Derawan Islands

The Derawan group sits off the northeast coast of Kalimantan, four main islands and a scatter of sandbanks in shallow, warm water. Derawan itself is the base, a small island with a village, jetties and rows of stilt guesthouses, where green turtles feed on seagrass close enough to shore that you can snorkel with them from the beach. Sangalaki, half an hour away, has manta rays circling in the shallows on the right tide. Maratua is the largest island, with a deep channel and wall diving. Kakaban holds a saltwater lake on its interior where stingless jellyfish live, though access has been restricted at times to let it recover.

What you actually see

• Green turtles at Derawan - animals feeding on seagrass a few metres off the village beach.
• Sangalaki mantas - reef manta rays circling in shallow water around the island.
• Kakaban lake - the landlocked saltwater lake with stingless jellyfish, when open.
• Maratua - the largest island, with a lagoon, a deep channel and wall dives.

When to go

March to October brings calmer seas for the island hops; the wet months make the speedboat transfer rough. Manta sightings around Sangalaki depend on plankton and tide rather than season. Confirm before travelling whether the Kakaban jellyfish lake is open, since it has been closed for conservation for long stretches.

Honest expectations

Getting here is expensive by Indonesian standards: a flight to Berau, a long transfer and then chartered boats between islands, all of which add up unless you share with a group. Derawan village is scruffy in places and rubbish washes up on the beaches. Turtle encounters attract people who chase and touch them, which is worth not joining. Rooms are simple.

Nearby

Berau and the Kalimantan mainland, with the Kayan river country inland.