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Amanwana Skips the Villa Altogether for a Tented Camp on Its Own Indonesian Island
On Moyo Island off Sumbawa's north coast, Aman's first tented-camp property sets raised canvas suites on a beach backed by monsoon forest, with a waterfall, a wildlife reserve and Saleh Bay's whale sharks all reachable by boat.
By BigTravel.in Editorial Team · · 2 min read
Amanwana sits on Moyo Island, a protected nature reserve off the north coast of Sumbawa in Indonesia's West Nusa Tenggara province, reached only by boat. Unlike most Aman properties, it has never built villas: since opening in the 1990s, it has stayed a tented camp of roughly twenty raised canvas suites strung along a single beach, backed by monsoon forest rather than manicured grounds.
A camp built around a reserve, not a resort
Most of Moyo Island falls within a wildlife reserve, its interior a mix of monsoon forest and savanna grazed by wild deer, with little development beyond the camp itself. Aman has leaned into that setting rather than working against it: the draw here is the island and its waters rather than a spa menu, though a spa and pool are both on site.
Mata Jitu and the island's interior
A trek inland leads to Mata Jitu, a tiered waterfall that drops into a series of natural turquoise pools shaded by jungle canopy, one of the island's few developed points of interest and the usual half-day excursion from camp.
Saleh Bay and its whale sharks
The waters between Sumbawa and Moyo Island, part of Saleh Bay, are known for seasonal whale shark aggregations, and the camp can arrange boat trips to look for them when they are present, alongside more conventional snorkelling and diving on the surrounding reefs.
A quietly famous guest list
The camp's profile was raised early on by a widely reported visit from Diana, Princess of Wales, in the 1990s, and it has kept a similarly low-key, hard-to-reach appeal since, helped by the fact that getting to Moyo Island takes real effort rather than a short transfer.
Traveller tips
- Access is by boat from Sumbawa, itself reached by a short domestic flight from Bali or Lombok; the resort arranges onward transfers.
- Pack for humidity and insects given the jungle setting; tents are screened and raised, but repellent is worth bringing.
- Whale shark sightings in Saleh Bay are seasonal and not guaranteed; ask the resort about current conditions before booking around them.
- Given the remote setting, confirm current transfer arrangements and any travel advisories for this part of Indonesia before finalising a trip.
Where this is
Moyo Island, Indonesia
