A lil' note on Kiluan, Lampung's hidden paradise...#1




Kiluan...


swimming freely in the wild...dolphins at Kiluan, Lampung

Disclaimer: this blog post is reposted as I miss my beloved hometown, Lampung. As Lampung Krakatau Festival is coming, I will take the liberty to rekindle my fond memories of this 'hidden paradise'.

"Are we here yet, Ma?" Obi, my daughter, was sleepily asking me when the car was slowing down.
"Almost there, darling...almost there" I replied with a huge smile as my eyes feasted with such beautiful vista in front of us.
"Are we going to sleep by the sea?" 
This time my son, Bo, was eagerly peeping from his rear window, enjoying the breeze 
"Oh yes, we will...and we will see the dolphins as well tomorrow" replied my hubby as he maneuvered our car along the bumpy road.

As the salty wind and the see breeze touched my face, I knew we have arrived.
This is home.
And welcome to Kiluan.


***

Has anybody visited or heard of KILUAN, LAMPUNG?

Well, you can google it, for a start :D.
And for sure your will find quite a few pages on Kiluan plus some tempting pictures, too, especially the dolphin

Indeed, the term ‘hidden paradise’ fits Kiluan Bay perfectly.

look at the island and the bay in the back....

Many of my friends have visited this lovely place, some have even started the eco-tourism 'fiesta' there, with Cikal, a community-based organization preserving the environment in Kiluan and the surroundings.

Well, after reading it from several Facebook posts and hearing the stories from our friends,  finalement, my petite family (Bo, Obi, Bapak Udi et me) got a chance to come and visit Kiluan.

Thanks to Bang Yeye, my dearest brother since we spent some years together at the university, we managed to settle everything at the very last minute, a bit go-show trip to Kiluan, Lampung.

white sandy beach and turquise water...so captivating...
Before you can enjoy the beauty of Kiluan Bay, with its turquoise water, white sandy beaches, lovely corals and colorful underwater world, and of course, the dolphins,- get yourself ready for a thrilling road adventure.


a bit cloudy but still inviting.....


a bit further and it is a wild sea out there...



We spend almost 4 hours on the road, with the last 32 kms of bumpy roads :D. Nevertheless, the views along the way is a trade-off
Trails of white sandy beaches, green paddy fields, smiley friendly faces… 
What else you could ask for during your vacation.


our footprints...


Along the way, you will see many beautiful beaches dotting along the Lampung Bay. When I say beautiful, it means clean, white sandy beaches, with warm, clear water and not too-many people.

Queen Artha, Klara, and Mutun Beaches are to name a view.







And if you do have enough time, you can sail to Tanjung Putus, Kelagian, Pahawang islands from Ketapang (we did that before in June 2012) and and Tegal island (I went there for my diving trip).

some shots I took from our snorkeling session in Tanjung Putus


snorkeling in Tanjung Putus...

We stayed in Kiluan for 2 days and 1 night.

Now I have to say it's far from enough, especially since later we learned there are a lot of beautiful spots you can check around here as well.


When we arrived at around 1pm, we had our lunch then ‘checked-in’ to our bamboo cottage. It definitely looks and feels traditional, but it doesn't diminish the level of comfort we all felt while staying here. 
We loved it!



our homey cottage...truly by the sea, with waves and sea brezees as our lullabies...


It was a private one, with one bed-room, one ‘living room’,  with one simple and clean bathroom in front. It had a small balcony, with its own ‘ jukung jetty’ . 

love the kids' paintings....

Homey and clean, and for sure it’s quite spacious for me, Bo, Obi et Udi, that's our cabin that night. 
In fact, I think it will still be comfy for 6 adults. But no pantry here, so food can be a bit tricky. We were lucky that we arranged the food altogether with our host.



peeping through our bed room...
At 3pm, we went to Kiluan island, only around 5 minutes from the Bay by jukung, Indonesian traditional wooden canoe. It could only accommodate 3 passengers, 4 with the ‘jukung man’ :D. 


the jukung we used in Kiluan


Here at Kiluan Island, beautiful, clean beach with clear, turquoise water welcomed us. So lovely and tranquil!
Felt like it eas our own private island.
Bo et Obi were directly building their sand castles,  while me et Udi were strolling around and taking pictures here and there..




ready to have fun in Kiluan Island...


As it was drizzling and the tide was high, we didn’t swim too far.
But the beach itself was lovely.
Soft white sand massaging your feet was really a treat for me.
We didn’t wait till sunset as the weather didn’t permit and the kids were tired.

Bo in the beach....fuuuun fuuun fuuun...

As soon as we arrived, showered, and the kiddos had dinner, they hit the mattress and slept tight.
Well, we had a nice chat with Bapak et Mak Solihin, one of the ‘veterans’ family there, really nice.
the next day plan was set and we just couldn’t wait to see the dolphins.

As we were getting ready to sleep, Udi et I couldn’t stop enjoying the whirling sound of the waves and the wind out there.
Just like a lullaby…

Oh ya, dinner was super as well there. We had spinach sautee et anchovies with chili sauce.. Super yuuummmmy.

12 comments:

  1. Indah banget pemandangannya. Ini th 2013? Bo masih kecil ya :)

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  2. Wah kalau tahun 2013 yg lalu jalan masih rusak ya, Mbak. Tapi kalau setiap ke Kiluan tidak pernah bosan dah..

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    Replies
    1. iyaaa bener...kalau sekarang udah jauh lebih baik kan ya. Nanti balik lagi deeh ke sini :)

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  3. MATAAAAB mba.. aku yang kampung halaman dan besar di lampung, menginjak teluk kiluan belum pernaaah huhuhuhu..
    Sudah ke anak gunung krakatau?? bagus juga itu mba untuk di kunjungi :)

    Dan kalau sudah sampai lampung jangan lupa makan BAKSO SONY ter enak se lampung bumi wawai..

    www.sistersdyne.com

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  4. Aku beberapa kali ke Lampung, tapi belum pernah ke Kiluan, Mbak Indah. Padahal Kiluan cukup kesohor. Moga ada rezeki lagi ke Lampung. Aamiin.

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  5. Kiluan miming bikin kangen... so, top of the list as we come back home? :p

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  6. Such a great time! I love the first photo of the dolphins. It's nice seeing them swim freely.

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  7. I can't think of a place I'd rather be than sitting in that bamboo cottage watching the water hit the shore.

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  8. 2 hari terasa kurang ya??? berarti minimal 3 hari 2 malam ya? :D

    Sering ke Lampung karena istri asal Lampung, tapi belom ke Kiluan huff... Kalau Pahawang sih udah..

    salam kenal..

    -Traveler Paruh Waktu-

    ReplyDelete

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