Kicking off the list is the beautiful Derawan Beach, located in Berau, East Kalimantan. Considered as a candidate for a world heritage site by UNESCO in 2015, the beach had the stunning nature for the title but was coined a tourism village instead to boost its development.
Since then, marine tourism has been slowly developing and the beach has become a popular place where world-class divers converge. Derawan Beach is one of the best snorkeling and diving locations, boasting a stunning coastal ecosystem from coral reefs and seagrass beds to mangrove forests. You can also expect to see a lot of protected species here, including turtles, whales, dolphins, giant clams, coconut crabs, and many other species!
What we love: Derawan Beach is home to endangered green and hawksbill turtles! Who doesn’t love these incredible creatures?
How to Get Here: Fly to Sepinggan airport at Balikpapan, and from here fly to Tarakan or Berau. You can then get to Derawan by land transport and boat.