MARATUA ATOLL IN BORNEO

by Daniel Benér

Diving trip to Borneo Maratua

I lands in Balikpapan which is on the southeastern tip of Borneo. It is on the Indonesian side that is usually called Kalimantan. I am going on a diving trip to Borneo Maratua Atoll. This is the kind of trip you look forward to for months! It's a short flight to get to Borneo. An example is flying first to Amsterdam and then going on to Jakarta and then a domestic flight to Balikpapan. When I land in Balikpapan, a driver picks me up to take me to the first stop of the trip, Samboja Lodge. Samboja is run by the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation (BOS). The organization's goal is to take orangutans that have been in captivity or have been harmed for various reasons back into the jungle. This is a long process, it takes about 7 – 8 years to return an orangutan to the wild.

Samboja Lodge

I am met by friendly staff who take good care of me. At Samboja Lodge, you can choose between three different accommodations, standard rooms, queen-suite rooms or king-suite rooms. The standard rooms are located at ground level and overlook the jungle, they offer private bathrooms with cold water showers. However, the fact that it is only cold water is usually not a problem as it is generally quite warm in the jungle. The Queen suite rooms are larger than the standard rooms and have significantly greater panoramic views of the jungle. These rooms also have a hot shower. If you want to go big and have a truly memorable experience, you should choose to stay in a king suite.

These rooms are located just above the treetops in a tower. Waking up to the view that these rooms offer, I can't describe in any other way than absolutely amazing! The room is incredibly spacious and houses a large bathroom with a bathtub where the awesome view can be enjoyed through a panoramic glass. At Samboja Lodge you stay with full board and the food is served in buffet form. The food is good, but it is not the main attraction at Samboja Lodge. The focus is on as much resources as possible going back to BOS's main business, helping the animals.

Orangutans and Malayan bears

At Samboja Lodge you can visit the orangutans and Malayan bears. The Malay bears have for years been used as circus animals and pets in the region and many of the bears have suffered very badly. Unfortunately, it is impossible to return Malayan bears to the wild after they have lived in captivity for a long time. They simply do not have the same conditions as the orangutans to re-adapt. The orangutans are faring much better at Samboja Lodge than they were in captivity and it is on them that the greatest focus is placed at BOS.

There are 9 islands in the area that house over 150 orangutans and the goal is for the majority of the monkeys to go back into the wild again. Unfortunately, however, some of them will never be able to return. Because they have taken too much damage mentally or physically. There is no fence around the islands, only moats filled with water. The orangutans cannot swim and therefore no fence is needed. The lack of fencing means that you as a visitor have a more pleasant experience with the orangutans. Naturally, you won't be able to get too close to the monkeys because the goal is for them to return to the wild. Therefore, human interaction is minimized as much as possible.

Other excursions

In addition to the great experiences within the BOS area, other excursions are also offered. Among other things, you can go on a river guided boat tour where you have the opportunity to see proboscis monkeys if you're lucky. A monkey with a very characteristic appearance. There is also the option of going out into the jungle and doing a so-called canopy high walk. It's a jungle hike where you get to go up into the treetops on suspension bridges. Incredibly delicious to experience the jungle from above, where in fact the majority of animal life is found in the jungle. Samboja Lodge is a fantastic place that offers a wonderful stay in the jungle and the opportunity to see the most unique inhabitants of Borneo. It also feels good that the majority of the money you spend at Samboja Lodge goes to sponsoring the business BOS.

When you book a diving trip to Borneo Maratua, we always include 2 nights at Samboja Lodge when you arrive in Borneo. Both because we think it is worth a visit but also to minimize the risk of possible flight delays of your international flight. That would make you miss the direct flight between Balikpapan and Maratua Atoll which only runs once a week.

Colorful coral reef with a scuba diver exploring marine life.

Happy scuba divers in front of a red and white wooden wall enjoying a diving adventure.

Scuba divers in clear blue ocean water enjoying a scuba travel adventure.

Colorful clownfish hiding among yellow sea anemone, vibrant marine life, diving underwater.

Exotic fruit bat hanging from tree branches, jungle wildlife, tropical rainforest environment.

Colorful sea turtle swimming in clear tropical ocean water for scuba diving and snorkeling adventures.

Sea turtles hatchlings on sandy beach, adorable baby sea turtles heading to the ocean, wildlife conservation.

Serene tropical sunset over calm ocean waters with clouds reflecting in the water.

Wooden pier extending into the calm ocean during sunset, perfect for scuba diving adventures.

Although Samboja Lodge is an incredibly pleasant experience, it is still a diving trip here to Borneo and Maratua Atoll that is the main goal of the trip. There is only one direct flight a week, so make sure you don't miss it. The main island is horseshoe-shaped and the beautiful reef walls that I will dive on are mainly on the eastern side and on the southern tip. Then there is also the possibility of going to the islands of Kakaban and Sangilaki, which lie to the west, and the neighboring atoll of Muaras, which lies to the south. However, you can only visit Muaras if you are staying at one of the two Tripsts located furthest south (Nunukan & Virgin Cocoa).

When I land at Maratua Atoll, I am met by Tripst staff who take care of my luggage and guide me to the boat that will take me out to the Tripst island. I can simply just float along and enjoy the surroundings. This is truly a paradise, without mass tourism. The first Tripst I visit is Nabucco Island Tripst.

Nabucco Island Tripst

The Tripst Nabucco has been around the longest of the three that I visit and it is clearly visible in the close-knit staff that meet me. My first thought when I arrive on the island is that I will live on Robinson Crusoe's island. Incredibly charming little island where you live in bungalows that stand on tall poles. At high tide the poles are surrounded by the sea and at low tide the sea is replaced by a huge sandy beach. The Bunglows located inside the garden still have sea views, but there the veranda does not protrude over the water. As a guest here, I feel that great consideration has been given to nature in order not to affect the surroundings too much. The goal here is for us to live in harmony with nature, a theme that is consistent at all Tripsts.

At Nabucco you can choose between half or full board. In half board, you then get a breakfast which includes juice, fruit plate, tea/coffee, bread and omelette. In the evening, a 4-course dinner is served in typical Indonesian style. If you choose full board, you also get a delicious 3-course lunch. If you love good food, you should of course choose full board for your diving trip here to Borneo and Maratua, but if you feel that a 3-course lunch is not your thing, half board will suffice and you can order a simpler lunch on site.

Diving day at Nabucco

Now it's finally time for diving! On Nabucco, all the diving takes place on the surrounding reefs where the majority of dive sites are 10 – 20 minutes away. Some days we go out on longer trips and on them we do 2 dives. At Nabucco you can do up to 4 dives a day so it is absolutely no problem to manage more than 10 dives if you stay here for 1 week. The diving is super nice with a mix of slopes, walls and flat reefs. The corals are in very good condition and have lots of fish around them.

With the help of the guides, we manage to find lots of the little things like shrimps, orangutan crabs, nudibranchs, seahorses, etc. The guides are incredibly good at finding these little crabs so it's good that we have them with us so we don't miss 50% of the dive site. For those who like turtles, a diving trip here to Borneo and Maratua atoll is fantastic as the reefs are sometimes teeming with green and hawkbill turtles.

Big fish country

If the dive guides feel that they have good balance and can handle currents, you will be offered a visit to Big Fish Country. This is a really cool dive site. Not for beginners as it means strong currents and you will have to use your reef hook. You jump off the boat with negative buoyancy to quickly get down to the depths. Then you drift with the current and try to maintain a depth of 24 meters. After a while you reach the wall and a rock ledge that you hook onto. Then you wait for the sharks!

It is not always possible to see sharks here, but the rule is that the more current there is, the more likely it is. The sharks that are most commonly seen are reef sharks. If you're really lucky, you may also see hammerhead sharks and whale sharks. But what Big Fish Country is most famous for is its large schools of large barracuda. Sometimes there can be thousands of barracudas! This dive site is right outside Nabucco so it is easy to do several dives at this dive site during your stay if you are staying at Nabucco.

Kakaban Lake

For those who choose the 10 dive package at Nabucco, 1 day trip to Kakaban and Sangilaki is also included, where 3 dives are included. (Only applies to Nabucco, it is additional for the other Tripsts). The island of Kakaban makes your diving trip to Borneo Maratua unique. The island has a large lake that has brackish water in it. At the time of writing, it is the only lake in the world that harbors endemic freshwater jellyfish (they are not burned). Before there was also a similar lake in Palau but unfortunately the jellyfish there have died (we hope they will recover). But it is not only the freshwater jellyfish that attract in this lake. There are also a lot of unique fish species so I recommend swimming in the shoreline to see them. Next to Kakaban, we also dive on a beautiful coral wall that has lots of gorgornia and fan coral. Really beautiful!

Then the journey continues to Sangilaki which is known for sometimes having manta rays as visitors, unfortunately we were not lucky enough to see them. But the dive site is still very nice so it didn't matter much. Lots of beautiful coral islands underwater where you can find lots of cool inhabitants, a real playground for a diver!

The internet is slow and the option to pay by card is missing

The overall experience of my stay at Nabucco is that the service is excellent and very personal. The diving is varied and for those who are skilled enough can visit the awesome Big Fish Country with its large schools of barracuda and hopefully some sharks. The island is smaller than the other two islands, so for those who want to move more on land, the other two islands are a better choice.

For you who are addicted to the internet is not Maratua Atoll an ultimate destination as internet is very limited. You should be happy if you have the opportunity to download some emails, watching movies is out of the question. Internet is a little better on Nunukan and "best" on Virgin Cocoa. However, best does not mean that the capacity is better, but rather that the internet is more stable. It is also important that you bring cash with you to the island rupiah, euro or dollar are fine. It is not possible to pay by card on any of the islands.

Nunukan Island Tripst

Time to change Tripsts and on the day of the change it is usually possible to do 1 dive on the way out to the next Tripst. It is about 45 minutes between Nabucco and Nunukan so it's great to be able to do a dive on the way. I don't have to think about my packing because the Tripst takes care of it. They make sure it's in place when I get to Nunukan. All I have to think about is that it is packed and standing outside my door in the morning then all I have to think about is diving, if only life could be this simple all the time!

After the dive, we go to Nunukan Island Tripst, which is a significantly larger island than Nabucco Island Tripst and has a completely different feel and atmosphere. On the east side of the island we find the long pier that leads out to the house reef. Once on the island, we arrive at the diving center, the restaurant and the office. The restaurant is nestled among the trees and you can look out over the reef. The food served is good and the staff are helpful and pleasant.

Spa, large rooms and fabulous diving

On the western side, we find the accommodations located along the beach that follows the bay that forms between Nunukan Island Tripst and Virgin Cocoa. At the far south end of the beach we find the spa facility where you can enjoy a lovely massage after a long day of diving. Don't forget to leave a few hours between the last dive and the massage as it is not suitable. There is a footbridge connecting the eastern and western parts of the island. This footbridge is built over the old reef, which is several thousand years old. This is very nicely done and during the days and evenings there are lots of animals moving among the old rock formations. They once housed corals and fish. But now monitor lizards, lizards, coconut crabs, pigeons, bats and more have found this as their home.

The bungalows on the island are a few square meters larger than on Nabucco and have a different style that is a little more contemporary in its design language. With clear elements of Indonesian design with dark tones. Here we also have a large deck where there is a day bed with a thick mattress where you can read a book between dives and sun loungers if you prefer to enjoy the sun.

House reef diving

At Nunukan, house reef diving is offered in your pre-ordered 10 or 20 dive package. The price includes a guide and the boat trip from the pier to today's dive site on the long reef that stretches all the way from Nunukan's northern tip to Virgin Cocoa's southern tip. When it comes to the house reef, it is without a doubt the most beautiful reef dives I experienced on Maratua. Above all, the shallowest 10 meters on the reef. The most beautiful part of the house reef can be found outside Virgin Cocoa at the Bakungan and Bakungan Tengah dive sites. Although a permanent guide is included in the price, it is also possible to carry out unguided dives for the divers that the Tripst believes will be able to do this. However, I recommend that you bring a guide with you. They are experts at finding the little things on the reef which for many of us is next to impossible to find.

Nunukan Express

For those who want a bit more action-packed diving, one or two dives on the Nunukan Express (northern part of the house reef) is a must. An early morning dive before breakfast is recommended because then we have many sharks that are active. But to see them you need to be certified to 30 – 40 meters and feel comfortable with power. For me personally, my dive at Nunukan Express was the best dive we did in Maratua Atoll. Because that dive site contained so many different experiences thanks to the currents, there is the opportunity to see. Sharks, schools of jack fish, travel and barracuda. Lots of turtles and also lots of macro life. The coral life is admittedly not as nice as in the southern parts of the house reef, but if you want a little more variety on the dive and can handle a little current, this is undoubtedly the best dive.

Nunukan and Virgin Cocoa also visit Kakaban and Sangilaki like Nabucco, but for an extra fee. Also Big fish country, but it's 45 minutes away. So in case you spend two weeks on your diving trip here to Borneo and Maratua atoll, I recommend that you graze as many dives as possible in big fish country on Nabucco before changing Tripsts. A dive site frequented by Nunukan and Virgin Cocoa that Nabucco does not is Muaras Atoll. This atoll is almost twice the size of Maratua atoll and is still relatively unexplored. The dive sites we visit are located on the northern part of the atoll and are approximately 45 minutes away.

Lunch between dives

When you make an excursion here, they always include 2 dives with lunch in between. They have a dive site where they frequently see thresher sharks, but unfortunately I wasn't lucky enough to see them on my dive. Here there are also incredibly beautiful walls with purple corals that make the dives very memorable. There is also a large population of turtles out here so it is almost guaranteed that you will see turtles on the dive.

In conclusion, this is a lovely island with a nice atmosphere. The diving is really good and you won't be disappointed if you love beautiful coral reefs. The service is good at the Tripst but when I compare to Nabucco, the staff there are more cohesive than the staff at Nunukan at the time of my visit. If you are planning a 2-week diving trip to Borneo with a stay at Maratua atoll and want to combine 2 Tripsts, I would recommend Nabucco and Virgin Cocoa in that combination if your budget can handle it.

The same applies to the internet connection that I mentioned in the paragraph for Nabucco that it is very limited and that it is important that you bring cash to the island as there is no possibility to pay by card.

Virgin Cocoa

Time to leave Nunukan and end the journey Virgin Cocoa. As usual, the move couldn't be easier. You just need to make sure to collect your diving equipment in a hill at the diving center and collect your own pack. Then it will be transported over to the other Tripst. All you need to do is bring a water bottle, put on some sunscreen and then walk over to Virgin Cocoa on the almost 1 kilometer long bridge. On the way, you will surely see white moray eels hunting for small fish in the shallow water.

On site at Virgin Cocoa I am warmly welcomed with a welcome drink and a presentation of the Tripst by Kurt who is the Tripst manager. The island is not as hilly as Nunukan but about the same size. The theme of the island is the large number of palm trees on the island, which is just over 300. When the owner decided to build the Tripst on the island, strict orders were made that no palm trees could be felled. This gives the island a very special character with its incredibly tall palm trees. Many of them go straight up through the roofs of the bungalows and the pool is designed in such a way that the palm trees go straight up through the pool deck. It is actually a full-time employee at the Tripst who plucks coconuts from the palm trees every day. So every morning you get to enjoy coconut water for breakfast.

Fantastic accommodations

Now it's time to look at the rooms and which rooms they are! The rooms are wonderfully large and are made in a lighter color than Nabucco and Nunukan, which makes the room feel even bigger and fresher. The bed is made with beautiful sheets and lots of pillows and I felt that the bed was absolutely perfect! The bathroom is large and offers shampoo, conditioner and skin cream, which are not included on either Nabucco or Nunukan. On the terrace we find two sun loungers and a small group of chairs. There are two levels of accommodation, superior and deluxe rooms. The deluxe rooms are all south facing and have espresso machines. They also have sunbeds with mattresses and some other niceties that make them a little more expensive than the superior rooms. No matter which accommodation you choose, you will not be disappointed, but if you want that little extra edge, choose the deluxe rooms.

The food is undoubtedly the best of the three Tripsts. There are 4 different menus to choose from and as a customer you choose between half and full board. Something that I found very nice was that as a customer you are offered to eat together with the other guests at a large table. Something that is really nice as you get the opportunity to get to know the other divers at the Tripst. If you don't want to sit at the same table as the others, that's of course no problem. Even the food on the boat is better than at the other Tripsts. Nitrox is also included in the price of the dive, so there is nothing you need to add.

Yoga on site

For those who like yoga, 2 sessions are included each day and you don't have to know yoga before to participate and you don't have to join every session. I found the yoga sessions very good for increasing endurance when diving a lot. Also to find peace if you feel that you have had a lot at work before departure. Highly recommend that you attend and try this out in case you choose to stay at Virgin Cocoa.

Virgin Cocoa is clearly more costly than the other two Tripsts. But considering the increased standard of living, the quality of the food, the yoga classes, the fact that nitrox is included from the start and the good service, I think it's clearly worth the cost. If you feel you can afford to spend your vacation on Virgin Cocoa, it's worth it. I also want to point out that even though the price tag is higher on Virgin Cocoa, the feeling is really not that it is snobbish, rather the opposite. It is very relaxed and there is no dress code for dinner. You can come as you are (however, swimwear is not recommended). No matter which Tripst(s) you choose, your diving trip to Borneo Maratua will be an experience.

You should bring cash with you to the island; Rupiah, Euros or Dollars are fine. It is not possible to pay by card on any of the islands.

Summary

I leave Maratua atoll and Borneo with incredibly fine experiences in my luggage, both above and below the surface. My diving trip to Borneo and Maratua has been fantastic. If you value going to a place that doesn't have too many tourists and you like to be almost alone during your dives, then you should put Maratua Atoll on your bucket list. We hope that we will have the opportunity to help you with this journey. Feel free to take a look at Scuba Travel and ask or book your diving trip to Borneo and Maratua here. Maratua Atoll is a fantastic destination for couples, individual travelers or groups.

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