TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Pink Beach, located on Komodo Island in East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia, has made it to the list of the 20 best beaches in the world by US-based travel guide Lonely Planet. 

Pink Beach stands out for its unique and picturesque beauty along with other stunning beaches such as The Pass in Australia, Ipanema Beach in Brazil, and Ao Maya in Thailand.

Pink Beach

According to the publisher, only a few beaches in the world can compare to the rosy, cotton-candy sands of Pink Beach, which is nestled inside Komodo National Park.

The beach offers a mesmerizing view of the turquoise blue sea, rolling green hills, blue sky, and the stunning beach with soft pink fine sand. Visitors can enjoy various exciting activities such as snorkeling, where they can witness an abundance of coral reefs that are home to schools of tropical fish.

Based on its website, Lonely Planet sends its writers to explore all corners of the globe in pursuit of ‘sublime, surf-pounded shorelines and remote pockets of hard-to-reach paradise’ for its book.

Origins of Pink Beach

Pink Beach's distinctive soft pink color comes from tiny microorganisms called Foraminifera, which produce the red pigment in coral reefs. According to Wonderful Indonesia, when these small red fragments mix with fine grains of sand, they create a soft pink color visible along the coastline. This is why it is locally called Pantai Merah or Red Beach. Some parts of the eastern bay of Komodo Island also have shades of pink.

How to get to Pink Beach

Tourists can visit Pink Beach via air, land, and sea routes. If you are taking the air route, you can book a flight ticket to Komodo Airport in Labuan Bajo and then take a boat to reach the national park.

For land travel, tourists can take a public bus to Denpasar and continue the journey by bus to Labuan Bajo. The bus cost from Denpasar to Labuan Bajo is estimated at Rp500,000-600,000 via several islands, such as Lombok and Sumbawa.

The cheapest way to reach Pink Beach is by sea. State-owned ship operator PT Pelayaran Nasional Indonesia (Pelni) offers cruises to Labuan Bajo from Surabaya and other cities, costing about Rp300,000 per person.

Upon arrival, people can choose from available travel options to the national park, which is only accessible by sea. Alternatively, tourists can rent a boat from Labuan Bajo or join trips organized by various tour operators. Those with a larger budget can rent a private boat or take a private tour.

Tips for foreign tourists

For foreign tourists, Bali is the best route to reach Pink Beach as it offers a convenient gateway to Komodo National Park. Daily flights from Bali to Labuan Bajo by small jet or turboprop with a capacity of 50 seats. Upon arrival, the journey continues by speedboat. The harbor is only a 10-minute drive from the airport.

Tourists can anchor directly at Pink Beach, or if they prefer trekking through coral cliffs and mangroves, they can anchor on another side of the island and trek for about four hours to the beach for a more challenging experience.

PUTRI SAFIRA PITALOKA

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