Seraya Island

I made it here to Seraya Island.  My French friends I met early in my trip, when I landed in Penang, were so enthusiastic about it and wrote down all the instructions for how to get here.  I put those instructions in my computer case so they would remain handy for the duration of my trip.  And, now I’m walking on those same soft white beaches, watching the sunrise and the full moon rise!

Seraya Island is a small island off the coast of Flores, the island Labuan Bajo rests on. I’ve heard of another island experience like this here but it’s more expensive. A boat ride of just under an hour took us to our bungalows on a clear day with calm waters!

Once again, I’m reminded of my own advice:  “don’t pay attention to other people’s advice”!    It’s a very nice peaceful island! It’s closer to Bali than the Togian Islands, sound similar to the smaller Gilli Islands and easier to reach than the Togian Islands. If it weren’t for two things, I wouldn’t be here. First, it’s right smack here, the gateway to Komodo National Park so it’s very convenient. Second, it felt like a place I wanted to visit. I’m here now, the recommendations have been so glowing and I’m happy to be visiting. Now, to tell you about the experience.

My friends described it as “Fiji 25 years ago”. However, there are no palm trees, and it’s essentially a strip of beach on an island with bungalows on it. No palm trees, I realized how quickly how I made it into something I expected and was disappointed in what it is. I changed that quickly!

There is a lovely beach with extremely soft white sandy beach! The nights are clear and quiet, the days just as quiet, only a handful of guests are here. I rented a hammock which always makes me happy! And the snorkeling has been pretty amazing!

The sound of the tide stroking the beach gently permeates the night.  I woke to deafening stillness interrupted occasionally by the early morning putter of fisherman heading out for the day’s catch.  This morning, I was serenaded by a loudly barking gecko in the roof of my bungalow. I was up at 5:20 walking the shore, since the gecko seemed insistent that I leave, with my camera watching the sun rise.

With a nearly full moon, the tide has been way out in the morning, the ocean absolutely flat and still that early in the morning, and barracuda feeding in the shallows causing the surface to boil as small fish attempt to escape!  The tide was so low, we had to wait nearly an hour for our boat to float so we could return this morning.

One morning, I sat in my hammock watching the sun rise, the sky change colors and the waters flat surface erupt with the occasional feeding. Yes, it’s a pretty peaceful existence here! There are some very difficult decisions to be made though! Do I go for coffee now or later? Should I hand in the hammock and read or go snorkeling? Should I go for lunch now or later? So challenging dealing with those stressful choices! They make up the bulk of the day here.

This island is affiliated with the Gardena Hotel in Labuan Bajo. Transport from the hotel is free, the bungalows rent for $160,000 to $250,000 per night depending on season and size of group. Several small palms and trees shade sections of the beach. I watched the four ladies from Switzerland migrate in their sunbathing. First bright sun, then partial shade, then shade, then swimming, then bright sun, then shade, etc., it looked like a very busy day for them constantly moving and shifting! The sun grew so hot the second day, feet nearly cooked on the white sand.

It’s off season here and the restaurant only gets occasional supplies from Labuan Bajo. Each day, I’ve ordered something from their menu they don’t have the ingredients to make. And, it’s a short menu! I ordered spaghetti for the first time on this trip and this is the first time I’ve ever had spaghetti with squid! It was delicious! The pace and flow of the restaurant adds to the charm. Food arrives in a mysterious order depending on what’s happening in the kitchen. My iced lemon tea might arrive first or last. The spaghetti arrived first one night, then the tea, and 35 minutes later, the garlic bread.

Electricity is from a generator and only between 6:00 pm and 10:00 pm. Computers, camera, phones and iPods are charged from the six outlets in the restaurant, no outlets are in the rooms. Dinner must be ordered before 6:00 pm so they can prepare. There are times scheduled for meals and the staff disappears between those hours. It’s a very low key place!

When I arrived to plug in my laptop in my second night, I sat reading for half an hour before the young woman from the kitchen came and asked me if I was only having the mixed salad.  I told her I had wanted the Gado Gado (I ordered it right after lunch) to which she replied, “No Have!   I told you earlier!”  Oh you did? So, ow what will I have since it’s after 6:00 pm and the options are limited. I ordered the fried rice which was excellent and one of the least expensive items on the menu.

Each day I’ve gone snorkeling. The first day, I saw two turtles and a shark, a big fat lobster, coral I’ve never seen before, several different species of “Nemo’s”, an unusual fish of black and white (a vertical line the length of it’s body was solid black above and black and white dots below), followed by an unusual black and white fish (it’s head solid black, it’s tail section white with a little black), purple fish, purple coral, etc.  Every time I go snorkeling, I see something new and entertaining.

Today is my last day here. Once the tide returned and I could snorkel without risking shredding my feet or chest on the coral, I headed out. The first thing I saw was a black and white sea snake followed by three sting rays. I swam out to the reef’s edge and headed toward the end of the island where the coral is more colorful and abundant. When I get close to the rich coral, I feel like I’m swimming in an aquarium and am surrounded by a rainbow of fish.

Occasionally, I swam into a really cold current. Those currents are where you are more likely to spot turtles, rays and sharks. I spotted a turtle eating just off the edge of the coral wall and watched it devour a coral plant it was feeding on. It never saw me above it. I floated there a long time watching it eat. The smaller fish darted in whenever it withdrew to quickly grab their morsels.


I swam toward the distant end of the island closer to the deep channel there, the current turned very cold. I slowed to gaze down the steep coral wall trying to spot another shark in the depths. I had no luck so decided to head to shallower water and a closer look at the coral and fish darting through them.

Looking up, I saw a large fish heading toward me thinking it was a barracuda. Moments later, I recognized the unmistakeable swimming style of the shark. While the other shark I’ve seen darted the moment they saw me, this one appeared curious, too curious! It approached to within 15 or 20 feet of me checking me out! At least, I hoped it was only looking. I quickly considered my options which were NONE! The shark turned swimming a circle around me and disappeared. Whew, that was eerie! I turned to swim back out of the shallows toward the spot where I had seen the turtle.

Glancing back over my shoulder, the shark reappeared a little farther away on the other side of me, circling and watching. I stopped swimming and hung still on the water surface. A third time, it cruised by me looking at me before disappearing. That was a little spooky really spooky!

It was a Black Tip Shark, tiny by shark standards, maybe 3 or 4 feet long. But it was still a shark and they have razor sharp teeth and instill a kind of shocking reaction when seen up close, especially ME seeing them up close. What a creature!!!

I saw more colorful coral, the turtle, and amazing fish before returning to my hammock! Every day, I discover something in the coral reef I’ve never seen before!

For anyone looking to chill our and relax for a few days or weeks, want something close to Bali, and plan to see the Komodo Dragon, this place is perfect! The low key environment, friendliness of the staff, time it takes to get dinner, generator power, etc, those qualities only add to the charm here.

Tomorrow, I head back to Labuan Bajo on the boat leaving at 8:00 am (ish).  I’ll spend the day in Labuan Bajo and look at my calendar to decide where I want to spend time before I leave Bali for Singapore March 12th.  I’ve ruled out taking the ferry to Sumbawa, then the boat to Flores, then the ferry to the Gili Islands.   Six people here called it the trip from hell taking close to 40 hours to reach Bali IF the water isn’t too rough! I booked a flight before leaving Labuan Bajo and will reach Bali in roughly an hour.  

It seems strange to be going back to Bali now. There are moments in this trip which are definite turning points. I know that what happens next will be a new trip, a significantly different experience, something different than what I’ve been experiencing before. Those moments have to transpire before I get clear on what to do or experience next. This is one such moment.

I don’t know what to expect until I start experiencing it! Once I land at the airport, I’ll have a sense of where to go next. I could go directly to Ubud, take a bus to Padangbai or Lovina, go west along the coast or any number of other options. At this moment, I don’t know what I’ll do.