Pulau Derawan Travel Guide

  penyu/ sea turtle under your room balkon
by ArieSandy
  • penyu/ sea turtle under your room balkon
      penyu/ sea turtle under your room balkon
    by ArieSandy
  •   Hotels
    by freshia
  •   Hotels
    by freshia
  • Great View just outside your room
      Great View just outside your room
    by ArieSandy
  • Derawan Pier
      Derawan Pier
    by DidiBeachBum

Explore Pulau Derawan

Things to Do  

Gusung-gusung (sand dunes)

Gusung-gusung (sand dunes), Pulau Derawan

 freshia Says:  There are several sand dunes near Derawan Island which you can visit during low tides.A nice place to take pictures :) 

sangalaki island

sangalaki island, Pulau Derawan

 freshia Says:  You can visit the sea turtle conservation here and if you're lucky you can see newborn turtles ready to be released to the seaor sunbathing and swimming in the pristine white beachOr snorkel and see manta rays if you're lucky 

Kakaban Island

Kakaban Island, Pulau Derawan

 freshia Says:  Kakaban Island is so special that inside the island is vastly occuppied by a lake which hosts a bunch of stingless jellyfish which you can only find in 2 places: here and in PalauYou can swim in the lake and surrounded by jellyfish :)When you get bored with jellyfish you can... 

Swimming with sea turtles

Swimming with sea turtles, Pulau Derawan

 freshia Says:  You can easily do this if you stay at the cottages over the water run by localsAll you have to do is sit in the jetty or from your verandah and when you see them, jump into the water and discreetly come from behind them. If you manage to catch up just gently rub his shell... 

pulau sangalaki

pulau sangalaki, Pulau Derawan

 aalayaa Says:  don't miss to visit sangalaki island. it's only about 2 hours from derawan by fisherman's boat and take even less time using the speedboat.if you're lucky, you'll meet some mantarays. they will swim around your boat. we met like 10 of them! if you spend a nite on this island... 

Snorkeling in stingless jelly fish infested lake

Snorkeling in stingless  jelly fish infested lake, Pulau Derawan

 DidiBeachBum Says:  Most def you should go snorkeling with them stingless jellyfish. It's really fun to swim among floating jellyfish. 

Kakaban prehistory lake

Kakaban prehistory lake, Pulau Derawan

 Perucha Says:  The lake was originally the lagoon of an atoll, formed by corals over a period of two million years. As a result of movements in the earth's crust the coral reef was raised above the sea level, trapping 5 km2 of seawater within a 50 meter high ridge, effectively creating a... 

Hotels  

Snorkling, Photography, Dive, Fishing, Pickup Tran: Wisma Aditya Derawan Beach

Snorkling, Photography, Dive, Fishing, Pickup Tran: Wisma Aditya Derawan Beach, Pulau Derawan

 ArieSandy Says:  Local hospitality and cheapest motel in Derawan. They have a boat to take you or pick up you between island and port around Derawan. Fishing along with the owner coz they also nice fisherman. The only charge me Rp.175.000, a day for 1 room, 2 bed, fan, fishing, dinner and... 

Mirolis Pelangi cottage: colourful cottages

Mirolis Pelangi cottage: colourful cottages, Pulau Derawan

 freshia Says:  I didn't stay there but I did check out the place and had lunch at the restaurantTheir bungalows are all over the water and they have rooms with air con and non aircon 

Restaurants  

Derawan cafe: restaurant with the best jetty

Derawan cafe: restaurant with the best jetty, Pulau Derawan

 freshia Says:  The restaurant is part of Derawan Cafe resort. The food is so-so and price higher than average. But it has a nice swimming beach in front of it and the jetty extends out the farthest adn there is a nice snorkeling spot at the end of the jetty. So it is a pretty nice place to... 

Mirolis Pelangi: Eating by the sea

Mirolis Pelangi: Eating by the sea, Pulau Derawan

 freshia Says:  The restaurant is part of Mirolis Pelangi Cottage, which is at the far end of the island. We had a nice fried chicken with homemade chilly sauce for lunch and loved it 

warung April: The best in eating place in the island

warung April: The best in eating place in the island, Pulau Derawan

 freshia Says:  Like everything else in Derawan food takes time to prepare so it means they're so fresh :)The choices are: fish, shrimps, chicken and squidGrilled fish with the hot homemade chilly sauce is the best 

Any resto in this village: Order couple hours before!

Any resto in this village: Order couple hours before!, Pulau Derawan

 Perucha Says:  There's 1 resto in the resort, but it caters only for guests who are staying in and they only provide in buffet style and cost USD10/pax. I once wanted to dine in but they said I shld have had to inform them few hours in advance due to limited food!As a backpacker, I went to... 

Nightlife  

Jetty/beach: To see sunset or turtles?
Perucha profile photo
Perucha 263 reviews
beautiful sunset

In Derawan there's no night life, no bars, no cafes. To spend the night, either u sit around on the jetty/beach to see beautiful sunset and talk over the night with sea breeze, or u see turtles coming to land to procreate!

Written Aug 29, 2004

Related to:
 Beaches

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Transportation  

fisherman's boat

fisherman's boat, Pulau Derawan

 aalayaa Says:  if you visit derawan, don't forget to visit the other islands nearby: sangalaki, kakaban and maratua. to get there, just rent a boat from fishermen. to get contact with the fisherman, just ask your hotel manager. he'll be more than happy to help you.it takes 2-3 hours to get... 

4 seaters speed boat

4 seaters speed boat, Pulau Derawan

 Perucha Says:  From Berau airport, go by car 20 min to harbour, there find speed boat to take u to Derawan island. The trip takes 2,5 hrs if weather is good. 1,5 hr u go cruising thru Mahakam river then 1 hr thru the ocean. This is the hardest part of the journey since the water is very... 

Small plane

Small plane, Pulau Derawan

 Perucha Says:  From Balikpapan u fly by this kinda plane to Tanjung Redeb/Berau. This plane is so small so they require u to scale your body weight and baggage. So don't bring too heavy things and perhaps u should go on diet before going to Derawan? :-PFly by KalStar ot DAS, cost around Rp... 

Speed boat

Speed boat, Pulau Derawan

 Perucha Says:  To get to other islands around Derawan (Sangalaki, Kakaban, Maratua), u have to rent a speed boat. It cost a lot, so u better share with other guests. Boat rent cost Rp 500,000 - Rp 750,000 per day. 

Sports & Outdoors  

Scuba diving in Sangalaki - world capitol of Manta
Perucha profile photo
Perucha 263 reviews
Me (left) after adrenalin diving...

At Sangalaki the familiar shape of Manta Rays emerges from all directions. Their wing tips breaking the surface at regular intervals. Totally unperturbed by your presence, they swim in eurythmy and sometimes glide right up to you before making a sharp nose-dive into the blue. It is not unusual to find ten of them encircling you. Though most of them are about 3,5 meters (12 ft) wide with a white belly, there are a few black giants with a 6 meters (20 ft) wing span.

Equipment: U don't have to scuba dive to see Mantas. But if u are, world down there is absolutely amazing! Here all the fish are in gigantic sizes, unlike I've seen before!

Written Aug 29, 2004

Related to:
 Diving and Snorkeling
 Beaches

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Favorites  

Nice view, nice sunshine, nice sea breeze!
Perucha profile photo
Perucha 263 reviews
Never get bored having this view!

Favorite thing: Just laying on the beach or on the edge of a jetty...looking at the blue ocean with some turtles swimming, bright blue sky, smell and feel of sea breeze...anything more relaxing than this?

Fondest memory: Sweet water!

Written Aug 31, 2004

Related to:
 Beaches
 Diving and Snorkeling

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Map of Pulau Derawan