Derawan via Berau (Kalimarau)

Updated: August 2026

Derawan via Berau means flying into Kalimarau Airport (BEJ) in Tanjung Redeb, driving roughly two hours north-east to Tanjung Batu port, then crossing to Derawan Island by speedboat in about 30 minutes — around three hours in total from the terminal door to the jetty. It is the standard gateway for the archipelago, the meeting point for private trips run by Indonesia Juara, and the route that puts the shortest possible sea leg between you and the islands.

This page covers the Berau route on its own: which flights actually land at BEJ, how the road and boat legs fit together, what time you need to arrive, what the transfer chain costs per person, and where the route quietly goes wrong for travellers who book each leg separately. For the wider comparison against other entry points, see how to get to the Derawan Islands, and for costs, seasons and itinerary length, the full plan your Derawan trip section.

Kalimarau Airport (BEJ) is the closest airport to the Derawan Islands

Kalimarau Airport sits in Tanjung Redeb, the seat of Berau Regency in East Kalimantan, and it is the nearest airport to the archipelago that carries regular commercial traffic. Berau Regency is the administrative home of the Derawan Islands, which is why the vehicles, the boat crews, the fuel and the accommodation bookings all originate here. Landing at BEJ puts you inside the logistics chain instead of at the edge of it.

Kalimarau is a domestic airport. There are no international arrivals, so every traveller coming from abroad clears immigration in Jakarta, Bali, Balikpapan or another international gateway first, then flies domestically into Berau. The terminal is small and the process after landing is quick — which is exactly what you want, because the clock on your onward transfer starts the moment the aircraft door opens.

Getting to Kalimarau: the flight sequence that works

Jakarta to Balikpapan (BPN) takes roughly two hours and fifteen minutes and is the most reliable air leg into East Kalimantan, followed by a hop of about one hour from Balikpapan to Berau (BEJ). Some carriers schedule direct Jakarta–Berau services; when one operates on your dates it removes a connection and a couple of hours of terminal waiting, but this route changes season to season, so treat a direct BEJ flight as a bonus you confirm rather than a plan you build on.

Travellers starting in Bali, Surabaya, Singapore or Kuala Lumpur follow the same shape: reach Jakarta or Balikpapan, then connect to BEJ. Two rules protect the day. Book the earliest workable departure so you land at Kalimarau before early afternoon, and if the only connection available lands you in Balikpapan in the evening, sleep in Balikpapan and take the morning flight to Berau rather than forcing a night arrival at a port that does not run boats after dark.

The Berau to Derawan transfer runs in three legs

Times are indicative rather than fixed. Road conditions, tide, sea state, boat size and the number of passengers being collected all move the numbers, which is why a competent operator confirms the actual departure plan the day before you travel instead of quoting a stopwatch. If your first night is on Maratua rather than Derawan, the boat leg from Tanjung Batu is longer — plan on one to one and a half hours — and the details of that island sit on the Maratua Island page.

What time you land at Kalimarau decides what your first day looks like

The reason the cut-off matters is simple: the speedboat crossing from Tanjung Batu is an open-water run and boats do not operate after dark for good reason. Losing the sea leg does not cancel your trip, but it converts a three-day itinerary into a two-and-a-half-day one. Travellers on a 3D2N format feel that loss immediately; on 4D3N there is enough slack to absorb it.

Why most travellers choose Berau over Tarakan

Berau wins on the leg that actually hurts. Two hours in an air-conditioned vehicle is a different experience from three to four hours in a speedboat, particularly for children, for anyone prone to seasickness, and for divers carrying gear. Tarakan earns its place when flight availability into Berau fails on your dates or when you are arriving from Tawau in Sabah — the case for it is laid out on the Derawan via Tarakan page.

What the Berau route costs per person

Private trip pricing starts at Kalimarau Airport, which means the quotation picks you up at the arrivals door and covers the road transfer, the boat legs, accommodation and the island itinerary from that point onward. Prices are quoted per person and fall as the group grows, because one vehicle and one boat are shared across more travellers. The figures below are starting points from Indonesia Juara for the 3D2N and 4D3N private Derawan trip, with a minimum of two travellers, and they vary with group size and accommodation tier rather than sitting fixed.

What is included. The airport pickup at Kalimarau, the road transfer to Tanjung Batu, the speedboat legs, accommodation and the confirmed island itinerary. Accommodation is drawn from a working list that includes Reza Derawan Resort, Alfit VIP Borneo Cottage, Sienna Resort, Maratua Paradise Resort, Arasatu Villa, Pratasaba Resort and Seheku Paradise; which property you receive depends on the tier you choose and on availability for your dates. Options are compared on the where to stay in the Derawan Islands page.

What is not included. Your flights into and out of Kalimarau Airport are not part of the quotation, and they are the single largest variable in the whole budget. Personal spending, travel insurance and anything outside the confirmed itinerary also sit outside the price. Because group size and accommodation tier genuinely change what is bundled, ask for the written inclusion list alongside your quotation rather than assuming a standard sheet. Package formats are set out on the Derawan Island tour and private Derawan trip pages.

What the Berau route unlocks once the transfer is done

A standard private itinerary out of Berau moves through nine stops: Talisayan for whale sharks, Maratua, Kakaban and its jellyfish lake, Sangalaki, Goa Halo Tabung, Manta Point, the Pasir Gusung Sanggalau sandbar, Laguna Kehe Daing and Labuan Cermin. Nothing in the core archipelago is more than about ninety minutes from anything else by speedboat, which is what makes a three or four day trip viable at all.

Two of those nine sit outside the island pattern and are worth understanding before you fix your flights. The Talisayan whale shark tour leaves the mainland coast before dawn to meet the fishing platforms at first light, so it is timed around sunrise rather than around boat traffic. Labuan Cermin mirror lake at Biduk-Biduk is a long mainland drive south of Berau and realistically needs the better part of a day. Both are easier to fit when you land early on day one. The snorkelling core — the stingless jellyfish at Kakaban Island jellyfish lake and the manta rays off Sangalaki Island — is reached from Derawan on short hops, and the underwater programme is detailed on the Derawan dive sites page. Multi-island sequencing is covered on the Derawan island hopping tour page.

April to November is when the Berau route runs at its most reliable

Private Derawan trips operate from April to November, an eight-month window that covers the calmer stretch of the year in this part of the Sulawesi Sea. That window matters more for the Berau route’s logistics than most travellers expect: the same 30-minute crossing from Tanjung Batu becomes slower, wetter and less predictable when the wind gets up outside the season, and a delayed boat cascades into every subsequent day of a short itinerary.

Inside the season, plan around one priority rather than chasing everything. Manta activity at Sangalaki, green turtle activity around Derawan and whale shark mornings at Talisayan each run on their own rhythm, and an honest operator will tell you which is strongest on your dates instead of promising all three. Divers should also note the standard 24-hour no-fly gap after a final dive and build it in before buying the return ticket out of Kalimarau, not after.

Practical notes for the road and the crossing

• Sort cash on the mainland. Tanjung Redeb is the last place on the route with dependable banking. Island payment options are limited, so carry rupiah for tips, snacks and small purchases.
• Expect an open speedboat with a canopy, not a ferry. Spray over the bow is normal on the Tanjung Batu crossing. Pack a dry bag for electronics and keep a light rain shell where you can reach it.
• Take seasickness medication before boarding, not after. Thirty minutes is short, but the run to Maratua is longer and the return to Tanjung Batu is often choppier in the afternoon.
• Keep your dive gear accessible. The road leg is fine for luggage, but the boat transfer is manual — everything gets handed across a jetty.
• Assume patchy mobile signal. Coverage on the islands is inconsistent. Send anything time-critical before you leave Tanjung Batu.
• Give your operator the flight number, not the arrival time. Flight numbers are trackable; a time written in an email is not.

Book the Berau chain as one arrangement, not four

The most common way travellers lose a day on this route is by booking the flight from one place, the car from another, the boat at the port and the room online, then hoping the four timings meet in Tanjung Batu. They frequently do not, and the negotiation that follows at a small port with whichever boat happens to be tied up is not the start anyone wants to a holiday. A single operator holding the whole chain can hold the boat when your connection slips, reassign a vehicle when a flight lands early, and tell you the night before exactly what time you leave.

Indonesia Juara, part of Juara Holding Group since 2015, meets travellers at Kalimarau Airport and runs the sequence through to the islands as one arrangement. To check dates, confirm what is included for your group size, or ask whether the Berau route or an alternative suits your arrival, email sales@indonesiajuara.asia with your travel dates, group size and the islands that matter most to you.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I get from Berau to Derawan Island?

From Kalimarau Airport in Berau it is about a two-hour road transfer to Tanjung Batu port followed by a speedboat crossing of roughly 30 minutes to Derawan Island, around three hours in total. The road leg covers roughly 100 kilometres north-east through Berau Regency. Boats also run directly from Tanjung Batu to Maratua on a longer crossing of one to one and a half hours, so your first night’s accommodation determines which boat you take.

Which airport do I fly into for the Derawan Islands?

Kalimarau Airport (BEJ) in Tanjung Redeb, Berau Regency, East Kalimantan is the closest commercial airport to the Derawan Islands and the meeting point for private trips. It handles domestic flights only, so international travellers connect through Jakarta, Bali or Balikpapan first. Tarakan (TRK) in North Kalimantan is the alternative gateway, but its sea leg runs three to four hours instead of thirty minutes.

Are there direct flights from Jakarta to Kalimarau Airport?

Direct Jakarta to Berau services appear on some airline schedules but are not guaranteed year-round, so the dependable routing is Jakarta to Balikpapan in about two hours and fifteen minutes, then Balikpapan to Kalimarau in about one hour. Check for a direct BEJ flight on your dates and take it if it exists, because it removes a connection, but build your itinerary around the Balikpapan connection so a schedule change does not break the plan.

What time should I land at Kalimarau Airport?

Land before 13:00 if you want to reach the islands the same day in comfort. The speedboat crossing from Tanjung Batu is an open-water run and boats do not operate after dark, so an arrival after 15:00 usually means overnighting in Tanjung Redeb and crossing the following morning. On a 3D2N itinerary that costs you meaningful island time; on 4D3N there is enough slack in the schedule to absorb it.

How much does a Derawan trip via Berau cost per person?

Private trip pricing starts from USD 580 per person for two travellers on the standard tier and drops to around USD 281 per person for a group of nine, because vehicle and boat costs are shared. Premium tier accommodation raises those figures. The quotation begins at Kalimarau Airport, so flights into and out of Berau are separate and represent the largest variable in your budget. Minimum group size is two travellers.

Can I organise the Berau to Derawan transfer myself on arrival?

Arranging the transfer independently is possible but it puts you at Tanjung Batu port negotiating with whichever boat is available, at whatever price the moment allows, with no accountability if the timing fails. Booking the chain as one arrangement means a vehicle meets your flight and a speedboat is already waiting at the jetty because the crew has your flight number. On a three-day itinerary that coordination is the difference between arriving and arriving on schedule.