Since this is an itinerary that several travelers seem to be looking to do, but for which up-to-date information is particularly hard to find, I’m sharing my experience here for getting from Semporna to the Derawan Archipelago in August 2026.

The journey takes about two days and requires a minivan and several boats, as well as crossing the border between Malaysia and Indonesia. However, with the right information, it is ultimately fairly easy to do, more eco-friendly, cheaper, probably even faster and more comfortable than flying, but above all, it’s an opportunity to meet people!

Overview

Routes from Semporna to the Derawan Archipelago

In all scenarios, it is strongly recommended to get to Tawau by the end of the day.

From Tawau, three scenarios are possible depending on the day of departure.

Tuesday, Thursday or Saturday: direct boat

Day 1: Tawau → Tarakan (direct boat)

Day 2: Tarakan → Tanjung Batu → Derawan

Monday, Wednesday or Friday: via Nunukan

Day 1: Tawau → Nunukan → Tarakan (via a stop in Nunukan)

Day 2: Tarakan → Tanjung Batu → Derawan

Sunday or if you miss a connection

Day 1: Tawau → Nunukan

Day 2: Nunukan → Tarakan → Tanjung Batu → Derawan

This last option is also the one to plan for if you miss the connection between the ferry from Tawau and the last speedboat from Nunukan.

How much does the trip from Semporna to the Derawan Archipelago cost?

All options cost about the same, namely 420 MYR / 1,850,000 IDR / €90 / $100.

This price includes only transport between Semporna and the Derawan Archipelago. So you should also add any overnight stays along the way.

There are banks in Nunukan and Tarakan. BNI does not seem to charge withdrawal fees. If you are tight on time, however, it is better to exchange Indonesian rupiah in advance.

Details of each leg of the trip

From Semporna to Tawau

Minivans connect Semporna to Tawau in about 2 hours and depart from here (30 MYR).

If you can, I recommend arriving in Tawau the day before to maximize your chances of being able to take the first boat to Tarakan the next day. According to my hotel in Semporna, the last minivan left at 6 p.m., but it is better to check the schedules locally.

In Tawau, I stayed at the Dream Hotel. The hotel was okay, but the Wi-Fi was particularly bad.

From Tawau to Tarakan

There are two possibilities for getting to Tarakan from Tawau.

Option 1: the direct boat

The simplest solution is to take the direct boat between Tawau and Tarakan. However, this boat only runs three times a week, on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

The ticket costs 250 MYR and includes 10 kg of luggage. All your bags are weighed together, and extra kilos are charged at 1.60 MYR/kg, payable in cash.

Option 2: via Nunukan

If the direct boat does not run on the day you are traveling, it is possible to reach Tarakan via Nunukan.

Tawau to Nunukan

On weekdays, the first ferry leaves Tawau around 10 a.m. and arrives in Nunukan around 1 p.m. at this port. That leaves enough time to take the last speedboat to Tarakan, which departs at 2 p.m. from another port.

On Sundays, however, the only boat leaves Tawau around 1 p.m. and arrives too late to catch the last speedboat, which is what happened to me. This therefore means spending the night in Nunukan.

The ticket costs 150 MYR and includes 10 kg of luggage. As in the first case, bags are weighed together, and extra kilos are charged at 1.60 MYR/kg, payable in cash.

Transfer in Nunukan

In Nunukan, I paid 100,000 IDR for a taxi to cover the 3 km from one port to the other. This price was probably too expensive: a Grab for a similar distance in Tarakan cost me 20,000 IDR. However, I wanted to move as quickly as possible in the hope of catching the speedboat.

I stayed at the Neo Fortuna Hotel, which seems to be one of the only decent hotels in Nunukan. Don’t hesitate to ask to see several rooms. Some smell of cigarette smoke despite the smoking ban. This hotel can be booked directly via WhatsApp, whose number is available on Google Maps.

There isn’t a huge amount to do in Nunukan, but I found the town quite pleasant, perhaps also because I was there on a Sunday.

Nunukan to Tarakan

There are regular speedboats from Nunukan to Tarakan between 7:20 a.m. and 2 p.m. They take about 2.5 hours and the trip costs 280,000 IDR.

In Tarakan, I stayed at the Guest House Marzuqui, which was comfortable and fairly clean. I recommend asking for a room with a window, because mine smelled damp. And if you have breakfast included, ask not to be woken up, because they came knocking on my door around 6:30 a.m., not pleasant!

From Tarakan to Tanjung Batu

A speedboat connects Tarakan to Tanjung Batu once a day.

The ticket costs 300,000 IDR and the boat usually departs between 11 a.m. and 12 p.m. The crossing takes about 2.5 hours.

If you spent the night in Nunukan and take the first speedboat in the morning, it is therefore possible to connect directly to this boat.

The boat first stops at Tanjung Batu before continuing to Tanjung Redeb, the administrative center of Berau. To reach Derawan, you need to get off at Tanjung Batu.

From Tanjung Batu to the Derawan Archipelago

The last few kilometers to the Derawan Archipelago are by small private speedboat, which you can find without any trouble.

I thought I saw an official price of 150,000 IDR at the port of Tanjung Batu, but I had already negotiated a trip for 200,000 IDR, which seemed to me to be a reasonable price.

This last leg takes only about thirty minutes, and if everything goes well, you will arrive in the archipelago in the mid-afternoon.

Getting to Maratua

If Maratua is your final destination, here is the information I obtained for getting to the island.

From Tarakan

A weekly boat leaves on Friday from Tarakan to Maratua and costs 550,000 IDR. It leaves on Sunday in the opposite direction.

From Derawan

A daily boat leaves from Tanjung Redeb, stops at Derawan, and continues to Maratua. The full trip costs 500,000 IDR.

Formalities for entering Indonesia

Note: arriving in Indonesia by this sea route does not work like arriving by plane. Most nationalities must obtain a visa before departure, unlike arriving by plane, which often allows a visa on arrival. An Indonesian arrival card is also required for all foreign travelers.

It is important to plan far enough in advance, especially for a 60-day visa: in my case it took 5 working days, but processing times can be longer.

I recommend checking the formalities only on the website of your country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to avoid the many fraudulent sites or paid intermediaries.