Swimming With Whale Sharks in Sumbawa
Experience swimming with whale sharks in the most ethical way possible
Written by Gracie Rounds
Introduction
Flying into Sumbawa will immediately send you into a culture shock, no matter if you’re a long time traveler of Indonesia or not. In 2022 when Callie went there, there wasn’t a single foreigner that she saw from the minute she landed for the duration of her time there. And nobody spoke English.
It’s possible that it’s gotten more developed since then, as things in this part of the world are always growing exponentially, but this will definitely be a more rustic experience if you decide to travel to this island.
Based on the experience of my sister, world-traveler Callie Rounds, read on to see how to embark on one of her favorite adventures in the entirety of her travels!
Getting There
Because the locals here aren’t used to tourists, you’re going to have to settle in to a lot of potential discomfort. Sometimes Callie said she and her friend would go into stores to ask for help and the employees would be so shy that they’d hide behind the counter and just quietly giggle at them.
Therefore, it’s best to have your plan and route mapped out well before you get there. After landing at the Sultan Muhammad Airport, it will take you about 2 hours to get to Labuan Jambu village, either via car or motorbike.
When she went, there were very little accommodation options, and she and her friend were actually welcomed into a local’s fishing shack on the docks to stay for the night before the tour they booked. But, after doing a current quick google search, it does seem like the island has added some options for accommodation.
Seeing the Whale Sharks
The biggest driver of any foreigners visiting the island is to see the whale sharks. There are other things you can explore and do but as we have mentioned they are just not developed in the way that other tourism-driven places are.
Whale sharks only come close to the island once every month, so make sure you do your research with a guide. The best guide to use would be @whale_shark_tours on Instagram. Just make sure you confirm with the tour guide that they’re meeting you on the docks in the morning, as they won’t come unless you confirm.
Through clear water you can see these gigantic, magnificent creatures. Callie said the their energy is so kind and gentle. She said that she has gone to see whale sharks in other places in the world, but these have tons of people swimming around them and it feels like a very unethical experience, whereas here there is just nobody and you are giving them space and just letting them be wild.
Other Things to Do
Although this is a place where you would really only go for the purpose of seeing the whale sharks, there are other things to do if you are feeling comfortable immersing yourself in an incredibly authentic and untouched experience.
A trip Gili Kebo would be one of those adventures. This is an island that you can have a local take you to by boat. Callie found it by zooming in on google maps to see what was around Sumbawa, and the guide that took them there said he hadn’t taken a foreigner to this island in 10 years.
This island was an absolutely untouched paradise. It had crystal clear water where they saw baby sharks and blue starfish, and an island with literally not a single person on or around it besides them.
Another place to visit would be Moyo Island. This island, although still having very few tourists, actually does offer a luxury stay called Amanwana where you can camp in luxury tents.
Moyo Island has the Mata Jitu Waterfall, which is a popular place that tourists from other islands come and do a boat ride to do a hike to. It is a special waterfall that is filled with pools on multiple levels cascading into one another.
Conclusion
As you can tell, a trip to Sumbawa would be an epic adventure. You just need to remind yourself to relax into the discomfort of traveling to a place that not many tourists have been to before- and how special is that?