West Of Wallace Line
Virgin Cocoa
Virgin Cocoa Dive Resort is situated on its own tiny island, at the southern end of Maratua Atoll. Part of Indonesian Borneo’s Derawan Islands, the area is now regarded as one of the top diving sites anywhere in the world.
Its exceptional diving opportunities include over 20 dive spots, including a house reef that is convenient for snorkellers and divers alike. The on-site dive centre is well-equipped and offers guided dives to explore the vibrant marine life of the Maratua Atoll. In addition to diving, Virgin Cocoa provides daily yoga classes, spa treatments and healthy and balanced cuisine.
The resort is surrounded by lush coconut trees and pristine white sandy beaches, a true tropical paradise. Each of the 18 luxurious bungalows is constructed with sustainable materials and provides modern amenities, ensuring a comfortable stay for even the most environmentally conscious. Guests can enjoy the tranquility of their private terraces or take a few steps to the water’s edge to dive, swim and snorkel in the turquoise waters of the lagoon.
Facilities
Spa, yoga classes, open-air lounge, restaurant, pool and bar.
Bungalow categories are Superior Bungalow and Deluxe Bungalow. Each bungalow contains an en suite shower room, air conditioning, ceiling fan and a private veranda with sunbeds.
Local Wildlife
Barracuda, jackfish, giant grouper, fusiliers, sergeant major fish, rainbow runners, red snapper, batfish, leaf scorpion fish, lionfish, crocodile fish.
Manta ray, eagle ray, green turtle, leopard shark, grey reef shark, whitetip reef shark, bluespotted ribbontail ray, sea snakes, moray eels.
seafans, black corals, staghorn corals, nudibranchs.
Optional Activities
Diving, snorkelling, yoga, beach volleyball, excursions to Nunukan, spa treatments.
Jonathan Morris
Area Specialist
If you have any questions regarding our Indonesia tours, please feel free to contact me on +44 (0)1803 866965
We are back and all I can say is what a fantastic tour! Thank you so much for organising, we have both fallen in love with Indonesia and cannot wait to go back to see other things. Sulawesi was fabulous –the diving was so good it was like being in an aquarium. The tarsiers were all that I expected but the black macaques were so much more!
The first evening walk to see the Tarsiers, on the way we saw two Cuscus hanging about in the trees. We saw a couple of Macaques but the main event was the Tarsiers. We saw six in one tree and they are more cute/ugly as their photos. I could have stayed there all night watching them.
The next day we travelled back to see the Macaques, we were a little late and thought we had missed them as a we got to a group of people who had been watching them the macaques turned away into the bush. We carried on walking to look for kingfishers when we found ourselves in the middle of a monkey gang fight. Rambo 1 and Rambo 2 troops had travelled onto each other’s territory and all hell broke loose! They didn’t care that we were there they just rushed back and forth hollering at each other, it was so exciting watching it.
Once all the testosterone subsided Rambo 2 relaxed and groomed each other we just stood in the middle of them watching them for ages. One climbed a tree to communicate with me by sticking his tongue out and showing me some very strange facial expressions – Stewart thought he was asking me to be his 3rd wife! As we stood watching them relaxing, one came to play with my shoelaces and then another liked my trousers, then a brave one climb up me and started grooming my hair! He didn’t give up easily, sticking his fingers in my eyes and kept looking at me seeing how I was reacting– it was a fantastic experience all round.
All that is left to say is thank you again for giving us the wide variety of what we can see in Indonesia, it has whetted our appetite to see more! Now to plan for next year –we will be in touch soon!