Eid holiday is the right time to travel at home. In Tarakan City, North Kalimantan, one of the most visited attractions during the Eid holiday is the Mangrove and Bekantan Conservation Areas or KKMB.
This 22-hectare conservation area is very easy to reach because it is located in the center of Tarakan City. The entry ticket was not that burdensome. Just pay IDR 5000, we can enjoy the lush mangrove forests and the agility of ‘bekantan’ or proboscis monkeys that are endemic animals in this region.
The tracking path made of boards and concrete is provided to facilitate visitors around the KKMB. At some point information boards are available. The information boards are provided to educate the types of mangroves and animals that live in KKMB.
There are 27 types of mangroves in KKMB, ranging from low growths such as ‘jeruju’ (𝘈𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘶𝘴 𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘶𝘴) to towering ones such as fires (𝘈𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘢 sp.), and ‘bakau’ trees (𝘙𝘩𝘪𝘻𝘰𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘢 sp.). Various types of coastal biota and watershed can also be found in this place. Under the mud there are colorful crabs (𝘜𝘤𝘢 sp), ‘glodok’ or ‘tempakul’ fish (𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘱𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘮𝘶𝘴 sp), and water snakes. Every now and then the chirping of the king prawn (𝘗𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘰𝘱𝘴𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘴) also breaks the silence of the mangrove forest. Animals that are excellent for KKMB visitors, of course, is ‘bekantan’ or proboscis monkey (𝘕𝘢𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘴). This large-nosed monkey is deliberately bred in this place.
The best time to see ‘bekantan’ is around nine o’clock in the morning and three o’clock in the afternoon. During these hours the ‘bekantan’ mob will search for food. ‘Bekantan’ utilizes mangrove leaves as food. But the management of KKMB also prepared food like bananas.
