Bakungan Island in Derawan Archipelago, East Kalimantan Province

A vacation retreat in Derawan Islands is a new experience. Not only it has interesting cultures, but it also offers many beautiful islands. Located in the southeast of Maratua Island, there is Bakungan Island. The sea scenery in this island is superb, featuring white sandy beach and blue Tosca sea water! Most of the visitors come to Bakungan in order to enjoy photography, actually. They are impressed with its heaven-like nuance. Some of them also come to the island to enjoy water sports like snorkeling and swimming. Thanks to its pristine sea and warm water.

The Nuance
In terms of beauty, Bakungan is alluring. Despite its small size (8.7 hectares), it features dazzling nature like dense trees, wooden pier, flawless beach, and much more. Even the air is refreshing! The only issue is that the island becomes hot at noon, so tourists must apply sunblock cream before exploring the beach and other parts of the island. When it comes to the waves, it’s calm and warm. That means visitors can enjoy swimming in a comfortable and safe manner. Even kids can get in the water, as long as they come with their parents.

Exploring Bakungan Island
It would be a waste if tourists don’t visit a stunning island like Bakungan. Why is that? The island offers lots of nature attractions and various fun activities to tourists. One of them is snorkeling! Due to its crystal clear sea water, Bakungan Island is suitable for diving, swimming, or snorkeling. Not to mention many colorful corals and fishes are seen underwater. In this case, carrying an underwater camera is a good idea. Thanks to excellent visibility. Taking pictures while snorkeling or diving won’t be difficult.

Here is the fact. Bakungan Island consists of a small and big land, which is connected by a pier or small bridge with the length of 300 meters. Both of the islands are worth a visit, actually. Tourists can also simply stand on the pier and witness sea scenery and even sunset there. That spot is suitable for fishing, as well. When they need to rest, they can take advantage of Nunukan Resort nearby. It is the place to rent diving equipment and enjoy numerous facilities, after all. However, the prices are quite expensive, especially during the day off.

Another interesting attraction in Bakungan Island is the sea turtles. They often come ashore in order to lay eggs. Though, the number is not as much as other islands. These creatures are often seen at night, actually. Therefore, tourists should not miss the chance to witness them. Here is the thing. They are not allowed to take or ruin the eggs! As an alternative, they can make a video or take pictures of the egg-laying process. As long as tourists don’t cause harm, they can do almost anything in Bakungan!

Nearby Attractions

• Maratua Island
• Nunukan Island
• Kakaban Island

How to Get There
For outsiders, the first checkpoint is in Balikpapan City. Later, they need to take a local transportation service to Berau District. The next trip involves a speedboat, which they can rent in Tanjung Batu Port and the destination is Derawan Island. Another speedboat is required in reaching Maratua. At last, they can take a boat to Bakungan, which takes only several minutes.

Where to Stay
Nunukan Resort