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Derawan Island

Plan Your Trip · Best time

The best time to visit the Derawan Islands

April to November is the best season: clear skies, calm seas and the best visibility of the year. December to March is the wetter period.

Go month by month Ask about my dates
Best season
Apr – Nov
Wetter period
Dec – Mar
Visibility, often
25 m+
Sea temperature
27 – 30°C

The window

April to November is the best season

The weather lines up for exploring both above and below the waterline.

Days bring plenty of sunshine, little rain and gentle breezes. Air temperatures sit between 28°C and 32°C and the sea stays at 27°C to 30°C.

Visibility often passes 25 metres at sites like Sangalaki and Kakaban, and calm water keeps the boat journeys between the islands smooth.

  • Peak clarity: good odds for manta rays and green turtles
  • Stable weather: comfortable transfers and uninterrupted days outside
  • Easy access: every major site, including Kakaban's jellyfish lake, by smooth boat

Month by month

What each part of the season brings

Pick the stretch that matches what you want: calmer and quieter, or peak conditions with peak demand.

  1. Shoulder

    April

    The best season begins: good conditions with fewer crowds. The odd shower is brief and local; air 27 – 31°C.

  2. Early dry

    May – June

    Seas calm and visibility often tops 20 m, without the peak crowds. Good for mantas at Sangalaki and the jellyfish lake.

  3. Peak

    July – August

    Calmest seas, visibility often past 30 m, and the busiest time: resorts fill up and Berau flights get tighter.

  4. Late dry

    September – October

    Conditions stay excellent with fewer visitors. Visibility typically 20 – 25 m, and mantas at Sangalaki are still regular.

  5. Shoulder

    November

    The best season ends: a shoulder month with fewer crowds, warm air and occasional short showers.

  6. Wetter

    December – March

    The wetter period, with more rain. Open-trip departures are still published in these months.

Trip season

April to November is the best season

April to November is the best season; December to March is the wetter period. Indonesia Juara publishes open-trip departures in every month of the year. Whale sharks at Talisayan are the early run on day 3 of the 4D3N trip, together with Manimbora and Labuan Cermin.

The day-3 run takes about six hours round trip from Derawan.

Talisayan whale sharks Plan your trip
  1. Jan Rough Reduced
  2. Feb Rough Reduced
  3. Mar Variable Mixed
  4. Apr Calm 20 m+
  5. May Calm 20 m+
  6. Jun Calm 20 m+
  7. Jul Calm 20 m+
  8. Aug Calm 20 m+
  9. Sep Calm 20 m+
  10. Oct Calm 20 m+
  11. Nov Variable 20 m+
  12. Dec Rough Reduced

In season Crossings weather-dependent Sea state · visibility

Above the water

Calm months are island-hopping months

The same calm seas and clear skies open up the surface side of the archipelago.

Between the islands

  • Glassy lagoons

    Kayak over coral just below the surface when the water is flat.

  • Kakaban

    The stingless jellyfish lake, reached by a smooth boat ride in the dry months.

  • Maratua

    On the same day-2 island loop as Kakaban and Sangalaki.

Two green turtle hatchlings swimming at the Sangalaki conservation site
Turtle nesting

Sangalaki

An uninhabited shore known as a major nesting ground for green sea turtles.

Book ahead

Peak months fill early

The resorts across Derawan and its neighbouring islands are often booked 6 to 12 months ahead for July and August, and flights into Berau (BEJ) are tighter then too.

May, June, September and October bring much the same conditions with fewer crowds, and flights and rooms are usually easier to secure.

Keep exploring

More in Plan Your Trip

Traveller looking over the turquoise water of Laguna Kehe Daing on Kakaban

Choose your month

Tell us when you can travel

We reply with what the sea and the wildlife usually look like on your dates, and which trip length fits.

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