Magic Garden in Bali is an enchanting insect wildlife park
In Bali, there are about a dozen zoos and wildlife parks where you can see and, in some cases, interact with exotic Indonesian fauna like the Sumatran elephant, orangutan and Komodo dragon.
But there is only one place on the island where you can play with one of the biggest insects on the planet. It's called Magic Garden and it also happens to be the only wildlife park in Bali that has not yet been put on a 'no go' list by animal welfare groups in Australia for being unethical and irresponsible.
You can visit as a member of the public or on a half-hour guided tour.
The first few stops on the tour are a bit meh. There's an orchid greenhouse containing around 500 kinds of orchids. A rainforest greenhouse with around 400 jungle plants and a dragonfly pond that doesn't seem to have any dragonflies.
The volume on the fun meter increases exponentially at the next stop, Biota Lab, a sterile white room where science nerds in lab coats breed butterflies. In nature, only about 5 per cent of butterfly eggs become fully formed butterflies. But here the survival rate is ten-fold.
Butterfly eggs, which come in small clusters, are separated with tweezers and placed in small fish tanks where birds and other insects can't eat them. There, they transition into caterpillars and spend a week or two stuffing their faces with leaves until they transition again into cocoons. The science nerds then step in again and carefully hang the cocoons on strings set inside a big rectangular glass enclosure where the cocoons hatch into butterflies – a fascinating metamorphosis most people are unlikely to ever see in the wild.
The lab also has an insect petting zoo where stick creatures up to 30cm are allowed to crawl up your arm and shirt. Getting so close to these clever insects that use camouflage and the art of stillness to fool predators into thinking they are just twigs is like seeing an elephant or lion for the first time. You'll never again think of insects as just pests.
The next stop on the tour is a small butterfly enclosure where horny male butterflies and fertile female butterflies mate on the leaves of flowering plants. There are 15 or 16 different species of butterfly here, though they all know not to get it on with members of other butterfly species.
More than two-thirds of the butterflies bred at Magic Garden are released into the wild. The rest, about 100 butterflies per day, are released into a second, bigger enclosure.
Taking part in a release with a guide who will show you how to delicately help newly hatched butterflies fly out of a small net box is the highlight of any visit to Magic Garden — a magical experience.
'Now you know where the name came from,' said our guide.
+ Magic Garden is part of Nuana Creative City on Jalan (street) Galiran in Nyanyi, about 90 minutes drive from the international airport or half an hour's drive from Canggu
+ Entry to Nuana is $5. Magic Garden tours are $15 per person
+ The best time to visit the garden is between 4 pm and 6 pm when it's not so hot
+ See
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Sydney Morning Herald
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Belitung is located on the east coast of Sumatra in the Gaspar Strait where the South China and Java seas meet. Its north-west corner, where I'm staying, has been dubbed the 'Seychelles of Indonesia' and 'Indonesia's Maldives'. I liken this heavenly beach paradise to a mini-Raja Ampat, a white sandy wonderland of gentle translucent waters with tropical fish darting in the shallows, and blooms of staghorn and brain coral sitting quietly in the cooler depths. The coastline's scattering of tiny islands – rocky outcrops sprouting picture-perfect coconut trees – are part of a UNESCO Global Geopark. It is scenery worthy of a fairytale, or a pirate movie. That a shipwreck and its treasure were discovered out on the horizon, just 1.6 kilometres away, is entirely in keeping. Known for its lucrative deposits of tin, Belitung has a mining history and was once a base for BHP Billiton, Billiton being another name for Belitung. Its population of about 320,000 has traditionally worked in mining, but the depletion of tin in the 1990s has since seen the emphasis on fishing, agriculture and, incrementally, tourism. My invitation to the island has come from Tanjung Kelayang Reserve, a 350-hectare privately owned nature reserve that fronts Belitung's stunner north-west coastline. Of this land, 200 hectares have been dedicated to rewilding and conservation, with a promise of protecting the island's endemic fauna and flora while supporting local communities. I arrived earlier this morning on the 45-minute flight (400 kilometres) north of Jakarta. At the one-shed International airport, my host Yuni Kusama points out that I am the only bule, or foreigner, at the airport. She explains that the reserve's Perth-based Indonesian owner (who requests anonymity) wants Australians and Europeans to visit Belitung 'because they're eco-travellers. They'll understand that we are trying to create a truly sustainable destination'. From what I'm seeing, the assessment is bang-on. Aussies keen on a low-impact intrepid island adventure will fall for this place. So will those seeking a laid-back beach holiday or an eco-luxury escape. For the first two nights, I stay at Sheraton Belitung, at the centre of the reserve. It's a lovely, newish, 123-room resort thoughtfully constructed from hand-pressed local kaolin clay bricks, with native renggadai wood ceilings and finishes. The colour palette blends seamlessly with the white sands, dark green tropical garden and expansive natural lagoons, which are connected to the resort's zero-emissions water treatment plant. The resort is luxurious, but casually so, with a peaked-roof, wall-less lobby where my bare feet don't get a second glance, and clean and spacious rooms with comforts including balconies with standalone bathtubs. On the beachfront, the indoor-outdoor Island Restaurant, serving traditional Bangka Belitung cuisine, ensures long leisurely dining interspersed with kayaking, snorkelling, laps of the Olympic-sized pool, and volleyball jousts over a net whimsically strung between two coconut trees. Island hopping, in the reserve's characteristic wooden fishing boat, is part of the fun too. Over two days we zigzag around the Geopark to snorkel in the depths around bird-shaped Garuda Island and walk knee-deep in the echoing sea caves of Kelayang Island. We stop by a tiny floating fish market where grouper and napoleon fish are bred in cages sunken into the cobalt blue sea. We motor into a light headwind to Lengkuas Island and are greeted by a vision from a children's book, a 55-metre Dutch colonial lighthouse, built in 1882, with seven porthole windows ascending 12 floors to a domed lamp top. There's talk of turning it into a museum showcasing Belitung's long maritime trade-route history. On day three, I swap sand and sea for the reserve's Whistle Trail nature walk with guide Akbar Alfarisyi, a former biology teacher who joined the reserve in 2022. 'Now the biology teaches me,' he says as we walk through the cool forest, the island's biodiversity hotspot with more than 150 species of native flora and fauna. Along the path, Alfarisyi points out the reserve's rewilding successes – exquisite native orchids (of which there are 67 species on Belitung), termite nests (food for the reserve's four protected Sunda pangolin), cinnamon (a relatively rare species with a mint scent), and a strong-flavoured white pepper (once the island's chief agricultural export and now critically endangered). We visit the reserve's trigona beehives, which are cared for by the villagers of Komunitas Pelabo Sijuk, who receive an income from the bottles they sell. Unlike regular hexagonal hives, stingless beehives are a mesh of smallish sacks. I dip a reed straw into one to taste the delicious honey – it has a woody fermented flavour, both sweet and sour, like the aroma of wine barrels. On night three, I stay at the reserve's Billiton Ekobeach Retreat, accessible via a sandy shoreline walk or a short putt-putt by fishing boat. It has five rustically charming, stilted beach huts spaced along their own stretch of sand. The structures and bespoke furniture are made from beach-sourced driftwood and other natural waste items for a Robinson Crusoe vibe, but they're also comfortably appointed with air-conditioning, ceiling fans and hot showers. The final day might well be the finest. Once again, I meet Wakhyu Brata, this time to join a Bluemind Experience private island adventure. We skip over the waves to Kera Island, an idyllic oasis covered in a tropical garden with a hidden sandy cove where a picnic lunch is served. Afterwards, Brata, having snorkelled around the shallows with his net, waves me over. He has caught four fresh sea urchins, round, spiky and glistening black, with silver and blue spots that shimmer like crystals. Loading We stand knee-deep in water as he cuts the spikes off, then cracks the top off, the shell to reveal slivers of buttery yellow flesh, a delicacy known as uni in the Japanese culinary world. After swishing it clean in the salty water, I scoop the soft, briny, umami-loaded sea-shimi straight into my mouth. It's a taste sensation, yet another of Belitung Island's remarkable underwater treasures. THE DETAILS VISIT Belitung and Tanjung Kelayang Reserve are open year-round, with the dry season (April to October) typically offering the best time to visit. See Bluemind Experience organises the reserve's island-hopping activities. See FLY Qantas and Garuda Indonesia have direct flights from Sydney and Melbourne to Jakarta, where it's a one-hour flight to Belitung on domestic airlines, including Citilink and Batik Air. See
The Age
4 hours ago
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Indonesia's answer to the Maldives is one of the best-kept island secrets
Belitung is located on the east coast of Sumatra in the Gaspar Strait where the South China and Java seas meet. Its north-west corner, where I'm staying, has been dubbed the 'Seychelles of Indonesia' and 'Indonesia's Maldives'. I liken this heavenly beach paradise to a mini-Raja Ampat, a white sandy wonderland of gentle translucent waters with tropical fish darting in the shallows, and blooms of staghorn and brain coral sitting quietly in the cooler depths. The coastline's scattering of tiny islands – rocky outcrops sprouting picture-perfect coconut trees – are part of a UNESCO Global Geopark. It is scenery worthy of a fairytale, or a pirate movie. That a shipwreck and its treasure were discovered out on the horizon, just 1.6 kilometres away, is entirely in keeping. Known for its lucrative deposits of tin, Belitung has a mining history and was once a base for BHP Billiton, Billiton being another name for Belitung. Its population of about 320,000 has traditionally worked in mining, but the depletion of tin in the 1990s has since seen the emphasis on fishing, agriculture and, incrementally, tourism. My invitation to the island has come from Tanjung Kelayang Reserve, a 350-hectare privately owned nature reserve that fronts Belitung's stunner north-west coastline. Of this land, 200 hectares have been dedicated to rewilding and conservation, with a promise of protecting the island's endemic fauna and flora while supporting local communities. I arrived earlier this morning on the 45-minute flight (400 kilometres) north of Jakarta. At the one-shed International airport, my host Yuni Kusama points out that I am the only bule, or foreigner, at the airport. She explains that the reserve's Perth-based Indonesian owner (who requests anonymity) wants Australians and Europeans to visit Belitung 'because they're eco-travellers. They'll understand that we are trying to create a truly sustainable destination'. From what I'm seeing, the assessment is bang-on. Aussies keen on a low-impact intrepid island adventure will fall for this place. So will those seeking a laid-back beach holiday or an eco-luxury escape. For the first two nights, I stay at Sheraton Belitung, at the centre of the reserve. It's a lovely, newish, 123-room resort thoughtfully constructed from hand-pressed local kaolin clay bricks, with native renggadai wood ceilings and finishes. The colour palette blends seamlessly with the white sands, dark green tropical garden and expansive natural lagoons, which are connected to the resort's zero-emissions water treatment plant. The resort is luxurious, but casually so, with a peaked-roof, wall-less lobby where my bare feet don't get a second glance, and clean and spacious rooms with comforts including balconies with standalone bathtubs. On the beachfront, the indoor-outdoor Island Restaurant, serving traditional Bangka Belitung cuisine, ensures long leisurely dining interspersed with kayaking, snorkelling, laps of the Olympic-sized pool, and volleyball jousts over a net whimsically strung between two coconut trees. Island hopping, in the reserve's characteristic wooden fishing boat, is part of the fun too. Over two days we zigzag around the Geopark to snorkel in the depths around bird-shaped Garuda Island and walk knee-deep in the echoing sea caves of Kelayang Island. We stop by a tiny floating fish market where grouper and napoleon fish are bred in cages sunken into the cobalt blue sea. We motor into a light headwind to Lengkuas Island and are greeted by a vision from a children's book, a 55-metre Dutch colonial lighthouse, built in 1882, with seven porthole windows ascending 12 floors to a domed lamp top. There's talk of turning it into a museum showcasing Belitung's long maritime trade-route history. On day three, I swap sand and sea for the reserve's Whistle Trail nature walk with guide Akbar Alfarisyi, a former biology teacher who joined the reserve in 2022. 'Now the biology teaches me,' he says as we walk through the cool forest, the island's biodiversity hotspot with more than 150 species of native flora and fauna. Along the path, Alfarisyi points out the reserve's rewilding successes – exquisite native orchids (of which there are 67 species on Belitung), termite nests (food for the reserve's four protected Sunda pangolin), cinnamon (a relatively rare species with a mint scent), and a strong-flavoured white pepper (once the island's chief agricultural export and now critically endangered). We visit the reserve's trigona beehives, which are cared for by the villagers of Komunitas Pelabo Sijuk, who receive an income from the bottles they sell. Unlike regular hexagonal hives, stingless beehives are a mesh of smallish sacks. I dip a reed straw into one to taste the delicious honey – it has a woody fermented flavour, both sweet and sour, like the aroma of wine barrels. On night three, I stay at the reserve's Billiton Ekobeach Retreat, accessible via a sandy shoreline walk or a short putt-putt by fishing boat. It has five rustically charming, stilted beach huts spaced along their own stretch of sand. The structures and bespoke furniture are made from beach-sourced driftwood and other natural waste items for a Robinson Crusoe vibe, but they're also comfortably appointed with air-conditioning, ceiling fans and hot showers. The final day might well be the finest. Once again, I meet Wakhyu Brata, this time to join a Bluemind Experience private island adventure. We skip over the waves to Kera Island, an idyllic oasis covered in a tropical garden with a hidden sandy cove where a picnic lunch is served. Afterwards, Brata, having snorkelled around the shallows with his net, waves me over. He has caught four fresh sea urchins, round, spiky and glistening black, with silver and blue spots that shimmer like crystals. Loading We stand knee-deep in water as he cuts the spikes off, then cracks the top off, the shell to reveal slivers of buttery yellow flesh, a delicacy known as uni in the Japanese culinary world. After swishing it clean in the salty water, I scoop the soft, briny, umami-loaded sea-shimi straight into my mouth. It's a taste sensation, yet another of Belitung Island's remarkable underwater treasures. THE DETAILS VISIT Belitung and Tanjung Kelayang Reserve are open year-round, with the dry season (April to October) typically offering the best time to visit. See Bluemind Experience organises the reserve's island-hopping activities. See FLY Qantas and Garuda Indonesia have direct flights from Sydney and Melbourne to Jakarta, where it's a one-hour flight to Belitung on domestic airlines, including Citilink and Batik Air. See
West Australian
20 hours ago
- West Australian
Magic Garden in Bali is an enchanting insect wildlife park
In Bali, there are about a dozen zoos and wildlife parks where you can see and, in some cases, interact with exotic Indonesian fauna like the Sumatran elephant, orangutan and Komodo dragon. But there is only one place on the island where you can play with one of the biggest insects on the planet. It's called Magic Garden and it also happens to be the only wildlife park in Bali that has not yet been put on a 'no go' list by animal welfare groups in Australia for being unethical and irresponsible. You can visit as a member of the public or on a half-hour guided tour. The first few stops on the tour are a bit meh. There's an orchid greenhouse containing around 500 kinds of orchids. A rainforest greenhouse with around 400 jungle plants and a dragonfly pond that doesn't seem to have any dragonflies. The volume on the fun meter increases exponentially at the next stop, Biota Lab, a sterile white room where science nerds in lab coats breed butterflies. In nature, only about 5 per cent of butterfly eggs become fully formed butterflies. But here the survival rate is ten-fold. Butterfly eggs, which come in small clusters, are separated with tweezers and placed in small fish tanks where birds and other insects can't eat them. There, they transition into caterpillars and spend a week or two stuffing their faces with leaves until they transition again into cocoons. The science nerds then step in again and carefully hang the cocoons on strings set inside a big rectangular glass enclosure where the cocoons hatch into butterflies – a fascinating metamorphosis most people are unlikely to ever see in the wild. The lab also has an insect petting zoo where stick creatures up to 30cm are allowed to crawl up your arm and shirt. Getting so close to these clever insects that use camouflage and the art of stillness to fool predators into thinking they are just twigs is like seeing an elephant or lion for the first time. You'll never again think of insects as just pests. The next stop on the tour is a small butterfly enclosure where horny male butterflies and fertile female butterflies mate on the leaves of flowering plants. There are 15 or 16 different species of butterfly here, though they all know not to get it on with members of other butterfly species. More than two-thirds of the butterflies bred at Magic Garden are released into the wild. The rest, about 100 butterflies per day, are released into a second, bigger enclosure. Taking part in a release with a guide who will show you how to delicately help newly hatched butterflies fly out of a small net box is the highlight of any visit to Magic Garden — a magical experience. 'Now you know where the name came from,' said our guide. + Magic Garden is part of Nuana Creative City on Jalan (street) Galiran in Nyanyi, about 90 minutes drive from the international airport or half an hour's drive from Canggu + Entry to Nuana is $5. Magic Garden tours are $15 per person + The best time to visit the garden is between 4 pm and 6 pm when it's not so hot + See
