Nabucco Island

Updated: August 2026

Nabucco Island is a very small island on the outer rim of the Maratua atoll, in the Derawan Archipelago of Berau Regency, East Kalimantan, and it is known almost entirely for one reason: diving. It sits within the same atoll ring as Maratua and Nunukan, roughly 1.5 hours by speedboat beyond Derawan Island, which makes it a Maratua-area destination rather than a stop you reach directly from the mainland.

This page explains where Nabucco Island actually is, how travellers reach it, what the water around it looks like, when to come, and how it fits into a wider Derawan Archipelago destinations itinerary run by Indonesia Juara, part of Juara Holding Group since 2015.

Nabucco Island sits on the Maratua atoll rim, not next to Derawan Island

The Derawan Archipelago is not one island but a scattered group in the Sulawesi Sea off the east coast of Borneo. Four names dominate it: Derawan itself, Kakaban Island and its jellyfish lake, Sangalaki Island with its manta rays, and Maratua Island, a long horseshoe-shaped atoll enclosing a deep inner lagoon.

Nabucco Island belongs to that last group. It is one of the small islets on the Maratua atoll rim, close to Nunukan Island, and it is small enough that you can walk its shoreline in a few minutes. There is no town, no market and no public transport on it. Its entire relevance to travellers comes from the reef wall and the channel water on its doorstep, which is why it appears on dive maps far more often than on general tourism maps.

Because it is a rim islet rather than a mainland-facing island, every visit is a boat movement inside the Maratua area. Nobody arrives at Nabucco Island by accident.

How do you get to Nabucco Island?

Every practical route to Nabucco Island runs through Berau, and the standard meeting point used by Indonesia Juara is Kalimarau Airport (BEJ) in Berau, East Kalimantan. From there the journey is road, then sea, then sea again.

Tarakan is the second gateway used by travellers arriving from the north, and it is covered on the Derawan via Tarakan page. For the mainstream route and its flight logic, read how to get to the Derawan Islands and the detailed Derawan via Berau (Kalimarau) breakdown first — the airport you choose changes your entire first and last day.

One honest planning note: sea legs in this archipelago are weather-dependent. Speedboat times above are normal-condition estimates, not guarantees, and a captain who delays a crossing for swell is doing his job correctly.

What you actually see around Nabucco Island

The attraction here is underwater, not on land. The Maratua atoll rim is a wall system: reef shallows drop steeply into deep blue water, and current moving across the rim and through the channel brings pelagic fish in close. Most recreational dives in the area are run between about 5 and 30 metres, with the shallower reef top serving snorkellers well.

• Wall and drop-off diving — the reef edge falls away sharply, so a single dive can move from a bright coral shallow to deep blue in a few fin kicks.
• Channel water and schooling fish — the Maratua channel is the atoll’s famous feature, and the reason “big fish country” language attaches to this area at all. See Derawan dive sites for the named sites and their conditions.
• Green turtles — turtles are a constant across the whole archipelago, not a lucky sighting. The behaviour and nesting cycle are explained on green turtle nesting in Derawan.
• Shallow reef for non-divers — snorkellers get real value here because the reef top is close to the surface. Our full list of shallow-water options is on Derawan snorkelling spots.

What you will not find on Nabucco Island is nightlife, shopping or a town to explore. Travellers who want beaches plus land-based sightseeing are usually better served by combining the atoll with Labuan Cermin mirror lake and Talisayan whale sharks on the mainland side.

What we will and will not claim about Nabucco Island Resort

“Nabucco island resort” is the phrase most people type after the island name, and it deserves a straight answer rather than a marketing one. Nabucco Island is internationally associated with dive-resort operation, and we keep a dedicated Nabucco Island Resort reference page for that search intent.

What we will not do is publish a room count, a star rating, a facilities list, a certification claim or invented guest reviews for a property we do not operate and cannot verify in writing. If you want current availability, current room categories and current rates for any property on the atoll rim, email sales@indonesiajuara.asia and we will confirm what is actually bookable on your dates instead of what looked good on a web page.

Where Indonesia Juara guests sleep in the Maratua area

Our own private Derawan trip uses a defined set of properties, and Nabucco Island is not one of the standard overnight bases on it. The accommodation we work with across the archipelago is:

• Reza Derawan Resort
• Alfit VIP Borneo Cottage
• Sienna Resort
• Maratua Paradise Resort
• Arasatu Villa
• Pratasaba Resort
• Seheku Paradise

Which of those you get depends on your dates, group size and whether you booked the standard or premium tier. The comparison logic — dive-focused versus family-focused, island base versus atoll base — is set out on where to stay in the Derawan Islands. If your priority is being on the atoll rim near Nabucco rather than back on Derawan Island, say so in your first email, because that single preference reshapes the whole boat schedule.

The best time to visit Nabucco Island is April to November

Indonesia Juara runs Derawan trips from April to November, an eight-month window chosen for sea conditions rather than for rainfall alone. Outside that window, crossings between Derawan and the Maratua atoll become unreliable, and an unreliable crossing on a short trip means a cancelled island day, not a delayed one.

Inside the season, the practical difference between months is visibility and swell rather than whether the marine life is there. Turtles are resident year-round. Manta activity around Sangalaki manta ray snorkelling is best treated as likely rather than promised on any single day, which is why we build itineraries with more than one water session per island wherever possible.

How many days do you need?

Two to three nights is the realistic minimum, and that is exactly how our private trips are structured: 3D2N or 4D3N from Kalimarau Airport, with a minimum of 2 participants.

The standard nine-stop itinerary covers Talisayan for whale sharks, Maratua, Kakaban jellyfish lake, Sangalaki for mantas, Goa Halo Tabung, Manta Point, Pasir Gusung Sanggalau, Laguna Kehe Daing and Labuan Cermin. Nabucco Island is not one of those nine standard stops. Travellers who specifically want it added should raise it before booking, because access and any overnight arrangement there is handled case by case and confirmed in writing or not at all.

Private Derawan trip prices, per person

Prices are quoted in USD per person and fall as the group grows, because the boat, guide and vehicle cost is shared. The figures below are the starting points for the private 3D2N / 4D3N Derawan trip departing from Kalimarau Airport, Berau.

Read these as starting points that depend on group size and tier, not as fixed retail prices. The tier difference is accommodation and service level; the group-size difference is shared cost. Note that the curve is not perfectly smooth — nine travellers can come out lower per person than ten — because boat and vehicle capacity steps up in blocks rather than one seat at a time.

On honesty about what is included: your written quotation states the exact inclusions and exclusions for your dates, and that document is the one that counts. Items normally arranged outside the trip price include international and domestic flights to Kalimarau, personal dive equipment and certification courses, travel insurance, and personal spending. We would rather you read a specific quotation than a generic list invented for a web page. Full package framing is on Derawan trip, and dive-led versions on Derawan diving package.

Should you build your trip around Nabucco Island?

For most travellers, no — and that is a useful answer rather than a dismissive one. Nabucco Island is a specialist destination: a rim islet whose value is the water beside it. If your goal is diving the Maratua atoll wall and channel, it belongs on your shortlist alongside Nunukan and Maratua itself. If your goal is a first, broad look at the archipelago, then Kakaban, Sangalaki and Derawan will fill your days more completely.

The efficient compromise is a multi-island route. A Derawan island hopping tour puts you inside the atoll with a boat already scheduled, and a Derawan liveaboard removes the transfer problem altogether by sleeping you near the dive sites. Both are easier to extend toward the atoll rim than a Derawan-based day-trip pattern is.

To plan it properly, email sales@indonesiajuara.asia with your travel dates, group size, and whether your group dives or snorkels. Indonesia Juara has operated under Juara Holding Group since 2015 and quotes each Derawan itinerary individually.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where exactly is Nabucco Island?

Nabucco Island lies on the rim of the Maratua atoll in the Derawan Archipelago, Berau Regency, East Kalimantan, Indonesia. It sits close to Nunukan Island in the same atoll group, roughly 1.5 hours by speedboat beyond Derawan Island, which is itself about 30 minutes from the Tanjung Batu jetty on the Borneo mainland. It is a small rim islet, not a populated island with its own town, market or public transport.

How do I get to Nabucco Island from Jakarta?

The practical route is a flight to Kalimarau Airport (BEJ) in Berau, then about 2 to 2.5 hours by road to Tanjung Batu jetty, then roughly 30 minutes by speedboat to Derawan Island and about 1.5 hours onward into the Maratua atoll area. There is no direct transfer from Jakarta to the island. Kalimarau is the meeting point Indonesia Juara uses for its private Derawan trips, and Tarakan works as an alternative gateway from the north.

Is Nabucco Island included in the standard Derawan itinerary?

No — the standard Indonesia Juara private Derawan trip covers nine stops, and Nabucco Island is not one of them. The set itinerary runs Talisayan, Maratua, Kakaban, Sangalaki, Goa Halo Tabung, Manta Point, Pasir Gusung Sanggalau, Laguna Kehe Daing and Labuan Cermin. Travellers who want Nabucco added should ask before booking, because atoll-rim access and any overnight arrangement is confirmed case by case rather than assumed, and it changes the boat schedule for the whole group.

When is the best time to visit Nabucco Island and the Maratua atoll?

April to November is the operating season for Derawan trips, an eight-month window chosen mainly for sea conditions. Outside it, the crossings between Derawan Island and the Maratua atoll become unreliable, and a missed crossing on a three-day trip costs you an entire island day. Within the season, month-to-month differences show up as visibility and swell rather than as the presence or absence of turtles, which are resident year-round.

What does a Derawan trip covering the Maratua atoll cost per person?

Private Derawan trip prices start from USD 281 per person for a group of nine and from USD 580 per person for two travellers, on the standard tier. Premium tier runs from USD 304 to USD 672 per person across the same group sizes. Every figure depends on group size and tier because boat, guide and vehicle costs are shared, so a written quotation for your specific dates and headcount is the only accurate number.

Can I stay overnight on Nabucco Island?

Indonesia Juara does not use Nabucco Island as a standard overnight base for its Derawan trips. The properties we work with are Reza Derawan Resort, Alfit VIP Borneo Cottage, Sienna Resort, Maratua Paradise Resort, Arasatu Villa, Pratasaba Resort and Seheku Paradise. We will not publish room counts, ratings or facility lists for properties we do not operate. If you want an atoll-rim base near Nabucco, email sales@indonesiajuara.asia and we will confirm in writing what is genuinely available on your dates.