Today, I’d like to share probably the most fascinating place I’ve been to so far – the Togean Islands. This archipelago of around 7 thousand islands and islets situated North East from Sulawesi shores in the gulf of Tominco and is hard to reach. Yet, each hour you spend on the twisted jungle road or a ferry towards it is absolutely worth it. Why you ask? Just check out the picture below.
Different
adventures happened to me on my way there – the bus got stuck in the mud in the
middle of nowhere in heavy tropical storm and all the passengers had to push it
back on the solid ground for a few hours; we’ve nearly missed the ferry
in Ampana ‘cause of that and called the captain to delay it. I had a few hour
sleep afterwards on the roof where someone was transporting a sofa and a few
armchairs.
The
archipelago is remote and there are just a couple of options of how to get to
the Togean Islands:
From Ampana: a ferry leaves each day except Friday at 10 am in the morning.
Check out the schedule here. Tickets can be bought on spot and cost
around 5-6$. You’ll arrive to Wakai – the main city of the archipelago.
From Gorontalo: a ferry ride will take around 12-14 hours. Schedule available here.
There are 4 classes to travel:
The local way – you don’t have a reserved seat, so feel free to crash wherever
you want on the lower or upper deck. There special podiums you can occupy, yet
you’ll have to be faster than the locals to grab your place.
Pros: you sleep under the amazing tropical sky with billions of stats
above your head
Cons: it may be chilly and windy, so a sleeping bag’s
preferable.
2nd class: you get a seat in a separate room with
quite enough leg space, yet it’s not revertible.
1st class: cosier chairs, a telly shouting loud, air
conditioning and more leg space.
Luxury-deluxe: available for tourists only. Pay on the spot to someone from the
crew and get a separate cabin with 4 bunks, mildly clean and cozy. Price per
cabin around 40$ (10$ per person).
The
Kadidiri Islet
Do
you remember Alex Garland's novel The Beach?Well, this place is pretty much
the same to that dreamy destination that only the true travellers can reach.
There's no wi-fi,
cell connection or supermarkets. Water's brought in barrels from other islands,
electricity is available for a few evening hours... So in case you'd like to
live the real castaway life for a few days (weeks?), the place is just for you!
Accommodation on
Kadidiri
There are just 3
hotels situated one next to another on a gorgeous white sand beach.
The luxurious one: Kadidiri Paradise Dive Resort
The places has
the most facilities and popular within traveling families, who crash here for
weeks. You can rent a long private house on the beach for around 50-80$ a day
including meals.
The new
home - Pondok Lestari Kadidiri
Pondok
Lestari can be translated from Indonesian as "everlasting homestay"
and I liked this place so much, that was thinking of ditching all my
commitments and crash here for a month, or even few.
Your
Diving school: The Black Merlin
Sandwiched
in between the previous two, this place offers rooms for 20-30$, but the
smallest beach territory of all the places. (But you can walk everywhere free
anyway). However, I heard a few stories from fellow travelers who booked their
stay here that they were asked to pay twice more upon arrival, so make all your
arrangements carefully.
Black
Merlin has a diving school where you can get your certificate within a day and
they offer numerous boat trips to best diving spots around the archipelago.
Things
to do at the Togean Islands
(Except
for being lazy on the beach and chasing colorful fish in the coral reefs)
- Take
a boat to the Bajau village
These
people have been called the sea gypsies as most of their lives they spend
drifting around the gulf in their boat houses. This community has settled at
the Togeans just a few years ago and make their living by selling valuable
marine like sea cucumbers and shark fins to the Chinese.
- Go
snorkelling in a jelly fish lake.
WTF?!
- you may think. The species that live here aren't poisonous, so you won't get
hurt. Lot's of fun and cool pics guaranteed in case you have the gear.
- Hike
around the islet.
There is an amazing, deserted beach hidden on the opposite shore. You'll need
to track through thick rainforest. Keep your eyes on the path as it's a tricky
one and can disappear before you notice it.
A
person who got lost in the jungle is telling you this :) At the very same
jungles….
Ask
someone's from the homestay to take you there and take a torch just in case :)
- Visit
a gorgeous waterfall in Wakai. And finally, check Facebook/email/twitter
that's exploding :)
- Check
out Una Una island and hike a still active volcano.
The
last eruption happened in 1983 and flushed the whole village. A few people came
back and started new homes by now, yet there are still plenty of white sand
beaches for solitude walks.
-
Spend a night at a deserted islet
The
eldest son of the homestay owner, Puding took us to a gorgeous beach where we
camped at night, made food on the fire and swam in warm waves with shimmering
plankton glowing around you once you move.
And
there are not enough words to describe the night tropical sky …
You don't need to spend a fortune at a 5 star resort at the Maldives. There are unique places in Indonesia where you can live for 15$ a day and wake up viewing a turquoise lagoon and coconut palms
The dark places are the coral reefs
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