A private charter from Kalimarau Airport (BEJ) to Derawan is arranged on request, landing on water or the nearest approved point near the island, then a short boat tender to the jetty. The proven alternative: a 2 to 2.5-hour road transfer to Tanjung Batu plus a 30-minute speedboat, about 3 hours door to jetty.
Kalimarau Airport (IATA: BEJ) sits in Teluk Bayur district, Berau Regency, East Kalimantan — the documented gateway to Derawan, Maratua, Kakaban and Sangalaki, per a 2019 Liputan6 report. Most travelers reach BEJ via Balikpapan (BPN) or Tarakan (TRK).
Derawan has no airport. Maratua is the only island with an airstrip, served only by Wings Air, twice weekly. Reaching Derawan, Kakaban or Sangalaki by air ends with a water landing or a boat leg — no runway exists on Derawan itself.
What Are the Route Options From Berau to Derawan?
Two paths cover Berau to Derawan as of September 2026: the standard road-and-boat transfer, and a private charter arranged case by case.
| Leg | Typical Time | Capacity | Baggage | Weather Sensitivity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Road: Kalimarau to Tanjung Batu | 2 to 2.5 hours (up to 3 in heavy traffic) | Car or van, 4 to 12 pax | Standard luggage + dive gear, minimal limit | Low; road delays possible in heavy rain |
| Speedboat: Tanjung Batu to Derawan | About 30 minutes | Shared or private boat | Loaded at jetty, weight rarely restricted | Moderate; swells can add time |
| Charter flight: BEJ to nearest approved point | Confirmed at quotation | Confirmed at quotation | Confirmed at quotation; gear weight declared upfront | Higher; water landings depend on conditions and approval |
| Boat tender: landing point to Derawan jetty | Short crossing, minutes | Matches charter pax count | Same load as the charter flight | Low to moderate |
A separate public boat runs from Tanjung Redeb harbour, departures reported 08:00 to 16:00, about 2 hours to Maratua, Sangalaki or Kakaban rather than Derawan directly.
A charter leg replaces the road segment with air time from BEJ, landing at the nearest point the operator and relevant authority approve near Derawan, followed by the same short tender into the jetty. No seaplane operator publishes a scheduled Berau-Derawan route, so every charter is quoted per request — flight time, aircraft type and landing point are confirmed only at booking.
What Does a Charter Quote Actually Include?
A charter quote is not a single number. It bundles cost lines that shift with aircraft type, season and passenger count.
| Quote Component | What It Covers |
|---|---|
| Aircraft block time | Flight hours from departure to the approved landing point near Derawan |
| Positioning | Moving the aircraft to and from BEJ, since operators rarely base a plane in Berau permanently |
| Boat tender | The short water transfer from the landing point into Derawan’s jetty |
| Landing and permit handling | Coordination with the airport and relevant authority for a water-landing request on that date |
Positioning cost exists because flying the aircraft to BEJ and back is usually folded into the quote rather than itemized. Landing and permit handling exists because Derawan has no designated water aerodrome on record as of September 2026 — every water landing is subject to operator approval, aviation permits and weather on the day.
Is There a Confirmed Water-Landing Site at Derawan?
No public source names a water aerodrome, a fixed landing coordinate, or a regulation for seaplane landings at Derawan, Maratua, Kakaban or Sangalaki, as of September 2026. Green Nirvana Resort, a property in the archipelago, describes the area as reachable “by boat or small airplane” once travelers land at BEJ — confirming small-aircraft arrivals happen, without naming an operator or a landing site.
In practice, a charter request goes through operator-side clearance before a date is confirmed; the nearest approved landing point is set per flight, and a boat tender into Derawan’s jetty is standard, not optional.
How Does Booking a Berau to Derawan Charter Work?
- Submit the request — travel date, passenger count, dive-gear or luggage weight, and the inbound flight number into BEJ if arriving by air.
- Route confirmation — the Juara Holding Group BD desk passes the request to a licensed operator, who checks aircraft availability, flight time and the approved landing point.
- Quote issued — one figure covering block time, positioning, tender and permit handling, valid for the stated date.
- Booking lock-in — deposit terms and the final itinerary are agreed directly between the traveler and the operator once the quote is accepted.
- Day-of coordination — pickup from BEJ or the hotel, and the jetty tender on arrival, are confirmed the day before departure.
No flight time, price or landing point is fixed until this process runs; any duration quoted elsewhere is confirmed again at quotation.
What Does the Standard Road-and-Boat Transfer Cost in Practice?
For travelers who don’t need a charter, the road-and-boat route is what most Derawan trips use. Open Trip Derawan’s 3D2N package via Berau, updated 29 April 2026, requires a deposit of IDR 500,000 per person. Indonesia Juara’s Derawan program, dated 5 August 2026 and updated 17 August 2026, meets travelers at BEJ, runs April to November, needs a minimum of two travelers, and starts from USD 281 per person — a benchmark for a multi-day trip, separate from a seaplane charter. Scuba Junkie’s Sangalaki listing prices taxi-plus-boat, with specific rates confirmed on request, showing how ground-and-water legs are typically itemized on the remote islands.
None of these figures apply to a seaplane leg. No seaplane price, per-hour rate, fuel surcharge or landing fee for Berau to Derawan is published anywhere — every seaplane quote on this route is request-based.
Request a Route Quote
A route request goes straight to the Juara Holding Group BD desk, which places it with a licensed operator and returns a quote with confirmed times. Juara Holding Group is an independent coordination desk established in 2015; it owns no aircraft and is affiliated with no named operator — it arranges each charter through a vetted, licensed partner.
Include with the request:
- Travel date (or date range)
- Number of passengers
- Dive-gear or check-in baggage weight
- Arrival flight number into BEJ, if applicable
Send the request to the Juara Holding Group concierge desk on WhatsApp at 6281139414563 or by email at bd@juaraholding.com. The response covers confirmed flight time, the approved landing point for that date, and full pricing — nothing on this route is estimated in advance.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does the full Berau to Derawan journey take door to jetty?
The standard route runs about 3 hours door to jetty: 2 to 2.5 hours by road from Kalimarau Airport to Tanjung Batu, then roughly 30 minutes by speedboat to Derawan. A charter covers the same distance by air plus a short tender, but exact timing is confirmed only when the operator quotes that date.
Can a seaplane charter carry dive gear and extra baggage to Derawan?
Baggage and dive-gear capacity depend on the aircraft assigned to the request, which is why gear weight is requested upfront. Operators set weight limits per flight rather than publishing a fixed allowance, so declaring gear weight with the date and passenger count lets the operator confirm capacity before quoting.
Does the seaplane land directly on Derawan, or is a boat transfer still needed?
Derawan has no airport and no documented water aerodrome as of September 2026, so a charter lands on water or at the nearest approved point, then a short boat tender covers the final stretch to Derawan’s jetty — the same tender step used on the standard route.
How far in advance should a Berau to Derawan charter be requested?
No fixed lead time is published, since availability depends on the operator’s aircraft schedule and landing-point approval for the requested date. Submitting the date, passenger count and gear weight early gives the operator more room to confirm aircraft, timing and pricing.
What happens if a seaplane charter isn’t available for the requested date?
The road-and-boat transfer runs daily and serves as the default fallback: about 2 to 2.5 hours by road from Kalimarau to Tanjung Batu, then a 30-minute speedboat to Derawan. The BD desk can confirm this alongside any charter quote so travel dates don’t depend on aircraft availability alone.