Green turtles graze on seagrass right off the village jetty, no boat needed.
Derawan is the easy one. Where the rest of the archipelago demands long boat rides and careful planning, this island puts its main attraction directly under the village jetty: green turtles live in the shallows off the pier and the overwater walkways, grazing on the seagrass beds, and you can watch them surface for air without getting wet at all. Slip in with a mask and you are floating above them within a minute of leaving the boards. Seeing several is closer to a daily certainty than a piece of luck, which is not something you can say about much marine wildlife anywhere.
The island itself is small enough to walk end to end, with sandy lanes, homestays, a handful of dive shops and no cars to speak of. That scale is a large part of the appeal. It is also the practical base for the archipelago, since Kakaban, Sangalaki and Maratua are all reachable as day trips from here, and boat capacity out of Derawan is substantial, with well over a hundred speedboats working out of the island's dock.
What Derawan is not is a resort island. Accommodation is homestay-grade for the most part, food is simple, and the infrastructure is basic in ways that will bother some people and delight others. It suits snorkellers and divers who want marine life without a two-hour crossing to reach it, and who are comfortable with island life rather than service. Come with that expectation and it is one of the better-value things to do in Indonesian Borneo.
가는 방법
Fly to Berau, landing at Kalimarau Airport (BEJ), most straightforwardly via Balikpapan; note that the Berau to Balikpapan route transferred from Wings Air to Super Air Jet in late 2025, so older flight information may be out of date. From Berau it is a road transfer of roughly two hours to the small port at Tanjung Batu, then a speedboat across to Derawan. The crossing itself is short, most commonly described as around half an hour, though a local dock official was quoted at closer to ten minutes in late 2025, so expect somewhere in that range rather than a fixed figure. As of December 2025 the regular passenger fare from Tanjung Batu to Derawan was quoted at around IDR 150,000 per person, with private speedboat charters running from roughly IDR 800,000 return for a small boat up to IDR 2,500,000 for a large one. Most homestays will arrange the transfer if you message ahead, which is the simplest approach.
가기 좋은 시기
The dry season, roughly April to October, gives calmer crossings and clearer water, which matters more for the day trips out to Kakaban and Sangalaki than for the jetty itself. Turtles are present all year round and are not seasonal, but visibility drops after heavy rain, so a settled spell makes for better snorkelling. Early morning and late afternoon tend to be the most productive times to find them feeding close in around the jetty and walkways. Indonesian public holidays fill the island and the boats, so avoid them if you can.
알아두면 좋은 점
Keep your distance and never touch, ride, chase or attempt to surface alongside a turtle. This is both the right thing to do and something local operators take seriously, and turtles that are harassed stop using the shallows near the jetty, which costs everyone. Bring enough cash for the whole trip in small notes, as there is no dependable ATM on the island. Pack your own mask and snorkel if you can, because rental quality varies and a leaking mask is the difference between a good swim and a frustrating one. Take rubbish back to the mainland where you can, since waste handling on a small island is limited.
Close to it. Green turtles live permanently in the shallows around the village jetty and walkways, feeding on the seagrass, so most visitors see several on their first swim or even from the pier without entering the water.
No. They graze in shallow water directly off the village, so snorkelling is plenty and watching from the jetty works too. Diving opens up more of the surrounding reef if you want it.
Fly to Kalimarau Airport at Berau, usually via Balikpapan, then transfer by road roughly two hours to Tanjung Batu and cross by speedboat. The regular passenger fare from Tanjung Batu was around IDR 150,000 per person as of December 2025, with charters available at higher rates.
A small local tourism or harbour fee is sometimes collected on arrival, but the jetty and the turtles are free. Fee arrangements across the archipelago are informal and change, so carry cash and do not expect a printed tariff.
Mostly homestays, simple and inexpensive, along with a handful of dive shops. This is not a resort island, and food and facilities are basic. Maratua is the place to go if you want comfort.
Yes, and most people do. Kakaban, Sangalaki and Maratua are all reachable as day trips by speedboat, and there are plenty of boats working out of the island, so arranging a trip through your homestay is straightforward.
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