Destination intelligence · Berau Regency, East Kalimantan
Derawan Island, read properly — the working station log for the Derawan Archipelago
This is not a package catalogue. It is a working station log for Derawan Island and the wider archipelago: every leg timed, every reachable site listed against the nights it actually needs, and every price printed with its exclusions beside it.
Run by Indonesia Juara, an operator working in Indonesian tourism since 2015. Meeting point for our private trips is Kalimarau Airport (BEJ), Berau. Published season: April to November.
- 142pages published on this portal
- 9destinations surveyed and written up
- 7properties we actually place guests in
- 2026last verification pass on every figure
The instrument · placed second, not buried
The Passage Console
Pick where you land, how many days you have, and the month you travel. It returns the transit chain, the sites that honestly fit, the season read, and the cost band — including the answers that talk you out of a booking.
Door-to-water transit chain
| Leg | Duration band | Operating note | Published on |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flight — Balikpapan BPN to Berau BEJ (Kalimarau) | 70 – 90 min | Daytime schedules; one published connection band. | /derawan-via-berau/ |
| Road — Kalimarau BEJ to Tanjung Batu port | 120 – 180 min | Sealed road; slower after heavy rain. | /derawan-via-berau/ |
| Speedboat — Tanjung Batu to Derawan | 30 – 45 min | Daylight crossing, sea-state dependent. | /how-to-get-to-derawan/ |
One way 3 h 40 m – 5 h 15 m · return 7 h 20 m – 10 h 30 m · about 13% of the trip spent moving, from Balikpapan (BPN) via Berau BEJ.
Reachable site set
- Derawan — base islandFits 4D3N — Base island: jetty village, turtle sightings from the walkway.
- Sangalaki — manta and turtlesFits 4D3N — manta cleaning station plus the green turtle nesting beach.
- Kakaban — jellyfish lakeFits 4D3N — snorkel-only lake, permit required, no fins.
- Maratua — walls and big fishFits 4D3N — outer walls and drift dives; a full boat day of its own.
- Labuan Cermin — Biduk-BidukDoes not fit 4D3N (needs 4 nights) — mainland road day to the two-layer fresh-over-salt lake.
- Talisayan — whale shark baganDoes not fit 4D3N (needs 4 nights) — pre-dawn mainland departure; sightings are never guaranteed.
Season read — June
- Sea state
- Calm
- Water temperature
- 27 – 30 °C
- Visibility
- about 20 m and better on the published dive pages
- Turtle nesting
- Green turtle nesting reported (March – October window)
- Manta
- Manta reported year-round at Sangalaki; easiest to reach in calm months
- Jellyfish lake
- Kakaban jellyfish lake open year-round, permit and no-fins rule apply
June sits inside the published April – November season: crossings are usually workable and multi-dive days are feasible.
Cost band, per person
USD 285 – 580 per person
Private Trip Derawan 3D2N / 4D3N, standard tier: USD 580 per person at 2 pax, falling to USD 285 per person at 10 pax. Premium tier quoted separately. Published rate, as of 2026.
Excluded, always printed: flights into BEJ or TRK · marine park and Kakaban entry permits · dive gear rental and dive fees · personal expenses and tips · travel insurance.
Balanced: 4 of 6 sites are honestly reachable on a 4D3N from Balikpapan (BPN) via Berau BEJ, with about 13% of the trip spent moving.
Published figures as of 2026 · duration bands, not promises · confirm current rate and boat schedule before booking.
Data column I
The transit ledger — gateway to water
Both real approaches, every leg published as a band rather than a single flattering number. Our private trips meet you at Kalimarau Airport (BEJ), Berau; the Tarakan approach is listed because people ask for it, not because we prefer it.
| Leg | Mode | Band | Operating note | Published on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Balikpapan BPN → Berau BEJ | Air | 70 – 90 min | Daytime schedules; connect early or lose the crossing | /derawan-via-berau/ |
| Kalimarau BEJ → Tanjung Batu port | Road | 120 – 180 min | Sealed road, slower after heavy rain | /derawan-via-berau/ |
| Tanjung Batu → Derawan | Speedboat | 30 – 45 min | Daylight only, sea-state dependent | /how-to-get-to-derawan/ |
| Tarakan TRK → Derawan | Boat | 240 – 300 min | Long open crossing; one daylight departure window | /derawan-via-tarakan/ |
| Derawan ↔ Sangalaki | Speedboat hop | 45 – 60 min | Manta and nesting beach; conduct rules apply ashore | /sangalaki-island/ |
| Derawan ↔ Kakaban | Speedboat hop | 60 – 75 min | Lake permit and no-fins rule enforced at the boardwalk | /kakaban-island/ |
| Derawan ↔ Maratua | Speedboat hop | 60 – 90 min | Plan it as a full day, not an afternoon | /maratua-island/ |
| Mainland → Talisayan bagan | Road + boat | 150 – 210 min | Pre-dawn departure; sightings never guaranteed | /talisayan-whale-shark/ |
Bands published on our own route pages, as of 2026. Sea state, weather and boat scheduling move these; we re-verify each season.
Data column II
The atoll site register
Six sites, five identical chips each, so they can actually be compared — including the line most portals leave out: what a place is not good for.
Derawan
Base island · village and jetty
- Access: speedboat from Tanjung Batu
- Minimum: 1 night
- Rule: village etiquette, no turtle handling
- Signature: turtles from the jetty walkway
- Not for: deep wall diving
Where nearly every itinerary sleeps. Shallow reef flats off the walkway, homestays and small resorts, and the shortest hop to everything else on this list.
Where to stay on DerawanSangalaki
Manta cleaning station · nesting beach
- Access: 45 – 60 min hop from Derawan
- Minimum: 2 nights
- Rule: no lights or handling on nesting beach
- Signature: manta rays, green turtle nesting
- Not for: guaranteed sightings on a fixed date
Manta are reported year-round and are easiest to reach in calm months. Nesting is a March to October pattern, not a schedule — we will not promise you a turtle on a Tuesday.
Sangalaki, in fullKakaban
Landlocked marine lake
- Access: 60 – 75 min hop from Derawan
- Minimum: 2 nights
- Rule: permit, snorkel only, no fins
- Signature: stingless jellyfish in the lake
- Not for: scuba, or strong swimmers in a hurry
A short climb, a boardwalk, then a lake full of stingless jellyfish. Fins are banned because they injure the animals; the rule is enforced, and we enforce it too.
Kakaban and the jellyfish lakeMaratua
Outer walls · big fish country
- Access: 60 – 90 min hop, own airstrip
- Minimum: 3 nights
- Rule: certification checked for wall and drift dives
- Signature: walls, channels, schooling fish
- Not for: a half-day add-on
The reason experienced divers come this far. Treat it as its own boat day; squeezing it into a two-night trip means seeing the transit, not the wall.
Maratua IslandLabuan Cermin
Biduk-Biduk, mainland
- Access: mainland road day from Berau
- Minimum: 4 nights
- Rule: local boat and guide at the lake
- Signature: fresh water layered over salt
- Not for: island-only itineraries
The mirror lake is real and it is worth the drive — but it is a mainland day, not an island hop. If your trip is short, this is the first thing we cut.
Labuan CerminTalisayan
Whale shark bagan platforms
- Access: 150 – 210 min road and boat, pre-dawn
- Minimum: 4 nights
- Rule: no touching, no riding, no feeding
- Signature: whale sharks at the lift-net platforms
- Not for: anyone who needs a guarantee
A dark start, a working fishing platform, and wild animals that owe you nothing. Some mornings there are several; some mornings there are none, and we say so before you pay.
Talisayan whale sharks
Data column III
Season & water almanac
The published season is April to November. We draw it as one continuous band instead of twelve identical cards, and we leave the difficult months on the page rather than hiding them.
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea state | Rough | Rough | Variable | Calm | Calm | Calm | Calm | Calm | Calm | Calm | Variable | Rough |
| Water temp | 27–30 | 27–30 | 27–30 | 27–30 | 27–30 | 27–30 | 27–30 | 27–30 | 27–30 | 27–30 | 27–30 | 27–30 |
| Visibility | Reduced | Reduced | Mixed | ~20 m+ | ~20 m+ | ~20 m+ | ~20 m+ | ~20 m+ | ~20 m+ | ~20 m+ | ~20 m+ | Reduced |
| Turtle nesting | — | — | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | — | — |
| Manta (Sangalaki) | Reported | Reported | Reported | Reported | Reported | Reported | Reported | Reported | Reported | Reported | Reported | Reported |
| Jellyfish lake | Open | Open | Open | Open | Open | Open | Open | Open | Open | Open | Open | Open |
April – November, published season. Calmest crossings and the months multi-dive days are planned around. Manta reported year-round; turtle nesting follows a March to October pattern.
December – March. Crossings can be cancelled on sea state and visibility drops. We will still quote you — with the warning attached, and with a spare day built in.
Season, temperature and visibility figures published on our best-time and dive site pages, as of 2026. Weather is not a schedule.
Method
How this page is built
- Survey the island. Our team works the archipelago out of Berau. Nine destinations are written from actual visits, not from a supplier feed.
- Publish the leg times. Every transfer is printed as a band with an operating note, because a single number is a sales figure, not a duration.
- Publish the rate band with its exclusions. Where a rate is published, the exclusions sit next to it in the same size type. Where it is not, we say "quoted per group" instead of inventing one.
- Re-verify each season. Bands are reviewed against what actually happened on the water, and the date stamp moves only when the check is done.
Honest-pricing pledge. Every figure on this site is a published band with exclusions and a date, never a teaser rate. Rates on this page are the private trip figures we hold at time of publication; boat, fuel and permit costs move, so we confirm at quote.
Sources & limits
What each figure rests on
- 01Private Trip Derawan rate table — USD 580 per person at 2 pax to USD 285 per person at 10 pax, standard and premium tiers. Last verified 2026.
- 02Route pages, via Berau and via Tarakan — leg bands, meeting point Kalimarau Airport (BEJ). Last verified 2026.
- 03Best-time and dive pages — April to November season, 27 – 30 °C water, roughly 20 m visibility. Last verified 2026.
- 04Destination pages, nine sites — Talisayan, Maratua, Kakaban, Sangalaki, Goa Halo Tabung, Manta Point, Pasir Gusung Sanggalau, Laguna Kehe Daing, Labuan Cermin. Last verified 2026.
- 05Property list, seven properties — Reza Derawan Resort, Alfit VIP Borneo Cottage, Sienna Resort, Maratua Paradise Resort, Arasatu Villa, Pratasaba Resort, Seheku Paradise. Last verified 2026.
What we do not know. We cannot predict a whale shark, a manta or a nesting turtle on a given morning. We do not control airline schedules into BEJ or TRK, and we do not control the sea. Where a figure is not published on this site, we quote it rather than guess it — and we are a tour operator, not a licensed legal or financial adviser.
The desks
Fourteen pages that do the work
An index, not a card wall. Each line is a page, the promise it makes, and the question it answers.
A Passage
- Derawan Island TourThe standard private run from Kalimarau (BEJ), with the exclusions printed.derawan island tour
- Derawan Trip3D2N and 4D3N, USD 580 down to USD 285 per person by group size.derawan trip
- Derawan Island Hopping TourSangalaki, Kakaban and Maratua sequenced against real hop times.island hopping
- Bali to Derawan Combined TripThe two-island-group routing, with the extra flight legs counted honestly.bali to derawan
B Islands & diving
- Derawan Diving PackageCertified divers: walls, channels and the multi-dive days the calm season allows.derawan diving
- Derawan Snorkelling TourNon-divers: jellyfish lake, manta pass, reef flats — no certification needed.derawan snorkeling
- Derawan LiveaboardSleeping on the water so the hops stop eating the day.derawan liveaboard
- Dive Site IndexManta Point, Goa Halo Tabung, Pasir Gusung Sanggalau, Laguna Kehe Daing.derawan dive sites
C Stay, costs & invest
- Where to Stay in the Derawan IslandsSeven properties we actually place guests in, with what each suits.where to stay derawan
- Maratua Paradise ResortOver-water rooms on the outer atoll, and what the transfer really costs you in hours.maratua resort
- Derawan Dive ResortBase-island diving logistics: boats, gear, and dive-day rhythm.derawan dive resort
- Derawan Cost & Pricing GuideEvery published band on one page, with what sits outside it.derawan island cost
- Investing in the Derawan ArchipelagoEntity route, licensing and zoning — the documented starting map.derawan investment
- Resort & Eco-Lodge InvestmentWhat a water-facing build actually has to clear before it opens.resort investment
Data column IV
Investment & permit desk — Berau Regency
The gap nobody in this niche serves. This is a documented starting map for a foreign-owned tourism build in Berau — not legal advice. Confirm every row at OSS and BKPM and with licensed Indonesian counsel before you commit money.
| Item | Position, as of 2026 | Verify against |
|---|---|---|
| Foreign entity route | PT PMA — an Indonesian limited company with foreign shareholding. Nominee arrangements are not a route we will help you build. | BKPM / Ministry of Investment |
| Minimum capital rule | IDR 10 billion minimum issued capital per business line per project location under the current investment regulation, excluding land and buildings. | BKPM investment regulation |
| Licensing | Risk-based licensing through the OSS system; the risk class of your business line determines whether an NIB alone is enough. | OSS (oss.go.id) |
| Coastal / marine use | Any water-facing or marine use needs conformity with coastal and marine spatial planning before construction consent. | Provincial spatial plan · Ministry of Marine Affairs |
| Land title available | A PT PMA can hold HGB (right to build) or Hak Pakai (right of use) with statutory terms and extensions. Freehold (Hak Milik) is not available to a foreign-owned company. | BPN / ATR land office, Berau |
| Realistic timeline | Entity plus licensing typically runs a multi-month band; a coastal build with zoning consent runs materially longer. Anyone quoting you weeks is selling. | Your appointed Indonesian counsel |
We are a tourism operator with a working presence in Berau. On investment we introduce and document — we do not practise law and we do not hold your funds.
Read the investment guide Land ownership & permits in BerauPositions summarised as of 2026 from public Indonesian investment and land regulation. Rules change; this table is a starting map, not an opinion you can rely on.
Answers
Five questions, one sentence each
The long versions — one hundred of them — sit on the FAQ page.
Open the 100-question FAQ
Where does a Derawan trip actually start?
Our private trips meet you at Kalimarau Airport (BEJ) in Berau, East Kalimantan; from there it is road to Tanjung Batu port and a 30 – 45 minute speedboat to Derawan.
What does a Derawan trip cost?
The published Private Trip Derawan 3D2N and 4D3N runs from USD 580 per person at 2 people down to USD 285 per person at 10 people in the standard tier, with flights, permits, dive gear and tips excluded.
When should I go?
April to November is the published season: calmer crossings, better visibility and the months multi-dive days are planned around — December to March is quotable but crossings can be cancelled on sea state.
Can I see whale sharks and the jellyfish lake on the same short trip?
Rarely — Talisayan is a pre-dawn mainland run that realistically needs four nights, while Kakaban's lake is an island hop, so on a 3D2N one of them has to go.
Do I need to dive to make this worthwhile?
No: the jellyfish lake is snorkel-only by rule, manta at Sangalaki are regularly seen from the surface, and the reef flats off the Derawan jetty are shallow enough to swim.
Contact the desk
Tell us your gateway, your dates and your certification
We answer within one working day with the honest version: what fits, what does not, and what it costs with the exclusions attached. The desk works in writing only — everything is answered by email from the form below.
Operated by Indonesia Juara, working in Indonesian tourism since 2015. Meeting point Kalimarau Airport (BEJ), Berau, East Kalimantan.