East Of Wallace Line
Kusu Island Resort
In the heart of Indonesia’s coral triangle, set within a five mile protected zone, Kusu Island Resort is the newest luxurious retreat in the area. With eight private luxury ocean villas nestled between mangroves and stunning coral reefs, this is the perfect place for diving enthusiasts and beach lovers.
After four years of exploring locations around the world, owners Barbara and Christian – both keen divers and PADI Master Scuba Diver trainers – discovered Kusu Island in South Halmahera and knew it was the perfect spot for their dream. The privacy of this tropical paradise and its virtually untouched reefs offer guests an amazing and unforgettable holiday with stunning scenery, world-class diving and excellent service.
With a keen focus on maintaining the natural beauty of the island, each of the eight ocean villas and the restaurant are built partially over the ocean, so that no rainforest trees had to be removed during the building process. Building materials were locally sourced, with biodegradable palm-leaf rooves which are biodegradable. Rainwater is collected from gutters on storage buildings, and electricity is provided from 6am until midnight, to reduce light and noise pollution for wildlife at night.
The villas are dotted along a white sand beach backed by natural forest, coconut palms and mangroves. The forest continues inland where there is a small hill with great views towards neighbouring islands. The forest is filled with large number of birds, many of which are unique to the Halmahera area.
Kusu is perhaps of greatest interest for diving enthusiasts, offering dive packages of varying duration and a plethora of excellent sites within easy reach. The five-mile marine protection zone introduced around Kusu and neighbouring islands means that commercial fishing boats are not allowed, creating a safe haven for the wonderful marine life.
Facilities
Each villa is built on stilts over the ocean, providing an open-plan living and sleeping area, ensuite bathroom and private decking. Rooms have king-sized or twin beds, mosquito net, desk, sitting area and air conditioning. Bathrooms feature Balinese style outdoor showers. SIM cards are provided for guests to access the Internet free of charge. The seaside restaurant and bar serves all meals. Dive and Watersport center offers PADI courses, snorkeling equipment and traditional wooden kayaks. Spa treatments are available at your private deck.
Local Wildlife
Whilst diving or snorkeling, guests can expect to be delighted by pristine coral reefs, home to over 3000 fish species and 600 corals. Expect plenty of vibrant reef fish, whales, dolphins, Sea turtles, manta rays, sharks, as well as tiny delights like pygmy seahorses.
The island's mangroves are home to many species of butterfly, lizards and endemic birds.
Optional Activities
Apart from diving and snorkelling, there are a wide range of activities including, birdwatching tours, traditional kayak tours, land excursions as well as massages and wellness 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!