Labuhan Jambu: the village behind Saleh Bay's whale shark boats

By Saleh Bay Whale Shark Editorial Desk

Sourced figures: prices in the table carry their source and check month. Fees and fares change, and they are third-party figures, not our offers.

Labuhan Jambu, also spelled Labuan Jambu, is a village in Tarano district, Sumbawa Regency, on Saleh Bay. Press and provincial officials name it as the whale shark tourism area, and the operators cited here run their boats from it. The Langkah Travel, an operator, calls its facilities basic and its rooms homestay-level.

Where is Labuhan Jambu?

Labuhan Jambu village lies on Saleh Bay in Tarano district, Sumbawa Regency, on the island of Sumbawa in West Nusa Tenggara. Kompas places the whale shark tourism area at Labuan Jambu Village, Tarano District, and the province's tourism head, quoted by Suara NTB, gives the same district and regency. Those two agree on the address, and the address is what a driver needs.

The bay around the village is harder to pin down on paper. A 2025 paper and Tempo put Saleh Bay between Sumbawa and Dompu regencies, while a Kompas.com article names Dompu and Bima instead. Wikipedia, useful here for orientation only, says three of Sumbawa's four regencies border the water and lists three larger islands in it: Liang, Ngali and Rakit. So articles about the same bay can carry different regency names. When a booking says Labuhan Jambu, Sumbawa, check that the confirmation or transfer note also says Tarano.

Road time from an airport matters more to your plans than the position on a map. Published estimates disagree, and the Sumbawa Besar to Labuhan Jambu road guide sets them side by side.

Why do two spellings exist?

Labuhan Jambu and Labuan Jambu name the same place. Both forms circulate, sometimes inside one publication, and none of the sources below explains the difference or declares one official. This guide uses Labuhan Jambu and keeps the other form when reporting a source that writes it that way.

In practice, try both when you search a map, a hotel site or a messaging thread, and add the district name to your search. Listings under either spelling describe one departure point, so a driver who writes the other form is not sending you to a second village.

How has whale shark tourism changed the village?

The sharks were familiar here long before visitors arrived. Fishers in the village told the authors of a 2021 study they had seen them for decades, and our bagan page gives the year. According to Konservasi Indonesia, people locally call the animal Pakek Torok, the deaf shark, because it often got caught in nets and was hard to steer out. An operator tells that origin slightly differently, and the page on the name Pakek Torok follows both versions.

Organised tourism is much younger. Kompas dates its opening to 2018, around the Sail Moyo Tambora event. In the same report, a village head says residents supply boats and have begun building lodgings, and that the village is developing small islands for visitors. Konservasi Indonesia reports that a youth community, KAWAN Teluk Saleh, was confirmed by a West Nusa Tenggara fisheries agency decree on 7 January 2025. Our Saleh Bay whale shark overview puts the village in the wider picture.

Growth has brought friction as well. Suara NTB's report from January 2025 has the provincial tourism head saying hundreds of people a day come for the sharks, and that pinisi from Bali, Labuan Bajo and Lombok often call in without anyone sleeping ashore, which leaves little income locally. His figure is an official's remark with no daily log attached, so read it as a sense of scale. He also said the room supply was too small for that demand; the guide to staying near the boats gives his dated count and the alternatives.

What can visitors expect on shore?

Everything in this section comes from other people's descriptions, so weigh it that way. The Langkah Travel, an operator, warns that mobile signal can be patchy, that boats are open-deck, and that facilities in the village are basic. It also rates accommodation as homestay-level rather than international hotel standard. That is one company's summary.

Kompas quotes a local operator saying boats leave at 5am, so you may see little of the place before you are on the water. The Langkah Travel and Traveloka name the usual vessel as a begoq, a traditional fishing boat with room for ten.

Ask in writing about anything in the last row that would change your plans.

Can you get cash and food in Labuhan Jambu?

The Travel Shortcut, a travel blog, gives the most direct warning we know of: bring more cash than you think you need. Its author reports riding about 30 minutes by bike to get more, and calls food options limited. That is one visitor's account from 2026 and not a survey of the village, so ask your provider where the nearest cash machine is and which payments it accepts. The same care applies to clinics, fuel and dietary needs in the table above: settle anything that would change your plans before you leave the airport town.

Where can you learn about whale sharks in Tarano?

The Pusat Edukasi Hiu Paus, a whale shark education centre, stands in Taman Pantai Panjang Hiu Paus in Tarano. Konservasi Indonesia describes it as having virtual reality, animations and a reading corner, and says it had drawn over a thousand visitors by mid 2025. Konservasi Indonesia is a conservation organisation working in the bay, so this is a supporter's account of the project.

Ask about opening hours, entry terms and whether signs are in English. Since the boat trips operators describe take place in the morning, a visit later in the day could fit, provided someone local confirms that the centre is open. Treat it as an extra rather than a reason to add a night.

Who gets the money from fees?

The clearest statement comes from an operator. The Langkah Travel says the conservation and entrance fees go to the village fund and a village enterprise, and a Traveloka guide breaks the entrance fee down further. No official tariff sits behind either claim, so the fee rows in the price table on this page are listings from those companies and should be read as such.

On whether the money reaches people, the most useful evidence is a Sumbawa Regency-backed study from March to June 2026, reported by Liputan Sumbawa. It found that tourism improved local welfare and also that benefits to local people need stronger distribution.

If this matters to you, three questions help. Who collects each fee? Do you get a receipt or a named body on the paperwork? Is the boat owned by a village resident? An honest provider can answer all of them, and the full spread of published fees is on the Saleh Bay cost page.

What do travellers ask about Labuhan Jambu?

Where is Labuhan Jambu?

Labuhan Jambu is a village in Tarano district, Sumbawa Regency, on the island of Sumbawa in West Nusa Tenggara. It sits on Saleh Bay. Kompas and the provincial tourism head both give this location, even though articles about the wider bay name different regencies.

Is it Labuhan Jambu or Labuan Jambu?

Both spellings refer to the same village. Kompas uses both, while Konservasi Indonesia and The Langkah Travel write Labuan Jambu and Ocean Earth Travels writes Labuhan Jambu. Try both forms when you search maps, listings or messages.

What is there in Labuhan Jambu?

Sources mention homestay-level rooms, local warung meals, fishing boats called begoq and a whale shark education centre in Tarano. The Langkah Travel calls facilities basic and warns of patchy signal. Clinics and fuel are unverified, and a travel blog warns to bring cash, so ask your provider.

Who benefits from whale shark tourism in the village?

A village head told Kompas that residents supply boats and have begun building lodgings. The Langkah Travel says fees go to the village fund and a village enterprise. A 2026 regency-backed study found welfare improved but said benefits need stronger distribution.

Is there a whale shark education centre in Tarano?

Konservasi Indonesia describes the Pusat Edukasi Hiu Paus in Taman Pantai Panjang Hiu Paus, Tarano, with virtual reality, animations and a reading corner. Confirm opening hours and entry terms locally before planning around it.

Which sources support this page?

• Kompas: whale shark tourism in Saleh Bay
• Suara NTB: accommodation at Labuan Jambu
• Technical Geography 2025 paper on Saleh Bay
• Kompas.com: Saleh Bay habitat protection
• Wikipedia: Saleh Bay
• 2021 IOP study on Saleh Bay whale sharks
• Konservasi Indonesia: the deaf shark
• Konservasi Indonesia: youth community
• Konservasi Indonesia: education centre
• The Langkah Travel: Sumbawa whale shark tours (operator)
• The Langkah Travel: Saleh Bay guide (operator)
• Traveloka guide to Sumbawa whale sharks
• Liputan Sumbawa: 2026 regency-backed study
• The Travel Shortcut: diving with whale sharks in Saleh Bay (travel blog)
• Tempo: Sumbawa to develop whale shark ecotourism
• Peter Orsel: swimming with whale sharks in Sumbawa (travel blog)

How do I reach the desk?

Message the desk with the spelling your driver or operator used and what you want to arrange in the village. A request sent here can lead to a paid booking, which is our commercial interest in it. Nothing is held for you until a written offer states the price, any fee and the company you would contract with. WhatsApp +62 811-3941-4563 or email bd@juaraholding.com.