Sangalaki Island

Sangalaki Island is a small island covering an area of 15.9 hectares. This island is one of the islands that are part of Derawan Archipelago. Derawan Islands is a group of islands famous in the world. Aside from Sangalaki Island, another famous island of Derawan Islands are Kakaban and Derawan Island. Sangalaki Island located in the waters of the northern peninsula of Berau.

Administratively, Sangalaki Island located in Berau Regency of East Kalimantan Province. Most sea turtles in the world are an endangered species. That includes species hawksbill and green turtles that live on Sangalaki Island. Not only that, but Sangalaki Island is also a major nesting site for green turtles in Southeast Asia.

Therefore, it makes sense Sangalaki Island has a turtle conservation facility that is very good. Not so hard to find a turtle on Sangalaki Island. When you are walk on the shore visible some traces of turtle. Usually this turtle come to Sangalaki Island at night. At night can be found dozens of turtles that come here. Each year a total of more than 3,700 turtles who come to this island.

The turtles came to Sangalaki Island to lay eggs, especially when the sea water was high tide. Activities of the turtles lay their eggs on Sangalaki Island arguably a natural spring. Because after the completion turtles lay eggs, eggs that have hatched would be monitored. If it is not safe position where turtles bury their eggs, then there will be a few officers from the Natural Resources Conservation Center (BKSDA) which move the eggs to another location that is considered more secure.

Some animals such as lizards who also lives on Sangalaki Island known to prey on turtle eggs. One adult turtle can lays about 100 eggs. Every night there are more than 20 adult turtles laying in Sangalaki Island. Because they spawn in a close time, so when there will be thousands of children hatched turtles called “tukik” or hatchlings were scrambling for first towards the sea. Unfortunately, although the number of newly hatched hatchlings could reach thousands, but only a few of them will survive to adulthood.

When just touched the waters there are some hawks flying above the ocean lurking hatchlings. An eagle is capable of consuming 3 to 4 turtle hatchlings. Not to mention the various predators prey hatchlings were at sea. Even when they are grown and large with a strong shell, still not safe from predators.

There are sharks are known to prey on adult turtle with strong canine teeth and able to snag a hard shell turtles. From the thousands of hatchlings that hatched on Sangalaki Island, only dozens who managed to live to adulthood. Most of adult turtles will return to Sangalaki Island to spawn. Unlike Derawan Island of fully developed for tourism purposes, only 3% of Sangalaki Island built. The rest is left in as natural a state as possible. Because it is on Sangalaki Island more emphasis in conservation and ecology. But that does not mean there are no facilities at all here. There are some facilities is available that provide various best facilities for snorkeling, diving, up to the inn.

To get there:

To reach Sangalaki Island, you may take an airplane from Soekarno-Hatta airport in Jakarta to Sepinggan airport (BPN) in Balikpapan. From Sepinggan, you may take a Deraya airplane to the capital of Berau city, Tanjung Redeb. Deraya serves commuter and chartered flights. During this journey, you may see the life of the local community in the Kalimantan hinterlands which are not influenced by modernization.Upon your arrival in Tanjung Redeb, you have another journey by speed boat along the Segah River to Sangalaki. In total, it takes about 8 to 9 hours from Jakarta to Sangalaki. In addition to visiting Sangalaki, you could also visit equally interesting neighbouring islands such as Maratua, Derawan, and Kakaban islands.