Bangka island
One week in a tropical paradise (North Sulawesi)
Bangka Island is a small island off the north-eastern tip of Sulawesi, famous for its pristine beaches and healthy dive tourism. The island has four main coastal villages: Lihunu, Kahuku, Libas and Ehe. Banka is extremely geographically diverse, with features like forests, hills, coconut groves, rocky stretches, mangroves and pristine beaches.
We stayed at Mimpi Indah, a small eco-resort with sea-view bungalows, a private jetty and 500 meters of beautiful, white sandy beach. All the buildings are built with natural sustainable building materials such as bamboo and coconut wood, and truly blend in with nature. Just 20 metres from the beach, the cottages are surrounded by lush greenery and tall coconut palms. The bungalows have a veranda from where we have a wonderful view of the ocean. Each bungalow has a private bathroom with hot and cold running water, a western-style toilet and comforts such as towels, soap and shampoo.
A restaurant is more than just a place to eat. It’s also a place to relax, enjoy a drink and discuss the many wonderful things that comprise this incomparable corner of the world. The food is prepared by Ita and is a combination of traditional Indonesian and European cuisine, with ingredients from their organic garden. The surroundings are beautiful, the sandy beach meets the tropical forest, which, aside from a narrow footpath, gives the appearance of unspoiled nature. Daily walks are something you can’t pass up on.
There are more than 40
dive sites around the Bangka Archipelago, including diving on the mainland,
which will take you 5 to 15 minutes by boat and up to 30 minutes for longer
distances. Diving in the Bangka Archipelago is available all year round, but
conditions vary. March to June is the dry season, November to February is the
rainy season in Indonesia, and July to October can become very windy.
TANJUNG HUSI
Our first dive site is
Tanjung Husi, a hidden gem off the coast of Bangka Island. We are beckoned to
explore beautiful coral gardens full of macro life, including the elusive
frogfish. We experienced the thrill of drift diving as we sailed through gentle
currents that reveal the rich biodiversity of the aquatic kingdom of North
Sulawesi.
BATU SAHAUNG
Our next dive was only
a 10-minute boat ride away. Batu Sahaung is a town made up of a series of large
underwater peaks breaking the surface. The current can be strong with
visibility of about 15 meters and an average dive depth of between 5 and 40
metres.
BATU TIGA - THREE ROCKS
Our next dive was again
something special. This time we went to check out Batu Tiga, which means three
rocks or three peaks: two of them are above the surface of the water, while the
third is submerged. There isn’t typically any current on this particular dive.
ARENG KAMBING
The next dive didn’t
disappoint us either, but we were surprised by the hugecoral formations known
as bommies. These structures are teeming with a diverse array of marine
creatures, ranging from the common inhabitants of the reef to the unique and
extraordinary species typically encountered in high-quality muck diving spots.
TANJUNG LIHUNU
For the next dive, we
were right off the coast of the village of Lihunu. Tanjung Lihunu is a
fantastic diving spot, characterized by hard corals. Here too we saw giant
frogfish, but we spent a great deal of time looking for the amazing and unusual
nudibranches that hide in the current.
LIHUNU GARDEN
Just a stone’s throw
away, within the bay before the village of Lihunu, there is a diving spot that
truly deserves its title - Lihunu garden. The underwater world here is utterly
breathtaking. Multicolored anemones provide a home for cute and curious
clownfish, and a combination of soft and hard corals forms a dazzling bouquet
of underwater life.
BUSA BORA
The next site is
located on the south coast of Bangka Island and is a slope with a mixture of
black and white sand. Busa Bora, also called Sabora by the locals, offers a
stunning dive with an average depth of 17 metres and a visibility of 5 to 10 metres.
BUSA BORA 2
In the immediate
vicinity of Busa Bora is the diving site Busa Bora 2. Here too, the colorful
corals are inhabited by various tropical fish, eels, pipefish and many wonderful
ascidians.
MIMPHI INDAH HOUSE REEF
Directly in front of
the resort is a beautiful house reef with lots of fish, an ideal place for
snorkeling or diving. Coral reefs are in trouble all over the world and Bangka
Island is no exception. Climate change, unsustainable fishing practices and
pollution are also threatening this area in the heart of the Coral Triangle. Since
2012, the Mimphi Indah resort has been cooperating with the Yayasan Suara Pulau
foundation, which deals with the protection and preservation of nature. Together
with the foundation, they set up artificial reef structures on the resort’s house
reef.
The nearest village on
the island is the village of Lihunu. There are no roads, the path to the
village winds along the mangrove coast and through the rainforest – which is an
adventure in itself!
Villagers on the remote
tropical island of Bangka live much as they have for generations before them. In
Lihunu village, most people are employed in the domestic economy, including fishing,
coconut cultivation and small-scale agriculture. Lihunu has a population of around
2,000 who live in colorful houses. The village roads are a little more than a meter
wide and intersect the houses in a grid-like pattern. Every house seems to have
a small front garden and most are awash with the colors of various flowers and shrubs.
Many gardens also have fruit trees – from bananas and guavas to limes and breadfruit.
The village has 5
churches with high bell towers and 2 village schools. Children play outside and
always seem carefree, laughing, smiling and curious about visitors. On almost
every street we find a small shop -toko- or restaurant - warung, which, if you
don’t look closely, looks like a residential building - which it usually is! The
people of Lihunu village are friendly, the village is charming, there is a
strong sense of community and we got a real insight into the simple lives of
the locals during our visit.
We explored the island
of Banka on land, met friendly locals in the village of Lihunu, enjoyed the
hospitality of our hosts in the Mimphi Indah resort, discovered the magical
underwater world of coral reefs... Enriched with new experiences and wonderful
memories, we said goodbye to the island that hosted us - see you next time in
Bangka!
Full video 👉👉 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzpBmRsW8Iw&t=7s
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