Singkawang, Indonesia
Singkawang is a town of 253,812 people in West Kalimantan, Indonesia, founded in October 23, 1771.
Why visit Singkawang
Townapedia lists 19 museums and landmarks, 12 parks and trails, 210 places to eat, 19 places to stay and 13 attractions in and around town.
Weather in Singkawang
Forecast from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Full forecast
About Singkawang
Singkawang (Selako Dayak: Sakawokng), or San-Khew-Jong (Chinese: 山口洋; pinyin: Shānkǒuyáng; Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: Sân-gú-yòng), is a coastal city and port located in the province of West Kalimantan, on the island of Borneo in Indonesia. It is located at about 145 km north of Pontianak, the provincial capital, and is surrounded by the Pasi, Poteng, and Sakkok mountains. The name Singkawang is derived from the Salako language, which refers to a very wide area of swamps (all swamps). In addition, the ancestors of the Hakka Chinese community in Sakawokng also named this area in Hakka as "San-Khew-Jong" (Mount-Mouth-Sea), which means "A city located at the foot of a mountain near the sea and has a river that flows up to the mouth of the river (estuary)."
From the Wikipedia article Singkawang (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Travel tips from other travellers: Singkawang on Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Things to do13
1 more on the map.
Museums and landmarks19
7 more on the map.
Parks, trails and playgrounds12
Restaurants and cafes210
ShiFoods
Restaurant · Seblak, Onigiri Roll, Keripik Pangsit Dan Usus, Baso Seafood · 4.4 km
Jalan Pramuka, singkawang
Mo-Su 11:00-20:00
RM Yudhy Jaya
Restaurant · Indonesian · 1.3 km
Jalan Jenderal Sudirman, Singkawang
Mo-Su 08:00-22:00
198 more on the map.
History
The name Singkawang (Chinese: 山口洋) came from the Hakka language: "San" (山), meaning mountain and forest, "Khew" (口) meaning the mouth of the river, and "Jong" (洋) meaning the sea. The miners and traders who came mostly from China, before they headed towards Monterado, first rested in Singkawang, while gold miners from Monterado often rested in Singkawang to remove their tiredness, while Singkawang also served as the transit point for the transportation of gold dust. At that time, they called it Sakawokng (Salakko Dayak language), which means a very wide swampy swamp area located on the beach. Dayak Salako are part of the soldiers and intelligence of the Sultanate of Sambas which was given territorial territory in Binua Sarauntung Sakawokng.
Basically the Salako Dayak tribe has long inhabited the Sakawokng area before it became a bustling trading area. The Hakka Chinese who came from South China, who were mostly farmers, traders, and gold miners at that time entered the Sakawokng area through small rivers in the Sado (Sedau) area. At first, the Singkawang area was still a vast wilderness filled with swamps. Due to its geographical location, the Hakka Chinese immigrants named this area in Hakka as "San Khew Jong" (山口洋).
From the History section of Singkawang on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to stay19
Churches and places of worship51
Shopping20
Gas and EV charging4
Schools, colleges and libraries31
Healthcare20
klinik dan Apotik Insan Citra Madanj
Clinic and pharmacy · 1.1 km
Jalan Jenderal Sudirman, Singkawang
Map of Singkawang
250 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
Singkawang Airport (SKJ) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 13 km away.
- Sungai Raya 25 km south, about 25 min by car
- Pemangkat 29 km north, about 29 min by car
- Bengkayang 51 km east, about 51 min by car
- Kota Sambas 61 km northeast, about 1 h by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB.
Reviews, tips and questions
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Sources and licences
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, coordinates, regions and time zone
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Singkawang mosque 101221-10546, Wibowo Djatmiko ( Wie146 ), CC BY-SA 3.0
Page built November 3, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us or suggest a place.