PYRTPlan Your Road Trips
Create TripCommunityMerchandise
PYRTPlan Your Road Trips
Create TripCommunityMerchandise
Repronegatief. Tarakan is an island located in the northernmost part of the east coast of 'Dutch' Borneo. Under the island in 1905 oil was found. With Tarakan Koetai produced a significant percentage of the oil from the Archipelago. This proportion rose to almost 55% in 1914 to over 70% in 1925. From 1928 however, the share due to the strong growth of Sumatra's oil production. The production and processing of the oil was in Borneo in the hands of the Batavian Petroleum Maatschappij (BPM), a subsidiary of the partnership 'Royal' / Shell. In 1929 there were 4000 coolies, especially Javanese, the Tarakan island while 170 staff were European. (P. Orchard, 2001). Afscheepsteiger Tarakan 14
Pier and oiltanks of the BPM at Pulau Tarakan
Tarakan, North Kalimantan, Indonesia
Photo by Unknown authorUnknown author
Destinations
Home›Destinations›Tarakan
AsiaIndonesiaNorth Kalimantan

Tarakan

North Kalimantan, Indonesia · Asia

About Tarakan

Tarakan sits on the route: 55 minutes from Sekatak Bengara.

Tarakan is in North Kalimantan, Indonesia, with about 250,000 people. You drive on the left here. The nearest town is Sekatak Bengara, about 49 km away.

Tarakan is an island and co-extensively the sole city within the Indonesian province of North Kalimantan. The island city is the largest urban area in North Kalimantan population-wise and is located in northern Borneo, midway along the coast of the province. The city boundaries are co-extensive with the island

Read more (including a couple of small islands off the coast of the Tarakan Barat District). Once a major oil-producing region during the colonial period, Tarakan had great strategic importance during the Pacific War and was among the first Japanese targets early in the conflict. It is the sole city within the Indonesian province of North Kalimantan (established in 2012). According to Statistics Indonesia, the city had a population of 193,370 at the 2010 Census and 242,786 inhabitants at the 2020 Census; the official estimate as at mid 2024 was 255,310 (comprising 132,175 males and 123,135 females).

Read more on Wikipedia

Where to Stay in Tarakan

Compare prices across Booking.com, Airbnb, Expedia, and more. Select your dates to see availability.

Filter presets

Pick your must-haves once: provider links open pre-filtered. Each filter lists which sites it applies to.

Booking.comExpediaTripAdvisorHotels.comAgodaAirbnb

Compare before you book!

Prices can vary significantly between platforms. We recommend checking at least 2-3 sites to find the best deal for your stay in Tarakan.

Explore the Area

Discover famous landmarks, scenic roads, and more near Tarakan.

Loading map...
Open in Google Maps

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Tarakan?

Tarakan is in North Kalimantan, Indonesia, about 49 km from Sekatak Bengara.

Road trip

Drive to Tarakan

Add it as a stop and the planner works out the driving, the nights and what's worth seeing on the way.

Start planning

What's nearby?

Swipe through places to go

Places within a drive of Tarakan. Keep the ones you like and add them to your trip.

Explore now

Quick Information

Population
249,960
Continent
Asia
Country
Indonesia
Region
North Kalimantan
Timezone
Asia/Makassar
Coordinates
3.3133, 117.5915

Emergency & Services

Essential numbers in Indonesia

Police
110
Ambulance
118
Fire
113
All emergencies
112
Driving side
left
Full driving guide for Indonesia

Tags

AsiaIndonesiaNorth KalimantanCity

When to drive here

Year-round

Tropical latitude: plan around the wet season rather than temperature.

Nearby Destinations

Other places to explore near Tarakan.

Tanjung Selor

🇮🇩 Indonesia

59 km awayPop. 56,569

Nunukan

🇮🇩 Indonesia

92 km awayPop. 67,006

Tawau

🇲🇾 Malaysia

109 km awayPop. 372,615

Lahad Datu

🇲🇾 Malaysia

207 km awayPop. 105,622

Plan a trip around Tarakan

Asia road trip planner

Your trip starts here

Plan a road trip from Tarakan.

Pick the days, drop in the stops, and share it with whoever's coming.

Start planning
PYRT

The ultimate road trip planning platform. Discover 150,000+ destinations worldwide, plan scenic routes, and create unforgettable adventures.

Inspiration

  • Discover Trips
  • Travel Guides
  • Community

The Product

  • Calendar Planner
  • Integrations
  • How It Works
  • Collaboration Mode
  • Get the App
  • Merchandise: PYRT Supply Co.
  • Become a Creator
  • Trip Marketplace

Plan Your Trip

  • Road Trip Planner
  • Famous Routes
  • Drive Times & Distances
  • Planners by Country
  • Best Road Trip Planner App
  • Discover Road Trips
  • Events
  • Travel Guides
  • How It Works
  • My Trips
  • Community Groups

Company

  • Terms of Service
  • Privacy Policy
  • About PYRT
  • Support
  • Contact Us
  • Sign In
  • Create Account

© 2026 Plan Your Road Trips. All rights reserved.

•[email protected]
Data sources:GeoNames (CC BY 4.0)•Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA)•Mapbox•Photography: George Lawrence