Snake
Island is interesting island you have to visit when come to Sumbawa Island,
West Nusa Tenggara. It is a challenging tourist destination because you will
meet hundred of snakes. But you don’t have to worry because they are tame as
long as you don’t disturb them. You can take a picture while enjoying natural
beauty around the island.
For you who love reptile, Snake Island becomes the best
place to visit because you can have fun with them. The island lies around Oi
Caba Beach and it is become original habitat for the snakes. The physical
attraction of the snakes comes from combination of white, black and grey colors
on the body.
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| Pictures Thelostraveler.wordpress.com |
Location
Snake Island lies at Kalo Village, Wera Sub-district,
Bima Regency, West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. The island is close to Sumbawa
Island because the distance is only 400 – 500 meters. To reach Bima City, you
can take a flight to Sultan Salahudin Airport. If you start your trip from the
capital of West Nusa Tenggara, Mataram, you can take public transportation from
Bertais Terminal to Bima or Dompu. To reach Oi Caba, you can take public
transportation from Bima City for about 45 minutes.
It is quite challenging to reach Kalo Village because the
infrastructure is not adequate. That is why you need to rent a car from Bima. The
cost is around IDR400.000 – IDR600.000 or US$41 – US$62 per day. You also can ride
motorcycle by ojek which is cheaper
because you only need to pay IDR35.000 or US$2.5. To reach the island, you can
take a boat from Oi Caba Beach for 15 minutes. You only need to pay IDR50.000
or US$5. When the tourists are crowded, there is big ship take you to Snake
Island and you only need to pay IDR5.000 or US$0.5.
Activities
Snake Island has been always related by snakes. It may
sound horror because the residents in the island are snakes. But it is not too scary
because the island is one of popular tourist destinations for local and oversea
tourists. Total are of the island is 50 square meters and surrounded by water
area with clear and turquoise water.
You will see Sumbawa Island clearly because the distance
is quite close. Even when the sky is clear, you can see Sangiang Mountain
standing in the middle of sea. The island is full with steep rocks and it is
becomes a perfect habitat for snakes. Usually, the snakes will go into water to
get their prey and rest in the island. It will be easy for you to find them
because they are everywhere. They move so slow or just laying on the rocks.
According to the myth, the island has been believed as
Portugal ship and the snakes are the crews of ship. But when you come there,
you will see fishermen fishing around the island and sometime the snakes are trapped
on the net. They will release them all because they believe if they take them
home, their village will get disaster. By visiting Snake Island, you will be
treated by beautiful underwater panorama with full of snakes in the island.
