Banggai Islands Journey Information & Itinerary For Sulawesi

857

The Banggai space in Sulawesi is one in every of Indonesia’s most underrated locations to journey, with a tremendous blue lake referred to as Paisupok and different good issues to see together with seashores, caves, waterfalls, and wildlife.

This can be a massive space that features three completely different regencies — Banggai, Banggai Islands, and Banggai Laut — so it’s a bit extra difficult than visiting different locations in Sulawesi. My spouse is Indonesian in order that helped so much.

We visited the Banggai islands independently, arranging our personal motels and transport for every step of the journey, and this weblog put up will clarify how one can too. I’ll additionally share some contacts for native tour guides if you wish to be a part of a bunch or do a personal tour to make it simpler.

Both method, Banggai has some fantastic sights and it’s nicely value a go to in the event you’re already planning a visit to Sulawesi. Right here’s our journey information!
 

 

Banggai Islands Itinerary Day 1: Luwuk To Peleng

• Fly To Luwuk

This itinerary for the Banggai islands begins and ends in Luwuk, which is a city of about 35,000 individuals in central Sulawesi.

There are a number of flights day by day to the Luwuk airport (LUW) from Makassar in South Sulawesi, in any other case you’ll be able to rent a driver and go overland to Luwuk from Ampana after visiting the Togean islands, which is one other good place to go to in Sulawesi.

In the event you’re flying to Luwuk from Bali, Jakarta, or elsewhere in Indonesia, then you definitely’ll must transit in Makassar on the way in which to Luwuk. You may store for flights on Skyscanner.

 

• Take The Ferry To Peleng

When you arrive in Luwuk, there are taxi drivers ready to take you to city and the drive is barely about 20 minutes. We paid 50k Rupiah for the airport switch.

From Luwuk city, you’ll be able to take the general public ferry from Luwuk Individuals’s Port (‘Pelabuhan Rakyat’) over to Leme Leme on Peleng island. It departs day by day at 2 PM and the journey takes 2 hours, though it often leaves an hour late (i.e. Indonesian rubber time).

Tickets will be purchased on the spot for 54k Rupiah (~$3 USD) per individual. This can be a massive wood boat that carries about 50 to 100 passengers, and it has bunks and benches to take a seat on, however they’re not very comfortable. In order for you extra privateness, you’ll be able to hire a small room for 2 individuals which has bunk beds and a fan. This prices an additional 50k Rupiah per room.

Alternatively, you’ll be able to organize a speedboat to take you over to a number of the finest sights on Peleng island, together with Paisu Pok Lake & Poganda Seaside. In that case, the journey takes 1 to 2 hours from Luwuk, and you may generally see dolphins in your method over.

A day tour with a personal speedboat like this can set you again wherever from 1.5 to 4 million Rupiah (~$100 to $250 USD) for the roundtrip, so it’s not low cost, but it surely’s faster than the ferry and it may very well be economical in some instances in the event you’re touring with associates to share the boat price.

No matter whether or not you select the ferry or speedboat, the ocean could be very calm between Luwuk and Peleng island, so I wouldn’t anticipate waves to ever be a problem for crossing in regular conditions.

 

• Keep In a single day In Peleng

By the point we arrived in Peleng, it was already previous 5 PM and the solar was setting. We have been anxious to go see Paisu Pok Lake, however there wasn’t sufficient time left in our first day.

We stayed the night time at Novpitri Homestay, which is true by the harbor in Leme Leme. The rooms are very fundamental, with a fan, squat bathroom, and chilly water bucket for showers. After we visited in late 2023, electrical energy was by generator solely, however they now have 24/7 electrical energy there.

They solely have one air-conditioned room, so it’s a good suggestion to guide this prematurely if you would like it. They’re gradual to reply on WhatsApp even in the event you communicate Indonesian. Don’t anticipate luxurious on the homestay, however in the event you’re out exploring all day it’s high quality. We already knew this might be the roughest place we’d keep on our Banggai journey, so two nights right here was no downside.

The conventional price is 180k Rupiah per night time for the A/C room, or 120k for the fan room. Hopefully they’ll add mosquito nets quickly. The household was useful and cooked supper for us, which was additionally very low cost and good: rice, veggies, omelets, fried tofu, and rooster.

If you wish to keep nearer to the Paisu Pok Lake, there are a bunch of very fundamental homestays within the Luk Panenteng village, which is true by the lake. In the event you keep there, you’ll be able to stroll to the lake and swim day by day.

Earlier than going to mattress, we organized a scooter rental from the homestay so we might spend the subsequent day going to the lake and the seashore. That they had it prepared and ready for us by the point we went to sleep!

 

Banggai Itinerary Day 2: West Peleng Island

• Paisu Pok Lake

Paisu Pok Lake is a lovely blue lake on Peleng island, and it’s one of many principal highlights of the Banggai space.

You may hire a small boat, canoe, or standup paddleboard for exploring the lake, or you’ll be able to swim and snorkel in it. The lake has a number of the bluest water I’ve ever seen. It’s simply as good because it appears within the images.

Paisupok is a 1 hour drive from Leme Leme as a result of some elements of the highway are damaged and it’s important to decelerate to cross them safely. There’s little or no visitors on the highway and it’s straightforward to search out the lake.

I wrote a whole journey weblog put up about our go to to Paisupok, with a number of ideas and images, which you’ll take a look at within the hyperlink under.

Learn Extra: Paisu Pok Lake

 

• Paisu Batango

The following cease on Peleng island is slightly lagoon referred to as Paisu Batango, which is a 5 minute drive from the lake. On maps it’s marked as ‘Luk Tub Panenteng.’

The identify Paisu Batango means ‘trunk water’ or ‘water from a tree trunk’ for the reason that lagoon is fed by a pure spring. Sadly the locals use this place for bathing and washing their garments with detergent, which messes up the readability of the water a bit.

The chilly spring water has a pleasant turquoise shade despite the fact that the deeper facet of the lagoon mixes with salt water from the ocean.

 

• Poganda Seaside

The third place to go to on Peleng island is a white sand seashore referred to as Pantai Poganda, which is roughly midway between Leme Leme and the lake. From Paisupok, it’s only a 30 minute drive.

This can be a peaceable seashore with calm water and palm bushes, and it’s a great spot for snorkeling. We have been stunned to see a number of starfish, even with out snorkeling. There are a bunch of them sitting within the shallow water close to the seashore.

It’s seashore for seeing both the dawn and sundown, relying on the time of yr. There are additionally a number of swings and a pier the place you’ll be able to sit and loosen up.

 

• Keep In a single day In Peleng

After spending all day sightseeing, we went again to Leme Leme and spent one other night time on the Novpitri Homestay.

If it is advisable return to Luwuk at this level, there’s a ferry from Leme Leme at 8 AM day by day, however we determined to move east to Salakan and proceed exploring the Banggai islands.

Earlier than going to mattress, we organized a driver with a van for sightseeing after which taking us to Salakan the subsequent day.

The fee was going to be 850k Rupiah (with petrol and driver) to take us on to Salakan, or 1.2 million Rupiah to go go to two caves in southwest Peleng earlier than going to Salakan. We determined to see the caves!
 

Banggai Itinerary Day 3: Caves & Salakan

• Driving To The Caves

Our driver Anto met us at 6:30 within the morning after which we began our day journey. First, we needed to replenish on petrol, which took about 45 minutes since we had a tough time discovering a spot that was open this early.

The journey to the caves is a scenic drive with hills, jungles, palm forests, and ocean views. This concerned about 5 hours of driving — 2 hours to the caves, after which 3 hours to Salakan — so we have been joyful to be in a automobile as a substitute of a scooter.

As we came upon, the Peleng roads are paved however they’re damaged in lots of locations. You might do it with a scooter, however I wouldn’t advocate it until you could have some expertise.

One of the best time to {photograph} the caves is within the morning, when the solar is true. We bought to the primary cave (Gua Susendeng) at 9 AM, and this was excellent.

 

• Gua Susendeng

The primary cave we visited was Gua Susendeng, a shallow limestone cave with a excessive ceiling and a blue pool on the backside. To achieve the cave from the place we parked on the principal highway, it was a 10-15 minute downhill stroll on a grassy path.

The stroll down is straightforward, however going again is a bit tougher as a result of it’s all uphill and there’s no shade to flee the solar. When you get to the mouth of the cave, there’s a concrete stairway in good situation that goes right down to the blue pool.

The colour of the water is wonderful and it will be enjoyable to swim right here. Our driver mentioned the cave has been explored by scuba divers, and there’s apparently an underwater tunnel at the least 200 meters lengthy!

 

• Gua Bab’banang

From the primary cave, it’s solely a ten minute drive to the subsequent cave, which known as Gua Bab’banang. Then, there’s a brief 5-10 minute stroll by the forest, the place you’ll be able to see a number of blue-tailed lizards and likewise some good shiny inexperienced lizards.

Gua Bab’banang is nice for footage, particularly while you’re trying down at it from above. There’s a concrete stairway that goes to the underside of the cave. The water right here was much more blue than the primary cave! It’s stunning.

Sadly the locals have already constructed an unsightly concrete rest room proper by the mouth of the cave, and there was a variety of trash within the forest too. Hopefully with the elevated curiosity from tourism, they’ll have some motivation to maintain this space clear. The cave itself could be very good!

 

• Drive To Salakan

After we bought completed on the caves, it was a 3 hour drive to the city of Salakan. We hoped to cease for lunch on the way in which there, however we didn’t see something that regarded worthwhile, so we determined to attend and have a late lunch in Salakan.
 

• Keep In a single day In Salakan

We spent one night time in Salakan. It’s a small city with solely 2,000 individuals, however there are a number of snug motels and eating places to select from.

We stayed at Wisma Sidapore Teluk Bayur, which had clear A/C rooms and free breakfast. Different choices are Wisma Sidapore Jalur Dua (owned by the identical individuals) or Wisma Alfrend Salakan.

You can also make a reserving with any of those motels by way of WhatsApp. They will additionally organize a scooter rental, or a automobile and driver.
 

Banggai Itinerary Day 4: Salakan To Banggai Laut

• Bone Pompon Seaside

For our 4th day in Banggai, we employed a driver from Salakan to take us to a number of seashores after which drop us on the harbor in Tobing so we might go to our subsequent vacation spot, Banggai Laut island. This time the fee was 800k Rupiah for the automobile, driver, and petrol.

The primary seashore we visited was referred to as Bone Pompon, and it was a 30 minute drive from Salakan. At Pompon, you’ll be able to rent a small boat to go to a number of hidden seashores, together with slightly secret island referred to as Pulo Tambun, which has a white sand seashore.

Nonetheless, we have been in a rush to get to our subsequent seashore (Mandel) because it’s one of many spots that has began to go viral on social media.

 

• Mandel Seaside

Mandel Seaside is a white sand seashore greater than a kilometer lengthy, and it’s most likely probably the most stunning seashore in all of central Sulawesi.

This seashore has extraordinarily white sand and turquoise water. Regardless that it’s solely a 1 hour drive from Salakan, we solely noticed two different individuals there! It was wonderful to have all of it to ourselves. I anticipated it to be crowded like Paisu Pok, however because it’s a bit tougher to succeed in, I feel that has stored the crowds away.

It’s a beautiful seashore and I hope it doesn’t turn into overdeveloped. There was some garbage on the seashore, so we crammed two small luggage with trash and tipped our driver for serving to eliminate it on the town.

 

• Bone Uluno Abason Seaside

The third seashore we visited was referred to as Bone Uluno Abason, and it was a 30 minute drive from Mandel. It’s a protracted seashore with brown sand.

This was a pleasant seashore, however there was trash in every single place. It was unhappy to see. This will have been partly due to the wet season, as a result of I’ve seen footage of this seashore the place there was no trash in any respect, so your expertise could fluctuate relying on while you go.

 

• Boat To Banggai Laut

After we have been completed seeing seashores, we drove one other hour to the harbor in Tobing, which is the most effective spot to get a ship switch to Banggai Laut island. Another choice is the harbor in Kalumbatan, but it surely’s costlier.

From Tobing, it’s straightforward to get a ship experience to Banggai Laut. The fee was 80k per individual as a result of we shared it with 4 locals and their children. The final shared boat goes at 5 PM, so in the event you present up later than that you simply may need to pay extra to constitution a ship.

The boat experience is protected and comfy, and solely takes Quarter-hour to get to Banggai Laut. It’s a small speedboat however there’s loads of room for baggage.
 

• In a single day In Banggai Laut

When you arrive in Banggai Laut, there are motels and eating places inside strolling distance from the harbor.

We stayed at Lodge Banggai, which was slightly dear by Indonesian requirements, but it surely was snug and had free breakfast. We paid 500k per night time.

The proprietor Refly was extraordinarily variety and useful for each facet of our keep on the island, in order that was an enormous bonus. He additionally speaks English and was capable of organize a scooter rental, personal driver, and different issues for us in Banggai Laut. You may contact them by WhatsApp at ☎ +62 813-1931-6124.

If Lodge Banggai doesn’t work along with your finances, one other good choice is Batara Visitor Home, which is a bit cheaper and likewise has free breakfast.
 

Banggai Itinerary Day 5: Banggai Laut

• Bontolan Seaside

We anticipated unhealthy roads in Banggai Laut, however truly virtually each highway on the island is paved and in good situation. There are some steep roads while you’re going up or down a hill, however nothing too loopy.

The primary place we went was Bontolan Seaside, which is simply Quarter-hour from city. The seashore is probably not very exceptional above water, but it surely’s a great spot for snorkeling. You may see some good fish species right here, together with the endemic Banggai cardinalfish, which solely lives within the Banggai archipelago.

 

• Oyama Seaside

Oyama Seaside is a pleasant little white sand seashore on Banggai Laut that may solely be reached by boat, though it’s a brief and straightforward experience that takes 10 minutes or much less.

You may rent a ship driver from both Lokotoy or Popisi village in northern Laut, and the whole price is barely 50-150k Rupiah for the return journey. Our boat was small however held 7 individuals, so you may attempt to be a part of others and cut up the fee.

Oyama has a personal really feel, and good turquoise water. In the event you go searching within the bushes there are many colourful inexperienced lizards, and a boardwalk that results in a mangrove forest behind the seashore.

 

• Lambangan Pauno Seaside

This can be a good seashore close to the upcoming airport in Banggai Laut. It’s uncommon as a result of it has a pure rock arch, which you’ll solely attain at low tide, and it’s additionally a great spot for dawn images.
 

• Tanjung Gundul

Tanjung Gundul is an fascinating little cove and seashore that’s solely accessible by boat. The start line is Pasir Putih village, and the boat experience takes about Quarter-hour.

Tanjung Gundul might be one of the vital distinctive seashores in Indonesia, with white pebbles as a substitute of sand, and an enormous rock arch that’s been carved out of limestone by the wind and waves. It jogged my memory of the white pebble seashores in Kefalonia, Greece.

A brief journey right here with a personal boat begins at 150k Rupiah to go there and again, and you may as well mix it with a go to to the Teluk Lalong lagoon talked about under. In the event you share a ship with a bunch, you may do it cheaper. Native vacationers often go within the morning, so that might be your finest wager for sharing.

 

• Teluk Lalong

There’s a pleasant lagoon only a brief distance away from Tanjung Gundul, so you’ll be able to go to each locations in the identical boat journey.

The Teluk Lalong lagoon has shiny blue and inexperienced water. You may see fish and coral within the lagoon, and we even noticed a sea turtle, though I wouldn’t advocate swimming within the lagoon as a result of the locals instructed us there are crocodiles.

 

• Kelapa Lima Seaside

Kelapa Lima is a distant seashore with palm bushes and tall limestone cliffs. It’s a pleasant seashore, and it was empty once we visited. The identify means 5 coconut seashore.

This was the one spot in Banggai Laut the place we felt like we truly wished a automobile. The highway was very tough and it’s a trouble with a scooter, though you’ll be able to nonetheless do it.

Afterwards, we went again to city and stayed one other night time on Banggai Laut island.

 

Banggai Itinerary Day 6: Mbuang-Mbuang Island

• Boat Journey To Mbuang-Mbuang

The most effective locations to go to close to Banggai Laut is the island of Mbuang-Mbuang, which is about 80 kilometers to the southeast.

There are a bunch of excellent issues to see on Mbuang island, but it surely’s not very straightforward to get there, particularly if the climate is unfavorable, prefer it was for us. We needed to skip today journey as a result of the climate simply wasn’t superb in December.

You will get there with a public gradual boat, which is reasonable and comparatively protected, but it surely takes about 7-8 hours a method. The opposite choice is to do a day journey with a personal speedboat, which takes about 2 hours every method, but it surely’s extra climate dependent for the reason that boat is smaller.

The speedboat is fairly costly (at the least 2.5 million Rupiah), but it surely’s much more handy than the general public boat, and it could be economical when you have associates to share the fee.
 

• Pasir Panjang Seaside

That is the primary seashore on the village of Mbuang-Mbuang. You may stroll on to this white sand seashore from the village, so it’s straightforward to entry when you get there.
 

• Paisu Batongan Jellyfish Lake

The highest attraction on Mbuang-Mbuang island is a lake the place you’ll be able to swim with stingless jellyfish! Due to the remoteness, it’s nonetheless not as nicely often known as a number of the different jellyfish lakes in Indonesia.

There are two completely different sorts of jellyfish within the lake, and each are innocent to people. It additionally has some fish in it, together with the endemic Banggai cardinalfish.
 

• Palanggang Seaside

This can be a small hidden seashore close to the Mbuang village that’s purported to be good for snorkeling. It’s not removed from the village or Pasir Panjang seashore, however you continue to want a ship to succeed in it.
 

• Popisi Hill

There’s a pleasant viewpoint right here referred to as Bukit Popisi, the place you’ll be able to see a number of islands unfold out on the ocean. It’s type of just like the views in Raja Ampat, Sombori, or Ang Thong Thailand. The hike to the highest takes about 10-Quarter-hour.
 

• Pingo Seaside

This can be a lengthy seashore with white sand on the east facet of Mbuang island. It’s surrounded by limestone hills, so the one approach to go there may be by boat.
 

• In a single day In Banggai Laut

In the event you go to Mbuang island on a day journey with a speedboat, you’ll be able to keep the night time again in Banggai Laut once more, the place there are many motels.

In any other case, in the event you go together with a gradual boat, there’s just one place to remain within the Mbuang-Mbuang village and it’s a really fundamental guesthouse that features meals.
 

Banggai Itinerary Day 7: Return To Luwuk

• Ferry From Banggai Laut To Luwuk

After you get completed seeing all the things in Banggai Laut, the one approach to get again to Luwuk is by boat.

The ferry from Banggai Laut to Luwuk goes day by day at 1 PM (or 2 PM if it’s tardy), after which the journey takes about 8 hours. The boat is massive and protected, and fairly snug. The ocean was slightly wavy in some spots but it surely was largely calm.

The ticket price is 130k Rupiah per individual, and in the event you pay an additional 200k you’ll be able to hire slightly room for 2 individuals, with bunk beds and A/C. Our room was freezing chilly, but it surely was good to have a spot to relaxation in personal on the lengthy boat experience.
 

• In a single day In Luwuk

When you arrive in Luwuk, there are many eating places and motels the place you’ll be able to spend the night time.

Low-cost motels in Luwuk embrace Ayana Homestay, RedDoorz RSUD, and RedDoorz Plus Syariah. There are additionally a number of excessive finish motels like Swiss-Belinn, Lodge Santika, and Estrella Lodge.

We stayed at Lodge Kota, which was a pleasant stability of consolation and affordability. The worth was 345k Rupiah per night time for an A/C room with free breakfast.
 

Banggai Itinerary Day 8: Waterfalls

• Piala Waterfall

The most effective issues to see close to Luwuk is the Piala Waterfall, which is an enormous turquoise waterfall with a number of cascades, situated proper exterior of city. The drive solely takes about Quarter-hour.

This one jogged my memory a little bit of the well-known Kuang Si Falls in Laos, which additionally has turquoise coloured water and plenty of separate cascades and pure swimming pools the place you’ll be able to swim.

This waterfall continues to be largely unknown to worldwide vacationers, however loads of locals go there, so if you wish to beat the crowds then it’s important to go within the morning, ideally on a weekday!

Learn Extra: Finest Waterfalls In Indonesia

 

• Laumarang Waterfall

This can be a second waterfall close to Piala, and it’s accessed by the identical highway, however it’s important to go a bit farther and the highway turns into very tough.

You will get to Laumarang by climbing from the parking space at Piala, but it surely takes at the least 1 hour for the roundtrip. They’re engaged on bettering the roads right here, so hopefully quickly there’ll be higher entry.

In the event you hike previous Laumarang, there’s additionally a pleasant and large third waterfall referred to as Akar Darah.

 

• Dendengan Waterfall

Dendengan Waterfall is one other spot close to Luwuk, only a 20 minute drive from the airport or 40 minutes from city. It’s pretty fashionable and straightforward to succeed in, with a paved highway all the way in which to the falls.

Sadly the waterfall was dried up once we went in early December, however the footage I’ve seen from different instances of the yr look good.
 

• Kamumu Waterfall

That is one other turquoise waterfall that’s situated northeast of Luwuk. It’s very good however you’ll be able to’t drive all the way in which to the falls, so it requires a little bit of climbing.
 

• Salodik Waterfall

That is the final waterfall we visited within the Luwuk space, and it’s about 40 minutes from the city middle. The highway is nice and there’s loads of parking.

Salodik is a pleasant waterfall with a bunch of various cascades, but it surely’s very overdeveloped.

They’ve turned it right into a little bit of a concrete jungle, sadly, with a number of ugly buildings throughout the falls. It was a bit distracting and made it onerous to benefit from the pure surroundings of the place.

 

• In a single day In Luwuk

We stayed one other night time at Lodge Kota in Luwuk.
 

Banggai Itinerary Day 9: Pulau Dua

• Pulau Dua

Pulau Dua is a scenic little island that you could go to on a day journey from Luwuk, with steep hills and a stairway you’ll be able to hike to the highest of the island. The terrain appears slightly bit like Padar island in Komodo, and it’s additionally a fantastic place for snorkeling.

From Luwuk, it’s a 2.5 hour drive after which a 15 minute boat experience to get to Pulau Dua island. The boat price is 200k to 300k Rupiah per day for the entire boat, and so they’ll deliver you throughout the island wherever you need to go.
 

• In a single day In Luwuk

Spend your final night time in Luwuk earlier than catching a flight to Makassar, after which onwards to your subsequent vacation spot.

Alternatively, you’ll be able to rent a driver in Luwuk to take you to Ampana, the place you’ll be able to catch a ship to go go to the Togean islands after which discover Gorontalo in north Sulawesi.
 

5-Day Banggai Islands Itinerary

In the event you’re restricted on time in Banggai, you are able to do lots of the highlights just like the lake, seashores, and waterfalls in 4 or 5 days.

Right here’s what a shorter itinerary for Banggai might appear to be:

• Day 1. Arrive In Luwuk. Take the three PM ferry from Luwuk to Salakan (4 hours) after which keep in a single day in Salakan.
• Day 2. Seashores. Drive 2 hours from Salakan to the southeast harbor in Kalumbatan and take a fast speedboat experience over to Oyama Seaside and again. Afterwards, drive overland to Mandel Seaside and Pompon Seaside earlier than returning to Salakan to spend the night time.
• Day 3. Lake. Drive from Salakan to western Peleng (2.5 to three hours) after which go to Paisu Pok Lake, Paisu Batango, and Poganda Seaside. Keep in a single day in Leme Leme close to the harbor.
• Day 4. Return To Luwuk. Take the 8 AM boat from Leme Leme again to Luwuk (2 to three hours), after which go see Piala Waterfall and the opposite waterfalls close to Luwuk city. Keep in a single day in Luwuk.
• Day 5. Go away Luwuk. Fly out from the airport to Makassar, or proceed overland to Ampana to go to the Togean islands and north Sulawesi.

 

Map Of The Finest Issues To Do In Banggai

Right here’s a map of a number of the finest issues to do within the Banggai space. Sights are marked in blue, motels in yellow, harbors in inexperienced, and airports in purple.

Consider the Banggai space continues to be very new to tourism and we didn’t get to see all the things, so there are undoubtedly extra hidden gems ready to be discovered on this space in the event you go searching. That’s probably the most enjoyable half!

 

Banggai Tour Information Contacts

After we visited Banggai, we booked our personal motels and likewise organized our personal transport (drivers, boats, and motorbikes), often with a little bit of assist from our motels. My spouse is Indonesian, in order that made issues so much simpler.

In the event you’re solely planning to go to Paisupok Lake and different issues close to Luwuk, then a tour isn’t actually wanted in my view.

Nonetheless, if you wish to go to the caves, seashores, and so forth in Banggai and also you don’t communicate Bahasa, then it may very well be useful to have a neighborhood tour information who can organize all the things for you. Listed here are some good contacts for that:
 

• Michael Wagey – Freelance tour information primarily based in Salakan on Peleng island. Mick does personal journeys and likewise month-to-month shared journeys in Banggai. He’s the primary one who popularized the Banggai islands, and his viral Instagram posts have impressed lots of people to go to.

  Regardless that we didn’t do a tour with Mick, he was very useful answering questions for us, and he was capable of put us in contact with a driver in Salakan to take us to the seashores after which drop us on the harbor to go to Banggai Laut. You may contact Mick Wagey by WhatsApp at ☎ +62 813-4201-5440 or on his Instagram web page.

• Acho Akina Chowji – Freelance tour information within the Banggai space. You may contact him by WhatsApp at ☎ +62 822-9374-8745 or on his Instagram web page.
• Butros Galileo Delim – Freelance tour information primarily based in Peleng island. You may contact him on his Instagram web page.
• TripBanggai – Tour firm in Banggai. You may contact them by WhatsApp at ☎ +62 811-433-7690 or on their Instagram web page.
• HV Journey – Tour firm that generally does open journeys to Banggai if you wish to share a tour. You may contact them by WhatsApp at ☎ +62 821-5942-7772 or on their Instagram web page.

 

Banggai Driver Contacts

• Boni – Taxi driver primarily based in Luwuk. He can switch you from the airport or harbor to your resort in Luwuk, or vice versa. You may contact him by WhatsApp at ☎ +62 853-8562-5578.
• Anto Unus – Driver with a van primarily based in Leme Leme on Peleng island. The Novpitri Homestay put us in contact with him, and he drove us to the caves after which to Salakan. You may contact him by cellphone at ☎ +62 822-7855-7858 or on his Instagram web page.

 

Different Ideas For Banggai

• Airports: At the moment the one airport within the Banggai space is the one in Luwuk (LUW), which has a number of flights per day from Makassar. They’re additionally engaged on an airport in Banggai Laut, so that ought to open up some new journey prospects when it’s completed.
• Roads: The roads are largely good in Luwuk and Banggai Laut. The unhealthy roads we encountered have been in Peleng island, though it’s nonetheless okay with a scooter if you understand what you’re doing.
• Language Barrier: The locals in Banggai can barely communicate English, and this space continues to be very new to worldwide tourism, so it’s a good suggestion to obtain a translator app for communication.
• ATM: There are ATMs in Luwuk city and likewise on the Luwuk airport in the event you want money. We used the BNI Financial institution ATM in Banggai Laut and it labored high quality. There are additionally ATMs in Salakan, though we didn’t use them.
• Meals: Banggai isn’t Bali, so don’t anticipate a great deal of decisions, however we by no means had hassle discovering good locations to eat, and a variety of the motels had their very own restaurant menus with the standard Indonesian meals. Luwuk has a KFC and Pizza Hut on the town if you end up lacking western meals.
• Apps: You should utilize the GoJek app for taxi rides and meals supply in Luwuk, however most individuals use a neighborhood app referred to as Draiv, which has a number of the similar options. This app additionally works in Banggai Laut.
• Electrical energy: You’ll have 24/7 electrical energy in all the vital cities in Banggai like Luwuk, Salakan, and Banggai Laut. After we visited Leme Leme in late 2023 it was additionally generator solely, however they now have 24/7 electrical energy there. In distant locations like Mbuang Mbuang, energy continues to be by generator solely. They’ll often flip it on from round 6 PM to six AM, and you may cost your cellphone and different electronics throughout this time.
• Cell Service: We had good 3G/4G sign with Telkomsel in every single place in Luwuk, Peleng, and Banggai Laut besides whereas driving by the hills and such.
• WiFi: Surprisingly, we had usable WiFi at each resort the place we stayed in Luwuk, Peleng, and Banggai Laut. The one exception was on the homestay in Leme Leme, the place our room was out of vary of the WiFi connection. In the event you go to Mbuang Mbuang island, don’t rely on any WiFi there both.
• Malaria: In response to this Lancet examine from 2018, Malaria has been tremendously decreased within the Banggai space, however it could nonetheless be current to some extent. I’d err on the facet of warning and do all the things you’ll be able to to guard your self from mosquito bites. We didn’t take Malaria tablets / prophylactics.
• Wildlife: The Banggai space is house to some endemic animal species just like the Banggai cardinalfish and Peleng tarsier. You may see the tarsiers by trekking in Peleng island or Banggai Laut.

 

When To Go to The Banggai Islands

Like most of Indonesia, the most effective time to go to the Banggai islands is usually within the dry season, from April to November. The climate is extra sunny and temperatures are milder and cooler.

We visited Banggai within the wet season (early December), however the rain was solely at night time and it by no means brought about a problem for our journey. Nonetheless, in the event you plan to go to Mbuang-Mbuang island then the ocean crossing will be more difficult at the moment of yr.

A few of the waterfalls within the Luwuk space begin to dry up round September or October, and so they keep that method till the center of the wet season (often January or February), however the Piala Waterfall is nice all yr. It had a number of water once we visited in early December, despite the fact that the local weather round Luwuk was nonetheless fairly dry at the moment.

Paisu Pok Lake is nice in any month of the yr. Simply attempt to keep away from holidays and weekends since it may get very crowded at the moment. Sunny days are finest for seeing the colour and readability of the lake.

 

Extra Indonesia Journey Ideas

Thanks for trying! I hope you loved this journey information for visiting Luwuk and the Banggai Islands in Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Don’t overlook to take a look at my full information for Paisupok Lake for extra ideas and images of Banggai’s most well-known attraction.
 

See Additionally