🏝️ INDONESIA: JELLYFISH LAKE & MARATUA WATER VILLAS

📅 Fixed Date: June 10 – 22 (13 Days / 12 Nights)

📋 EXPEDITION OVERVIEW

The Derawan Archipelago, hidden off the coast of East Kalimantan (Borneo), is home to one of the most exclusive and visually stunning marine environments in the Coral Triangle. This expedition is based in an ultra-premium resort featuring luxury Water Villas built directly over the turquoise sea of Maratua Atoll. This itinerary offers a mind-blowing combination of extreme pelagic action—including adrenaline-fueled drift dives with schools of barracudas and massive manta rays—alongside a journey to Kakaban Island's secret interior lake to swim with millions of stingless jellyfish. It is the ultimate luxury adventure for couples, divers, and high-end travelers.

• Rendezvous Point: Jakarta International Airport (CGK) -> Connecting flight to Berau (BEAU)

• Diving Logistics: 18 oceanic/channel/night dives (Reef hook required for currents)

• Group Size: Maximum 12 guests (High-Ticket Luxury Tier)

🗺️ DAY-BY-DAY ITINERARY

🛫 DAY 1: Journey to the Edge of Borneo

• For Everyone: The expedition crew meets at Jakarta International Airport (CGK) for our domestic flight to Berau in East Borneo. Upon landing, we transfer to a premium hotel in Berau for an evening of rest and relaxation. Welcome dinner featuring Indonesian-Bornean specialties.

🛥️ DAY 2: VIP Speedboat Transfer to your Water Villa

• For Everyone: After breakfast, we take a scenic 2-hour VIP cruise on our private high-speed speedboat across the Celebes Sea directly to Maratua Atoll. Arrive at our luxury resort and check into your private Water Villa built right over the crystal-clear ocean.

• Evening: Enjoy sunset drinks on your villa's private deck, followed by an evening briefing and a fresh seafood welcome dinner.

🐢 DAY 3: House Reef Check-Dive & Overwater Spa Ritual

• Divers (2 Dives): Morning check-dives at the Maratua House Reef right beneath your villa. Pristine hard coral coverage, vibrant reef life, and your first encounter with the island's resident green sea turtles.

• Non-Divers (Snorkel & Spa): Guided snorkeling right from the resort’s stairs into the turquoise lagoon, followed by your first luxury massage out on the overwater spa pavilion.

🦈 DAY 4: Big Fish Country – The Maratua Channel

• Divers (3 Dives): Diving the world-famous Maratua Channel (Big Fish Country). This is a high-energy channel dive where we hook into the reef edge in the current to watch massive schools of hundreds of Barracudas, schooling Eagle Rays, and passing Grey Reef Sharks.

• Non-Divers (Snorkel & Spa): Relaxation on the private powdery white sandspit of the atoll. Stand-up paddleboarding (SUP) and shallow snorkeling in the calm lagoon.

🪼 DAY 5: THE KAKABAN JELLYFISH EXPEDITION (The Main Event)

• For Everyone (Joint Marine Safari): Today we depart for the mystical Kakaban Island. We hike into the island's interior to reach a prehistoric marine lake surrounded by dense mangrove forests.

• The Experience: Everyone enters the water with mask and snorkel to swim among millions of completely stingless, colorful Jellyfish (four distinct species). Due to millions of years of isolation, these jellyfish have lost their stinging abilities. A truly surreal, bucket-list lifetime experience.

🐋 DAY 6: Manta Run – The Giants of Sangalaki

• Divers (3 Dives): Heading out to Sangalaki Island, a renowned global hotspot and cleaning station for Gigantic Oceanic Manta Rays. Dive Manta Run and Manta Avenue to watch these 5-meter majestic creatures glide gracefully around you.

• Non-Divers (Snorkel & Conservation): Guided snorkeling from the surface alongside the feeding Manta Rays. Followed by a land visit to the Sangalaki Sea Turtle Conservation Center to learn about turtle egg protection.

🐢 DAY 7: Turtle Traffic & Macro Hidden Gems

• Divers (3 Dives): Diving Turtle Traffic—a dive site hosting dozens of giant green sea turtles resting on the coral ledges. Followed by an afternoon macro dive to look for pygmy seahorses.

• Non-Divers (Snorkel & Spa): Private Indonesian culinary class at the resort’s overwater restaurant, learning to cook traditional Bornean fish dishes with fresh ginger and coconut.

🦐 DAY 8: The Abyssal Walls of Kakaban

• Divers (3 Dives): Returning to Kakaban Island to dive its external sheer vertical drop-offs, Kakaban Wall and Barracuda Point. Exceptional 40-meter visibility plunging down into the deep blue Celebes Sea.

• Non-Divers (Snorkel & Spa): A full day of pure luxury and overwater spa pampering, including a local sea-salt body scrub and a second premium massage.

🐬 DAY 9: The Private Island Safari

• Divers (2 Morning Dives): Two final deep wall dives around the outer pinnacles to capture wide-angle reef shots.

• 🎒 Premium Add-on: Derawan Night Turtle Tracking. An evening boat excursion to observe wild sea turtles nesting on the pristine, remote beaches under the moonlight.

🛑 DAY 10: Final Sunsets & Start of No-Fly Window

• Divers (1 Morning Dive): One final shallow macro dive at 9:00 AM to safely conclude the underwater itinerary, starting the 24-hour No-Fly countdown. Afternoon spent carefully washing and packing dive gear.

• Non-Divers: Sunset deck yoga and meditation session followed by a casual sea kayaking circuit around the resort.

• For Everyone: A grand overwater farewell gala dinner featuring a fresh seafood feast, premium cocktails, and a presentation of the best photos and videos captured during the week.

🏙️ DAY 11: Return Journey to Balikpapan or Jakarta

• For Everyone: The No-Fly window concludes. Private speedboat transfer back to Berau, followed by our flights to Balikpapan or Jakarta. Check-in at a luxury 5-star hotel in the city.

🏛️ DAY 12: Mandatory Terrestrial Day – Cultural Hub Tour

• For Everyone: A relaxed city day to unwind. Enjoy an afternoon dedicated to high-end shopping for famous Indonesian South Sea pearls, premium local coffees, and traditional handicrafts. Final group celebration dinner at a fine-dining restaurant.

🛫 DAY 13: Homeward Bound

• For Everyone: Private transfer to the international terminal for your flights back home to Europe. End of services.