West Nusa Tenggara - Sumbawa & Komodo
- April to December
- DIN & Yoke
- Diving
- Nitrox
- Courses
- Snorkeling
- 15+ Days
World class West Komodo Island, Gili Banta, and Sangean Volcano. Drift Dives, macro subjects, pelagic life. As the only dive resort in East Sumbawa, Indonesia, this location is truly remote. Dive along the East coast of Sumbawa (where most of the dive sites are located), the Western part of Komodo National Park, Gili Banta, and Sangean Volcano!! Almost every little place on earth seems to be established, discovered and explored – We have been fortunate enough to find one of those last untouched places, in the heart of Indonesia.
West Nusa Tenggara - Sumbawa & Komodo
April to December
15 Days From € 2700 / Person
16 Dives From € 1300
(Based on double occupancy)
(All Flights Included)
Sumbawa & Komodo
The area has some of the greatest marine biodiversity in the world. The resort is perfectly situated on the East coast of Sumbawa which in itself boasts incredible diving.
The Western part of the Komodo National Park is possible to reach on day trips from Sumbawa, to provide next level diving all year round.
You can enjoy three distinct types of diving: muck diving, current diving, and coral diving.
The best part? You will most likely have these newly discovered dive sites all to yourself. This truly is one of the newest and best scuba diving destinations on our big blue planet.
You are in the heart of epic diving and huge deserted landscapes. Incredibly enough this is only 20 kilometers from the port town of Sape.
The Sape Strait lies to the east of Sumbawa island and separates Sumbawa from Komodo and Flores.
Traditionally, the island of Sumbawa is known as the source of sappanwood, sandalwood and honey.
Its savanna-like climate and vast grasslands are used to breed horses and cattle, as well as to hunt deer.
Sumbawa has an area three times the size of Lombok with an estimated population of 1.4 million. It marks the boundary between the islands to the west, which were influenced by religion and culture spreading from India, and the region to the east that was less influenced.
The Volcano of Tambora
Mount Tambora is a well-known volcano on the island of Sumbawa in Indonesia. It is famous because of its eruption in 1815, the largest volcanic eruption recorded in history, killed over 100,000 people and caused a climate cooling in 1816, which became known as the year without summer.
Being on Sumbawa, you are only a few hours by car from the majestic Tambora Volcano – which you can hike up to the top of in around 4-5 days.
Overview
Have you experienced the land of Dragons? Recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, The Komodo National park has more than 1000 species of fish and 260 species of coral. Perfect for crazy encounters with the wild and rare which inhabit these beautiful underwater gardens. Did you know that scuba diving West Komodo is an experience so unique that it’s not accessible to most?
From Kalimaya Dive Resort you can experience diving West Komodo and other rarer sites. We do not explore the traditional sites as you can from Labuan Bajo in Flores. For this reason, there is a high probability of having these pristine dive sites exclusively to yourself. We do not hold typical ranger-led Komodo dragon tours either – what we offer is something unique, the chance to explore the unexplored…!
Komodo National Park and Gili Banta are two of the best scuba diving destinations in the world for current diving. This style of diving includes drift dives, where we can explore a vast expanse of the reef while letting the current push us along. Also abundant are pinnacle dives where we stay in one spot to allow the currents to wash past us. These currents bringing in nutrients and big schools of fish. Nutrients give us the gift of bigger, pelagic creatures including but not limited to blacktip, whitetip and grey reef sharks. Oceanic and reef manta rays, mobula rays, eagle rays, are among our regular spots… Highlights include Galley Rock, Mexican Hat, Rollercoaster, Pannetonne Wall and The Waterfalls.
- Distance From Kalimaya: 26 NM
- Time To Dive Site: 60 minutes
- Certification Required: Advanced Open Water
- Muck Dive: No
- Current Dive: Yes
Sangean Volcano
Have you ever dived a volcano? Here’s your chance! The active Sangean Volcano is one of the worlds most diverse sites, possessing a world-famous black sand volcanic reef.
During your volcano diving experience at Sangean, you will notice it has a constantly bubbling bottom. This attracts a huge variety of biomass. From weird and wild critters that inhabit the ocean floor to “black coral” which actually comes in a variety of different colours. It’s black backdrop provides the ideal setting for the rainbow of colours provided by the marine life and corals.
Simply said, the volcano diving at Sangean makes for the perfect muck dive. It’s an underwater macro photographer’s dream, where one can often see Pygmy Seahorse, Nudibranch, and Frogfish. Get ready to be amazed and to go home bragging to your friends!
Sangean Volcano provides a breeding ground for every nudibranch possible. We counted 35 species on our last visit! Wunderpus, Frogfish and so much more can be found. In addition to Kalimaya House Reef, we recommend; Lapponia, Pipefish City and any site located on Sangean Volcano.
- Distance From Kalimaya: 22 NM
- Time To Dive Site: 45 minutes
- Certification Required: Open Water Diver
- Muck Dive: Yes
- Current Dive: No
Gili Banta
Have you dived between two oceans? The high velocity action of Gili Banta is where the Pacific and Indian oceans meet, bringing in fish big and small. Perfect for schooling fish, sharks, octopus, amazing corals, and manta rays swimming by. After diving Gili Banta there’ll be no need to talk, we’re sure you’ll be speechless!
Current diving Gili Banta and Komodo National park is particularly famous in the diving world. This style of diving includes drift dives, where we can explore a vast expanse of the reef while letting the current push us along. We also do pinnacle dives where we stay in one spot holding on to allow the currents to wash past us bringing in nutrients and schools of fish.
Do you like big stuff? This area is famous for big pelagic creatures including but not limited to: many types of sharks, oceanic and reef manta rays, mobula rays, eagle rays, schooling tuna and jack fish to name a few…
But don’t take our word for it, come and see for yourself!
- Distance From Kalimaya: 21 NM
- Time To Dive Site: 40 minutes
- Certification Required: Advanced Open Water
- Muck Dive: No
- Current Dive: Yes
Sumbawa
Kalimaya Dive Resort is situated on the east coast of Sumbawa near the port town of Sape. Our PADI 5* dive resort is the first of it’s kind and is situated near many shrimp farms that use a lot of nutrients which are constantly being replaced into the ocean.
As such, our gorgeous house reef is fortunate to be populated by numerous critters and schooling fish. Making scuba diving the Sumbawa coast second to none. You will have unlimited, unguided house reef (shore) dives included for free.
One of the best scuba diving destinations in Sumbawa for muck/macro diving is actually our very own house reef. It has already provided the following: Bumblebee Shrimp, Paddleflap Rhinopia, Lacy Rhinopia, Candy Crabs, Starry Night Octopus, and Bobtail squid among others.
When going a little further by our boat you will arrive to a plethora of walls, overhangs, black and white sandy plateaux’s – all hosts to a wide variety of marine life!
Travel further south and you will uncover Pulau Kelapa, which translates to ‘Coconut Island’.
Believe us when we say it’s not only gorgeous underwater, but on land too – boasting a dreamy pink sand beach.
- Distance From Kalimaya: 0 – 7KM
- Time To Dive Site: 0 – 15 minutes
- Certification Required: Open Water Diver
- Muck Dive: Yes
- Current Dive: No
Corals, Macro, Big Schools of Fish, Pelagic Life, Drifts
Dive Site Map
Included
Included
- International Flights
- Airport pick-up by private car from Denpasar, Lombok or Makassar Int. Airports
- Domestic flight to & from Sumbawa
- Transfers between Sumbawa Airport to Kalimaya Dive Resort
- 3 nights in a 4* hotel w/ breakfast
- 9 nights in resort w/ full board and free mineral water + hot water for tea and coffee)
- It is recommended to pre-book the dives in order to get a special “diver’s discount”
- Full package tour – See the benefits of being covered by the Full Package Act and Regulations here
- *Fee to Rejsegarantifonden
*A Danish Travel Guarantee Fund covering all European citizens in case of bankruptcy: link
Not Included
- “Visa On Arrival” ~ €30
- Tips for the staff
- Airport departure tax ~ €10
- Personal Travel Insurances
- Anything not listed in “Included”
A Domestic Flight or Along the Way:
East Nusa Tenggara
Komodo & Flores
Komodo dragons, strong currents, manta rays, sharks, macro, Unesco Heritage sites. A 6 – 8 hour boat ride away – adding to the adventure!
West Nusa Tenggara
Sumbawa & Moyo
Beyond Bali and Lombok you find Sumbawa and Moyo in the Sea of Flores. A drive away and short boat ride away.
North Sulawesi
Pulau Bunaken
World-class walls full of turtles, exciting drifts, reef sharks and napoleon wrasses. One domestic flight away!
Wakatobi
Wakatobi Resort
Deemed the World’s Best Housereef together with luxury in an island paradise. One private domestic flight away only!
West Nusa Tenggara
South Lombok
From the secret Gilis you can dive 2 areas of South Lombok – Belongas Bay: Pelagics! Along the way via Lombok or from Bali!
East Nusa Tenggara
Alor Archipelago
Vibrant coral reefs, strong currents, macro subjects, hammerhead sharks and culture. One domestic flight away!
Sumbawa & Moyo:
Trekking Mount Tambora is a once a lifetime experience. It is an exhausting hike to the summit, but not technically challenging. That means that most people can accomplish this trekking. The path is well maintained and mostly solid and there is no climbing needed. The trail leads mainly trough lush and beautiful rainforest up to Pos 5. After this point you reach the high plateau with its Edelweiss vegetation, where you finally reach the crater rim. If you are not too exhausted yet you can climb the summit.
Tambora is still very quiet compared to other mountains in Indonesia.
- starting point at hiking portal 690m (2,260ft)
- crater rim 2,630m (8,630 ft)
- summit elevation: 2,722 m (8,930 ft)
- crater diameter bottom: 6 km (3.7 mi)
- crater diameter top: 8 km ( 5 mi)
- crater depth: 1,100 m (3,610 ft)
Batu Dulang Village
Duration 1 Day
Traveling to Batu Dulang Village will allow you to observe daily community activities such as gathering candlenuts and processing them, harvesting coffee ores, and processing Sumbawa Original Honey, in addition to exhibiting the beauty of rural natural surroundings.
09.00 We will take you up from your hotel or airport in Sumbawa Besar and drive you to Batu Dulang Village.
10.00 When you get at Batu Dulang Village, take a look about and take in the ambience as well as the daily activities of the community.
11.30 Coffee harvesting trip in one of the Batu Dulang Village homeowners’ coffee grounds.
12.00 Lunch on a typical Sumbawa cuisine in one of the Batu Dulang Village inhabitants’ homes.
14.00 Head to Tiu Dua Waterfall.
14.30 Visit Tiu Dua Waterfall and take in its natural beauty.
16.30 Return to Teba Panotang Hill
17.00 Taking in the vista of the valley from Teba Panotang while sipping Batu Dulang specialty coffee
18.00 Return to Sumbawa Besar
19.00 When you arrive in Sumbawa Besar City, we’ll transport you to your hotel. The program is now complete.
Combine Landtours of Lombok
The classes are a fun educational and enjoyable way to learn about the Indonesian food and culture for the whole family.
Anggrek Putih / Authentic Lombok offer half day Indonesian cooking classes. Experience the different flavor of “Indonesian cuisine” and learn about the local products. From spicy local “Lombok food” with hot chilies and herbs to the sweetness of Javanese food made with fresh coconut milk, palm sugar and peanuts. Discover the unique flavors and fruity sourness of lime, lemongrass and tamarind.
We make a minimum of 4 dishes each class for minimum 2 – 4 people.
A sample of dishes see below:
– Sate Ayam ( Chicken Satay )
– Fish in Banana Leaf
– Perkedel Jagung ( Corn Fritters )
– Lombok Curry ( Curry Chicken, Fish or Veggie )
– Lombok Soto Ayam ( Chicken Soto )
– Dadar Gulung ( Rolled Pancake )
We organize two days one night trekking to Lombok’s famous volcano which is the second highest volcano in Indonesia attracting thousands of trekkers and climbers.
In 2004 the volcano, Rinjani, won the World Legacy Award and the volcano is recognized as an important eco-tourism destination .
What you will experience: The village of Sembalun. Sunset and Sunrise with beautiful views. Top of Rinjani with its Segara Anak Lake.
Drive to Malimbu Hills – from where you can see the stunning scenery of Mount Agung in Bali and the 3 Gilis. Going down to the beaches, the bays, the cliffs from Nipah Beach and Pandanan Beach.
The trip will pass the Traditional Market, a large public market area. Pass the Balinese Temple and Buddhist Temple near Tanjung, a town by the ocean.
Continue to the traditional villages, Segenter Village. An indigenous Sasak people whom still adhere to non orthodox Islam locally called Islam waktu telu. This village located in the district of Bayan North Lombok still maintain their culture and traditions. The architecture of the houses with their berugak (open sided elevated floor building) is typical houses of Sasak people that can be witnessed with the daily activities of the villagers.
Senaru Village is the main entrance to Gunung Rinjani National Park. The most interesting you can see in the village are the traditional houses – Karang Bajo. The floors are made of clay and the walls are made of thin wood. Also, the roof is made of “Rumbia”.
At Senaru you will experience Lombok’s most spectacular waterfalls . It is popular with both locals and tourists visiting Mt Rinjani National park. It is a short trek through the jungle to reach the Sendang Gile Waterfall and the Tiu Kelep Waterfall.
Bali – Island of the Gods
Many Tours
Duration Half to Full Day
There are so many things to do in Bali, so instead of listing all of them let us know your interests. Temples, waterfalls, hiking, motorbiking, rafting, cooking, rice fields, coffee etc.
We can tailor make daytrips.
You can visit Ubud, which is a famous town in Balis inland surrounded by rice fields. Here are many many restaurants and souvenir shops and the Monkey forest where the small monkeys roam around and can get a bit nosy around tourists.
Uluwatu Temple is a Balinese Hindu sea temple built at the edge of a 70-meter-high cliff projecting into the sea. A Kecak dance performance based on the Ramayana is performed daily in Uluwatu temple at every 6pm on the cliff-side. The performance which is outdoors also shows the beautiful sunset at the background of the performance
Tanah Lot is one of Bali’s most important landmarks. Its unique offshore setting provides the perfect backdrop for sunset photos. Constructed in the 16th century to honor the Hindu sea god, Baruna, Tanah Lot is one of Bali’s most-visited landmarks.
The Mount Batur hike in Kintamani, Bali is one of the most popular and enjoyable sunrise trekking experiences you can have in Indonesia. It’s not very hard to do the Mount Batur trek from any part of the island, and the guided trek takes you up a still active volcano — Gunung Batur — with a summit elevation of more than 1,700 meters. A perfect way to catch the sunrise. You drive up to around 1200 meters and walk the last 500 meters. Total duration up and down is 2-4 hours.
Q & A
Yes beginners can dive here and even take beginner courses.
However, Komodo is renowned for very strong currents. So is the current for you?
If not, then put your “dive dates” furthest away from New and Full Moon. Also, you might miss some of the best dive sites if you do not want to dive in the current.
It is mostly a psychological thing, to be able to dive in the current – because we never fight with the current. We may be using reef hooks, and drift with the current. And always pay attention to the dive briefing and follow the dive guides closely. Then everything is fine.
Yes. A couple of times per week the dive center visits Rinca, after the first two morning dives, to see the dragons. There is a surcharge for entry to see the dragons.
We leave early morning and will be back for lunch.
Great! We can offer you courses from entry level to divemaster courses.
Contact us for further details.
Please book courses at the time of booking the whole trip.
We highly recommend booking the dives as a package. At Kalimaya non-divers are very welcome but there is a surcharge, which at the moment of 2022 is €150 extra per night.
Most dive places in Indonesia use the “International” Yoke connection for the regulators 1st stage.
If you have a DIN 1st stage you can buy a DIN to Intl. Yoke converter – which might come in handy every time you dive in South East Asia anyway!
There are several ATM’s 10-20 minutes drive from the resort, that take credit and debit cards with VISA.
Komodo National Park should still be considered a remote destination. The medical facilities are limited. Emergency evacuations may take 12-24 hours to the nearest major hospital in Bali and a possible helicopter transfer from Bima to Siloam Hospital is extremely expensive.
Therefore, a full travel insurance that covers possible evacuations AND diving accidents, is required for all our guests. We recommend including cover for any cancellations e.g. flights as Indonesian airlines are known for changing or even cancelling their flights rather frequently.
There is Malaria present in Sumbawa.
Gastrointestinal diseases: Make sure you have some rehydration salts and basic medicines on hand. (Consult your doctor regarding appropriate medicines before you go.) Anti-diarrhea medicines like Imodium are best taken only if you have to travel – they only treat symptoms, not causes. Drinking only boiled or otherwise purified water will greatly reduce your chances of stomach troubles. You can read more about drinking water here.
Skin and wound infections: You should clean and treat even small wounds immediately with an antiseptic, and then examine them regularly for signs of infection. Especially if they are coral scrapes, which are notorious for going septic. Keeping wounds dry until healed is also good practice, but it’s a big ask when you’re on a short stay in the islands. Fungal infections love a tropical environment too, so you might want to consider having some antifungal medicine in your first aid kit.
Ear infections: Spending a lot of time with water in your ears in the tropics raises the risk of ear infections, so if you’re concerned pack an appropriate medicine.
Japanese Encephalitis and Dengue Fever: These mosquito-borne diseases have been reported from Flores and are present more or less all over Indonesia and most of South East Asia. You might want to consider vaccination for Japanese Encephalitis. Avoiding mosquito bites is the only protection available against Dengue Fever.
Tropical diseases: All tropical environments harbour parasites and pathogens not found elsewhere. You’re extremely unlikely to come into contact with any of those during a short holiday in Indonesia, but if you suffer any persistent or recurrent symptoms that can’t be diagnosed or aren’t relieved by standard medical treatment – even if those symptoms appear months after your visit – you should consult a tropical diseases specialist.
See our “About” page to know more about prevention of moscuito bites.
For further reading on health: https://www.iamat.org/country/indonesia