Tabuhan Island, A Gem of Banyuwangi in The Bali Straits

Just opposite the island of Bali but still part of the district of Banyuwangi in East Java, lies a gem of an island called Tabuhan, located right in the Bali Straits. Although quite a small island, Tabuhan has wide sandy beaches, fabulous underwater life, interesting plants and animals, some of them endangered, and, moreover, has been discovered to be ideal for kiteboarding.

Tabuhan Island is indeed one of the most ideal spots for kiteboarding in Southeast Asia because of the constant wind speed over the island that remains between 20-25 knots. This was also the reason why the island was selected as site to host the Pro-Kiteboarding Championships last August 2015. Besides this asset, Tabuhan also offers fascinating opportunities for snorkelling and scuba diving. Its reefs that are habitat of diverse fantastic sea life make visitors to immediately pick up their diving gear and plunge into the clear waters to get real close and friendly with the multi-colored underwater creatures.

On land Tabuhan also protects endangered animals among which the maleo bird, recognizable by its black feathers, yellow skin around its eyes and grey legs. In actual fact it is only on the island of Sulawesi that these birds are normally found, so that it is quite a discovery to find these on this island in the wild.

Besides the maleo, Tabunan is also habitat of the ivory colored hornbill which is another endangered species. The area around its stomach, legs and tail are white in color. Another much sought but protected plant is the Setigi which is used to create artistic Japanese bonsai decorative potted plants.

Get There

To get to Banyuwangi there are a number of transportations that you can take from Jakarta or Surabaya, namely by air, train or bus. Upon arrival in the city continue your journey by taxi to the Kampe Beach at Bangsring, then take a boat to the island of Tabuhan.