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| Picture taken from |
Overview
The
Derawan Islands are located in the province of East Kalimantan in Indonesia and
regarded as the World third best dive destination. Derawan is definitely everyone’s perfect tropical paradise: warm,
isolated islands with soft white sand beaches decorated with waving palm
trees, pristine seas that switch color from turquoise to deep blue, and an
amazing underwater bio-diversity of giant turtles, dolphins, manta rays,
dugongs, stingless jellyfish and whales.
How
do I get there
There
is no direct international or domestic flight to Derawan Island. To get to
Derawan is a cumbersome journey. First you have to take international flight to
Balikpapan - Sepinggan (only international airport in East Kalimantan). To
reach Balikpapan, you may either take SilkAir Airline from Singapore or take a
flight from Jakarta, Surabaya or Denpasar to Balikpapan by Garuda Indonesia or
Mandala Air.
Next
from Balikpapan, you may take a domestic flight by either KALStar, Deraya
airlines or DAS to either Tarakan or Berau.
From
Tarakan
3 to
4 hours journey by speed boat to Derawan
From
Berau
Proceed
to Tanjung Batu first by land transportation (approximately 2 hours journey),
followed by 30 minutes journey by speed boat to Derawan.
*
We do not recommend you travel to Derawan Island directly from Balikpapan, it
could take up to a day to reach Derawan. Morever there is no ATM machines on
the island and changing money is not guaranteed. You need to bring all your
cash with you.
Things to Do In Derawan
1.
Explore the Local Village
In the heart of Derawan island is a small fisherman
village. Littering along the main road are lines of beautiful stilt houses,
mostly operating a variety of business establishments, ranging from small
eateries, souvenir shops and homestay. Do contribute to the local economy by
buying local craft or dried fruit from local souvenir shops managed by the
local Dayak people.
Venture further into the village island to check
its jewels such as the grave of Saba'ani's, one of Derawan's leaders in early
1900s (beheaded by the Dutch) and the island’s historical well, which is said
to be the first to provide freshwater for the village. Unfortunately it is now
in bad shape due to lack of maintenance.
2. Islands hopping
Some
of Derawan’s famous islands, aside from the main Derawan Island, are Pulau
Kakaban, Pulau Maratua, and Pulau Nabucco where the rare species of coconut
crab can be found.
Motor
boat rental prices depending on boat size, range from RP 300,000 (SGD $40) per
person. Utilize your bargaining skills to get the best deal. Most boatmen
here prefer lump sum figures such as Rp 5 million for three days for five to
six passengers.
3. Green Turtle Nesting
Derawan Island house Indonesia’s largest nesting site
of the rare and endangered giant green turtles and hawksbill turtles. Here,
watching turtles lay their eggs in the sand or swim to sea with the turtles is
a daily occurrence.
Don't miss out on the opportunity to turtles crawl out
of the sea and lay their eggs, it is truly a miraculous and
educational experience. As this only occurs at night, one must lay low to
prevent from scaring away the turtle. According to local, the best time to
approach is when the turtles begin to lay their eggs, and are seemingly immune
to surrounding disturbances.
4.
Snorkeling and Diving
Being one of the world finest diving site, uncertified
divers can enjoy Derawan's vast biodiversity by joining scoutdiving,
accompanied and chaperoned by master divers. All-in packages is approximately
RP 500,000 (SGD $55) per person.
Alternatively you may consider snorkeling, if diving
proves too challenging. After all, coming all the way here without capturing an
underwater shot seems like a bit of a waste. Some popular diving spots include
the ones near Maratua, Nabucco and Sangalaki. You may rent a complete set of
snorkling gear for RP 50,000 (SGD $6) per day.
5. Swim with the Jellyfish
Located
near Manta Point is a salt water lake filled with 4 different species of of
jelly fish. The wonder of this place is all jellyfishes have lost their stings
so you can snorkel amidst these colourful creatures minus the stings. There are
hundreds of them, it really does feel like jellyfish heaven.
6.
Laze Around and Simply do NOTHING
Sometimes, due to the changing weather and strong
winds, water sports such as diving and snorkeling is not recommended for safety
reasons. Take this opportunity to soak in the beautiful white
sand beach and horizon, afterall you are now the most beautiful Island in
the world. Grab a can of ice cold beer and chillax by the beach and enjoy
basking under the sun!
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| Picture taken from www.javabackpacker.blogspot.com |
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