may be an excellent option if sharing the trip with some other travellers and it could be as cheap as a bemo but far quicker and more convenient.

 * or Express taxis can be pre-booked at a hotel or hailed on the street. To make your travel go conveniently, you need to reserve taxi before your arrival. You could reserve via bluetaksi@gmail.com If arriving at Bangsal by boat it maybe possibly to find a taxi in the car park area closer to Pemenang. If you are carrying a phone It may be worth trying to telephone the taxi company and request a taxi to collect you from Bangsal when you arrive there.

 * Airport Taksi and other metered taxis are available for travel from the airport, enquire at the airport upon arrival.

You can also take the DAMRI public bus (air conditioned) from the airport to Senggigi and then use a metered taxi to complete the trip to Bangsal. Please note that the taxi may not go past the control gate and are required to stop at the car park to set down or pick up passengers. If they do go to the beach they may receive demands for payment of imagined fees and charges by the local travel touts and hustlers active at the beach. If anyone is manning the roadway control point near the carpark and not wearing an official DISHUB (Department of transportation) uniform then they are an impostor and likely only there to make demands for unauthorised entry payments, don't pay them. The official entry price for tourism vehicles is Rp 1,000 and a ticket will be provided. The Rp 5,000 car parking fee is payable to the official car park attendant only.

By bemo
Bemos do not call at Bangsal itself, but they do stop in nearby Pemenang, from where you can walk or ride a cidomo (horse cart) to Bangsal Harbour.

By horse cart
Horse-pulled carts, known as Cidomo, are very common in the Bangsal and Pemenang area. They are a good method of transportation for short distances. The final section of the Pemenang to Bangsal access road is normally closed to vehicles and the final distance will need to be completed on foot or by using one of the local cidomo. Make sure to agree the price before the journey — Rp 10,000 is the maximum price to pay for a short cidomo journey anywhere in Lombok.

Get around
Cidomo horse carts hang around Bangsal, waiting to ferry visitors to and from the parking area nearby to the main road in Pemenang or further to the centre of Pemenang if you wish.

To rent a motorbike or car when returning to the mainland from the Gilli Islands it would be advisable to make enquiries in Senggigi further along the coast to the south as there are plenty of rental providers there. The first one available coming from the north is at Mangsit beach on the main road opposite Qunci poolside villas. Alternatively enquire at your hotel.

See
There is not really a lot to see here. The markets in Pemenang are nearby but really the attraction of Bangsal is pretty much limited to that of a transit point between the mainland and the nearby three Gilli Islands.

Do
Depart for Giili Islands or arrive on the mainland to travel on to other destinations in Lombok such as Tanjung, Senaru, Mount Rinjani, Senggigi and Kuta in the south of the island. If you want to charter a boat to look around the area or travel the coastline then it would best be done from other less strenuous locations.

Eat and drink
There is a small kiosk and some scruffy warungs around the ferry dock, but no other facilities of significance.

Sleep
Tourist oriented accommodation facilities at Bangsal and nearby Pemenang are limited. The Tanjung area is only a short distance away and has several upmarket resort and villa rental options. The Senggigi area to the south has an abundance of alternatives. Senaru on the slopes of Mount Rinjani has accommodation oriented toward visits to the National Park there or for visitors embarking on Rinjani ascents. The nearby Gilli Islands have a wide range of accommodation and are the obvious choice in the immediate Bangsal area.

Connect
Mobile phone towers ensure you're never likely to be out of touch. Telekomsel's Simpati SIM card has a reasonably good signal in the Bangsal area. XL Axiata SIM cards also provide coverage in the area. Coverage can be unreliable and inconsistent at times and in some areas.

Go next
You will most likely want to leave Bangsal immediately. If you are arriving here from one of the three Gili islands, travelling to somewhere on mainland Lombok, then you could get the early morning local ferry to here Rp20,000. Then walk about 800m inland to Bunga Bunga Cafe on the right hand side of the road. This is where the shuttle buses and cars pick up from. Here you can buy tickets or bargain for a seat in a taxi car. You can have breakfast here too. Note that anyone with a ticket already will be expected to walk here or pay for a ride on a horse and cart. If you get a car for yourself, the driver might pick up extra passengers on the way. As a contingency plan, negotiate with the driver that if he picks up anyone else then you pay less. Agree what that lower amount is.

 * Gili Air
 * Gili Meno
 * Gili Trawangan
 * Senggigi
 * Tanjung
 * Senaru
 * Mount Rinjani

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Bangsal


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Bang Thao

Bang Thao (อ่าวบางเทา) Ao Bang Thao), also known as Bang Tao and Laguna Beach, is a beach on the northwest side of Phuket.

Understand
Bang Thao is a large open bay with one of Phuket's longest beaches. It was once used for tin mining, but has since been developed into a luxury resort. Most of it is occupied by the Laguna Complex, a massive five-hotel development with golf course. There are, however, accommodations available outside Laguna at the bay's south end.

Dry season swimming is excellent, and at the bay's north end is a smaller bay, almost completely enclosed, at the mouth of which is some fine coral. Plenty of places to eat, tour companies, and other tourist facilities are available either at Laguna or in the nearby town of Cheong Thale.

Get in
Bang Thao is about 25 min from Phuket airport and transfers can be arranged for about 700 baht. A metered taxi may cost about 300 baht.

Get around
Getting around Laguna is easy and free. There are free shuttle buses between all the hotels and the shopping centre as well as a ferry service around the lagoon to most of the hotels and the shopping centre. Leaving Laguna for other places in Phuket is expensive as few Phuket taxis travel to this complex. There are chauffeured cars available but these cost 600 baht each way to Patong or Phuket town.

Surin Beach is within walking distance if you're not in a hurry, just follow the road south of Bang Tao for about 15 min.

Do
Laguna is about relaxation. All of the hotels have swimming pools with food and bar service pool side. There are a variety of day spa facilities at the hotels. All the hotels have areas of the beach with lounges and towel service. Food and bar service is available on the beach but cannot be charged to your room. The beaches are not patrolled but do have roped-off swimming areas. Some of the resorts have sailing and rowing boats for use on the lagoon. Banyan Tree has a championship golf course which can be used by residents at all of the hotels in the complex. Green fees can be charged to your room. Tours can be booked through the hotels for all of the standard Phuket tourist attractions.

Laguna Beach is where to see and touch baby elephants around 16:00 each afternoon when their handlers take them for a swim.

Buy
The Laguna complex has a large number of shops, but all are expensive. Much better deals can be found elsewhere.

Eat
The Laguna complex has a large number of very good and reasonably expensive restaurants. You can charge any of the restaurants in the complex to your room irrespective of which hotel you are staying in. There are some cheaper hawker-style restaurants on the beach which must be paid for in cash.

Drink
There are a large number of bars throughout the Laguna complex but there is no nightlife to compare to Patong.

Just 5 min walk south from the Laguna complex is a small reggae bar owned by an enterprising local named Nam. The drinks at the "Wood Bar" are cheap and cold, the service is relaxed and the atmosphere is just amazing. Nam has built his bar almost entirely from debris washed up on the shore. The bar stands out at night with its green, red, and yellow lights, and as you get closer the alluring sound of reggae music draws you in. Well worth the visit if you are looking for a break from resort life or being pestered by some of the other local bars.

Go next
If you want nightlife or shopping you can go with a taxi to Patong beach in about 20 minutes.

title: Bang Thao


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Bangui

Bangui (pronounced: bang-EE) is the capital of the Central African Republic. Bangui lies on the northern banks of the Ubangi River just below a series of rapids that limit major commercial shipping farther upriver, on the southern border. The navigable Ubangi River turns sharply south below Bangui and connects to the Congo River just south of the Equator near Brazzaville as its chief northern tributary. The river marks the border between the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The Congolese town of Zongo sits opposite the river from Bangui.

Understand
Modern Bangui was founded in 1889, but archaeological studies in and around Bangui have yielded at least 26 ancient Iron Age sites that contain many metallurgical tools and objects, illuminating the pre-European history of the city and surrounding area.

Climate
The Central African Republic is just north of the Equator and consequently throughout the year daily high temperatures rarely fall below. The rainy season lasts from May until October. Bangui, being in the south of the country and thus closest to the Equator, is slightly hotter and wetter than the northern parts of the country.

By plane

Visas are required for all European (and probably most other) travellers, and should be obtained before arrival.

The arrival procedure is a bit long, requiring at least two queues to get all necessary visa stamps. Exit from the arrival hall is through "Things To Declare", with customs officers picking out passengers randomly for baggage check. Security guards check the luggage tags on the way out.

Be careful of pickpockets outside the terminal building, including people claiming to provide assistance.

By ferry
Barges run all day across the Oubangui river from Zongo in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

See
The city centre lies near the river and features a large triumphal arch dedicated to Bokassa, the Presidential Palace and the central market. Lying 5 km further north, the heart of the residential area has the largest market and most nightlife. North of the city lie rolling hills.

Buy
Buy beautiful wood carvings, but do not be tempted to buy rare African Grey parrots that are being traded illegally. You will be arrested if you do.

 * Polo Market.
 * Bangui Mall.
 * Log base PX.
 * Bangla PX.
 * Starmarket.
 * Marche Ouango.

Eat
The city has a community of French expats, which translates into one of the best ice cream parlours in Africa; a supermarket that sells international (mainly French) delicacies, e.g. foie gras; and a really good Italian restaurant.

 * Coin Grill.
 * Marche 3B - Chez Philbert.
 * Le Delces de Vinght Mille Places.
 * Coin Grill.
 * La Casa Chinese Restaurant & Hotel.
 * Restaurant Le M'.
 * Relais des Chasses.
 * Cuisine A.
 * Restaurant Belle Vue.

Drink
Mocaf is one of the better local beers, heap and good quality. Comes in a big 650 ml bottle.

 * Tringoulee.
 * Complexe Tinam.
 * Sewa Bar.
 * Royal Beach Hotel.
 * La Sirene.
 * La Sirene.

Connect
Four GSM-900 mobile telecommunications companies, Telecel CAR, Nationlink Telecom RCA, Orange CAR and MOOV CAR operate out of Bangui. State-owned Socatel is the principal telecom in CAR and Bangui, and is responsible for the operation and maintenance of the communications infrastructure.

Internet cafes with fair prices and speeds are available. MOOV provides GPRS/EDGE Internet access with USB sticks for reasonable prices in whole Bangui and in major cities of CAR as well.

Le Grande Cafe in the city centre has open free Wi-Fi and serves coffee and food.

MOOV and Orange phones can access GPRS/EDGE networks if properly configured. Configuration is provided free at the telecommunication offices at PKZero. Speeds may vary. GPRS is available in Bangui centre, but fades out by PK12.

Stay safe
As of March 2020, the UK government advises against all travel to most parts of Bangui and all but essential travel to "central Bangui between the Airport and the Oubangui river". Other governments including the United States recommend against all travel to CAR, including all parts of Bangui.

The KM-5 district has a particularly high crime rate.

A colour photocopy of your passport can be certified at the Hotel de Ville for a few dollars and is much safer to carry around than your passport.

Embassies and consulates

 * 🇫🇷 France
 * 🇷🇺 Russia
 * 🇺🇸 United States

Go next

 * Zongo – A Congolese town, on the opposite side the Ubangui River, on the left bank. There is no road across the river.

title: Bangui


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Banja Luka

Banja Luka (also written Banjaluka or Бања Лука) is a picturesque city in the western part of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the administrative capital and the largest city of Republika Srpska, and the second largest city in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Understand
Banja Luka is in essence the hub of northwestern Bosnia, an area called Bosanska Krajina that is quite forested. It has important bus, air, and motorist connections and is also a notable financial sector with its own stock exchange, but aside from that it is distinguished for its sporting affairs like tennis, handball, rafting, and, of course, football. On the whole, the city has a pleasing aesthetic with leafy pedestrian streets, a location on the Vrbas River with verdant hills in the background, and a university, and a continental climate with four seasons.

Banja Luka has a long history going all the way back to ancient Rome, as in Illyria and Dalmatia and other polities of that old world power. And since then, it has transcended medieval, Ottoman, Austro-Hungarian states and the trials of modern warfare. On a bad day in WWII, the Bishop of Banja Luka was killed and thrown into the Vrbas River, and Serbs and Jews during the whole period met their demise in camps nearby.

The city was battered by the Bosnian War in the 1990s, during which Bosniaks and Croats were expelled and mosques were demolished. Serbs moved in, established the Republika Srpska, and made Banja Luka the de facto capital. Thus, the city almost has two identities, yet today the municipality seems to make it work.

Climate
Banja Luka has a continental climate, with harsh winters and warm summers. The warmest month of the year is July, with an average temperature of 21.3 °C (70 °F). The coldest month of the year is January, when temperatures average near freezing at 0.8 °C (33 °F). Annual precipitation for Banja Luka is about 988mm. Banja Luka has an average of 143 rainy days a year. Due to the city's high latitude, it snows in Banja Luka almost every year as well. Strong winds come from the north and north-east.

Talk
In Banja Luka most locals call their language Serbian, although there are plenty who refer to it as Bosnian, BHS, or as 'Naš' (our [language]). The languages are virtually the same. Sometimes you'll find (road) signs written in Cyrillic. The younger generation usually speaks English, and maybe even other languages such as Russian, Spanish or German.

By bus
The bus station is approximately 3 km to the northeast of the centre. There are taxis at the exit of the bus which for ~10 marks (KM) can drive you to the centre. The city bus leaves from next to the train station, 200 m away, and a fare to the centre is less than 2 km.

There are direct bus connections from the main bus station to

 * Bosnia: Sarajevo, Šipovo, Prijedor, Bosansko Gradiška, Bosansko Grahovo, Trebinje, Prijedor, Teslić, Banja Vrućica, Novi Grad, Gornji Graci, Višegrad, Bihać, ...
 * Austria: Vienna, Linz and Salzburg http://www.boro-bus.com/
 * Croatia: Zagreb, Makarska, Pula, Split, Zadar (http://www.cazmatrans.hr/zd-bih.html), Rijeka
 * Denmark: Copenhagen
 * France: Paris, Lyon, ... see Eurolines.
 * Germany: Cologne, Dortmund, Duisburg, Dusseldorf, Essen, Frankfurt am Main, Ingolstadt, Karlsruhe, Mannheim, Munich, Nuremberg, Pforzheim, Stuttgart and Ulm
 * Montenegro: Igalo, Podgorica
 * Serbia: Belgrade, Novi Sad (http://www.smiljic.com/index.php?id=55), Kragujevac, Sombor, Zrenjanin, Niš, Subotica
 * Sweden: Stockholm
 * Switzerland: Zürich, Luzern

See http://www.autobusni-kolodvor.com/en/terminal.aspx?k=148&d=070

Several international buses from Western Europe to Bosnia follow the route Zagreb - Brod - Derventa - Doboj - Sarajevo, providing you with a wide detour around Banja Luka

Normally you would get out of those buses at Derventa but if the weather is alright and its not in the middle of the night, you could ask the bus driver to let you already out at the Novska service station (3 km after the Novska exit) on the Zagreb-Bosanski Brod highway, approx 3 hours before Derventa. From the Novska service station its another 15 km hitchhike to Okučani, the highway exit to Banja Luka (the bus won't let you off there, it is off the highway, but it's easy for cars to drop you off there). From Okučani its 3 km (hitch)hike to the Bosnian border. You can then cross the border on foot (or hitching) and continue the last lap of your travel by taking a bus to BL in Bosanska Gradiska (approx 8 KM). This will almost always save you several hours, and widens the spectrum of buses available to travel to Banja Luka.

By plane

Smiljić bus company arranges a minibus/taxi to and from the airport to the old bus station (stara autbuska stanica - old bus station) in the centre of town. Its recommended to make a reservation by email (agencija_smiljic@blic.net), otherwise you have to be quick to get out of the terminal and to the bus first—there are only about 20 places. The charge is 10 KM for the one-way ticket. In general, the buses operated by the aforementioned company run between the front of the airport and the Banja Luka "old" and "new" bus stations (based on the arrivals/departures from the airport). Although the schedules are impossible to find online, I've confirmed and tested that the general modus operandi (as stated by BNX airport) for these buses is as follows: For example, for a flight departing at 8:05 in the morning, there will be a bus departing from the 'old' bus station at 6:00, stopping at the 'new' bus station at 6:10, and then proceeding to the airport. Both the "new" bus station and the transport company itself readily confirmed that, but the information itself is hard to find online. Whole journey might take around 30-40 minutes. In the case of late flights to the airport, it was possible to request a drop-off point along the route. The bus driver asked everyone for their preferred drop-off location. Capacity might vary, but it seems to be sufficient for every scenario, from microbus to large bus. For the late arrival it was possible to pay with both currencies (EUR and BAM) at the bus.

If you're traveling with three or more people, taking a taxi might be just as cost-effective. Alternatively, you can try to walk out to the main road and catch a lift there.

For the return journey to the airport, it was possible and perhaps required to buy a ticket at the bus station. The airport itself is very minimal, they handle just a couple of flights weekly and the services there are minimal - don't count on buying anything there. There is essentially one gate, so there's no need to rush. The airport has only a small café and limited seating for flights departing around the same time.

By train
The train and bus station is about 3 km northeast of the centre. Connections to: Doboj (2hr) and Novi Grad. There are only a few trains passing the station each day, but tickets are a bit cheaper than the bus (around 9 BAM to Doboj), and the train is generally more comfortable.

Closest train station in Croatia with fast connection to Zagreb is Okučani, accessible by car or bus.

Ride-sharing
Ride-sharing to and from Banja Luka is possible using BlaBlaCar web/app or facebook groups like Trazim- nudim prevoz (Searching- offering transport).

By bike
You can have your bike fixed á la minute at the Bike Servis Shop (cyclingshop.bl@gmail.com@undefined), in the Ul. Gundulićeva 104 - next to the football stadion. Tel. 051/301-470. Another bike shop is 5 doors down in the row of buildings.

The tourist office owns 15 rental bicycles, which are maintained by the above bike shop. Rental: 1 KM/hour, or 15 KM/day.

There's a bike sharing network (nextbike) with few stations scattered across town; but none at the station.

By bus
Banja Luka has dozens of city- and suburban buses. There are frequent busses to/from the bus/train station. From the main square (opposite Park Petar Kočić) take lines 6 or 10 for less than 2KM.

See
There are many historic things to see in the city of Banja Luka.

And contemporary things:

Do
Banja Luka is a city with the rich night life.
 * See for current events the English archive of the email list "foreigners in Banja luka": http://groups.google.com/group/stranci-u-banjaluci and https://www.facebook.com/groups/211524665639643/
 * Rafting: Go rafting on the parcours of the 2009 World Championships of rafting in the Canyon of the Vrbas with Buk,, buk@blic.net, Jesenjinova 1, 50 km per person, or with the much more posh Kanjon Rafting Club in Karanovac.
 * Football: FK Borac Banja Luka play soccer in Premier League BH, the country's top tier. Their home ground is City Stadium, capacity 10,000, 1 km northeast of city centre.
 * See for current events the English archive of the email list "foreigners in Banja luka": http://groups.google.com/group/stranci-u-banjaluci and https://www.facebook.com/groups/211524665639643/
 * Rafting: Go rafting on the parcours of the 2009 World Championships of rafting in the Canyon of the Vrbas with Buk,, buk@blic.net, Jesenjinova 1, 50 km per person, or with the much more posh Kanjon Rafting Club in Karanovac.
 * Football: FK Borac Banja Luka play soccer in Premier League BH, the country's top tier. Their home ground is City Stadium, capacity 10,000, 1 km northeast of city centre.
 * Rafting: Go rafting on the parcours of the 2009 World Championships of rafting in the Canyon of the Vrbas with Buk,, buk@blic.net, Jesenjinova 1, 50 km per person, or with the much more posh Kanjon Rafting Club in Karanovac.
 * Football: FK Borac Banja Luka play soccer in Premier League BH, the country's top tier. Their home ground is City Stadium, capacity 10,000, 1 km northeast of city centre.
 * Rafting: Go rafting on the parcours of the 2009 World Championships of rafting in the Canyon of the Vrbas with Buk,, buk@blic.net, Jesenjinova 1, 50 km per person, or with the much more posh Kanjon Rafting Club in Karanovac.
 * Football: FK Borac Banja Luka play soccer in Premier League BH, the country's top tier. Their home ground is City Stadium, capacity 10,000, 1 km northeast of city centre.

Buy
Many establishments (especially hotels) accept euros (notes only). ATMs are all over the place with MasterCard, Visa and other offshoots being accepted. Credit cards such as Visa, MasterCard and Diners Club are readily accepted by larger establishments all over the country. When changing money, it is best to ask for small bills as shops often are hard-pressed for change. Travelers cheques can be readily changed at Raiffeisen and Zagrebačka Banks.

Tipping
It is not compulsory to tip in Banja Luka, though a reward of about 10% for good service in restaurant or bar is always appreciated.

Souvenirs
You can get local, handicraft souvenirs for example at the shop of association "Duga". All items there are made of natural materials by traditional technologies, and are decorated with ornaments from original traditional clothing from the area of Dinara. Their collection contains: ethno souvenirs, decorative products and clothing. Address: Etnoradionica "Duga", Kralja Petra I Karađorđevića 88 (the same street as the city hall) All of the handicrafts are produced in an ethical manner and by purchasing them you will help Duga to continue providing aid to all of its beneficiaries and support to other local humanitarian projects.

Next to Kastel is also a souvenir shop, look for the big "Suvenir"-sign.

Traditional food
If you like meat, you'll love Banja Luka. Meat is a standard for any meal. However, there is still lots of interesting meals you can make do if you are a vegetarian.

Here is a list of the most popular traditional dishes:

 * Ćevapi - small meat sausages of pork, lamb and beef mix. They are usually served with fresh onions and pita bread (lepinja) on the side. Ćevapi usually come in pointer finger size sausages and are offered by five or ten pieces, although the variety commonly found in Banja Luka (banjalučki ćevap) usually consists of quadrangular pieces of meat.
 * Pita - traditional pies, e.g., burek (with meat, which is different than in Serbia!), krompirusa (potato), sirnica (cheese) zeljanica (spinach), tikve (courgette) or with gljive (mushrooms). Normally, krompirusa and tikve are vegan (no animal products). You'd eat your pita with yoghurt (not vegan)
 * Bamija - a dish of meat cooked with okra, a traditional vegetable.
 * Sarma - meat and rice rolled in cabbage or grape leaves.
 * Prasetina - pork grilled over an open fire.
 * Teletina - is veal, usually served in cutlets. Veal in B&H is not produced by locking calves in a cage to ensure softer meat.
 * Janjetina - lamb grilled over an open fire.
 * Musaka - a meat pie made of minced beef, very similar to shepherds pie.
 * Filovane paprike - fried peppers stuffed with minced meat and spices.
 * Pršut - air dried ham, similar to Italian proscuitto.
 * Suho Meso - dried meat, either beef or pork.
 * "Ispod Sača" - similar to Dutch oven. A metal dish is placed on hot coals, the food is placed in the dish and covered by a lid which is then completely covered in hot coals and left to bake.
 * Vlašićki Sir - similar to Travnički cheese. It is a highland cheese from the mountain villages on Vlašić Mountain in central Bosnia.
 * Mladi Sir - Cottage cheese. It has a soft texture and is unsalted. Oftentimes it is served with a cream sauce on top. It is very healthy.
 * Kajmak - is analogous to clotted cream in the UK. The top layer of fat skimmed from milk, it is creamy and extremely tasty. Kajmak and Uštipak (doughnut type roll) is a wonderful appetizer.
 * Iz mjeha - sheep milk poured into a specially sewn sheep skin 'bag'. After a time the dry cheese is taken out of the skin container and the result is a strong, dry cheese that resembles real Parmesan.

Budget
All these are in or near the city centre:

Alcohol
Rakia or Rakija is considered to be a national drink. Its alcohol content is normally 40%, but home-produced rakia can be a tongue burner, typically 50 to 60%! Frequently used as a common drink at all celebrations, birthdays, holy holidays, slava (Orthodox Christian custom of honoring a patron saint) and even funerals. Common flavors are slivovitz, traditionally made from plums and lozova, which is made from grapes. But, you can also distill from pears, peaches, apricots, apples, figs and cherries. Plum and grape rakia are sometimes mixed with other ingredients, such as herbs, honey, sour cherries and walnuts after distillation.

Nektar pivo is the local beer, brewed in Banja Luka.

Sleep

 * Possibility to pitch a tent in their huge back garden
 * Possibility to pitch a tent in their huge back garden
 * Possibility to pitch a tent in their huge back garden
 * Possibility to pitch a tent in their huge back garden
 * Possibility to pitch a tent in their huge back garden
 * Possibility to pitch a tent in their huge back garden
 * Possibility to pitch a tent in their huge back garden
 * Possibility to pitch a tent in their huge back garden
 * Possibility to pitch a tent in their huge back garden
 * Possibility to pitch a tent in their huge back garden
 * Possibility to pitch a tent in their huge back garden

Respect
Banja Luka is the capital of Republika Srpska, one of the two constituent entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina. There is an ongoing dispute between Bosnian unionists and Serb separatists, and in general the underlying conflicts are far from resolved. For these reasons it is best to abstain from discussing politics, unless your conversation partner brings up the topic him/herself and asks for your opinion.

Go next

 * Climbing: 24 km south of Banja Luka and 5 km north of Krupa na Vrbasu is a nice climbing site; the 'stone bridge' (Kameni Most, Камени мост). More information you can for example get at "Extreme Banja Luka " climbing club.
 * Rafting: At Karanovac, 15 km south on the main road from Banja Luka is rafting club "Kanjon" from where you can go rafting in the Vrbas canyon . On the Vrbas, together with the Tara near Foča, the world championships of rafting were held in 2009.
 * Doboj renovated medieval fortress, about 1.5 hours by train.
 * Not far from Karanovac is the canyon of the Svrakava river, a small canyon where it is nice to try to climb through. Its a wild spot, it is not being commercially exploited. You can reach the canyon by going on the road towards Kneževo. After you pass the bridge over the Vrbas to Karanovac, there is a small road going on your left with an indication of Svrakava. That is just before the main road goes uphill into the forest. After that indication there are no others, so you'll have to find it from there on yourself. Its about 3 km further that road.
 * If you really want to go canyoning, ask a local person to take you to Cvrcka canyon (Цврцка). Around 40 km south-east of town, between Kotor Varoš and Kneževo. On hot summer days you can track up to 18 km through the canyon wading through the fresh water of the Cvrcka river. Not very difficult.

title: Banja Luka


text:
Banjarbaru

Banjarbaru is a city in South Kalimantan. The city became the capital of South Kalimantan in 2022, replacing Banjarmasin.

By plane
Banjarmasin's Syamsudin Noor Airport is actually nearer to Banjarbaru than to Banjarmasin. It is about 15 minutes' drive from the city.

Get around
All public transportation are using yellow registration plate.

By taksi kota
Taksi kota is a green minivan. The route is from Liang Anggang to Martapura (the capital of the Banjar Regency), via Banjarbaru and vice versa.

By becak
Becak (rickshaw or pedicab). You have to be good negotiator if you want to ride on becak, fare depends on the destination (near or far). Markets is the best place to find becak. It's a good choice for a short ride. Usually becak drivers don't speak English, but a map and lots of pointing will get you to the right place. You need to know the place you want to go.

See

 * Diamond panning - located in Cempaka district, about 7 kilometers from Banjarbaru. The miners usually in groups to dig a hole at a depth of about 10-12 meters using traditional tolls and old methods.
 * Diamond panning - located in Cempaka district, about 7 kilometers from Banjarbaru. The miners usually in groups to dig a hole at a depth of about 10-12 meters using traditional tolls and old methods.

Do

 * Swimming - there is one public pool in Banjarbaru. Address: Kolam Renang Idaman, Jalan Taman Gembira.

Buy

 * Gemstones at Martapura.

Eat

 * Ayam Panggang Swarga - located in the city center, famous for its chicken barbeque.
 * Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) - located in the city center.

Go next

 * Martapura - only 15 minutes drive from Banjarbaru
 * Banjarmasin

title: Banjarbaru


text:
Banjarmasin

Banjarmasin is the biggest city in South Kalimantan. The city population was 625,395 at the 2010 census. Average temperatures vary from 24ºC to 32ºC. The weather is mostly hot and it still has rain even if it is hot season.

Understand
The official founding date of the city is 24 September 1526, but its history is older than that. From the time of the ancient kingdom of Nan Serunai, to the Buddhist kingdom of Tanjungpuri and the Hindu kingdom Negara Dipa and its successor Negara Daha, the rivers of Southern Kalimantan have always been a favorite spot of the Malay people. That’s why Banjarmasin's old name was “Bandar Masih”, meaning the port of the Malay in Dayak Bukit dialect. In the chaotic time of civil war between the rightful heir of Negara Daha, Pangeran Samudera, and his uncle, Pangeran Samudera was forced to flee for his life. At this time, Bandar Masih received him warmly, stopped paying tribute to his uncle and supported Pangeran Samudera’s fight to get his throne back. When his uncle finally surrendered, Pangeran Samudera decided to make Bandar Masih his new capital, converted to Islam, and began his rule over the new Islamic Kingdom of Banjar. His day of victory was then celebrated as Banjarmasin’s birthday.

The name "Bandar Masih" slowly changed into "Banjarmasin" as the water tastes salty when in dry season (salty is "masin" in Banjarese language). The kingdom flourished and back in its golden era, its power enveloped almost all of the area of what is now Kalimantan. After the fierce Banjar War which produced a lot of highly-revered local heroes such as Pangeran Antasari, however, it was forced to surrender to the Dutch, following the total destruction of the palace grounds and the capture of the last Banjarese Princess (Ratu Zaleha).

Banjarmasin continued to be the capital of Dutch Borneo throughout the colonial era. Even after the formation of the Indonesian government, Banjarmasin was the capital of Kalimantan province until Kalimantan was divided into four provinces (West, East, Central and South); then it became the capital of South Kalimantan. The capital of South Kalimantan was moved to Banjarbaru in 2022. Little is left of its previous glory, but Banjarmasin silently kept her forgotten charm in unexpected places for the persistent traveller to find.

By plane
To go to the city, you can take a taxi (with fixed rate of Rp120,000 as of March 2016) or better yet, tell your hotel to pick you up. Or, if you walk about 2 minutes to the street outside of the airport, you should be able to share a mini-van which costs Rp15,000 to go to kilometre 6 terminal.

By car
The roads of Trans-Kalimantan are in bad condition, but if you’re patient and adventurous you can try to reach Banjarmasin from the neighbouring provinces of Central Kalimantan and East Kalimantan by car.

By ship
Another alternative to get to Banjarmasin is by ship from various places in Indonesia to Banjarmasin’s main harbour, Trisakti. Be forewarned that the condition of passenger ship transportation in Indonesia is poor, albeit cheap, and you might want to consider that before spending the night (at least 1 night if you come from Java). You best bet is Express Ferry where it’s available, 8 hours from Java, and 2 days + 2 nights of sea trip from Jakarta Tanjung Priuk Harbor Passenger Terminal. Plus, there are ferries from Semerang and Surabaya, both on Java. There's a ferry every 2 days between Surabaya and Banjarmasin.

The ferry between Surabaya and Banjarmasin is 21 hours. If you have a problem with cigarette smoke, this is not a good method of travel. Smoking is permitted in the sleeping area. There are no cabins. Women travelling alone will receive a considerable amount of male attention. The food is not good.

By boat
Alternatively, if you are coming from the neighbouring provinces of East Kalimantan and Central Kalimantan, there are a lot of boat transportations through the rivers of Kalimantan. This could be an adventurous or boring ride depending on your taste. A range of boats are available, from slow moving boats to speedboats. It’s a great choice if you are extremely adaptable with the locals’ way of life.

Get around
Your best bet would be the metered taxi, insist the driver to use the meter if you have to. Alternatively, you can use “angkot” or “bamikro” or public shuttle microbuses (Rp5,000 per passenger), which are also called “taxi” by the locals. Also available is by "ojek" (motorcity taxi) and "becak" (tricycle rickshaw), that cost around USD2.00-2.50 or Rp15,000 - 20,000 for inner city trips. There are some really old orange-colored "bajaj' (auto rickshaw) on the city streets as well.

Another options is to hire a motor bike. Amelindo Bike Rent offers motorbikes from Rp75,000/day. And for a Rp40,000 service fee, they will bring the motorbike to or pick it from a given address.

With the arrival of "online taxi" transportation services like GoJek/GoCar, and Grab, visitors and locals alike can now get around the city at a much cheaper rate by downloading and using the associated mobile applications. A ride across town in a new car can be as cheap as Rp20,00-25,000. More traditional taxis are comparatively expensive in Banjarmasin (often charging a minimum fee of Rp50,000, even for a ride as short as crossing the street). Make sure you use Indonesian phone number! Good luck.

Architectural heritage
Banjarese, the name of South Kalimantan’s ethnicity, have a unique way of building their houses and other structures in harmony with nature. There are at least 12 types of traditional Banjarese houses, which have unfortunately lost their popularity in modern times. Still, you can see a few houses that were built with traditional techniques all over Banjarmasin if you really search for them. The palace ground was totally destroyed by the colonial Dutch, but you can still visit its remnants in Kampung Kraton, along Jalan Pangeran Samudera. There, you can see Masjid Sultan Suriansyah. Built during Pangeran Samudera’s rule, it is the first Mosque in South Kalimantan and contains the royal burial site.

Rivers
Banjarmasin is abundant with wide and mighty rivers. The rivers have always been a part of Banjarese way of life. Every morning there are floating markets in which farmers and traders bring their goods to trade on boats. It has always been a farmers’ market and it’s interesting to see the river-based way of life. The rivers are also the main venues for boat races and other festivities. The main attractions are the waterlogged suburbs traversed by canals; much of the city's commerce takes place on water.
 * Floating markets There are three floating markets in South Kalimantan. Trading is from dawn until around 09:00, so get there early. The journey takes around 20 minutes by boat.

Canal trips
There are many destination or ways for canal trips, for example along the Kelayan River or thr Kuin River.
 * Pulau Kembang (lit. Flower Island) - visit the long-tailed macaques at the decrepit Chinese temple, 20 minutes by boat. You can buy nuts to feed them. The monkeys are quite aggressive if you have food and will try to steal it from you. There is an entrance fee of Rp 150,000 and on Sunday it is Rp 250,000 (prices correct as of January 2018).
 * Pulau Kaget (lit. Surprised Island) - see the proboscis monkey (Nasalis larvatus), the mascot fauna of South Kalimantan. No guarantee you will have a good look at them, though, as they are really shy.
 * Pulau Bakut Island under the bridge, here there is ɑlso proboscis monkey. Rp 600,000, which can be haggled down (price correct as of January 2018). You don't go onto the island but you can see from the monkeys from the boat.

To reach these islands, you will need to employ a local to take you by boat, "ketolok" (small motor boat), or other. Ask around and negotiate a price.

Others

 * Visit floating markets, like another called Siring Pierre Tendean, as noted above, especially on the weekends.
 * Attend the Pasar Ahad weekend market on Sunday morning. Here locals have a tradition of walking, running, jogging, or cycling to a suburb called "Pal Tujuh" to attend the "Pasar Ahad" or "Sunday Market". Enjoy local treats such as Ketupat Kandangan and Apam for breakfast there.
 * Fishing in the Martapura River for specimens like Haruan, Papuyu, Sapat, Patin, Lele and many more.

Buy
Semi-precious gems and stones. Rattan products. You can buy original clothing from Banjarmasin, it calls "Sasirangan". Now, sasirangan fabric can be applied into other things like bags, shoes, veils, and so on.

You can also buy souvenirs like amplang, local labelled T-shirt, Accessories with Banjarmasin's logo/attributes.

Eat

Banjarese loves their local cuisine. While restaurants, malls, or foodcourts are fine for beginners, to find the real taste of Banjarese food, you might have to join the locals among hidden places on the streets.

 * Warung Warteg Pal 2 -, Jl. Ahmad Yani No.92-143. Traditional local streetfood, made with lots of passion. If you like Banjarese food, this is the place to go.
 * Food Court at Duta Mall, in the center of town.

Foods that are available throughout the year and are very popular with the locals:

 * Soto Banjar - "Soto" is a type of Indonesian soup. Soto Banjar is a uniquely Banjarese variant of Soto, popular in other places throughout in Indonesia. Don't miss the chance to try the real and genuine taste in its place of origin! Soto in Banjar is uniquely served with lontong (rice cakes).
 * Apam Barabai - like a pancake turnover. the Apam here has its own twist. Enjoy it sweet and warm, accompanied by tea.
 * Bingka - tapioca cake, a specialty of Banjarese, it comes in many flavours. The pride of the Banjarese people, it's very sweet and creamy.
 * Ketupat Kandangan - another rice cake recipe. It's actually a specialty of Kandangan, but you can also find it in Banjarmasin. Known as a festive food, especially favored during Eid al Fitr.
 * Klepon buntut - similar to klepon palm sugar filled snacks coated with grated coconut found across Java, however, this one has a smoother texture and the filling is more liquidy.
 * Nasi kuning Banjar - rice dish made with turmeric and coconut milk, quite tasty. Specially side dish of nasi kuning banjar is ikan haruan masak habang (snakehead fish cooked in traditional Banjarese red sauce).
 * Mie bancir - red noodle dish with chicken and boiled duck egg in gravy.

In the month of Ramadan, the Banjarese go all out with their traditional delicacies. Heaps of wadai (traditional cakes) and other treats mostly unavailable throughout the year will suddenly appears in Ramadhan. Though most travel guides won't suggest you to travel during the month of Ramadhan in Indonesia, it's an amazing experience to see the emergence of many "Pasar Wadai" (Cakes Market) all over the city, with treats such as:
 * Amparan Tatak - banana pudding, very sweet and creamy with coconut milk.
 * Bingka Barandam - although named "bingka", it doesn't taste that way, more like a cupcake soaked in sweet syrup.
 * Puracit - Banjarese pancake

If you have an interest to find tropical fruit there's one new agrotourism area near Banjarmasin, it's named Meek Farm in Banjarbaru. There, you can find and try some original tropical fruit that might be hard to find in another place like durian, avocado, keledang, and some kind of Kalimantan local mango and there is a restaurant too. the restaurant serves only Indonesian traditional food. Also, you may try fruit agrotourism by wooden boat on the Gampa River area of Banjarmasin. There is a farm of rambutan, mangosteen, rambai, cempedak, langsat, kecapi, and so on.

Drink
One should try the Banjarese tea, which is somewhat different with the teas found elsewhere in Indonesia. It is a strongly Muslim area, so don't expect to find alcohol outside large hotels.

Sleep

 * There are many hotels at Jl. Angkasa by the Banjarmasin airport, in walking distance to the airport.
 * Save Hotel
 * Banjar Homestay This is a true homestay. Small rooms, but worth it for the laid back chats. Andri is a lovely friendly man, willing to show you around if you pay for petrol for the motorcycle. Blok N - O Jl. A. Yani No.129, +62 823 905 444 49, USD 4
 * Hotel SAS
 * Hotel SAS

Go next

 * Balikpapan
 * Banjarbaru
 * Palangkaraya

title: Banjarmasin


text:
Banjul

Banjul is the fourth largest city in and capital of Gambia. The city is on an island, which has constrained its size - its population is only 31,000 (2013). Consequently much of the population now is based on the mainland between the airport and the city. The main tourist and business centres are around Bakau, Fajara, Kotu and Serrekunda.

Banjul has become very popular as a package holiday destination with British and other European visitors. Travel company 'The Gambia Experience' has been the market leader, but other operators are increasing their offerings too.

By plane

Green taxis are available at the airport, with a table that lists prices to various destinations. D500-700 to hotels in Serekunda.

By car
For the intrepid tourist, the Plymouth - Banjul Challenge also ends here.

Get around
Most hotels will have a selection of green tourist taxis, which have fixed prices to the most popular destinations. Yellow taxis are cheaper and more fun; locals buy a seat in a taxi on a journey from junction to junction for a few dalasi, or pay for a "town trip" to their destination. Minibuses and trucks are colourful, but extremely uncomfortable.

Bicycles are also available for rental. Cycling is popular for young locals, but there is little respect for the safety of cyclists on or near the roads.

Car hire is available from Avis and AB, both of which are based at the SeneGambia Hotel. Car hire will cost about D1500/day for a small car.

Gambians drive mostly on the right. The rules of the road are complex, licences are not common, and there is no test. The majority of roads are sand in the winter, and mud or waterholes for most of the year.

See

 * Albert Market
 *  Banjul State House
 *  Banjul Court House
 * The African Heritage Museum  or African Heritage Centre is a museum and art gallery in Banjul, The Gambia. It holds a large collection of African art and statues.
 *  Banjul Court House
 * The African Heritage Museum  or African Heritage Centre is a museum and art gallery in Banjul, The Gambia. It holds a large collection of African art and statues.

The city has two cathedrals and several major mosques.

Do
Go to its wonderful beaches.

Eat
Being on the Atlantic ocean, Banjul has some excellent and well priced seafood on offer. The locally produced peanuts are also very good and go well with a pint of Julbrew.

Splurge
There are many good restaurants in the road leading to the hotels at Kololi Beach. This road is also known as the Senegambia Strip.

Mid-range
Kololi Beach area

Splurge
Most luxury hotels are located along the beaches in nearby Serrekunda.

Kololi Beach area

 * SeneGambia Hotel. Good beach hotel, which is popular with older travellers. There is no wireless internet, just 2 machines in reception, for which you can buy 1-hour cards at D100. 'The Gambia Experience' tours are based here.
 * The Kairaba Hotel
 * Kololi Beach Club. Luxury accommodation. Has time share and soon accommodation for outright purchase.

Embassies and consulates

 * 🇨🇳 China
 * 🇬🇭 Ghana
 * 🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau
 * 🇲🇱 Mali
 * 🇲🇷 Mauritania
 * 🇸🇳 Senegal
 * 🇸🇱 Sierra Leone
 * 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
 * 🇺🇸 United States

title: Banjul


text:
Ban Kai

Ban Kai is on the southwest coast of Ko Pha Ngan. It is ten minutes from the Full Moon Party at Haad Rin and five minutes from the Half Moon Party at Ban Tai.

Sleep
Anywhere up to a week before a Half Moon or Full Moon Party, the hotels in Haad Rin and the immediate surrounding areas get booked as the population around the beach swells, with the more comfortable places being taken first. If you're planning to visit about this time, look into staying outside of Haad Rin, and taxi in and out. Rooms on the other side of the island are not only cheaper but also much quieter.

Stay safe
Be very careful where you sleep and store your belongings if you're going for the Full Moon Party, as every month at this time many people have their bungalows broken into and valuables stolen. There are safety deposit boxes available at many resorts and in the town itself, but there are also reports of theft from some of these. Try find somewhere where you can at least use your own padlock, or stay at one of the higher end resorts if you can afford it. Alternatively, consider not staying at Ko Pha Ngan - you can get a boat over to the party from Ko Samui. If you do have stuff stolen, expect a long line queuing to report thefts at the police station the next day, and to have to pay for a report if you need one for your insurance. It might be a great night out, but it's not so great in the morning when you find yourself with no money and no passport.

Go next

 * Ko Samui
 * Ko Tao

title: Ban Kai


text:
Ban Krut

Ban Krut (บ้านกรูด) is a beach village on the Northern Gulf Coast of Thailand, about 160km south of Hua Hin. A beach road runs parallel to a 12km long, beautiful beach shaded by coconut and casuarina trees. Originally, there were plenty of bergamot oranges, similar to Thai kaffir limes (má~grùut มะกรูด) which influenced the name. The atmosphere in this area is still serene. A fishing community is strung along the beach. It is a place where tourists can glimpse the lifestyle of small-scale commercial fishers.

Get in

 * By car: Take Hwy 4 (Phetkasem Rd) south. At km382, turn to the Front Rd. for about 400m, then turn left (east) to the Ban Krut Rd for approximately 9km and cross the railway track to Ban Krut Beach Rd.
 * By train: Get off at the Ban Krut Railway Station and continue with a motorcycle taxi.
 * By bus: Take the Bangkok – Bang Saphan Noi Bus and get off at the entrance to Ban Krut and continue with a motorcycle taxi or songthaew.

Do

 * Rent a motorbike and discover empty beaches north of Ban Krut.
 * Enjoy fresh seafood.

Buy

 * Some small shops are around the 7-Eleven store and near the railway station. Suwan Pharmacy is also close to the railway station.
 * Local food market opposite Wat Thong Chai Thammachak. Ask locals what day the market runs.

Eat
There are a couple of restaurants at the beach. One of the best is Platoo Fish Restaurant, all fresh from the sea and of course Thai spicy. Don't expect European food.

Drink
No nightlife to speak of.

Sleep

Besides: There are about 20+ resorts and some guest houses to select from.

title: Ban Krut


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Bankura

Bankura (Bengali: বাঁকুড়া Bām̐kuṛā BAHn-koo-rrah) is the headquarters of its namesake Bankura district of West Bengal. Bankura town is an important stopover for most of the tourist destinations in Bankura and Purulia.

By plane
The nearest airport is Kazi Nazrul Islam Airport at Durgapur, but only a few flights are present at the airport. Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport at Kolkata is the nearest airport to get to Bankura smoothly.

By bus
Private and state transport buses are the most convenient to reach Bankura, although rail transport is also available. There are buses between Kolkata and Bankura. Regular bus services are also available for Malda, Siliguri, Purulia, Medinipur, Kharagpur, Tatanagar, Ranchi etc.

By train
From Howrah, trains like Rajdhani Express (Bhubaneswar Rajdhani), Rupasi Bangla, Purulia Express, Chakradharpur Passenger, Samarsata Express (Howrah to LTT)-(Bi-weekly) are available. Puri Express( Puri-New Delhi), Baidyanath Dham Express (Patna-Puri), Guwahati-Puri Express also run via Bankura. Passenger trains like Tatanagar-Kharagpur, Asansol-Kharagpur connect Bankura with major railheads in this region.

Get around
Rickshaws are available for local travel.

See and do
While the town itself has only a handful of attractions, it is surrounded by several tourist destinations like Biharinath, Bishnupur and Mukutmanipur. Thus, Bankura town serves as the base to visit these destinations.

Buy

 * Bankura is terracotta country. There are artistically designed terracota panels on temple walls, some depicting Ramayana and Mahabharata themes, but simple terracota items as wall plates and ashtrays are also readily available. The famous Bankura horse, now the symbol of Indian handicrafts, is available in various sizes, ranging from less than a feet to around three feet tall. With mounting tourist demand, wood-carved versions are also available.
 * Bishnupur baluchari saris are wonderfully handcrafted.

Eat

 * Bankura has its own sweetmeat speciality - mecha sandesh. The Beliator version is more renowned. Another popular sweetmeat, pera, is better known at Chatna. You can look for these in Bankura city also.

There are a few good restaurants such as Hotel Saptarshi (Lalbazar), Saptaparna (Chandmaridanga) and Classic (Chandmaridanga), where all kinds food are available at a cheap price.

If you are a sweet lover, go and check out 'Bhairab Mishtanna Vandar'.

Go next

 * Biharinath
 * Bishnupur
 * Midnapore
 * Mukutmanipur
 * Purulia
 * Susunia

title: Bankura


text:
Banlung

Banlung (បានលុង), although a small town, is the capital of Ratanakiri Province in Eastern Cambodia.

This part of the country is heavily forested, giving way to plantation agriculture (rubber, cashews, and oil palms) and home to 12 ethnic minority groups, giving the province a sort of "edge of civilization" feel to it. The town is growing though, new roads are being built, and some things change quite quickly.

Get in
Buses and other forms of transit going to Banlung may be advertised by the province name "Ratanakiri" rather than the town name "Banlung". Ratanakiri is a more recognizable name to Cambodians from other parts of the country, since it's the name of one of the 25 provinces they had to memorize in school.

To/from Vietnam" The O Yadaw (Cambodia)/Le Thanh (Vietnam) border crossing between Banlung and Pleiku (Gia Lai Province) and Quy Nhon in Vietnam is open to foreign travelers, but Vietnam eVisas are not accepted at this crossing, so you will need to have a physical visa in your passport from a Vietnamese embassy/consulate unless you're from a country that gets visa-free entry. Cambodia visas are available if coming the other direction. From Pleiku town, take a public van (2 hr) or taxi (1½ hr) to the border. One van go to Pleiku at 07:00 for US$10 close of roundabout (2019). The Cambodia post is isolated with no regular transport. The immigration police may help find a taxi. Bargain. Up to US$80 for a whole car or US$30 for a motorbike with driver. 70 km; 2½ hr. Hwy 78 has been completed and is now one of the best roads in Cambodia (as of June 2019 there was just one short stretch of gravel a few kilometers before the border).

By plane
Banlung has an airfield, but all scheduled airlines have stopped serving it. The Banlung runway is still a gravel strip, but there are plans to extend it and build a concrete runway, which would make it more likely to attract a new carrier and make cancellations in the wet season less frequent. Medivacs and charters are available from Helicopters Cambodia.

At Phnom Penh Airport a US$6 departure tax may be levied.

By bus
Road conditions: The road between Phnom Penh and Stung Treng has been upgraded and sealed (though a newly reconstructed road south of Kratie through Chhlong is more often used as it saves 100 km) and can be negotiated rather quickly. The road between the Stung Treng junction and Banlung is fully sealed as of 2019. North of Kratie the road is in a bad state to the Banlung turnoff, but the rest of the road is new and still in very good condition with new bridges.

It is possible to get buses to Banlung from/to:

 * Phnom Penh - Doing this in a single day is now reliable, with 4 big buses (Sorya, Rithmony, Hy Long, GST; 39,000 riel/US$9.70) and numerous minivans (40,000 riel/US$10) servicing the route regularly, departing from 06:00-07:30. The minivans are faster but the free pickup and dropoff can add 2-3 hr to the 8-hr trip.
 * Kratie - Two options:
 * Shared minibus. Leaves around 08:00, takes 5-6 hr. Costs US$8. They seat 4 people in each row of 3 seats, so it can be packed.
 * Phnom Penh Sorya Transport bus. Leaves 13:00, then stops for lunch just out of Kratie for at least half an hour, so if you miss the bus at the station you can always catch up with it. Takes about 6 hours; usually arrives between 19:00-20:00. Costs US$8.

 * Stung Treng - 3-5 hr, later departures.
 * Laos - It is possible to buy a ticket to Four Thousand Islands in Laos from Banlung. These are not direct buses; you must take three buses, switching at Stung Treng and at the border, and then a boat to your final destination. Costs US$14–18. On both sides of the border, the officials will try to charge "processing fees" for stamping your passport and possibly an inflated visa on arrival fee on the Lao side; see the main Laos article for more information.
 * Vietnam - Travel agents in Banlung can book you a 6am cross-border bus to Pleiku in Vietnam. Vietnam eVisas are not accepted at this crossing, so before going make sure that either (1) your nationality gets visa-free entry or (2) you have a physical visa already in your passport (available at Vietnamese embassies and consulates abroad).

Minivan hints: all buses and minivans are often late, but minivans may arrive/leave early if they're ahead of schedule and may not wait, so be prepared to leave at least 15 min before departure, especially in the morning when you may be their first pick-up. Also, if you are changing minivans, do not stray too far from your drop-off point. If the minivan turns up and doesn't see you around, they may think you haven't turned up for some reason and go off without you. Let someone know if you have to go somewhere. It is also possible to buy an extra seat when you book if you are concerned about being squashed or if you are on the big side: 3 seats for 2 people is close to 2 normal places.

By private taxi
A more expensive option than bus, taking a private taxi from Phnom Penh to Banlung is possible, for about US$120. It's a 5-6 hour drive to the junction near Stung Treng, then 2–4 hours to Banlung, plus meal breaks. Some taxi drivers in Phnom Penh specialize in this trip. Your hotel or guesthouse will probably be able to help you out.

Get around
The best way to get around Ratanakiri Province is by motorcycle, either by renting one and then driving it yourself, or by hiring one of the ubiquitous motodop drivers hanging all around town. Almost no one outside the town will speak English, so it may be a good idea to hire a guide to go with you to some of the villages. Also, going alone into the indigenous villages may offend them at religious occasions, such as when they close the village and hold ceremonies to please the spirits.

 * You can possibly rent bicycles near the roundabout. Sometimes they are unavailable. One shop is quite strict about taking passports as deposit. It is better instead to go to Bona Tours, just southeast of the roundabout. They have motorbikes and bicycles, and Mr. Bona is a friendly, English-speaking owner. Banlung Balcony, formerly Lakeview Lodge, also has bikes for rent for US$1.
 * For motorbike rentals, there is a shop on the highway just west of the roundabout, the Ratanak Hotel, a shop near Tribal Hotel, or most guesthouses. Readily available are the smaller 125cc semi-step through bikes for about US$5–7/day. These are the types that you will be seeing many Khmer driving. If you'd prefer a bigger bike, they can obtain a 250cc bike for US$10/day. In Reggae Bar and Restaurant, in street 25 with 46 you can rent motorbikes for US$6-8/day
 * You can also rent trucks or 4 x 4 vehicles for US$30–50/day, and renting a car with a driver is usually helpful. This rent can be organized by various hotels and restaurants, and at Parrot tours. For bigger groups, Dutch Co & Co and Terres Rouges Lodge rent a Landcruiser with driver/guide which can carry up to eight persons although it is a bit more expensive.
 * Most guesthouses will arrange guides and these generally get good reviews. There are also tour shops in the town.

See
Banlung is near several spectacular natural attractions, including waterfalls, lakes, natural parks and hill tribe villages.

Do

 * Go on a rafting trip or jungle trek, visit a hill tribe cemetery, seven-tier waterfall and mining villages with a local guide. These can be tailored to your taste but can be expensive for only one or two people.
 * Respect the locals. Ethnic minorities are animist and many taboos exist. At certain times, e.g. village sacrifice ceremonies, outsiders may not enter the village. Look out for signs, such as fresh tree leaves hanging in front of the village gate or house. Taking photos of people or places in hill tribe villages can break a taboo or disturb the spirits so get permission, and you may be fined if you don't. If you are unsure about local traditions, do not enter villages without a knowledgeable guide.

Eat
Eat responsibly in Banlung and don't encourage poaching by eating the local wildlife.

There's not much to differentiate Banlung cuisine from other Cambodian towns. All but three restaurants are owned and run by Cambodians. Aside from restaurants located in guesthouses, there are several eateries that serve Western food. All of these serve a variety of Cambodian and Western food and drinks. The staff are friendly and dishes start at around US$1.50 or 6,000 riel.

Drink
South of the roundabout are four shops selling beer, wine and spirits, all a bit more expensive than more accessible places like Phnom Penh. The range of wines is modest.

Sleep

Stay safe
There have been some muggings around Banlung, and some gang robberies targeting isolated farms. In February 2009, a French tourist was shot during an attempted robbery after he became lost looking for Cha Ong Waterfall outside Banlung. You should not resist if accosted.

Go next

 * Kratie - A pleasant riverside town which is a nice place to break the long journey to Phnom Penh.
 * Stung Treng - The town most tourists pass through on the way to Laos.

title: Banlung


text:
Ban Nahin

Ban Nahin (ບ້ານນາຫິນ), also known as Ban Khoun Kham and Na Hin village is a settlement on Rte 8 in northern Khammouane Province, in Central Laos.

Understand
Ban Nahin has a population of around 3,000, and is on Rte 8 between Vieng Kham (west, on Rte 13 to Vientiane) and Lak Sao (east, to the Vietnam border). Ban Nahin is a village in a valley surrounded by limestone mountains, and near the most beautiful mountain viewpoint in south Laos. Ban Nahin is a good choice for those who are doing the famous Khammouane motorbike tour known as The Loop (starting in Tha Khaek), and a good choice as well for those who want to visit either the miraculous Konglor cave (50 km from Nahin) or Tad Namsanam waterfall. The latter can be reached by a 3 km jungle hike from Nahin. Ban Nahin has dozens of guesthouses and few restaurants that sell more than Lao traditional food. Ban Nahin is a holiday destination for Lao tourists.

Get in
Ban Nahin sits on Rte 8, and most transport along Rte 8 stops here to pick up and deliver passengers. The village is also known as Ban Khoun Kham, and is signposted using that name.

By bus or songthaew
From Lak Sao: (Rte 8) Songthaews are available. 60 km travelling on a paved road with a plenty of hairpins will take more than one hour.

From Tha Khaek: There are direct buses to and from Tha Khaek in the early morning. Otherwise change buses at Vieng Kham.

From Vientiane: Any bus to Lak Sao should stop at Ban Nanin. More regular buses headed south along Rte 13 (in the direction of Tha Khaek, Pakse and beyond) should stop at the crossroads village of Vieng Kham (Rte 13/Rte 8 junction, also known as Namthone. The road to Nahin is indicated by prominent signposts for the Konglor Cave. Buses for Lak Xao and semi-regular songthaews (essentially pickup trucks with benches in the back) can be hailed from here as they pass through. Songthaews drive frequently for a fixed price of 20,000 kip per person. This journey of 40 km takes around 45 minutes.

By motorbike
Renting a motorbike from Tha Khaek or driving your own vehicle is highly popular. Nahin sits on a popular motorbiking itinerary known as "the Loop".

Get around
The town of Ban Nahin is located just 100 m parallel to Rte 8. Ban Nahin is small enough to walk around.

Motorbikes can be rented at several places, but don't expect to find Japanese quality. Renting an old Chinese bike will cost around 80,000 kip a day. Sok Say Guesthouse (at the main road, west side of town) offers the best rental service. Price is 50–80,000 kip for one person a day, depending on the number of days and number of people travelling on one motorbike. Better to rent a bike in Tha Khaek where the rental rivalry is stronger.

See
Just five km west of Ban Nahin, on Rte 8 at a higher altitude, there is an amazing viewpoint. Relax there and shoot your amazing pictures of the limestone scenery. One of the best places in Laos for your sunset pictures.

Do
Information about trekking programs can be found in the Tourist Centre, which is located on the main road, just 100 m west of the main junction.

Eat
There are plenty of traditional restaurants, and a few restaurants which will satisfy travellers looking for Western food. People at the local market sell mainly fish, fruit and vegetables.

Drink
Drinking options in Nahin are largely limited to the guesthouses and restaurants, most of which stock Beerlao.

Go next

 * Konglor (the town where the Konglor cave is located). Take either a tuk-tuk or public minibus (25,000 kip/1 hour). The minibus leaves at 15:00. Alternatively, to get back to Ban Nahin, the minibus back departs Konglor at 10:30 (25,000 kip).
 * Tha Khaek

The only way out of the village and to Tha Khaek is by songthaew, only once a day at 08:30 (50,000 kip/4 hour). You can arrange pick-up from your guesthouse.

title: Ban Nahin


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Ban Nakasang

Ban Nakasang (ບ້ານນາກະສັງ) or Nakasong, is a small riverside town in Southern Laos. It is one of the main stations for boat and bus services into and out of Don Det and Don Kon, the two most popular of the "4,000 Islands" (Si Phan Don).

Understand
Ban Nakasang is the gateway to Don Kon and Don Det and the nearest large market. The town itself is of no real interest to a casual tourist other than to visit the market there and obtain goods that are not available on the islands. It's rather plain, but may seem pleasant if you've just arrived from Cambodia.

Get in
Buses come here from Pakse and Cambodia - see the Si Phan Don article for more info. The last public bus to Pakse departs at about 10am.

Boats go to and from Don Det and Don Khon pier below the ticket office on the riverside just north of the main street. To Don Det the trip costs 15,000 kip one way per person, but boats don't leave until they have at least two fares, so if you want to go immediately (rather than waiting for another passenger to buy a ticket) you pay 30,000. Fares go up 5,000 kip after 5:30pm, and there are no boats after 8pm. If considering buying a round-trip ticket, keep in mind that you may end up booking a boat-included bus ticket to your next destination from one of the agents on the islands.

Get around
The town is tiny, and your two feet will be plenty. But if for some reason you need to get out to or in from the main highway, that is quite a long walk.

Buy
There are now ATMS across the street from the bus station.

Eat
There are some places to eat close to the Mekong. Most of the places serve Lao food such as noodle soup.

Sleep
There are several guest houses in and around the town if you should end up here and wish to spend a night or are forced to.

Go next
Buses leave for Pakse from the market. The last public bus of the day is at about 10am, or the private bus from Don Det to Pakse, booked in advance with an agent, departs once a day about 11:45am.

title: Ban Nakasang


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Ban Nalan Trail

Ban Nalan Trail is a two-day trekking experience in Northern Laos.

Prepare
In compliance with provincial laws, trekking in Luang Namtha Province may only be undertaken with a certified guide. The hike can be arranged at the Tourist Office: Trained as part of the Nam Ha Ecotourism Project, the guides are local men and women, with knowledge of and respect for the natural and cultural features of the Luang Namtha area and the Nam Ha National Protected Area. Be sure to ask them questions about the environment you are trekking through and consult them if you have any questions about village or forest protocol.

Day one: Ban Chalemsouk to Ban Nalan (5-6 hours)
The trail begins at Ban Chalemsouk, a Khmu village approximately 20 km from Luang Namtha. From here the trail ascends through a 10-20 year old secondary forest until emerging into the upland rice fields of the village. The path offers great views as it levels out along a ridge before re-entering the forest. The trees here are older and support a wide range of animal and plant life. Your guide will explain some of the natural history of the area you are hiking through.

A Lao-style picnic lunch is eaten along the way, either in the forest or in the shade of a farmer's hut. In the afternoon, the trail enters the community forest of Ban Nalan. As the trail begins to descend to the village, it passes a small clearing which served as a gun position during the early 1960s, at the time when Pathet Lao revolutionaries and Royalist forces fought in the area.

Day two: Ban Nalan to Ban Namlue (6-7 hours)
The second morning is a pleasant walk following the Nam Ha River. Here the forest varies from stands of large hardwoods to new growths of bamboo. On the way it passes through the village of Ban Nalan Tai (south Ban Nalan) and the open cultivated areas of the Lanten village of Ban Namkoy. Lunch is eaten in one of the houses of this village.

Next, the trail leaves the river and climbs for a couple of hours. This is the most challenging section of the trail, but also the most beautiful, as it passes through the least impacted forest of the trip. Trees up to four or five hundred years old create a dense canopy which provides a habitat for many birds. Pause quietly for a minute or two and you will hear the forest come alive with the sounds of birds and insects.

From the top of the ridge there are spectacular views to the north with Luang Namtha visible in the distance. The final descent takes you past the mountain rice fields and cultivated areas of the mixed Lanten and Khmu village of Ban Namlue. The trail here can be steep and slippery in places, so take your time, especially after a rainfall.

The trail ends at the Lanten village of Ban Namlue. Trekkers return to Luang Namtha by tuk-tuk towards the end of the afternoon.

Respect

 * Photographs - Always ask before taking close-ups or portraits. Respect those who choose not to be photographed.

 * Dress modestly - Wear shirts that cover the shoulders and pants or skirts that cover your knees. Shirts with a low neckline are not appropriate.

 * Gifts - Do not give anything to children as this practice discourages them from attending school and encourages begging. Also, do not give medicine to anyone but a doctor or nurse.

 * Wildlife products - Hunting and the sale of wildlife products endangers many species of animals native to Laos. You can help by simply not buying or eating wildlife products.

 * Respect local traditions - Do not touch anything that may be of religious significance, such as spirit gates, altars, and burial grounds.

 * Purchasing local crafts - Do not purchase unique items such as books, antiques, or family heirlooms that may be irreplaceable.

 * Drugs - Drugs can really damage these communities. Keep that in mind when packing.

title: Ban Nalan Trail


text:
Bannerghatta National Park

Bannerghatta National Park is in Karnataka, about 22 km from Bangalore, in Southern India.

Understand
The park was founded in 1970, and declared a national park in 1974. This 104.27 km² national park consists mostly of dense forest and scrub land. There is also a state-run zoo within the national park, which is home to wild animals such as tiger, lion, bison, leopard and wild boar. The national park is an important corridor for elephants migrating between the eastern and western ghats. Other attractions at the zoo include a crocodile farm, serpentarium and a newly added butterfly park. In addition, a portion of the park is used as a sanctuary for rescued wild animals, mainly from circuses. The rescue center is off-limits for visitors. Indulge in your sense of adventure with a lion and tiger safari or a Grand Safari (covering herbivores and big cats).

The Biological Park
For an elaborate knowledge of nature and wild-life along with the eco-recreation, eco-tourism and conservation of nature, a 12.8 km² area added the park for a free space for the wild animals to be in their natural habitat. It is a popular tourist destination with a zoo, a pet corner, an animal rescue center, a butterfly enclosure, an aquarium, a snake house and a safari park. It is also a trekking destination. The Zoo Authority of Karnataka and the educational institute such as University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore have been establishing good environment to visitors.

India's first butterfly enclosure is at the Biological Park. It occupies, which houses a butterfly conservatory, a museum, and an audiovisual room. The butterfly conservatory consists of a circular dome enclosure with a poly-carbonate roof, of area 930 m² (10,000 sq ft). The conservatory has a humid tropical climate, with an artificial waterfall and appropriate flora, designed to support over twenty species of butterfly. The conservatory leads to a second and third dome, which houses a museum containing dioramas and exhibits of carefully preserved butterflies.

In 2002 a portion of the park, became a biological reserve, which was named "Bannerghatta Biological Park". It is a popular tourist destination with a zoo, a pet corner, an animal rescue center, a butterfly enclosure, an aquarium, a snake house and a safari park. You can find everything from avifauna to Panthers in the Bannerghatta National Park. The zoo is home to panthers, lions, tigers and a large variety of birds. Wander through the Zoological Garden, with its canopy of shady and sturdy trees, find a quiet resting spot beside a pond and watch the waterfowl frolic. The zoo boasts an amazing reptile collection; a snake park lets you get up close and personal with the scaly, slithery creatures. A children's corner provides an added attraction.

Landscape
Trekking enthusiasts will enjoy Uddigebande (3.5 km) a natural rock formation called Hajaamana Kallu (3 km) and Mirza Hill (1.5 km)

Covering an area of 104.27 km2, including ten reserve forests of Anekal Range of the Bangalore Forest Division, the scenic hills are dotted with many ancient temples.

The Bannerghatta Biological Park is part of a wild-life corridor for elephants which connects the Biligiri Rangana Hills and the Sathya Mangalam Forest. The Bannerghatta Biological Park is a landmark with a connectivity with Talli Reserve Forest in the South-East and Bilikalli Forest in the South.

The beautiful Suvarnamukhi stream running through the park, originates in the Suvarnamukhi hills. These hills spread out to a huge rock, about a kilometre long. The Champaka Dhaama Swamy temple built in the Dravidian style of the Hoysala age, lies at the foot of the rock. The temple enshrines an image of Vishnu with his consorts Sridevi and Bhudevi. The Suvarnamukhi hill also houses a small shrine dedicated to Narasimha(the fourth incarnation of God Vishnu, is half-lion half-human), and at a distance of 2 km away is the Suvarnamukhi water pond. The water of this pond are believed to have curative powers.

A trip to Bannerghatta National Park is truly an unforgettable experience for nature, history, botany and wildlife buffs.

Flora and fauna
Flora: Dry deciduous forests and thorny scrub, with patches of moist deciduous forests along the streams.

Flora include Latifolia, Schleichera Oleosa, Terminalia Tomentosa, Sandalwood, Neem, Terminalia Arjuna, Grewia Tilaefolia, Santalum Album, Tamarind, Bamboo, Eucalyptus, Bauhinia Purpurea, Samanea Saman, and Peltphorum Pterocarpum.

Fauna in the park include Gaur, Leopard, Jackal, Fox, Wild Boar, Sloth Bear, Sambar, Chital, Spotted Deer, Barking Deer, Common Langur, Bonnet Macaque, Porcupine, Hare, Slender Loris, Monitor Lizard, Cobras, Python, Russell's Viper, Krait and Hippopotamus.

Fauna: Elephant, lion, Bengal tiger, white tiger, panther, bear, bison, spotted deer, birds, butterflies.

Climate
You can visit the park year round. The weather is moderate, in the range of 20-32°C year round. The best season is September to January.

Get in
The park can be easily reached from Bangalore city by public transport. Comfortable air-conditioned city buses reach the park from the heart of Bangalore.

 * Route 365, runs to and from the park to Majestic every 20 minutes. The bus runs via corporation and Shantinagar bus stand to Dairy circle where it joins the Bannerghatta road
 * Route 366 from City market via Lakkasandra, and Dairy circle.
 * Route 368 from Shivajinagar via Shantinagar. But not very frequent
 * Route G-4 (G for Green colour), also called Big-10-4, runs every 10 minutes once from Brigade Road junction to the park.

The frequency of these routes generally increases on holidays for benefit of vacationers.

From other locations, Jayadeva Hospital/Mico checkpost is the easiest point for getting to Bannerghatta Road as it is the nearest stop to the Ring Road. 201, 410, 500, 600 and various other routes plying on the Ring Road connect to Jayadeva Hospital junction, from where 365, 366, 368 or G-4 can be taken after a 2-minute walk over the underpass.

If you are using public transport, catch BMTC bus no. 375 or V365 (Volvo A/c).

From Kadugodi or Whitefield, the best option is to take a daily pass in the Volvo which costs ₹110. Then take the V335E or V331-A from the Kadugodi bus-stand to Marathahalli. Near the fly-over get down and take the V500C and get down at Jayadeva hospital stop. There you get the V365 which will take you to the park. Travel time on weekends is around 1.5 to 2 hours.

The 500C starts from ITPL stop.

The V411 connects ITPL to Bannerghatta. The frequency of this bus is pretty less. But it is by far the most convenient way to travel at ₹90. The bus goes via Marthahalli, Sarjapur, BTM Layout, Udupi Gardens, Jayadeva Hospital. This is another viable option.

From BTM layout, go to Jaydeva Hospital flyover stop and can catch any G4 or 365, for both ways, going there and coming back, get down and take an auto to your place in BTM, pay by the meter, minimum auto fare is ₹25 (₹20 earlier), no need to spend much (more than ₹100 per person) on auto or taxi, the frequency of buses is good.

Fees and permits
The entry fee is determined based on what you opt for. There are many options available, for example: Zoo + Lion-tiger safari, Zoo + Grand safari, or Zoo only. The prices are slightly higher on holidays (this include weekends, national holidays, and the whole month of May).

The park is open to visitors Wednesday to Monday between 9AM and 5PM.

Fees for foreigners from non-SAARC countries (July 2017) for the Zoo, Butterfly Park and the Grand Safari (normal bus) are: adults ₹400, and children ₹300.

Indians and foreigners from SAARC countries may buy separate tickets for each visit (prices shown for adults/children aged between 6 and 12 years/senior citizen 60 years above) (July 2017):

 * Zoo: adults ₹80, children ₹40, seniors ₹50
 * Butterfly Park: adults ₹30, children ₹20, seniors ₹20
 * Grand Safari (normal bus): adults ₹260, children ₹130, seniors ₹150

Check the website for rates for air-conditioned buses, Jeeps, and cars.

See
A variety of animals are found in the park. Mammals live freely in the forest, and the visitors are taken around the forest in a well caged 'safari' mini-bus to view them. Partitions with huge gates and moats separate the forest into the Herbivorous section (with deer, elephants, bears and a few monkeys) and the Carnivorous section (with white tigers, lions, and Bengal tigers).

There is also a zoo where reptiles, birds and amphibians are looked after in cages. Endangered animals like cheetahs, leopards, hyenas and panthers are kept here. One can see rhinoceros, elephants, zebras, and porcupines in the zoo area. There are also chipmunks (American ground squirrel) which are very rare in India.

Do
Once you reach Bannerghatta National Park, go to the ticket counter and collect tickets for Grand Safari, Lion & Tiger Safari, and Zoo Park. On weekends, it is advisable to reach the park before 2PM to avoid nonavailability of tickets.

Then wait in queue to board the green safari mini-buses.

Grand Safari is 16 km (to&fro) while Tiger & Lion Safari is 11 km (to&fro).

Complete the Safari and visit at Butterfly Conservatory on the way back. It houses around 20 species of butterflies in a tropical setting, complete with plants, shrubs and a waterfall. After that, see the beautiful exhibits of preserved, exquisitely colored butterflies and moths.

Walk towards the Zoo Park and check out the caged animals, reptiles, and birds in the zoo compound.

Buy
You can buy CDs featuring the butterflies of India from the Butterfly Park.

Eat
The Bannerghatta National Park has been strictly made a plastic-free zone and hence all plastic packaged snacks are sold in hand-made paper bags. The Children's corner is surrounded by many stalls and push cart vendors selling mouth watering Indian chaats and snacks. Dry roasted corn and peanuts are popularly bought on demand over here. The National Park also has a Hill View Restaurant maintained by Jungle Lodges and Resorts just a few yards outside the zoo which provides food on order, to the visitors.

If you are going on a weekday, the stalls inside the Zoo serve great varieties of food, it is also better you carry some food with you. Weekends also have no problem.

Drink
You can get carbonated beverages and packaged juices inside the zoo park.

Stay safe
Do not put your hands out of the mini-bus while on safari.

Do not try to feed wild animals or birds kept in cages.

title: Bannerghatta National Park


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Banning

Banning is a city in Riverside County in Southern California.

title: Banning


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Ban Phe

Ban Phe (บ้านเพ) is on the gulf coastline of Eastern Thailand in Rayong Province. Ban Phe was previously mainly known as a stop-over for the Ko Samet National Park “Khao Laem Ya-Mu Ko Samet" as well as a seafood processing town, mainly for fish sauces. Today tourism is steady growing and Ban Phe gets a major source of income from tourism.

Ban Phe is about 25 km from Rayong, between Sattahip and Chanthaburi. Ban Phe For maps and basic information about the town.

Understand
Ban Phe exists as a port for ferries to Ko Samet and for limited fishing. Ferries between Ban Phe and Ko Samet usually take 20-45 minutes, depending on the speed of the boat and which beach/pier they use.

By speed boat or speed ferry it will take approximately 15 minutes to Koh Samet.

By bus
There are direct 1st class air-con buses between Ekamai (Eastern) Bus Terminal in Bangkok and Ban Phe, departing hourly.

Ban Phe can also be reached by minivan service from the hotels.

By car
Turn right off Hwy 3, Sukhumvit Rd, at km231 and keep going for 5 km or turn right at km238 and keep going for 3 km.

Airport Public Transportation Service, Bangkok Airport Limousines, or public transport will drive you to the pier in 2.5 or fewer hours.

Get around
Ban Phe is a small town and not difficult to traverse. The entire town is about 4 km making it easy to get around on foot. There are also plenty of motorcycle taxis.

To get to Ko Samet from Ban Phe port you can take a private speed boat (around 2,000 baht), a shared speed boat (around 200 baht), a speed boat ferry (around 150 baht) or take the normal ferry for 50 baht which departs approximately every hour depending on how close to capacity each ferry is. A number of tour companies operate from the port, they are mostly fair and reliable.

There is secured car parking available at every pier.

Do
While the beaches in the immediate area of Ban Phe are not very nice due to the pier, go a few kilometres in either direction and the beaches are quite nice and practically devoid of Western tourists.

Heading east out of town 2 km leads you to Suan Son National Pine Forest. The road runs right along the beach and the farther away from town you get the nicer the water is. Once you get 3 km from town the beaches are almost as nice as those on Samet. With only one short incursion inland, the road basically runs along the sea all the way to Lam Mei Pim, 24 km away. There are several luxury resorts and condos along this stretch of beach.

Heading west will eventually lead you to the beach Hat Maerampung. The road is not direct, but if you make the trip you will find 7 km of very nice beach with a number of restaurants, resorts, and cheap hotels.

Buy
In the fish market, many shops offer local seafood products such as fish sauce, sun-dried cuttlefish, dried shrimp, etc. Just half a mile from the fish market are the local tourist trinket markets: key chains made from seashells and grotesque blowfish lamps. Most of these tchotchkes are meant for the local Thai tourists who stream down from Bangkok on weekends. But if you are a serious seashell collector you can find some bargains tucked away at the stalls in the back.

Go next
Most visitors take the ferry to Ko Samet. You can also take the shared minibus to Ko Chang, which depart regularly to the Laem Ngop piers, where you can get onto the car ferries to the island. Private minibuses will carry passengers the entire way to their resort on Ko Chang, not just the ferry, and include ferry tickets with their rates.

title: Ban Phe


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Banqiao

Banqiao (板橋區), also known by its historical spelling Panchiao and its alternative spelling Banciao, is a district and administrative capital of New Taipei, Taiwan.

By rail
Banqiao has a Taiwan High Speed Rail station and is on the blue line (Yongning side) of the MRT.

The city is also on the Taiwanese Railway System, which is cheaper than the Taiwan High Speed Rail, but much slower.

Sleep
Although Banqiao is one of the most urbanized areas in New Taipei City, it is still a small town. There are no major chain hotels and it would be easier to find a hotel and stay in Taipei and visit Banqiao for a couple of hours as it only takes a few minutes to go from downtown Taipei to Banqiao. There are, however, some small hotels that are relatively unknown to foreigners. The prices are often lower in these hotels.

title: Banqiao