Sempu Island Nature Reserve and the beautiful Segara Anakan Secret Lagoon

Let all the comforts of the modern world behind, cross the strait between concrete structures and extraordinary forests, venture into a world of natural beauty, and look at some of the most enigmatic landscapes on the face of the earth: these are what the remote Sempu island offer.

Located on the south coast of Malang Regency in East Java and administratively located in the Tambak Rejo Village, Sumbermanjing Wetan Sub-District, this small island just off the coast of Sendang Biru Beach, about 80 km from Malang city or about 180 km from the capital of East Java, Surabaya. The 877 acre wooded island is a nature reserve under the management of natural resources Conservation Bureau of East Java (BBKSDA) and the Ministry of Forestry of Indonesia, and was actually designated as a nature reserve since 1928 in the Dutch colonial period.

One of the most fascinating features of the island is the Segara Anakan lagoon is about 2.5Km further south to the island. Hidden deep past the thick tropical forests, about 4 acres lagoon is truly a secluded paradise where white sand meets calm blue waters separated from the raging tides of the open ocean by a picturesque rocky wall around the area. The incoming tides penetrate only several caves above and below the surface, causing the water in the lagoon remains calm, and makes a perfect place to swim. The remoteness also exudes a sense of intimacy, where the beach is a private getaway, not unlike the setting for the 2000 Leonardo Di Caprio's movie "The Beach".