Maratua Island has no direct international air link, so getting there is a multi-leg journey of flights plus a sea crossing, and the routing details change the total trip time more than most first-time visitors expect. This guide focuses on Maratua routing specifically for travelers coming from outside East Kalimantan, rather than the shorter hop locals make from Berau itself, and lays out the two main paths, their realistic timing, and how to avoid the most common delays. None of the steps are complicated on their own; the difficulty is mainly in how many separate legs have to line up in sequence.

Independent planning guide for the 2026 season. Flight schedules and boat operators in this region change without much notice, so reconfirm close to your travel date, ideally through Indonesia’s official tourism information or directly with your resort.

Route 1: Via Berau (Kalimarau Airport)

The most common routing is Jakarta or Surabaya to Balikpapan, then a connecting flight to Berau’s Kalimarau Airport (airport code BEJ), followed by an overland transfer to the port town of Tanjung Batu and a speedboat to Maratua, roughly two to two and a half hours depending on sea conditions. This route tends to have better flight frequency than Tarakan and is the one most dive resorts default to when arranging pickups, since it’s also the shortest realistic total transit time from Jakarta.

Factor in a buffer between your inbound flight landing at Kalimarau and the overland transfer to Tanjung Batu; it’s a short drive, generally under an hour, but domestic connections within Kalimantan can run late, and you don’t want to miss the day’s last scheduled speedboat over a tight connection. Travelers arriving on an afternoon flight should check with their resort whether an overnight in Berau town is the safer plan rather than rushing straight for the jetty.

Route 2: Via Tarakan

Tarakan has more flight options from Jakarta, Surabaya and Balikpapan on some days, but the speedboat leg to Maratua from Tarakan runs noticeably longer than from Tanjung Batu, often three to four hours in open water rather than the more sheltered Berau route. This path can make sense if Berau flights are sold out or inconveniently timed around your arrival, but you should budget extra time and expect a longer, more exposed sea crossing.

Tarakan is also a reasonable fallback if you’re arriving from Malaysian Borneo (Tawau has flights to Tarakan on some carriers) rather than starting your trip from mainland Indonesia. For background on Tarakan and the wider Berau Regency coastline, Wikipedia’s overview of the Derawan Islands is a reasonable starting point before you dig into operator-specific schedules.

Comparing the Crossings

If you’re also weighing whether to base yourself on Maratua or stop first on Derawan Island, where more boats and flights converge, see our Maratua vs Derawan comparison for how that choice affects your overall routing.

The Tanjung Batu jetty itself is a short, well-signposted drive from Kalimarau Airport, and most shared boats wait for a reasonable number of passengers before departing rather than running on a strict timetable, which can mean a short wait at the jetty if you arrive on a quiet flight. Staff at the jetty are generally used to foreign travelers heading to the dive resorts and can point you toward the right boat even without much shared language.

Arranging Your Pickup

Almost no one books the Maratua speedboat leg independently online in advance; instead, share your flight itinerary with your resort or homestay, and they will either send a boat or point you to a reliable shared-boat operator at the jetty. Build in a buffer: if your flight into Berau or Tarakan is delayed, the day’s last scheduled boat may already be gone, leaving an overnight stay on the mainland as the fallback. This is more common than it sounds, since Kalimantan’s domestic flight network still runs on tight, easily disrupted schedules.

If you’re traveling with dive gear or other bulky luggage, mention this when arranging the pickup, since smaller shared boats can have limited cargo space and may ask you to pay a small surcharge or wait for a later departure with more room.

Monsoon Timing

The northwest monsoon, roughly November through March, brings rougher seas and a higher chance of crossing delays or outright cancellations on exposed routes like the Tarakan crossing. If your dates are flexible, aim for the April-to-October window used throughout this archipelago; see our Best Time to Visit the Derawan Islands guide for month-by-month detail on sea conditions and visibility.

Indonesia’s national weather and climate agency publishes seasonal monsoon outlooks that can give a rough sense of whether a given year is running wetter or drier than average; cross-referencing that with your resort’s own read on recent sea conditions is more useful than relying on either source alone, since local microclimates around the Derawan Archipelago can differ from the broader regional pattern described in general sources like Wikipedia’s entry on Kakaban Island.

Costs to Expect

Total transport cost to Maratua is usually the single biggest line item in the trip after any live-aboard or multi-night dive package, more so than accommodation itself. Domestic flights to Berau or Tarakan vary widely by how far ahead you book and which airline is running the route that season, and the speedboat leg adds a further cost on top, whether you join a shared boat or arrange a private charter.

As a rough planning rule, build in roughly double the transport budget you’d expect for an equivalent trip to Bali or Lombok, since there is no low-cost ferry network here and most of the route runs on small-operator boats rather than scheduled public transport. Resorts can usually give you an all-in quote that bundles the Tanjung Batu or Tarakan pickup with your stay, which is often simpler than pricing transport and lodging separately.

If your budget is tight, traveling in a small group to split a private charter, or timing your trip for the shoulder months either side of peak season when shared boats run more predictably full, are the two most reliable ways to bring the transport cost down without cutting into dive days. Either approach tends to save more than hunting for marginally cheaper flights into Berau or Tarakan, where fares don’t fluctuate as widely as on busier domestic routes.

What to Pack for the Crossing, and What’s Next

Dry bags for electronics, a light rain jacket, and motion sickness tablets taken ahead of departure are worth the small amount of luggage space they take up. Life jackets are typically provided on shared boats, but it doesn’t hurt to confirm before boarding, especially outside the calmer season when operators may be stretched.

A printed or offline copy of your resort’s address, booking confirmation and emergency contact number is also worth having, since you may be relying on someone else’s phone or patchy signal to confirm arrangements once you reach the jetty. Keep a change of dry clothes accessible in your carry bag rather than packed at the bottom of a dive bag, since sea spray on an open speedboat is common even in calm weather.

For what to do once you’re on the island and where to stay, see our full Maratua Island travel guide. Travelers extending into Malaysian Borneo afterward can also read about onward diving options around Sipadan and Mabul, reachable via a separate, longer overland and sea route through Sabah.

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