SCUBA Editor Simon Rogerson embarks on a long journey to the remote Derawan Islands , followed by a pilgrimage to a rainforest refuge
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Borneo : Off the beaten path
SCUBA Editor Simon Rogerson embarks on a long journey to the remote Derawan Islands , followed by a pilgrimage to a rainforest refuge
Back in June , I put together a group and set off on an epic journey across Indonesia to reach Maratua Atoll , in Borneo ’ s Derawan Archipelago . Our destination was Nabucco Island , a lonely outpost on the edge of the deep Celebes Sea basin .
The journey was tortuous . A flight to Singapore , then to Surabaya on Java , where we overnighted at the Hotel Majapahit Surabaya , a luxurious colonial-style affair . The next morning , we flew north to Berau on Borneo , then a three-hour speedboat ride took us past the logging stations and coal barges of the Segah River , and finally beyond the mangroves and out into the Makassar Strait .
Nabucco Island lies just beyond Maratua , the outer atoll of the Derawan archipelago . Its accommodations are basic but comfortable , the sea-facing villas
Tanahkuning
Malaysia |
Brunei
Borneo
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Tandjoengbatoe |
Nabucco Dive Resort Extra Divers , Maratua |
Indonesia