Pulau Kenawa or the “Little Heaven” in West Sumbawa: The island which looks like Sri Lanka

“Quiet, calm, and peaceful. That was my first impression, once set foot on the island Kenawa. There were no birds singing, sound waves are also not great. Only the occasional sound of small ripples on the beach. As far as the eye could see, there was only a stretch of grassland, a number of blank bale (gazebo), and a small hill at the end of the island. It’s really a perfect place to “retreat” to calm down.” is one of the traveler’s review about the Pulau Kenawa Island.

Indonesia has thousands of islands. There is a total number of 17,508 islands and it consists of five major islands and about 30 smaller groups. But, only about 6000 islands are inhabited. Sumbawa is one of the islands which belongs to Indonesia. Pulau Kenawa island located northwest of the island of Sumbawa, precisely in the Alas Strait, not far from the harbor crossing Poto Tano, West Sumbawa. Administratively, this small island to the rest of the village of Poto Tano, Poto Tano District, West Sumbawa regency, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB).

Kenawa island has an area of 13.8 hectares and it is uninhabited. So, it is known as a very quiet island. It is really like a private island because most of the time there are no other visitors. This beautiful island has not been visited by many tourists but it has been widely famous among Indonesian domestic tourists because of its unique topography. The shape of the Kenawa island is very similar to our country. But it is smaller than Sri Lanka. It is mainly a grassland that has a hill at the end and it consists of a stretch of white sandy beaches and ocean water with blue-green shades which gives a stunning and impressive natural beauty to this island.

If you go to Kenawa island, wherever you cast your sight, you will see a beautiful blue sea view. It is like a broken slab of heaven that fell to the ground and then became an island. This may be the best description for Kenawa island. For photographers, this island is a paradise. If you walk around Kenawa island, you can take pictures of every corner of this small paradise. The combination of green grasslands called Savanna, small but attractive hills, stunning sandy beaches, and blue ocean will give you an amazing collection of photographs. If you want to see the stunning panorama of Kenawa island you must walk along the path until it reaches the top of the hill. The charming panorama consists of ranging colors of blue sea and the island of Sumbawa to small islands around Pulau Kenawa. You will see Mount Rinjani on Lombok island also.

The crystal clear sea water around island Kenawa will be calling for you to see her beauty underwater. If you want to snorkel in the dock of Kenawa, you should bring snorkeling equipment because there is no rental place on Kenawa island. Once you swim a few meters from the beach, you will see a variety of colorful coral reefs such as both hard corals and soft corals, the start of table corals (Acropora sp.), brain coral (Diploria labyrinthiformis), cabbage coral (Montipora sp.) and hundreds of species of fish of all shapes and sizes especially the blue starfish (Linckia laevigata). Definitely, you will be surprised by the amazing beauty of the underwater around Pulau Kenawa island.

There are many huts that you can use to shelter from the sun and rain on the edge of the Kenawa grassland. Many tourists come to this lovely little island in order to camp and enjoy a night under a starry sky in the middle of the ocean. But, you must obey various strict rules in order to camping here. The grass of this island is very dry during the dry season. Therefore, in that season you are not allowed to start a fire. The wind here can blow at high speed during some times. So, you should use reliable tents. Another rule is you are not allowed to leave any garbage or polythene here. The atmosphere is calm and quiet because this island is indeed uninhabited. The sound of the waves outside will give you special pleasure. You can enjoy the real beauty of the colorful sunrises and sunsets because it is dominated by Savanna.

Pulau Kenawa island is one of the best islands in Indonesia. If you are a traveler who travels around the world, you must visit this s small paradise. You should first fly to Mataram, the capital of West Nusa Province from Sri Lanka in order to reach island Kenawa. Then, you can ride public transportation or rent a car to reach the Port of Heaven, East Lombok from Mataram. It will be a two-hour road trip. Next, you just ride the ferry to the Port of Poto Tano, Sumbawa in one and a half to two hours. From the Poto Tano harbor, you can walk or ride a motorcycle taxi to the village of Poto Tano. You should rent boats from local fishermen in this village and it will take fifteen minutes to reach Pulau Kenawa island from the village of Poto Tano. You should arrange a fisherman boat to drop you off and when to pick you up. On your journey, don’t forget to bring water, food and all your requirements if you stay a night. Because there are no such facilities on this island but you can get a cellphone signal, that is if you use the right provider.

The Pulau Kenawa island is a gift from the Mother of Nature for those who are enjoying the natural beauty and looking for tranquility free from noises. For travelers who love snorkeling, watching beautiful corals and fish, camping, photographing, and enjoying amazing gradation of seawater, sunrise, and sunset views, this island will be heaven. However, it is our responsibility to protect and conserve this beauty. Therefore, it is best to bring a large plastic bag to pick up trash, and then it is easy to keep the island clean. So, you can enjoy the beauty of “little Heaven” at the same time do charity with nature. Then, it will be a great memory for both the Kenawa island and you.

Reference:

https://www.indonesia-tourism.com/forum/showthread.php?1665-Kenawa-Island-Little-Heaven-in-West-Sumbawa

Suwini Kumari

Faculty of Agriculture