Ngurtafur Beach, which stretches across the open sea, is located on Warbal Island in Kei. Ngurtafur beach felt like a dreamy beach vacation come true. Walking on Ngurtafur gave a sensation like we were walking on the clear blue sea surrounded by a vast open ocean.
With its elongated and winding shape, this beach – also known as Snake Beach – seems to separate the sea. Stretched in the middle of a clear blue sea, you will feel like you are walking on the water and you can even be very close to the middle of the sea through this beach. The sea at Ngurtafur Beach is enlivened by fishes of various colors and coral reefs, making it the best place for swimming or snorkeling.
Furthermore, around the beach there are also several leatherback turtles, locally known as tabob. They belong to one of the rare and protected turtle species. Some of the breeding of leatherback turtles in this place is managed by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWFN). We can also find Australian pelican birds during the migration season in April and May. These pelicans migrate from Papua New Guinea and Australia to Wallacea through Sulawesi, West Nusa Tenggara, East Nusa Tenggara, and Maluku. We came in June and we were very lucky to have spotted them when we came.
April to May and October to December are the best months to visit Ngurtafur Beach because the weather is good and the waves are calm. For snorkeling, the best recommended month is in May or October.
Ngurtafur like the rest of Kei Island is still raw and not yet developed. So there is absolutely no facility in Ngurtafur. You can not have a permanent fixture in there because Ngurtafur is basically a large sand dunes which came out at low tide and it will submerge under water at high tide. The best time to visit is from 10.00 to 12.00
We can only spend few hours here because eventually the sand dunes gets smaller and you have to go when it is sunny 🙂
How to get to Ngurtafur
Boat to Ngurtafur leave from Debut, about 30 minutes driving from Ohoidertawun. Boat from Debut cost 700K IDR plus we have to pay retribution fee to the local of 200K IDR. If you are going to Ngurtafur chose a boat which has roof because it is a long way under the sun in the open sea.
