The Togean Islands
a beautiful remote tropical paradise in Central Sulawesi
The Togean islands are a beautiful, remote tropical paradise in Central Sulawesi. The archipelago is comprised of 56 islands and you will see island after island on the boat ride there! There are many different islands you can stay on depending on what you want - whether you want just a relaxing beach vacation, a diving vacation, or a rustic adventure vacation, you have it all there. We stayed on Kadidiri Island for our 5 days there, the island known for its paradise beach vacation vibe and the most popular island to visit. While we loved our time there, we also wished we had more time to explore other islands. The Togeans are a wonderful place to enjoy paradise in a remote place that not many people frequent!
Watch our Youtube video about our time there here!
Contents
Getting to the Togean Islands
Where to stay
How long to stay
What to do
Getting to the Togean Islands
From South Sulawesi
From Makassar:
First, you’ll take an 8 hour bus ride to Tana Toraja
Then, a 14 hour bus ride to Tentena
Then, a 5 hour car ride to Ampana (private car is 1,000,000 IDR ($62) for up to 5 people)
Then, a 3 hour ferry ride to Wakai, the main town of the Togeans (110K IDR ($7) per person)
From Wakai, you can arrange a small boat to take you to where you want to go in the Togeans (200K IDR ($12) for up to 4 people)
There is a small speedboat that goes from Ampana to the Togeans daily, but it often sells out ahead of time, so contact your homestay host to help you purchase tickets asap. There’s also a slower and cheaper public boat, but it only goes from Ampana to the Togeans on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays, so make sure to check the schedule and plan accordingly!
To purchase boat tickets, you can do so through your homestay host or go to the harbor ahead of time to purchase them in-person directly.
From North Sulawesi
From Manado or Tomohon:
First, you’ll take an 8 hour car ride to Gorontolo (shared car is 350K IDR ($21) per person)
Then, a 13 hour overnight ferry ride to Wakai, the main town of the Togeans (115K IDR ($7) per person)
From Wakai, you can arrange a small boat to take you to where you want to go in the Togeans (200K IDR ($12) for up to 4 people)
The ferry from Gorontolo to Wakai only runs every Tuesday and Friday at 5:00pm, arriving in Wakai the next morning. Be sure to plan accordingly! We purchased tickets through Harry & Mimin Homestay in Gorontolo. They can help you purchase tickets going either direction even if you are not staying with them. It’s quite confusing to try and purchase them on your own, so I would recommend this option.
The ferry ride is a long overnight journey. There are 3 classes: VIP, regular, and sitting-only. I would highly recommend VIP class, an AC cabin with small, individual mattresses. Normal class does not have AC and has even smaller mattresses, with hundreds of people next to each other. Sitting-only class is above deck and has seats similar to half-reclining bus seats. VIP tickets cost 238K IDR ($15) from Wakai to Gorontolo, and 115K ($7) from Gorontolo to Wakai.
On the ferry from Ampana to Wakai. Look at all the islands!
From Luwuk
Luwuk is a small airport in Central Sulawesi, and the closest airport to the Togeans. It’s the most expensive, but the quickest option if you are trying to go to the Togeans directly. If you fly into Luwuk:
It’s a 6 hour car ride to Ampana (private car is 1,000,000 IDR ($62) for up to 5 people)
Then, a 3 hour ferry ride to Wakai (110K IDR ($7) per person)
From Wakai, you can arrange a small boat to take you to where you want to go in the Togeans (200K IDR ($12) for up to 4 people)
See the above information (from South Sulawesi) about the boat schedule from Ampana to Togeans.
Transportation information
The boat schedule between the Togeans and Ampana / Gorontolo.
All buses and private car rides can be arranged with the help of your homestay host in Ampana and Gorontolo.
Where to stay in the Togeans
There are many different islands you can stay on in the Togeans depending on what you’re looking for! Most places are resort-style where you pay a per person per day price that includes lodging and 3 meals a day. Meals are all shared family style amongst the guests, which creates and nice familial atmosphere at the resort. Resorts here are very inexpensive (we paid $26/person/day) and have more of a rustic feel, so expect nice, but not super luxury. It’s better this way :).
Kadidiri – This is the most common island to stay on, and here it really feels like a relaxing tropical paradise. We stayed at Kadidiri Paradise. While the property was beautiful, right on the beach, and it did feel like paradise, it also was a larger resort that felt somewhat impersonal and not particularly homey or cozy.
Bomba – The first island you’ll arrive at when you approach the Togeans. It has a more rustic and authentic middle-of-nowhere island feel. We didn’t stay here ourselves but heard good things about Poki Poki, Araya Dive Resort, and Poya Lisa Cottages.
Malenge – The most remote of the islands, this is an even more rustic adventure and we heard was many people’s favorite island.
Una Una – The popular place to stay for diving where marine life is right at your front door. However, there’s only a black sand beach and is considered less beautiful if you’re looking for a relaxing beach vacation.
In summary, go to Kadidiri for your typical relaxing beach paradise, Bomba or Malenge for a more rustic beach adventure, and Una Una for diving. If you have time, I would highly recommend staying longer and visiting multiple islands! Your accommodation can help you arrange a private boat charter between islands.
Our beachfront bungalow at Kadidiri Paradise for only $26/person/day including 3 meals a day!
How long to stay in the Togeans
The ferry only goes between the Togeans and Gorontolo in the north on Tuesdays and Fridays, so this is usually a limiting factor for most people’s stays. Some people only stay for 2-3 days and choose one island to relax on, while others stay for over a week doing a bit of island hopping and relaxing.
We spent 5 days in the Togeans and stayed on Kadidiri island the entire time. While it was perfect for a relaxing beach vacation, we wished we had a few more days to explore other islands and make more of an adventure out of all the Togeans have to offer! In our ideal world, we would have preferred to have about a week and split our time between 2 different islands. Due to the ferry schedule though, it was either 5 days or 9 days, and 9 was too long for us. If possible, I would recommend spending 1 week so that you can have relaxing beach time, adventure time, and get to experience what the different islands have to offer!
What to do in the Togeans
Kayaking to a cute nearby island where he had the island and beach all to ourselves!
The Togeans are a stunning place to simply just be and get away from it all. There’s no much cell service throughout the islands and Wi-Fi is limited, so it’s a wonderful place to truly disconnect, read a book, relax, and just spend quality time with your loved ones (or with yourself!). We spent our days in Kadidiri swimming, snorkeling, kayaking, playing beach volleyball, working on things (offline) on our computers, reading, and just relaxing. It was a perfect place to have some exploring during the day, some time to read and work on our own things, and plenty of time to just be with each other, soak it all in, and relax.
In addition to relaxing on the island, most resorts will also offer boat trips to take you around to explore other islands and snorkeling spots. Kadidiri offered full day trips and half day trips to visit other islands. We didn’t go ourselves, but other guests really enjoyed it. Instead, we took out a kayak a couple days and went to visit nearby islands that way. Also a nice activity!
If you have the time, I would recommend staying on 2 different islands since each island has their own distinct feel, and you can get a taste for all that the Togeans have to offer.