Dive On the Haji Mangku Cave in Maratua

Helloindonesia.id – The various attractions offered by Derawan Islands are indeed tempting every tourist, both those from Kalimantan Island and outside the island to visit it. Starting from the beauty of the marine life, the charming Gili islands, the Maratua Paradise Resort which is like the Maldives of Indonesia to the stingless jellyfish lake on Kakaban Island. Not only doing water activities such as diving and snorkeling, now tourists visiting the Derawan Islands can also test their adrenaline and courage by visiting one of the caves located not far from Maratua Island.

Maybe not many people know or even hear about a cave on Maratua Island, Derawan Archipelago called Gua Haji Mangku. The cave, which is located about tens of meters from the north shore of Maratua Island, has just begun to be visited by tourists for about 3 years. Tourists have started to be curious about the beauty of the Mangku Hajj Cave since one of the traveling programs covered the exoticism of this cave. Based on the name itself, this cave was discovered by someone named Haji Mangku. Of the several types of typical caves of a kind found in Maratua, the Haji Mangku Cave is one of the most accessible.

The location of this cave is in the middle of a forest surrounded by lush trees. Starting with light trekking through a small forest, visitors must be extra careful in choosing a footing because of the typical sharp craggy path. Arriving at the location after about 10 minutes walking through shady trees, then look down the side. Visitors will be greeted by the lip of the cave which forms like an elongated natural pool with clear bluish water. The first impression that visitors might feel when they see the appearance of this cave is a mystical aura that gives goosebumps, but try to be brave enough to go down and dive into the clear water.

To enter this brackish water cave, there are two ways, namely jumping directly from the top of the cave or entering from the mouth of the cave which is half covered with water. The best time to visit the Mangku Hajj Cave is during the day, because at that time the sunlight will enter the cave and even penetrate into the inside of the cave. The appearance of the water will also look bluer when compared to coming in the afternoon when the sun is almost setting.

Access to Tourist Locations

The trip can be started from Maratua Island, because the location of the Haji Mangku Cave is more accessible than Maratua. There are two alternatives to the location of the Mangku Hajj Cave, namely via land and via sea. For the first alternative, namely the land route, visitors can use a motorized vehicle from Maratua Island to Payung-Payung Village. Then proceed with light trekking which takes about a few hours to reach the cave location.

For the second alternative, namely by sea, visitors can rent a speed boat or a boat belonging to a local fisherman with a travel time of about 20 minutes from Maratua Island. Arriving at the edge of the island (trekking point) which is rocky, visitors can continue their journey by light trekking for about 10 minutes to get to the area near the lip of the Haji Mangku Cave.

Entrance Fee (HTM)

Visitors are free of charge for entrance tickets to the location of the Mangku Hajj Cave.

Amenities

There are no supporting facilities for visitors, such as toilets, changing rooms, food stalls or others. We recommend that visitors bring food and soft drinks that were purchased in Maratua beforehand. For those who want to snorkel, free-dive or cave diving at the cave location, don’t forget to bring the tools, because there are no tools for snorkeling or diving around the cave.

Visit too : http://balitraveldiary.com/