Derawan • East Kalimantan
Derawan Phinisi Charter
A Derawan phinisi charter is a private liveaboard voyage through the Derawan Archipelago off East Kalimantan, combining Kakaban's stingless jellyfish lake, the manta feeding stations of Sangalaki, and Maratua's current-swept channel aboard a crewed traditional yacht, with full-boat rates from $5,500 per night, all-inclusive. The islands sit in the Celebes Sea, reached through Berau, and reward five to seven nights on the water.
The Operator
Luxury Phinisi is an Indonesian yacht operator that charters, builds, sells, and manages phinisi yachts — two-masted timber vessels whose construction tradition in Bira and Tana Beru, South Sulawesi, was inscribed by UNESCO in 2017. We pair those heritage hulls with modern navigation, certified safety systems, Starlink connectivity, and five-star service, and we have arranged charters for U.S. travelers since 2018. Derawan is one of twelve regions we sail; see all of them on our phinisi charter destinations hub.
The Case for Private
Why Derawan Deserves a Private Liveaboard
Most divers who reach Derawan stay in small island resorts and day-boat to the sites. That works for Derawan Island itself, but the archipelago's best marine life is spread across a 50-kilometre arc — Kakaban, Sangalaki, Maratua, the Muaras reef, and the whale shark grounds at Talisayan further down the Berau coast. A Derawan dive liveaboard removes the daily crossings: you anchor beside the site you dive at first light, and you are usually the only boat there.
Very few liveaboards operate in this corner of Indonesia at all, and almost none at the luxury end. That scarcity is precisely the argument for a private charter. The best Derawan liveaboard experience is not a scheduled route shared with strangers; it is your own yacht, your own dive guide, and an itinerary that shifts with the tides at Maratua's channel and the morning feeding window at Talisayan. For families and mixed groups, a private boat also means non-divers spend their days snorkelling Kakaban's lake, kayaking lagoons, and visiting turtle nesting beaches instead of waiting out dive schedules.
When to Go
Derawan Liveaboard Diving Season: When to Go
Derawan is a year-round destination — the Celebes Sea position shelters it from the monsoon swings that close Komodo or Raja Ampat for parts of the year. Conditions are at their most consistent from March through October, when visibility typically runs 15–30 metres and seas stay calm for the crossings between islands. November to February brings more rain and occasional reduced visibility from river run-off near the coast, though the outer islands still dive well.
Wildlife timing matters less here than elsewhere: the stingless jellyfish in Kakaban Lake are present every day of the year, green turtles nest on Sangalaki year-round, and manta activity at Sangalaki's cleaning and feeding stations is reliable in every season, spiking when plankton blooms concentrate. Whale sharks appear around the bagan fishing platforms at Talisayan throughout the year, with sightings best in the early morning.
The Sailing Grounds
The Route: Islands & Highlights
A typical charter loops between four core islands plus one coastal excursion, all within comfortable cruising range of each other.
Kakaban — the jellyfish lake
Kakaban encloses one of the largest marine lakes on earth, a brackish basin sealed off from the sea for thousands of years. Its four species of jellyfish evolved without predators and lost their sting, so you snorkel — never with fins, to protect them — through drifting clouds of golden and moon jellyfish. Outside the lake, Kakaban's wall dives drop steeply into blue water with turtles and reef sharks.
Sangalaki — mantas and nesting turtles
Sangalaki is the marquee dive of the archipelago: reef manta rays circle cleaning stations and feed in the channel on nearly every dive, in groups that can reach a dozen or more. The island is also one of Indonesia's most important green turtle nesting sites; on an evening beach walk with the ranger post, guests often watch females laying or hatchlings running for the water.
Maratua — the channel
Maratua is a large ring-shaped atoll whose lagoon empties and fills through a single channel. On a running tide the channel concentrates everything: tornado-schools of barracuda, grey reef sharks, eagle rays, snapper walls, and the occasional thresher shark from deep water. It is a drift dive for experienced divers, timed precisely by your guide — exactly the kind of site a private boat can hit at the right tide, twice.
Derawan Island — the easy days
Derawan itself is a lived-in village island where green turtles graze under the jetties in two metres of water. It makes a gentle first or last day: house-reef dives, village walks, grilled fish ashore, and guaranteed turtles for snorkellers of any age.
Talisayan — whale sharks at the bagans
Down the coast at Talisayan, whale sharks gather at dawn beneath bagans — stilted fishing platforms — to feed on baitfish. Your crew coordinates with the fishermen the evening before, and you swim alongside the sharks in open water soon after sunrise. It adds a cruising day each way and is worth it.
Trip Length
How Many Nights Do You Need?
Plan on five to seven nights. Five nights covers the four core islands with two dives or activities a day and one tide-timed channel dive at Maratua. Seven nights adds the Talisayan whale shark excursion, the Muaras barrier reef, and slack time to re-dive whatever your group loved most. Shorter than four nights is hard to justify against the travel time to East Kalimantan; longer than eight suits dedicated dive groups or charters continuing onward across the Celebes Sea.
At a Glance
Charter Facts
Day by Day
Sample 6-Night Derawan Itinerary
Fly into Berau (BEJ), speedboat transfer to your phinisi off Derawan Island. Check dive on the house reef; turtles under the jetty at dusk.
Cruise to Sangalaki. Two manta dives at the cleaning stations; evening turtle-nesting walk with the ranger post.
Kakaban. Morning wall dive, midday snorkel in the jellyfish lake, afternoon drift along the island's south face.
Maratua. Channel dive on the incoming tide, lagoon kayaking at slack, second channel or plateau dive on the evening tide.
Overnight reposition to Talisayan. Dawn whale shark swim at the bagans; cruise back north via Muaras reef.
Owner's choice — repeat Sangalaki's mantas or Maratua's channel; farewell dinner on deck.
Morning transfer to Berau for departure flights.
Every itinerary is built around your group and the tides — treat this as a starting point, not a fixed route. Our bespoke phinisi voyages team also plans longer expeditions that begin or end in Derawan.
Investment
Derawan Luxury Liveaboard Rates
Because Derawan requires repositioning a yacht to East Kalimantan, pricing follows our remote-route structure — comparable to Raja Ampat — with full-boat charters from $5,500 per night, all-inclusive (crew, chef, meals, dives, park and village fees, transfers from Berau). Per-night, whole-boat rates by tier:
| Tier | Length | Guests | Per Night (full boat) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry | 20–25 m | 4–8 | $3,500–5,500 |
| Premium | 25–35 m | 6–12 | $5,500–12,000 |
| Ultra | 35–50 m | 8–14 | $12,000–20,000 |
| Flagship | 50–65 m | 12–16 | $20,000–35,000 |
See full seasonal bands and cost examples on our phinisi charter prices page, and browse available yachts by tier in our phinisi fleet. Not every vessel repositions to Kalimantan, so enquire early — six months ahead for peak dates.
Route Pairings
Combining Derawan with Other Destinations
Derawan's prime window overlaps neatly with Komodo's May–September season, and the two connect with a single flight day via Balikpapan and Bali. A popular pairing is a week of diving in Derawan followed by our Komodo 3-day phinisi itinerary for dragons, Padar, and Pink Beach — see the full Komodo phinisi charter page for routes. Divers building an Indonesia dive circuit also pair Derawan with Wakatobi phinisi charters in the Banda Sea's biosphere reserve, the archipelago's other diving-first destination. For expedition clients, multi-week crossings between Kalimantan, Sulawesi, and the Maluku islands can be built as one continuous voyage.
The Journey There
Getting There
Fly to Kalimarau Airport, Berau (BEJ) — usually one stop from Jakarta or a short connection through Balikpapan (BPN); Surabaya routings also operate. From Berau it is a brief overland transfer to the coast, then 30–90 minutes by speedboat to meet your yacht at Derawan or Maratua, all coordinated by our team. Maratua has a small airstrip with limited scheduled service, occasionally useful for one-way routings. Allow a buffer night in Balikpapan or Jakarta on international connections; we can arrange it. All arrival logistics, fees, and transfers are handled within your charter — one point of contact on WhatsApp from touchdown to departure.
Questions Answered
Derawan Phinisi Charter FAQ
When is the best time for a Derawan liveaboard?
How do I reach the Derawan Islands?
Is Derawan suitable for non-divers and families?
How much does a Derawan phinisi charter cost?
Begin The Voyage
Ready to Plan Dates?
Message our charter team on WhatsApp at +62 811 382 3875 or start with the luxury phinisi yacht charter overview to compare routes, yachts, and seasons.