Snorkeling the Derawan Islands!
The Derawan Islands are a cluster of islands, atolls, and reefs located off the coast of East Kalimantan, Indonesia. This destination may not be as recognized as Raja Ampat or Alor, but it should be! Recent surveys report that marine life diversity is as high in the Derawan Islands as it is in Raja Ampat and Alor! Please join our small group of adventurous snorkelers on board our luxurious 5-star motor yacht for this incredible journey to the world’s epicenter for marine biodiversity!
Itinerary
Each departure is unique and hand-crafted to expose you to a diversity of marine habitats and the incredible snorkeling sites that can be found there. This departure is exploratory, and the location and pristine nature of the areas promises that our days will be filled with amazingly healthy coral reefs and reef habitats throughout our entire journey. And with stops in Kakaban lake to snorkel with ‘stingless’ jellies, P. Sangalaki for the manta rays, and Maratua Island also known as the ‘sea turtle capital of Indonesia’ this will be an epic snorkeling-trip-of-a-lifetime! The usual disclaimer about weather and tides affecting the itinerary are only a bonus for us, since we use them to ensure we visit each site at the best times possible! Our snorkeling tour begins and ends in Jakarta, Indonesia, with one internal, round-trip flight.
Tour Dates and Pricing
Accommodations: Gaia Love
Length: 12 days
Arrival / Departure city: Jakarta, Indonesia
Guides: Lee Goldman, Ethan Daniels
Prices and Payment schedule:
$ USD per person, double occupancy
$ USD per person, single occupancy
Reservation deposit: $500 USD
February 22, 2026: $ USD
May 22, 2026: $ USD / $ USD (single occ.)
Cancellation policy:
180 – 91 days prior to departure: 50% of trip cost
90 days or less prior to departure: 100% of tour cost
Inclusions / Exclusions
Tour cost includes:
- Accommodations throughout tour dates
- All meals on days 2 through 11 (dinner on day 1 – breakfast on day 12)
- All internal transfers including international arrival and departure transfers
- Non-alcoholic beverages
- All snorkeling and park fees
- All gratuities
Tour cost does not include:
- Round-trip international airfare
- Additional hotel accommodations and meals as a result of travel outside of the program dates
- Visa requirements including payments
- Alcoholic beverages
- International departure taxes
- Extra / overweight baggage fees
- Trip insurance (we recommend Travel Guard or World Nomads)
- Emergency medical evacuation insurance (required). Check your medical health care plan or contact DAN or DiveAssure.
- Additional accommodations while on tour in the event of flight schedule changes or events of force majeure
- Fuel surcharges (if applicable)
Accommodations
We begin the design of our snorkeling-trips-of-a-lifetime around luxurious live-aboard motor yachts and stunning, spacious resorts, both offering the highest levels of service. For our departures to the Derawan Islands we use the Gaia Love. The hotel/resort we use in Jakarta is the Sheraton Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta Airport.
What to Expect
The Derawan Islands are two degrees north of the Equator and, as tropical islands weather year-round is hot and humid with occasional showers occurring in the early morning or late afternoon. For more details about the Derawan Islands, what to expect and what to bring, download the pdf brochure!