A guide to visiting Borneo by Travel Photographer Emmett Sparling.
Find out where to eat, where to go and what to do in Derawan Islands, Borneo.
Where to Stay:
Derawan Island in a homestay. There are about six homestays to choose from and they’re all huts on stilts over the water.
Getting There:
5-hour boat ride from Tarakan.
Photo. by Emmett Sparling
Where to Eat:
There are a few basic restaurants called Warung’s. Warungs are like an Indonesian version of a Subway. You go up to a little window and point out what you want. They serve traditional Indonesian food for lunch and dinner.
Hidden Gem:
Jellyfish Lake in Kakaban Island. 2-4 hour speed boat ride from Derawan. It’s filled with millions of harmless jellyfish. You can swim in there and all of these clouds of jellyfish are around you.
What to Do:
Snorkelling or free diving. There are lots of beautiful places to choose, from the Jellyfish Lake to the underwater forest.
On Derawan, you can rent bikes and bike around the island. There are a lot of local spots to see along the way. You can bike around the whole island in about 30 minutes.
Photo by Emmett Sparling
Best place to take a photo:
There’s a canyon where at certain times of day, light beams shine through the opening. It’s really beautiful. If you ask a local about it they’ll tell you how to reach it
Photo by Emmett Sparling
Where is Borneo?
Borneo is the third largest island in the world and it is located North of Indonesia and East of Malaysia.
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