A Story of Pisang Island: The Beauty of Hidden Island in West of Indonesia

Pisang Island: Tropical Escape In West Indonesia

Hey there, welcome to my first blog post! Are you wandering of a serene island getaway with natural waters, untouchable pristine beaches, and a vibe that just screams for just pure relaxation? Trying to run away from the crowded into remote island? If you're expecting to find coffee shop, loud music, bars, fancy hotel or crowded people, you may failed to find it. Imagine an island where the pace of life slows down, and the only sounds you hear are the gentle lapping of waves and the rustling of palm trees. If lucky you may see dolphin swimming around with their pack. Sounds pretty good, right? Well, pack your bags because I'm about to tell you all about Pulau Pisang which is located in Krui, Lampung. A hidden island that's waiting to be explored!

Where is Pisang Island Located?

Pulau Pisang, or "Banana Island" as it's affectionately known, is a small, charming island located off the coast of Krui, Pesisir Barat, Lampung. It's not as bustling as some of Indonesia's more famous islands, and that's exactly what makes it so special. The island located around 6 - 7 hours drive from Lampung City across the Tebakak Harbor at Krui, Pesisir Barat. The island area is around 1.5 km. I've trekking the island through out the jungle, hills and beaches in just 2 hours to finish all. It is named Pisang (Banana) because the shape of the island has similarity with Banana.

Kids playing beachball at Pisang Island

Drive to Krui, Pesisir Barat, Lampung

Pulau Pisang, or "Banana Island" as it's affectionately known, is a small, charming island located off the coast of Krui, Pesisir Barat, Lampung. Getting to Krui will take around 6 - 7 hours from Lampung City on road only. There are only two option, either you rent a car or go with the small bus. The rent car budget will be around IDR 400k - 600k (exclude driver and gas), the price depends on the car type. Since there is no highway to Krui you need to take the province road, fortunately the road is pretty smooth and you can drive fast enough during your journey.

Flight to Krui, Pesisir Barat, Lampung

If you prefer to skip the 6–7 hour drive from Bandar Lampung to Krui, flying is the fastest option. Krui is served by a small airport called Bandara Muhammad Taufik Kiemas, located just minutes from the town center. The flight from Lampung (Radin Inten II Airport) to Krui takes only 30 minutes. Usually it has 2 flights per week, but sometimes reduced to 1 flight weekly depending on demand or weather conditions. The flight operator is Susi Air.

Getting There: The Journey is Part of The Adventure!

Jukung or fisherman boat

Fisherman Boat to Pisang Island, Krui, Lampung

Yes, taking a fisherman’s boat is one of the main ways to reach Pisang Island. I’ll admit, I was a little nervous at first. The boat was small, yet the sailor managed to fit around 15 passengers on board. Some passengers also brought small cargo, probably goods to sell once they arrived on the island. The ride from Tebakak Harbor takes about 20 to 30 minutes. The harbor itself is far from modern — in fact, it’s in need of serious renovation — but it remains the busiest crossing point for locals every morning. Even with my initial hesitation, I arrived safely on Pisang Island, greeted by its calm and beautiful shoreline. If you’d like to read the full story of my trip, including what I discovered once I stepped onto the island, you can check out my other blog post here. >>>

Pisang Island Adventure: What to See, Do, and Explore

I finally arrived at Pisang Island through the traditional harbor, I love how natural the beach is, it has a very white sand sand and a dark blue ocean. The waves is still friendly to play along at the side of the beach. I don't recommend to swim here unless you are experience in swimming in the ocean, unlike other beaches Pisang Island is has a mix of two direction tides waves. I've seen how the waves meet and splash in the middle and the current are pretty strong.

Pisang Island Beaches

When I arrived on the island, I was instantly amazed by how untouched and natural it felt. Life here moves at its own quiet pace, and the community still lives in a deeply traditional way. Most of the residents are fishermen, relying on handmade wooden boats and simple fishing gear passed down through generations. It truly feels like coming back to the old time when people uses rely on traditional gear to support their ongoing life.

Pisang Island Adventure: A Mixed of Beaches & Jungle

The Island of Fisherman

One fisherman told me that the waters around Pisang Island are home to Blue Marlin—known locally as Tuhuk. I was lucky enough to see one up close. The fish was so massive that it took four men to haul it from the shore into a small slaughter tent, where they carefully cut it into pieces. Their plan was to sell it at Krui Market, the nearest market across the water from the island.

Besides Marlin, I found out that the local also fishing the Spanish Mackerel, Squid and Mackerel Tuna (smaller mackerel). I believe there's other type of fish around the island but I don't have enough time to explore all them. The fisherman either consume it for their family and sell it to Pasar Krui. Although most of them are fisherman, but there are some of them harvesting coconuts tree as well for their life.

This picture is one of the fisherman that trying to catch fish at the beach sides of the island. He uses traditional fishing nets and spread the nets into the ocean to catch a small fishes. This is a common things to do as a fisherman in the island. The same like in Krui, most of the fisherman is still traditional, they are still using fishing nets and wooden fishing boat. They craft their own fishing boat from wooden base.

Fisherman

Explore The Jungle : Pisang Island

After getting bored seeing the beaches, I decided to explore more about the island. I found out that the island is actually has hills and some jungle. My curiosity leads me to a footpath and I try to follow where ever the footpath go. At the beach sides there are a lot of coconut trees around the island, in the middle of the island on my way to the dense trees can also be seen coconut trees. But

This is the footpath I found on my way to the jungle. There are various vegetation on my way following the path. The dense tree sometimes crossing out the foot path, I should have been using long hiking trouser. Because the mosquito are everywhere and the plants sometimes scratching my foot. I have less preparation for trekking the island since at the beginning I just wanted to explore the beach.

At the end of my trekking, I found out that the island is so natural. The nature, beaches, jungle, even the people are still live the traditional way. The people are full of smile, they welcome a visitor. Even I stopped at the local store (warung) to buy water and they are welcome to me. They realized that I'm not the islander they told me to explore the tower at the island. Which is located in the middle of the island, but it's steep footpath and can only be access on foot. People usually go there to see the surrounding of the island. Unfortunately I didn't go there since it is raining and it is very slippery when it's raining said the local.

Homestay: Top Picks for Travelers

Where to Stay in Pisang Island

Wandering where to stay in Pisang Island? Unfortunately there's limited options if you wanted to stay in this island. The only available is homestay, there's no hotels in the island. They accept booking through whatsapp chat or phone call. The price range is around IDR 200 - 300k. They only accept cash payment. Price is usually include breakfast. Here are my top homestay recommendations :

• Edghar Homestay (Harbor view)

• Batu Mandi Homestay

• Pagar Biru Homestay

Gallery of Pisang Island Adventure

As I explore I take some pictures of the houses in the island. Most of the buildings are still made of woods, some are still in a good condition but some just abandoned. Besides walking, the other transportation in this island is motorcycle. They have school here in this island. Yet there's limited options for a place to stay. Homestay is the only available options which range from IDR 200k to 300k. They accept cash payment only.