The Friday Photo: Our Mahakam River Boat

I felt like Madame Mao taking this photo, signalling from the bank to get the boat in what I hoped was an appropriately scenic position against the sun. Zac and I spent four days on her, exploring the Mahakam River, in Kalimantan, Indonesian Borneo – for work. There’s something just wonderful about sitting on the top deck of your very own houseboat, watching the river flow and the world go by, with a good book, a mountain of snacks, and one eye out for dolphins. With the Batang Rejang, that makes two of Borneo’s great rivers we’ve explored: but there are so many more to see.

Want to do it? We were guests of Borneo Tour Gigant: their Mahakam river boat prices start from around US$500 per person, including food and transfers.