In Reply to: Bali to Borneo? Cheapest easiest way? posted by Schnoll on Saturday, 25. October 2008 at 08:17 Bali Time:
easiest and cheapest. The cheapest (excluding the idea floated by Donald) is with PELNI. This is the government run shipping line that covers the islands of Indonesia. You can travel "deck class" very cheaply during the day. A cash bonus to the purser can sometimes get you put into a first class cabin for the night.
To get to Borneo with the PELNI boats it would be best to leave from Surabaya.
It is possible to go from Surabaya to Makassar, Pare Pare, Palu and then over to Tarakan and Nunukan before heading down to Balikpapan. Or if the boat is doing the opposite cycle you will go straight up to Balikpapan.
You can also fly from Bali to Ujung Pandang and then to Balikpapan.
Or you can fly from Bali to Jakarta and then on to Kuching or Kota Kinabalu. Either of the later two flights should be cheaper than $200.
Flights from Jakarta to Kuching are currently back on special for $40.