As I sat on the balcony of our homestay in Indonesian Borneo watching turtles feeding on seagrass in front of me, I knew I was in a new-found paradise. After dinner, the sky was so clear, stars were visible sparkling in the black night sky, I couldn’t resist laying down to enjoy them, I mean, how often in life do you get the opportunity to look at an unpolluted sky? Oh look – there’s a shooting star, can it get any better than this?
Let’s hope so, the next day we were going to Sangalaki to look for the majestic manta rays. We had already spotted a small pod of dolphins on the boat journey to the island so we already knew that this place had potential to deliver!
Let’s hope so, the next day we were going to Sangalaki to look for the majestic manta rays. We had already spotted a small pod of dolphins on the boat journey to the island so we already knew that this place had potential to deliver!
Derawan
Derawan Archipelago is a cluster of islands off the east coast of the Indonesian side of Borneo. In truth, it could be considered difficult to get to but aren’t most of the beautiful places on earth that are unspoilt and untouched by tourism a little challenging? If you want deserted white sandy beaches, crystal clear aquamarine ocean, warm and friendly, honest people, a laid back vibe, cheap and tasty food (shall I go on??) then Derawan is a place you need to consider.
Derawan Archipelago is a cluster of islands off the east coast of the Indonesian side of Borneo. In truth, it could be considered difficult to get to but aren’t most of the beautiful places on earth that are unspoilt and untouched by tourism a little challenging? If you want deserted white sandy beaches, crystal clear aquamarine ocean, warm and friendly, honest people, a laid back vibe, cheap and tasty food (shall I go on??) then Derawan is a place you need to consider.
The approach to Derawan Island from the sea
You can wander around the island in about half an hour and it’s relatively clean. Locals are proud of the land they own and want it to look presentable, this means you will see people sweeping their steps and throwing away rubbish. If there is litter, it will mainly be from any tourists who visit (so please don’t drop anything, always put your rubbish in bins!)
There are a few eateries on the island, the main dishes are Mie Goreng (fried noodles with egg), Mie Kuah (chicken and noodle soup plus fish is also served, and all cost around 15,000 IDR each (less than £1 or $2). Surprisingly, there are also little souvenir shops selling t-shirts, board shorts, summer dresses and hats, basic diving/snorkelling equipment and a few food/snack shops.
 We mostly ate at this local restaurant  Local clothing store |  Mie Gorang, a popular local dish  Inflatable flamingo ring anyone? |
As I wandered around this small island on my own through the sandy streets whilst Sy was on a day’s dive, the locals smiled and waved and I always felt so safe and happy. I stumbled across a deserted white sand beach littered only by fallen palm trees… I lay peacefully listening to the sound of the ocean and the scurry of the odd monitor lizard in the lush green vegetation – oh yes, this was my new happy place!
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Scuba Diving and Snorkelling
We were brought to Derawan not just for the lure of an idyllic off-the-beaten track destination, but for the top-notch diving and if you follow us, you will know we are both scuba divers. Many of you have commented on our blogs and Instagram photos that you would love to see some of the things we do but you aren’t divers, well I’m here to tell you that sometimes you can see more when snorkelling than diving! So if you are a diver and your partner/friend isn’t, and you want to see some amazing marine life, let me tell you about our experiences in Derawan.
 The island of Sangalaki from the boat |  |
Diving in Sangalaki
We booked a couple of days diving with Scuba Junkie whom we have dived with in Mabul, Sipadan & Komodo and once again, Scuba Junkie delivered as always! We were taken to pristine coral and an abundance of aquarium fish all brightly coloured but the best thing of all was there wasn’t another boat in sight and every dive/snorkelling site we had to ourselves. The water was so still and calm it was like bath water with such a lovely warm temperature. (28/29°c)
What we were here for though was the manta rays – and manta rays we got! When diving, we saw a medium sized manta (around 2 meters across!) at a cleaning station at a sight we nicknamed Manta Mount. He was certainly getting his “clean on” as we watched him swim around us over and over for about 20 minutes. We were elated, our day was now complete … little did we know there would be more action later when snorkelling!
Snorkelling in Sangalaki
During the lunch break, as I sunbathed on the bow of the boat, we saw the tips of a few mantas on the surface only 20 metres away from us! We grabbed our masks and snorkel and jumped right in, then, to our absolute sheer delight, we had the opportunity to hang out with about 4 or 5 different mantas who repeatedly barrel rolled so close to us, we actually lost count. As they swam towards us and scooped their own lunch of yummy jellyfish, we were able to see right inside of their mouths.
We were also privileged to be in a position to take a few ID shots, these are clear photos of their underbelly which we sent off to either Manta Matcher (who advertise “you can help photograph, identify and protect mantas”) although Manta Trust is also an option. They are part of the MMF (Marine Megafauna Foundation). Who have a visual database of resident and migrating mantas around the world and encourage anyone who has taken photos of the mantas underbelly to send them over. The spot pattern on the underbelly of mantas is their unique ID like a human finger print. If they can be identified from photos, Manta Matcher can find out where they have travelled from in order to track and better protect them.
Aside from the majestic mantas, we also saw schools of blue fusiliers who swam underneath us in a regimented line as if they were marching, we were actually able to see the tops of their fins shimmering and skipping along the surface.
Diving in Kakaban
Diving in Kakaban
If sloping coral walls, table tops and stunning fan corals are what you are looking for then Kakaban has this in abundance! As any diver or regular snorkeller will know, pristine coral means a plethora or marine life of all different sizes, shapes and colours and to see them all thriving here gave us so much joy. Now I’m sorry, I’m just going to say it – if you have been to Sipadan (considered to be one of the world’s number one dive sites), you will know how fantastic it is to look at the coral and marine life around Barracuda point, well this place actually rivals Sipadan! The quality and range of coral are equally as impressive, the only difference is that in Kakaban it is everywhere, but our experience was also made that little more special because there literally wasn't another dive boat or snorkeller in site! Oh yes, we had this world-class site all to ourselves in peace and quiet, surely that’s every divers dream?
Banana nudibranch
Giant Moray Eel
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For the surface interval, we found a pristine white deserted beach on which to hang out, our DM nicknamed it “Angie’s beach”, I hope that name remains (thanks Jon!). It was paradise; powder soft white sand, palm trees peppering the skyline, cicada and birds were music to our ears and not a single sole around – this was Robinson Crusoe land!
Snorkelling in Kakaban
Jellyfish lake in the middle of Kakaban Island is a natural phenomenon! About 12,000 years ago, Kakaban was uplifted from the ocean and the jellyfish appear to have evolved into their own species surviving only in this brackish (a mixture of fresh and salt water) environment. It is one of only two places in the world where you can swim safely with stingless jellyfish of which there are four different species here in this lake, the most common being the un-aptly named spotted jellyfish which has evolved to no longer actually have any spots! Isn’t nature fascinating! To reach the lake (a Rp 20,000 (£1.20) fee is payable at the entrance), you will walk down a small pier then through ancient rainforest for about 10 minutes, then all of a sudden you are staring at the most beautiful lake surrounded by lush green trees.
This lake is huge but you don’t need to venture far to swim with the jellyfish so we bobbed silently (no fins are allowed) marvelling at these aliens pulsing all around us. We didn’t touch the jellyfish, we wouldn’t like it if a stranger came up and poked us or tried to pick us up so we applied the same courtesy, we also ensured we swam gently around them watching where we placed our hands and we didn’t splash frantically – these jellyfish are delicate and we came here to be a part of their world not harm them.
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Some jellyfish were teeny tiny, attempting to wiz about yet others were larger and gracefully swam through the emerald lake. At any one time, there were probably around 50 or more in our vision and it was so wonderful being there right at that moment. This was the highlight of our day!
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Sadly we were only in Derawen for five days with another tour booked afterwards elsewhere so we were unable to hang out there longer. If we knew we would love this place as much as we did, we would have definitely have extended our time in this new-found paradise. If you are looking for a hidden gem to visit, then please add Derawan to your bucket list but shhhhh, don’t tell too many people, sometimes it’s nice to keep these unspoilt places unspoilt!
How to get there
If you are coming from Malaysian Borneo, you can get a flight with MASwings to Tarakan. We flew from Tawau and it only took 30 minutes, then it was a 3 hour speed boat ride to Derawan Island. Scuba Junkie can arrange all of this for you to make it super convenient so just drop them an email: scubajunkiesangalaki@gmail.com.
Alternatively, you can do it yourself as there are a number of options depending on which direction you are coming from, check out Scuba Junkie’s link which gives you a few alternatives.
How to get there
If you are coming from Malaysian Borneo, you can get a flight with MASwings to Tarakan. We flew from Tawau and it only took 30 minutes, then it was a 3 hour speed boat ride to Derawan Island. Scuba Junkie can arrange all of this for you to make it super convenient so just drop them an email: scubajunkiesangalaki@gmail.com.
Alternatively, you can do it yourself as there are a number of options depending on which direction you are coming from, check out Scuba Junkie’s link which gives you a few alternatives.
Where to stay
I walked all around the island and, in my honest opinion, the best place to stay if you want either a dorm bed or water bungalow at a very reasonable price is Scuba Junkie. All rooms have a balcony which overlook the ocean and you can keep an eye out for turtles beneath you whilst watching the stunning sunsets. If, however you are on a tight budget, there are many homestays on the island which are basic but comfortable wooden chalets built next to a local’s home, for example, at the end of Scuba Junkie’s jetty, to the left there is Indri Homestay (fan rooms only) but we stayed on the right at Miranda (which have aircon). They are both on the land owned by Scuba Junkie so if you are getting a transfer and or diving/snorkelling with them, they can help arrange it when you arrive.
Sunset from Scuba Junkie's accommodation
Indri Homestay is on the left, Miranda Homestay on the right
 Miranda Homestay - our room |  Our room - basic, but very comfortable! |
We spotted this turtle feeding from our balcony
You shouldn’t have too many problems finding somewhere to stay as there are many homestays, although the island can be completely booked during weekends or bank holidays. We hadn’t arranged anything prior to our arrival and had no problems. Prices at the homestays range from Rp 200,000–300,000 (£12-£18) a night but you will need to enquire directly with Scuba Junkie for their rates as they offer accommodation/transfer/dive/snorkel packages so the price varies. (The price has to be discussed with the local homestay keeper themselves. Scuba Junkie offer dive- and snorkel packages without accommodation but cannot guarantee prices or help getting outside accommodation because at times they are very busy within the resort.)
Travel facts
- The official currency is Indonesian Rupiah’s (IDR), £1 = Rp 16,000
- There are no ATM’s or credit card facilities on the island so you will need to take plenty of cash with you to pay for your food, drinks, any souvenirs that you may by from the shops.
- There is no wi-fi or internet on the island so if you want data, buy a SIM card at the airport (cost for 1G of data is approx. Rp 90,000 (£5.40).
- Their official language is Bahasa Indonesia which is similar to Malaysian Borneo and throughout Indonesia in general
- If you can use just a couple of Indonesian words, this will give you big smile in return, even if you simply use “Pagi” (morning) and “Terima Kasih” (thank you), it will be hugely appreciated.
- A 30 day visa is given at the time of arrival (not for all countries, check with your embassy) but if you want to stay longer in Indonesia, you can obtain a 60 day visa in advance at consulates and embassies.
Have you heard of Derawan or Sangalaki? Is this somewhere you would like to visit? Let us know in the comments below!
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