100 Travel | Wakatobi
Wakatobi Dive Resort sits on a secluded white-sand beach overlooking one of the finest coral reefs in the Indian Ocean . Divers and snorkellers enjoy exclusive access , combined with five-star service and amenities .
© Didi Lotze / Wakatobi Dive Resort
“ It ’ s not unknown for there to be tears on the last day of a trip in Wakatobi ,” reads the blurb on the Wakatobi Dive Resort website ; “… guests simply don ’ t want to leave this little piece of heaven and return to the ‘ real ’ world .”
The resort , at the far southern end of this island chain off Southeast Sulawesi , is one of Indonesia ’ s most exclusive dive centres . Even here , three islands to the north ( yet a world away from resort luxury ) on humble little Hoga Island , I feel far from the ‘ real ’ world .
This was my second visit to these islands and , while I hadn ’ t exactly been in tears upon departure that first time , I was delighted to be back . I ’ m in an archipelago that was traditionally known as the Tukangbesi (‘ steel worker ’) Islands but the view that lies in front of me couldn ’ t be farther from the skyline of an industrial steel town . Wherever you are in Wakatobi , it is impossible to think in anything but blissfully paradisiacal picture- postcard terms : ‘ turquoise reefs ’, ‘ talcum- powder beaches ’ and ‘ fiery sunsets ’ are a part of daily life here .
When this area was declared a national park in 1996 , the name Wakatobi was chosen as an acronym for the four main islands : Pulau Wangi-Wangi , Pulau Kaledupa , Pulau Tomia and Pulau Binongko . There are actually 143 islands here , but only seven of them are permanently inhabited .
I ’ d spent time exploring Wangi-Wangi with its spectacular coast , world-class reefs and the otherworldly savannahs . I ’ d climbed to the summit of Wakatobi ’ s highest peak .
While this is a mere 274m above sea level , Wakatobi ’ s submarine canyons are said to drop off more than a kilometre .
I was in the mood for a little exploration so , on a whim and with no plans beyond following my instincts , I headed for a little three-kilometre-long hummock of rock , sand and palms known as Hoga Island . I took a small interisland ferry south from the little fishing harbour at Wanchi town on Wangi- Wangi and puttered down the channel near Pulau Kambode . By the time we were crossing deeper water off Pulau Komponaone I was already enjoying the sunshine , sitting on the roof of the boat with a group of islanders who were returning to paradise after a bout of labouring work 200km away on the mainland in Kendari City . I had no doubt that they were even happier to be back than I was .
As the little boat throbbed across the shallow waters near Kaledupa Island , my temporary travelling companions waved in glee at