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Moyo is
an island in Indonesia's West Nusa Tenggara province. It
lies off the coast off the north coast Sumbawa Island,
and has an area of 349 km2.[1]
Most of Moyo is a nature reserve, and inhabited by wild
cattle, wild pigs, barking deer, and several varieties
of birds. The island rises 648m, and its centre is
composed mainly of savannah and some strands of forest.
Its vibrant coral reefs attract divers and snorkellers.
Moyo Island, at the mouth of Saleh Bay, has a nature
reserve with wild oxen, deer, wild boars and a great
variety bird species. Visits are best made during the
dry season from June through August. A few kilometers of
the north coast of Sumbawa, the national park island of
Moyo Island is probably the most rewarding destination
in Sumbawa, surrounded by beautiful coral reefs and home
to wild pig, monitor lizards, 21 species of bat, huge
herds of native deer a nd
hordes of crab-eating macaques. The best time to visit
is in June and July, though the seas are clear and quiet
from April. There are basic private rooms at the PHPA
post at Tanjung Pasir on the south coast, where most
boats from the mainland arrive. Renting a fishing boat
from Tanjung Pasir and going fifteen minutes east to
Stama reeft is very rewarding, with lots of sharks and
turtles. There's nowhere on Moyo to rent masks and
snorkels so bring our own; fins are advisable due to the
strong currents.
To get to Moyo, take a bemo from beside Seketang Market
in Sumbawa Besar to Air Bari , a small port settlement
to the northeast. From Air Bari, we can charter a boat
to Moyo.

National Parks of
Indonesia: Moyo Island Reserve
Furthe r
along Nusa Tenggara to the east of Lombok lies Moyo
Island and its Reserve. A fantastic place to visit and
is a place of adventure.
Moyo Island is an attractive island three kilometres off
the north coast of Sumbawa, lying to the east of Lombok.
Two thirds of Pulau Moyo is actually a game reserve. The
central plateau with its grassy savannah land and
intermittent forested areas is ideal for Deer as well as
the feral cattle released there.
The coastline has some beautiful beaches of fine coral
sand and not the black volcanic sand like we find on a
lot of islands in the archipelago. There are beautiful
coral reefs, which make it excellent for scuba diving or
just snorkeling. The reef at the southern end of the
island is probably the best of all.
There are
a
few inhabitants on the island and this consists of
around 21 villages concentrated in the northern end.
From Moyo there are splendid views of Mount Tambora
(2,821m) to the east, the highest mountain in Sumbawa,
which erupted quite violently in 1815 but now has
amazingly beautiful forests on its western slopes.
Tambora can be climbed from the side in three days and
is well worth a visit. It has an enormous crater and
within, a two-colored lake. From the crater there are
also spectacular views over Saleh Bay and the rest of
Sumbawa to the east, and to the west, Moyo Island to
Lombok and Mount Rinjani.
The wildlife on the reserve has adapted to the fairly
dry habitat and these include Deer, feral cattle, and
numerous birds such as Orioles, Sunbirds, Coequals,
Koels and Drongos. Of course there are several species
of shore birds along the coastline.

SATONDA ISLAND
Saton da
is also situated off Sumbawa 's northwest coast. The
island has a volcanic origin and has a spectacular
crater lake. Every evening at sunset an evasion of fruit
bats takes place as they leave to look for food on
Sumbawa . The island is part of a National Nature Park
reserve.
The coral reef in front of the beach is stunning with
something to offer for every underwater photographer and
videographer. On my dives I found here ribbon eel (
Rhinomuraena quaesita ), robust ghost pipefish (
Solenostomus cyanopterus ), yellownose partner goby (
Stonogobiops xanthorhinica ), Shaded batfish juvenile (
Platax pinnatus ), leaf scorpion fish ( Taenianotus
triacanthus ), many jawfish, several nice nudibranchs
and a cleaning station with three different kinds of
shrimp. In the shallow area I also found Pyjama
cardinalfish ( Sphaeramia nematoptera ).
This spot is definitely one of my favourites. Mostly
dive conditions are very good allowing taking nice
pictures and shooting good video footage.
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