Kalimantan is about
jungles adventure. Imagine of 130 million years old rainforest, one of the
oldest in the world. The Largest River is the Kapuas in West Kalimantan with a
length of 1,143 km. Kalimantan has one of the longest underground rivers in the
world. Deer Cave is home to over 3 million bats, with guano accumulated to over
100 meters. All of those massive nature beauty you can find it here.
Derawan Islands – West Kalimantan
Derawan comprises 31
small and big islands, the most well known are the islands of Maratua,
Sangalaki, Kakaban and Derawan itself. Located just away from the mainland of
East Kalimantan in the district of Berau, Derawan islands is the perfect
tropical paradise for those who always dream of.
The islands have
picturesque beaches and panoramic underwater view. There are hundreds of coral
fish species, coral reefs, invertebrates, and other sea critters in the area.
Derawan islands are considered as the third best dive destination in the world.
Activity
All water sport is
possible to do such as diving, snorkeling, banana boat, jet skiing, sailing and
fishing. There are total of 28 dive points identified around the islands. The
underwater view is a paradise for divers,. You can find numbers of unique and
protected species, among which are the coconut crabs, whales, dolphins and
dugongs. The coconut crabs are found near the islands of Kakaban and Maratua,
while whales and dolphins in particular month can be seen around Semama,
Sangalaki, Kakaban and Maratua. Dugongs swim around Pulau Panjang and Semama
and manta rays are found around Sangalaki with pygmy seahorse around Semama and
Derawan. It takes at least 10 days to explore them all.
Getting There
You can fly directly
to Balikpapan from Singapore, Jakarta, Surabaya or Denpasar. From Balikpapan
take a connecting flight by local airplane to Tanjung Redeb in Berau. From here
the boats will take you to the islands.
