Perepat – small village in the eastern part of Paser Regency
Perepat is a small settlement located in Perepat village within Paser Regency, under the administrative jurisdiction of Tanah Grogot District, in the north-eastern part of East Kalimantan (Kalimantan Timur) Province. The village is situated on the island of Borneo, one of Indonesia's largest landmasses. The region borders Sarawak Province in Malaysia, and within its broader context represents one of the centers of natural resource management and economic development in the Indonesian archipelago. The settlement lies on the periphery of the Pacific region, in the eastern part of the Indonesian Archipelago, where tropical climate and natural resources characterize the distinctive features of local life.
General overview
Perepat village is a small settlement within Tanah Grogot District (kecamatan), which falls under the administrative structure of Paser Regency (kabupaten). Paser Regency itself forms part of East Kalimantan Province, which among Indonesia's provinces is counted among territories with larger land area yet relatively low population density. According to the 2020 census, East Kalimantan had approximately 3.8 million inhabitants; based on 2025 estimates, the province is home to more than 4.2 million people, corresponding to an area of approximately 127,347 square kilometers. This means the province ranks among the three least densely populated provinces of the Kalimantan island group.
Perepat village represents a characteristic example of rural East Kalimantan areas, where settlement density is generally low and geographic distances are significant. Tanah Grogot District is a rural area of Paser Regency defined by natural resources, which for a long time has been subject to limited real estate and economic development. The village also represents typical rural Indonesia in terms of transportation infrastructure, where road and logistics infrastructure remains in a developing or underdeveloped state.
Real estate and investment
The real estate market of Perepat village—similar to the market in Paser Regency and the broader rural settlements of East Kalimantan region—exhibits the distinctive market dynamics of characteristically low-density, resource-oriented rural economies. The economy of East Kalimantan Province has traditionally been built on forestry, mining, and the extraction of oil and gas resources, which also determines the development trajectory of rural real estate markets. The real estate market of Tanah Grogot District and within it Perepat village is generally organized around extensive agricultural and forestry use, resulting in relatively low property prices compared with urbanized centers of the country.
For foreigners, the acquisition of Indonesian real estate is an internationally regulated area: according to Indonesian law, foreigners are generally not permitted to hold free ownership of agricultural land; however, through limited-term leasing agreements (typically 30 years, renewable) long-term use rights over properties can be secured. In the rural Indonesian real estate market, including the Perepat village area, the value of properties fundamentally depends on the given area's transportation accessibility, infrastructure development plans, and resource extraction potential. Current broader economic development plans for East Kalimantan Province include new infrastructure and logistics projects, which may affect the rural real estate market in a long-term perspective.
Safety and security
Settlement-level security data for Perepat village is not available; however, the rural Kalimantan region generally shows lower crime rates compared to major Indonesian cities, with one obstacle to improving public safety potentially being labor conflicts related to resource extraction and social tensions linked to poverty. The police presence of East Kalimantan Province is concentrated in more urbanized centers (such as the Samarinda city area); rural areas—including rural districts of Paser Regency—generally have lower law enforcement coverage.
In rural Indonesia, personal safety largely depends on the social cohesion of the given community and the effectiveness of local leadership. Perepat village as a rural community—where human-based community networks are generally stronger—typically exhibits lower rates of violent crime than urbanized centers. However, nighttime transportation—taking into account the general characteristics of rural Indonesia—is generally less safe than in urbanized areas; the level of infrastructure development (roads and public lighting) is also more limited.
Tourist attractions
Concrete tourist attractions for Perepat village are not listed in available source materials; however, the village is located within the administrative framework of Paser Regency and Tanah Grogot District, representing the rural, natural-resource-rich region of East Kalimantan Province. Outside of Samarinda, the major city and capital of East Kalimantan Province, international tourism in the region is attracted by rainforest biodiversity, cultural traditions of indigenous communities, and natural forestry characteristics.
The rural Kalimantan region, to which Perepat village belongs, is less developed in terms of tourist infrastructure than other tourism destinations in Indonesia (such as Bali). The environmental and ecological interest of East Kalimantan Province (the rainforest ecosystem, local faunal and floral diversity) has, however, historically offered opportunities for organized adventure tourism. The rural character of Tanah Grogot District, to which Perepat village belongs, and the general natural significance of the island of Borneo mean that travelers typically do not seek the given area as a direct tourism destination, but rather understand it as part of eco-tourism routes passing through the district, or from professional purposes connected to resource extraction.
Summary
Perepat village is a rural settlement within the administrative framework of Tanah Grogot District, forming part of Paser Regency, in the eastern region of East Kalimantan Province on the island of Borneo. The settlement represents a characteristic example of the broader rural Kalimantan region: a low-density village with a fundamentally resource-oriented economy and developing infrastructure, which in terms of Indonesia's historical and contextual development represents the country's rural periphery. The real estate market is more limited, with less economic dynamism than urbanized centers, public safety meets adequate rural standards, and tourist infrastructure is similarly in a developing state. The development of the given area in the long term depends on Indonesia's medium-term infrastructure and economic development plans.
