The Mystery of Ancient Kakaban Lake

Have you ever felt a sensation of diving along with thousands of jellyfish that float around you? If not, you must try it although just once! Come to Kakaban Lake. In brackish water lake Kakaban you will witness the thousands of jellyfish swim in  waters. Jellyfish Lake is one of the uniqueness of  Kakaban nature that given by God to mankind. Miracles do not ever go on sale in any place. Yes, in this world there are only two such lakes, Lake Kakaban in Kakaban Island, part of Derawan Islands, East Kalimantan and the other is a lake in the Palau Islands, Micronesia,

In 1929 to 1930 the expedition Senellius I,  a researcher, Kuenen presented their research in geological approach. He collected seafloor sediments. He said that  the geology Kakaban formed atolls (coral) are lifted from the oceanic plate. From the depths of approximately 200 to 300 meters. Land in the middle and then drowned. Atoll rising to a height of 40 to 60 meters above sea level. This process takes between one and two million years old
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Just for you know, that the expedition Snell-I conducted in 1929-1930 by the Dutch Colonial Government of the Netherlands in the waters of eastern Indonesia. This expedition includes some aspects and marine disciplines. In this expedition Dr. Philip Kuenen; young marine geologist who later became famous for leading marine geologist have participated. Snell-II Expedition in 1984-1985 is also held in the waters of eastern Indonesia. A second expedition was organized in partnership between the Government of the Netherlands (such as the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences; Netherlands Institute for Sea Research) and the Government of Indonesia (including Indonesian Institute of Sciences; Development Center Marine Geology). In this expedition; PPGL given responsibility for the theme-I (Geology and Geophysics of the Banda Arc and adjacent areas)

In Lake Kakaban there are four types of jellyfish that inhabit the lake Kakaban. All four, including endemic. They are, Cassiopeia ornata, Tripedalia cytophora, Mastigias papua and Aurelia aurita. The two latter types do not have the ability to sting and the majority number in the lake.

Some researchers and tourists have proved the truth of jellyfish that does not sting. They swim and dive  in water and then put the jellyfish on the palm of their  hand. Directly touch the jellyfish with their bare skin  and it's true, Lake Kakaban jellyfish does  not sting.  This one kind  of jellyfish that you will never find  on the sea.

In this ancient lake,  tourists will witness the beauty of so many  small fish that swim in the lake. Occasionally you will see Anemone. A kind of  jellyfish  predators. It is white,  having many legs or tentacles are clear. They are ready to suck unsuspecting jellyfish. Lake Kakaban long evolutionary process  bring the magic and its own beauty. Just come once in your life time or you will regret, have missed the thrill of natural beauty beyond your imagination.

Kakaban, An Island With A Beautiful Lake Inside

Kakaban is a little island, a part of Derawan Islands, located in the Sub District Derawan, Berau, East Borneo with an area of 774.2 hectares.

The divers like Kakaban because its natural attraction,  swarm of barracuda in the water of Kakaban Island. And they will see also the  emergence of sharks, rays and reef fish and other exotic fish. Like fish Napoleon (Napoleon Wrasse). Don’t you worry, at this time, there are three private companies serve as a diving resort and surrounding Derawan.

Kakaban attract foreign tourists with its characteristic. It has a beautiful lake in the middle of  the island, Kakaban Lake. The lake is filled by a mixture of rain water and sea water from the soil pores and create a habitat different endemic in most other lakes in the world.


The closest airport to the Derawan Islands is the Juwata International Airport, Tarakan. The biggest airport in nort east Borneo. The only International flights to Tarakan is from Malaysia, with the Tawau - Tarakan. Domestic flight are available to almost all big cities in Indonesia. So tourist from Jakarta, Surabaya or Bali will not find difficulty to get their flight to Tarakan. The nearest International Airport to Juwata International Airport is Balikpapan Sepinggan Airport. From Tarakan traveler can take an internal flight south by either KalStar or Deraya Airlines (DAS) to Tanjung Redeb in the district of Berau. Boats will take you from here to Kakaban and other Derawan Islands.

Actually  there is another choice, traveler can fly with  SilkAir from Singapore and Air Asia from Kuala Lumpur to Sepinggan International Airport at Balikpapan, one of the big city of  East Kalimantan But you still must go by internal flight to Tanjung Redeb.



Because there’s no flight to Kakaban or Derawan Island, when you are in Berau, try to find speedboat. You can hir it  for the 2 hour ride to the Derawan islands. It usually  has capacity of 15 people. You can directly rent it to go to Kakaban. But remember you must prepare to stay in neighbouring islands of Sangalaki, Maratua or Derawan, there’s no hotel in Kakaban. You can reach Kakaban in  20 minutes from Sangalaki, 30 minutes from Maratua and 45 minutes from Derawan.