ISLAND HOPPING IN INDONESIA
If you’ve ever dreamt of chucking it all in and sailing off into a tropical sunset without a care in the world then you’ve come to the right place. With 17,000 (or more) islands to choose from, Indonesia is perhaps the world’s greatest island hopping, ferry riding, beach lounging adventure. While some islands (none moreso than Bali) are far from tourist-free, there are thousands of others where months or more can pass by without another traveller’s footprint marring the sugar-white sands. As such, your opportunities to bounce from one idyllic little discovery to the next are endless. The only hurdle will be finding the courage to return home!
DERAWAN ARCHIPELAGO
Occupying a large area of ocean east of Berau, the Derawan Archipelago consists of 31 named islands, of which the most significant to travellers are Derawan, Maratua, Sangalaki, Kakaban, Nabucco and Nunukan. This archipelago is unique in Kalimantan. It offers the chance to explore some classic tropical isles, including a huge atoll, and enjoy some of the best scuba diving there is. It’s also very hard to get around (although it can be done), so it pays to think through your itinerary very carefully and give yourself plenty of time. Seas are rough in January and February, limiting diving.
RAJA AMPAT ISLANDS
The sparsely populated Raja Ampat islands comprise of around 1000 islands just off Sorong. With their sublime scenery of steep, jungle-covered islands, scorching white-sand beaches, hidden lagoons, spooky caves, weird mushroom-shaped islets and pellucid luminous turquoise waters, Raja Ampat has to be one of the most beautiful island chains in Southeast Asia.
Pure, unadulterated beauty isn’t just what draws people here, though. Raja Ampat has good birdwatching with a couple of species of birds of paradise present and what many call the best diving in the world. Little known until the last few years, Raja Ampat’s diversity of marine life and its huge, largely pristine coral-reef systems are a diver’s dream come true – and fantastic for snorkellers too. It’s like swimming in a tropical aquarium. In fact, the waters are so clear and fish so numerous that you hardly even need don a mask. We saw six sharks swimming around below us merely by peering out the window of an over-water hut! So great is the quantity and variety of marine life here that scientists have described Raja Ampat as a biological hot spot and believe that the reef systems here act to restock reefs throughout the South Pacific and Indian Oceans.
The four biggest islands are Waigeo (with the small but fast-growing regional capital, Waisai), Batanta, Salawati and Misool. The Dampier Strait between Waigeo and Batanta has many outstanding dive sites, so most accommodation options are on Waigeo, Batanta or three smaller islands between them: Kri, Gam and Mansuar.
BANDA ISLANDS
Combining raw natural beauty, a warm local heart, and a palpable and fascinating history, this remote cluster of 10 picturesque islands isn’t just Maluku’s choice travel destination, it’s one of the very best in all of Indonesia. Particularly impressive undersea drop-offs are vibrantly plastered with multicoloured coral gardens offering superlative snorkelling and tasty diving. The central islands – Pulau Neira (with the capital Bandaneira sprinkled with relics) and Pulau Banda Besar (the great nutmeg island) – curl in picturesque crescents around a pocket-sized tropical Mt Fuji (Gunung Api, 656m).
Outlying Hatta, Ai and Neilaka each have utterly undeveloped picture-postcard beaches. And Run, her gnarled limestone sprouting with nutmeg and cloves, is one drop-dead-gorgeous historical footnote. Banda became a region (no longer a subdistrict) in 2015, bringing national investment, rising transport and communication standards and (inevitably) more visitors. The new fast boat service from Ambon is already making Banda more accessible; it’s time to get there before everyone else does!
GILI ISLANDS
Picture three miniscule desert islands, fringed by white-sand beaches and coconut palms, sitting in a turquoise sea: the Gilis are a vision of paradise. These islets have exploded in popularity, and are booming like nowhere else in Indonesia – speedboats now zip visitors direct from Bali and a hip new hotel opens practically every month.
It’s not hard to understand the Gilis’ unique appeal, for a serenity endures (no motorbikes or dogs!) and a green consciousness is growing. Development has been more tasteful than rapacious and there are few concrete eyesores.
Each island has its own special character. Trawangan (universally known as Gili T) is by far the most cosmopolitan, its bar and party scene vibrant, its accommodation and restaurants close to definitive tropical chic. Gili Air has the strongest local character, but also a perfect mix of buzz and languor. Meno is simply a desert-island getaway.
KEI ISLANDS
The trump cards for the Kei Islands are kilometres of stunning white-sand beaches and a deeply hospitable population. Beneath the mostly Christian facade, Kei culture is fascinatingly distinctive with three castes, holy trees, bride prices paid in lela (antique table cannons) and a strong belief in sasi (a prohibition spell). In Kei language bokbok means ‘good’, hanarun (li) means ‘(very) beautiful’ and enbal (cassava) is a local food staple. The driest season is September to December, with Belang war-canoe races held in November. While the islands are all reef-fringed, illegal fishing has seen dynamite and poison take a heavy toll on coral.
BUNAKEN ISLANDS
This tiny, coral-fringed isle is North Sulawesi’s top tourist destination but (so far) it’s managed to avoid becoming resort-land and maintains a rootsy island soul. Tourist accommodation is spread out along two beaches – other than that, the island belongs to the islanders; these friendly folk have a seemingly endless reserve of authentically warm smiles. There are no hassles here, just laid-back beachy bliss.
However, most people come to Bunaken for the diving. The marine biodiversity is extraordinary, with more than 300 types of coral and 3000 species of fish, so when you first get your head in the water and see the abundant corals, sponges and phenomenally colourful life all around you, it’s a life-shaking experience. The 808-hectare island is part of the 75,265-hectare Bunaken Manado Tua Marine National Park (Taman Laut Bunaken Manado Tua), which includes Manado Tua (Old Manado), the dormant volcano that can be seen from Manado and climbed in about four hours; Nain and Mantehage islands; and Pulau Siladen, which has some more accommodation options.
With the developing and expanding city of Manado right next door, Bunaken is becoming more and more accessible. Within two hours of arriving to Manado from Singapore, Kuala Lumpur or most parts of Indonesia, you can be in a bamboo beach shack on Bunaken watching the sunset. Unfortunately, this proximity also means that the huge amounts of garbage generated by the city can sweep onto Pantai Liang, turning the picturesque tropical beach into a refuse heap. The scarcity of fresh water has limited the island’s development, and villagers must import their drinking water from Manado. Washing water is drawn from small, brackish wells.
Prices from accomodation to a Bintang are much higher than in mainland Sulawesi and some of resorts discriminate against nondivers, either by charging higher accommodation prices or turning them away.
KOMODO & RINCA ISLANDS
Nestled between Sumbawa and Flores, the islands of Komodo and Rinca, their jagged hills carpeted with savannah and fringed with mangroves, are home to the legendary Komodo dragon. The world’s largest lizard, known locally as ora, it can reach over 3m in length and weigh up to 100kg. It hunts alone and feeds on animals as large as deer and buffalo, both of which are found here. The males also try to eat the females’ eggs, inevitably sparking a vicious battle of the sexes.
These isolated islands are surrounded by some of the most tempestuous waters in Indonesia. The convergence of warm and cold currents breeds nutritious thermal climes, rip tides and whirlpools that attract large schools of pelagics, from dolphins and sharks to manta rays and blue whales. The coral here is mostly pristine. Add it all up and you have some of the best diving in the world, which is why nearly 50 liveaboards ply these waters between April and September when the crossing is smooth and the diving at its finest.
There are numerous hiking trails, but it’s not permitted to explore without an armed guide, a forked staff his only weapon, as dragons have very occasionally attacked (and killed) humans. Two villagers have died in the last 20 years, and in June 2012 a ranger was once again attacked on Rinca in his office. He survived. Dragons are generally a docile bunch, but they can snap your leg as fast as they’ll cut a goat’s throat. Respect the beasts.
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