TELUK KILUAN
TELUK KILUAN
Located in Lampung Province, Indonesia, the bay is isolated from the common crowd. I do hope it stays that way so that irresponsible tourists or people wouldn't pollute the beautiful sea and marine ecosystem Kiluan has to offer.
The way to Kiluan from Jakarta (our starting point) is quite rough (not only metaphorically speaking, but also literally). First we had to get to Merak Harbor to cross the Sunda Strait, straight to Bakauheuni Harbor. It took around 4 hours drive to get to Merak, then another 1 hour for the queue to get into the ferry, and approximately another 3 hours on the ferry. Afterward, the rough journey awaited. We had a stop for breakfast, and another to deal with some minivan's issue. While we were stopping at Padang Cermin Village, the local said it would require another 2 hours to Kiluan. She was...underestimating it, I'd say (or maybe she has gotten used to the road so much). It took us around 3 hours from the village to Kiluan. The road was heavily damaged, hence very bumpy.
When we finally got there, the beach felt amazing for me despite its grayish color. Apparently to get into the villa we were staying in (and basically to explore to some other sides of the island, or to get to other islands), we had to take a traditional boat called "jukung" that could take up to 10 persons. When we arrived to the land, I was even more amazed by the beautiful white sands and clear bluish green water. The villa where we were staying in was alright, but over-packed. (the trip organizer's business, but just saying).
I love how clear the sea is. The water looked like it was inviting me to jump right into it. I could actually see the rocks and corals from the surface quite perfectly, had it not because of the ripple made from the jukung. The lagoon required another boat trip from our villa, then we would walk up a little woods on a hill to get to the other side of the island. It is not possible for the jukung to get there for the wave crashes pretty hard on this side of the beach.
From here, to get to the lagoon is another exciting experience. You need to climb the rocks and stick to the cliff side. It wasn't a long climb though; only took around 10 minutes. Basically the lagoon is a natural shallow sea water "pond" at the bottom of a cliff, which is surrounded by big rocks. Beyond these big rocks, is a raging sea. In the lagoon, the water is quite clear and calm, yet you could swim in it and of course, encounter some sea animals. Beware of sea urchins and little Moray eels! But yes, you can get you salt-waterproof cameras out and capture some beauty. Or you can simply swim and enjoy the moment.
The next day was dolphin sightseeing hunting. We had to take the jukung few kilometers off-shore, and waited for the wild dolphins in their wildlife habitat to show up. That's the idea. But unfortunately, since there were to many of us, plus the noisy sound of the motor engine on the boat, the dolphins drifted away from us quite quickly. I myself didn't get any shot, some of my lucky friends with much better camera (than my lovely phone camera) got some shots of the dolphins.
I would say the trip was enjoyable (despite of some lacks from the organizer's side) and the beauty of Kiluan is one of the best I've seen so far. I'm pretty sure there are more beautiful places in this vast country, but this trip was definitely worth my time, money and efforts.
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