The island nation of Indonesia straddles the equator between the Indian and Pacific Oceans and lies at the heart of the ‘Coral Triangle’ - the epicentre of the world’s marine biodiversity. Nowhere on earth can visitors experience such a range of spectacular diving - from encounters with huge whale sharks and oceanic manta rays, to muck dives with beautiful Rhinopias and the exceedingly rare psychedelic frogfish.
East Sumbawa's only dedicated dive operation, the beautiful Kalimaya Resort provides a unique diving experience in a remote and little-explored part of Indonesia. Get away from the crowds with Kalimaya!
- Dive West Komodo, Gili Banta, Sangeang and local sites along East Sumbawa’s coast
- Explore unique sites pioneered by the resort where you are guaranteed to be the only divers in the water
- Unlimited diving on the house reef
- Enjoy a relaxing stay at a boutique resort located in a stunning and tranquil part of Indonesia
Kalimaya Dive Resort is located in East Sumbawa, due east of Bima and overlooking the west coast of Komodo Island and Gili Banta. The planning and development of the resort was guided by 6 diving professionals who wanted to deliver the ultimate diving resort in an uncharted, frontier area, free of other divers and businesses and offering both privacy and a unique, boutique-resort experience. Kalimaya Dive Resort is the result.
Despite lying so close to Komodo and its tourism, East Sumbawa has been mostly overlooked by the liveaboards that run from Bali to Komodo, and much of the dive sites along the coast have been pioneered by the resort. The area remains peaceful and underdeveloped and during your stay at Kalimaya, you’re unlikely to see any other divers unless visiting more popular sites on Sangeang or Gili Banta. The resort lies between two small villages - Poja Nae and Poja To’i - and until Kalimaya arrived, many of the neighbours had never seen a tourist before; testament to just how far off the beaten track the resort really is.
During the height of the rainy season from mid-January to the start of March, Kalimaya closes its doors for renovations and improvements.

WATERFRONT BUNGALOW
Kalimaya Dive Resort’s spacious beachfront bungalows are over 30 square meters in size, and come equipped with queen sized beds, aircon, blackout curtains, private open air bathrooms with shower and toilet, storage space, a work desk for photo editing, and a private covered terrace where you can relax after an amazing day of diving.

HILLSIDE BUNGALOW
The new hillside bungalows add 4 more rooms to the resort and feature excellent panoramic views from the patio. The new rooms are equipped with twin beds and have all the facilities of the original rooms - aircon, blackout curtains, private open air bathrooms with shower and toilet, storage space, a work desk and chair - as well as a shared balcony. Perect if you are traveling with families, friends, or in a small group!
The resort buildings and rooms were constructed from locally-sourced teak and mahogany and built by local teams using traditional techniques - with the aim of blending into the natural surroundings whilst still providing guests with extremely comfortable accommodation. The resort now has 6 waterfront bungalows built along the beach, and 2 hillside bungalows with a total of four rooms, catering for a maximum of 20 guests.
The Kalimaya restaurant and lounge is a beautiful open space where you can relax in comfort, enjoy a drink by the pool or relax on the sofas. All meals are served family-style on the communal tables and the resort makes sure to offer a variety of dishes influenced by Indonesian, Asian, and international cuisines. Whenever possible, Kalimaya sources food from the neighbouring villages - ensuring the freshest ingredients possible, and strengthening ties with the local community. Unusually for Indonesia, the water supply at the resort is naturally filtered and is perfectly safe to drink straight from the tap. However, Kalimaya also supplies additional filtered water for bottle refills and ice. Wifi is currently not available at Kalimaya Dive Resort and whilst it is possible to use a local sim card, the internet is very unreliable. Kalimaya suggests you use a trip to the resort as an opportunity for a ‘digital detox’!
At the centre of the property is one of the highlights of Kalimaya - a gorgeous salt water lap pool built along the edge of the beach, with perfect views across the ocean. And with ‘bales’ along the beach, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to swim, relax with a book, grab a cold drink at sunset or stroll along the resort’s 400m beach - a perfect way to end another glorious day in East Sumbawa.
The resort’s dive centre, camera room and equipment room opened in March 2018, completing the resort facilities and creating the perfect base from which to explore the area. Kalimaya runs 2 dive trips every morning, visiting sites in West Komodo and at Gili Banta, Sangeang and other locations in East Sumbawa - the exact sites determined by the dive guides based on tidal conditions each day. Despite being reasonably close to major tourist destinations such as the Gili Islands and Komodo, the area has been little explored and remains incredibly peaceful - for much of their stay, you are unlikely to see another boat on the same dive site! After the morning dives, the boats return to the resort in time for lunch and, after an initial orientation with a guide on their first day, you’re free to dive the house reef in the afternoon, evening and night.
The resort currently operates 2 fully-equipped speedboats for the morning dives, a small dinghy for local dives, as well as a jetty and floating platform to facilitate dives on the house reef. Kalimaya also has several standup paddleboards available for use by guests.
CONSERVATION ACTIVITIES
Despite its somewhat remote location, Kalimaya Dive Resort is committed to employing sustainable practices and reducing waste whenever possible, particularly of plastics. The resort runs beach clean ups every day and encourages its guests to join. Guests are briefed about sustainability and the environment on arrival and are asked to help remove and recycle any waste they might see underwater. The resort recycles water, composts food waste for use in its garden and is actively involved in a number self-run initiatives to promote more sustainable fishing practices in the local community.
FEATURED PACKAGES
Enjoy a week in the beautiful surroundings of Kalimaya Dive Resort, exploring the little-known sites of East Sumbawa and more. The package includes 7 nights accommodation, 12 boat dives, unlimited diving on the house reef and all meals. Discounts are available for those with their own dive gear. Non-divers welcome with diving partners.
- 7 nights accommodation
- 12 boat dives and unlimited diving on the house reef
- Breakfast, lunch & dinner, snacks on the boat, tea, coffee & water
- All diving equipment except a dive computer
- Standup paddleboard and snorkeling
- Soft drinks and alcoholic beverages, additional bar snacks
- Transfers to and from the resort
- Dive computer rental
Dive into Sumbawa
at Kalimaya Dive Resort
Explore tranquil East Sumbawa and visit pristine and little-known dive sites
Disconnect, switch off and relax - enjoy two weeks in the beautiful surroundings of East Sumbawa, diving the amazing local sites as well as West Komodo, Sangeang and Gili Banta. The package includes 14 nights accommodation, 26 boat dives, unlimited diving on the house reef and all meals. Discounts are available for those with their own dive gear. Non-divers welcome with diving partners.
- 14 nights accommodation
- 26 boat dives and unlimited diving on the house reef
- Breakfast, lunch & dinner, snacks on the boat, tea, coffee & water
- All diving equipment except a dive computer
- Standup paddleboard and snorkeling
- Soft drinks and alcoholic beverages, additional bar snacks
- Transfers to and from the resort
- Dive computer rental
Ultimate Sumbawa
at Kalimaya Dive Resort
Two weeks in paradise - the perfect dive experience in one of Indonesia’s least known areas