Satonda Island is located in Nangamiro Village, Dompu Regency, West Nusa Tenggara. It covers an area of 2600 hectares consisting of 453.70 hectares of land and 2146.3 hectares of water.
This island is very unique because it has a saltwater lake right in the middle. This uniqueness is described by the surrounding community in a myth. Besides myths, there are also other unique facts presented by scientists who have started researching Satonda Island since 1984.
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Myth of Satonda Island
The people around Satonda Island describe the uniqueness of this island in a legend.
It is said that in ancient times, there lived a king from the Tambora Kingdom who was looking for a life partner. While traveling, the king met a beautiful woman in an area called Dompu.
So beautiful, the king wanted to marry the woman. Tell the woman who he is and what he means.
Hearing the story of the king, the woman realized that the king was her son who had once been separated from her. Therefore the woman refused the king’s proposal.
Feeling rejected, the king was furious. Suddenly black clouds appeared, lightning struck and Mount Tambora erupted. The power was angry at the king’s desire to marry his own mother.
The king finally realized that the woman was his biological mother. And because of the enormity of the eruption of Mount Tambora, the king was stranded on an island.
In his regret the king wept profusely. And her tears formed a lake which is now known as Satonda Saltwater Lake.
The Uniqueness of Satonda Island Based on Scientific Facts
Because of the connection between Satonda Island and the devastating eruption of Mount Tambora on April 15, 1815, several scientists began to visit Satonda Island and conduct research.
Two scientists from Europe said that the salinity level of Lake Satonda is saltier than seawater in general. And the salt water in the lake appeared together with the old crater of Mount Satonda about 10,000 years ago.
Other studies say that the lake used to only contain fresh water, but when Mount Tambora erupted, there was a big wave that made sea water enter Satonda Island.
The biota that live in Satonda Lake is similar to the sea waters in ancient times. This is what attracts researchers to come to do research, especially researchers from abroad.
How to get to Satonda Island?
Behind all its uniqueness, Satonda Island has become one of the tourist destinations that are included in the bucket list of travelers both from within and outside the country.
Unfortunately, the access that is not easy makes many tourists bite their fingers and delay their trip here.
But for those of you who are really interested in visiting it, see the explanation below:
1. Towards Satonda Island By Airplane
This island is located in Nangamiro Village, Dompu Regency, Sumbawa Island, West Nusa Tenggara. There are two airports on Sumbawa Island, namely Bima Airport and Sumbawa Besar Airport.
If you start the journey from Bima Airport, then the time it takes to get to Nangamiro Pier is about 6 hours by land.
As for if from Sumbawa Airport, the time needed is 7 hours by road.
You should rent a vehicle because public transportation is quite difficult and the time it takes to arrive at the location can be longer.
Upon arrival at Nangamiro Port, you can charter a local fishing boat at a rate of IDR 250,000 for a round trip.
2. Travel From Bima Airport
We realized that the 6 hour journey was quite far and tedious. Our advice is to combine your trip with visiting other destinations in the same direction. Here are some other choices of destinations that you can visit:
- City Tour in Bima City (Ama Hami Museum and Lawata Beach)
- Watching a horse race with his little jockey in Dompu Kabupaten Regency
- Oi Marai Waterfall and Mutiara Waterfall in Mount Tambora . National Park Area
- Doro Ncanga Savanna
- Sarae Nduha Hill in Doro Ncanga
- Trekking to Mount Tambora
- Satonda Island
If you take all the destinations above in your vacation plan, then it will take you about 4-5 days. Plan your trip well including where you have to stay.
3. Travel From Sumbawa Besar Airport
From Sumbawa Besar City, if you go directly to Satonda Island, it will take about 7 hours. Well, going all the way to Sumbawa just to visit one destination seems quite a waste.
You can combine your trip with the following one-way tourist destinations:
- City tour of Sumbawa Besar City (Inner Loka Palace and Ai Fat Beach)
- Hot springs in Maronge Village
- Whale Shark Tour in Labuan Jambu Village, Tarano District
- Oi Marai Waterfall and Mutiara Waterfall in Mount Tambora National Park Area
- Doro Ncanga Savanna
- Sarae Nduha Hill in Doro Ncanga
- Trekking to Mount Tambora via Doro Ncanga or via Pancasila Village
- Satonda Island
If you visit all the destinations above the estimated time it will take is 5-6 days. Well, taking time off to an anti-mainstream destination won’t be in vain.
4. Towards Satonda Island Via Sea
The first and cheapest way is to take an open trip to Labuan Bajo which starts from Lombok.
Usually this open trip lasts 4 days 3 nights and finishes in Labuan Bajo. Look for an open trip organizer that provides a visit to Satonda Island, because some organizers delete this destination in their itinerary.
The second way is to charter a boat in Sumbawa. This method is usually taken by tourists who are already in Sumbawa, do not want to go to Labuan Bajo and only want to vacation on Moyo Island and Satonda Island.
This can be done for 2 days 1 night. But the budget that must be prepared to charter a boat can be quite high. Take a vacation with more friends so that the boat charter fee can be shared.
So that’s a little explanation about Satonda Island, an ancient island that is quite mysterious. Please write your comments below if you want a more detailed explanation of this article. Thank you.
