Archive for Februari 2013

Expect a minimal condition when deciding to visit Kiluan, for it is one of the main attraction the adventure enthusiasts come to the Kiluan Bay.

Access
It is only 90 kilometers (56 miles) from Bandar Lampung to Kiluan, which normally would only take 1,5 hours by car. However, it is a different story for Kiluan. The roads are unpaved, hilly, and rocky.
Get ready for an off-road-ish trip. It is said that the local government is planning to improve road access to Kiluan. Before that happens, make sure you are prepared for the three-to-four-hour journey to reach Kiluan Bay from Bandar Lampung.
There are two phases for this journey to Kiluan. First, you can take the regular rented car with driver, or public transportations, as far as Desa Bawang (Bawang Village). From there on, we have to hire “motorcycle taxis”, or locally known as “ojek”, because the road is so small cars would not be able to pass through. This ojek costs IDR 30,000 per person for a 10-kilometer (6.5-mile) ride, on a beaten dirt road.

For rented car from Bandar Lampung, make sure that you choose at least an APV kind. Do not choose a sedan type, since it would not strong enough to “beat” the road. It will be best, of course, to get a 4WD.
They will provide you a driver with the car. Again, make sure the driver is experienced and knows the road to Kiluan. Some car rentals in Bandar Lampung do not want to take you as far as Kiluan Bay, so make yourself clear from the beginning that you want to go to Kiluan Bay.
The rental charge range for APV cars is around IDR 400,000 to 600,000 a day. Note: you should ask whether the charge is also included parking fees, gas, and driver meal allowance.

If you want to take public transportation from Bandar Lampung, get a bus from Rajabasa Terminal to Teluk Betung (Betung Bay), and ask the bus driver to drop you off at Gudang Garam in Teluk Betung. From Gudang Garam, get an “angkot” (minibus) to Desa Bawang. The downside is, these angkots at Gudang Garam would only stays until 2 pm. After 2 pm, you would have to get some ojeks straight to Kiluan Bay. These ojeks would cost you IDR 80,000 per person.

As Kiluan Bay grew popular, nowadays people also provide car rentals from Gudang Garam to Desa Bawang. If you’re lucky and good at haggling, you could also find a crazy expert car rental driver who would take you straight from Gudang Garam to Kiluan Bay. It would cost IDR 25,000/person to Desa Bawang, and IDR 40,000/person to Kiluan Bay, from Gudang Garam.

Accommodation
Put to rest your hope of finding a five-star hotel in Kiluan Bay. There are only simple inns and wooden cottages in the area. Some local residents also rent out rooms in their homes to guests, with the concept of home stay.
You can contact Solihin (m: 081369997831), who provides home stay and also has a cottage. He also provides a boat trip package (traditional fishing boat called “jukung”) to see dolphins and stopped at Kiluan Island. Rates per night from IDR 150,000 to 500,000.
There are also several other cottage owners at Kiluan Island (10 minutes by boat from Kiluan Bay). One of them is Dirham (m: 081369991340), who manages hotels in the Kiluan Island. Rates per night range from IDR 250,000 to 400,000.

Homestay of Mr. Dirham

Food
Arm yourself with food beforehand, buy some in Bandar Lampung; from snacks to a lot of mineral water. It is somewhat difficult to find food stalls in Kiluan Bay.
However, you can order breakfast, lunch, and dinner, from the landlord. Food prices range from IDR 15,000 to 20,000.

Getting Around
Kiluan Bay is famous for its serene surroundings, allow you to walk peacefully on the white-sand beach. Local people would offer their boats for rentals, a traditional sleek and long fishing boats that have been motorized. It is called “jukung” boat.
One jukung can only contain three passengers, plus the driver would make the total passengers on board of four people. Rental rate per boat is IDR 250,000. The trips offered are seeing dolphins and continued with stopped at the Kiluan Island. You could also rent life vests at a price of Rp 15,000 per jacket.

Jukung boat

Dolphins usually appear in the morning, so you should start the journey early, around six o'clock in the morning. It would take 1 hour by boat to reach the dolphin point, wait for the dolphins to appear (could be an hour waiting time), take pictures, and then stopped at Kiluan Island on the way back. There is a visitor entry fee of Rp 5,000 per person upon entering the Kiluan Island.

Best time
It is best to visit Kiluan Bay during the dry season, April through September. Peak season usually occurs between the months of May to August.
During dry season, the sky is blue without dark clouds and the waves are calm. This is when dolphins will come to the surface and easier to see them swim.

Logistics
Due to the scarce electricity in the area, arm yourself with flashlights. Also, bring personal medicines including antiseptic. It is difficult as well to get clean water, so you might want to bring antiseptic hand gels and wipes.
For cameras, you should bring an underwater camera and a telephoto camera for capturing the dolphins. Bring waterproof plastic to put things so as not to get wet. Do not forget the anti mosquito lotion as well as moisturizing sunscreen.

Facility
Mobile phone signal is difficult to locate at Kiluan Bay. Indonesian provider, Telkomsel, can still manage though you need to find the perfect spot to get signal.
Clean water is still minimal and must draw from wells. You would need to shower and brush teeth with mineral water.

Welcome gate to Kiluan Bay

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