Togian Islands

The Togian Islands are an archipelago in the Gulf of Tomini, Central Sulawesi in Indonesia.

Understand
Bomba is about 2½ hours from the mainland of Ampana. It may be reached by public boats from the small harbor near Marina Cottages. The boats depart on Tuesday, Friday, and Sunday. The price is about Rp 35,000 per person. Kadidiri is reached by boats from Wakai, provided free by the three resorts on the island. Melange can be reached by public ferry from mainland Ampana.

There are no ATMs, so bring enough cash. There are ATMs for Mastercard and Visa available at the mainland of Ampana.

Flora and fauna
The Togian Islands are very close to the equator, due to that are all islands covered with tropical rain forest. Special for the Togian Islands is the Coconut Crab which can grow up to 4 kg.

The reefs surrounding all islands are full of tropical fish. It is also possible to see big Eagle rays, Napoleons, Bumphead Parrotfish and sharks.

Climate
The climate is all year around warm, due to the close position to the equator (40 km). The driest months are the summer months.

Get in
The Togian Islands are now quite easy to reach, especially if you arrive from Ampana. Take a flight from Palu (connected well with Jakarta and Bali, for example) to Ampana and take a boat the same or the next day.

From Ampana: The public ferries that run between Ampana to Wakai on the Togian Islands leaves every morning at 10:00, except Fridays. However, schedules often change due to breakdowns and weather. Under normal conditions it takes about 4 hr to Wakai, where resorts offer free connecting speedboats to Pulau Kadidiri. The fare for the main ferry is Rp 40,000 as of March 2012). Some of the boats stop in Melange which is another 1½ hr from Wakai.

The resorts are waiting with their boats at the ferry terminal. For Pulau Kadidiri: Black Marlin Dive Resort, Kadidiri Paradise and Pondak Lestari are charging nothing if you stay with them - if you change to one of the other ones, you have to pay a small fee of Rp 25,000 (all 3 resorts are in walking distance to each else).

Faster way is to take the public speed boat Hercules at 09:00. It stops on the way to Wakai also in Bomba. Cost of the boat is Rp 150,000 which is excellent value for the money. The ride to Bomba takes only about 40 min, Wakai about the double.

From Gorontalo: The ferry "Tuna Tomini" runs twice a week from Gorontalo to Wakai (travel time 13 hr) and continues on to Ampana. It leaves Gorontalo every Tuesday and Friday at 20:00, arriving in Wakai the next morning.

The same ferry makes the return trip to Gorontalo twice a week, on Thursdays and Sundays, leaving Ampana at 10:00 in the morning, reaching Wakai about 15:00. After taking Gorontalo-bound passengers and freight the ferry then leaves Wakai at 16:00 arriving in Gorontalo the next morning about 06:00.

Another option of getting to the Togian Islands is by flying to Luwuk, chartering a car or taxi from Luwuk to Ampana and then taking the ferry to Wakai. Another fast, albeit slower option is to fly to Gorontalo and to jump on the Tuna Tomini ferry (Tuesday or Friday) to Wakai.

Get around
Private boats of varying types can be chartered at anytime to and from the islands and usually cost Rp 1-2 million.

Fees and permits
Entrance tickets to the national park area consist of entrance tickets and tickets for nature tourism service. Entrance ticket is Rp 150,000/person (for foreign tourists) and Rp 5,000/person (for Indonesian residents).

See
Togian is home to an indigenous population known as the Bajo colloquially called "Sea Gypsies". The Bajo are semi nomadic and rely on fishing for their income. Tours from all the resorts can take you to visit them. The young people love foreign visitors and will show off their humble village and school rooms.

Do
Diving! The best walls in the Togians can be found near Bomba, especially the huge atoll reef Bomba Atoll is a must visit for all divers. Taupan island has a fringing reef around it full of fish and lots of sharks. Araya Dive Resort and Poki Poki in Bomba also offer jungle trekking. Good chances to see Tarsius and Kuskus in this area.

There is a long jetty outside of the Paradise Resort that has good snorkeling right off of it. It is possible to swim to the island directly across from Kadidiri, but it takes a few hours. There are sea kayaks for rent from Black Marlin and it takes about 30 minutes to row to a nearby island that has good snorkeling. There are many trails around the island, but some are easy to get lost on. The walks are through dense growths and are not particularly picturesque. Fishing is not allowed in the no take zone so fishing trips must be outside this area. There is diving at Black Marlin (more boats and equipment) and Paradise, check equipment carefully.

For diving Pulau Una Una is good - big groups of Barracudas, Jackfish and Napoleons can be seen. Other good dive sites at Kadidiri are The Gap, Dominik Rock, The Crack, Batugilla and for Nightdives especially Little Lembeh.

The dive boats take normally also snorkelers for free with them, if the dive site is shallow enough.

Buy
Wakai is the biggest place with shops and a market. All the other villages have small shops to buy soft drinks and snacks.

Eat
All resorts include three meals per day in their prices.

Drink
It costs Rp 50,000-65,000 for a large Bintang beer at the resorts. Other option for alcohol is the local Arak, a kind of stronger palm wine - all resorts can get it for you for around Rp 15,000. A large bottle of water costs Rp 10,000 in most resorts. Boiled water, tea and coffee are provided free by all resorts.

Lodging
Bomba is about 40 min from Ampana where you can find 4 places to stay.

Kadidiri has four resorts, when change are next to each other on the very small beach. They all charge per person, per night and include all meals.
 * Araya Dive Resort & Bomba Divers. A very professional and friendly dive center in Bomba, run by 2 enthusiastic instructors. Their dive groups are small and they know the area very well. Dive courses available throughout the year in English, Indonesian, German and Finnish. The have brand new spacious bungalows with an amazing sunset view. Food is very good, a mix of Indonesian and European dishes, and the staff is extremely friendly. They have a coral rehabilitation project going on which can be joined by divers.
 * Poki Poki is 10 minutes per boat from the village Bomba. The place offers eight nice bamboo and wooden huts, all directly beachfront. It's a small family-run place which is known for its very good food. You can take long walks, as the beaches next to the place are all empty. Poki Poki arranges boat trips around the Togian islands, snorkeling trips to the nearest big coral reefs and jungle trekking.
 * Poki Poki is 10 minutes per boat from the village Bomba. The place offers eight nice bamboo and wooden huts, all directly beachfront. It's a small family-run place which is known for its very good food. You can take long walks, as the beaches next to the place are all empty. Poki Poki arranges boat trips around the Togian islands, snorkeling trips to the nearest big coral reefs and jungle trekking.
 * Poki Poki is 10 minutes per boat from the village Bomba. The place offers eight nice bamboo and wooden huts, all directly beachfront. It's a small family-run place which is known for its very good food. You can take long walks, as the beaches next to the place are all empty. Poki Poki arranges boat trips around the Togian islands, snorkeling trips to the nearest big coral reefs and jungle trekking.



Katupat Island is about 1 hour from Kadidiri Island where you can find 2 beautiful resorts 10 minutes with a small boat from Katupat Village Togian Island.



Una Una is home to thriving reefs full of big schools of fish.


 * Pristine Paradise UnaUna is a dive resort that opened in 2017. It is Dutch/Indonesian-owned and -run and is developed in close cooperation with the local community in front of the best divesites of Una Una. Their accommodation ranges from a dorm room, to cozy private huts up to VIP bungalows, all close to the beach. Three meals a day, unlimited coffee, tea and water are included in the room rates. Full range of dive courses are offered up until divemaster level. When contacted a couple days up front, they can arrange (free) pick-up from Wakai. See www.pristine-paradise.com

Stay safe
Coral reefs are sharp and can cause serious injuries. Bring enough mosquito repellent containing DEET (others ware useless), as mosquitoes that bite day and night are a serious annoyance.

Go next
To Gorontalo: take Tuna Tomini Ferry from Wakai: Rp 65,000 for Economy Class, Rp 75,000 for Tatami Class (you can lie down), or Rp89,000 for Business Class (with aircon). Departs on Monday and Thursday at 16:00, reach Gorontalo at 17:00.