The Togean Islands are a hidden paradise in Sulawesi, Indonesia and a perfect beach destination to wind down while traveling. You won’t find many tourists and it is the ultimate spot to relax. The beauty is in the fact that the place is not that easy to reach. I guess you can see this as both a positive and negative factor. Firstly, we have been staying on Kadidiri Island, which is one of the most touristic islands of the archipel, and still not touristic at all! Of course, also other parts of Sulawesi are worth visiting. Check out the full Sulawesi Travel Guide here.
Not close to Sulawesi, but looking for a local experience? What about Sempu Island, near Java?
The closest airport is Pula. However, you would still need to catch transport (mini-bus) to Ampana, where the boats to the Togean Islands depart. When doing a Sulawesi roundtrip, what you can do is drive from Tana Toraja to Ampana, but be warned, this drive took us around 15 hours.
We stayed the night in a small guest house in Ampana, to get up early and catch the 7:30 am boat. Always check the current timetable with the hotel you are staying in. The boat itself takes about 4 hours, but you don’t have to be bored as you get rewarded with crystal clear sea along the way.
We have been staying at Kadidiri Island. When you arrive by ferry, there are little boats ready to take you to the smaller bounty islands. Kadidiri is the main island to head to when arriving at the harbour. The first night we stayed at Kadidiri Paradise, however, we saw Black Marlin next door and thought that looked better. Black Marlin is a dive resort with nice bungalows. When we were staying there, which is already a while ago, you only had electricity for a short part of the day and 1 hour in the morning and 1 hour in the evening with running water.
One thing to take into account, there are animals. You have to be aware of jungle rats (no food in your room, outside your bag and preferably no food within your bag to be on the safe side). Next to that, when I walked into our bungalow, I saw a snake coming out of my backpack.
Well, there isn’t much to do. For me, the Togean Islands were all about chilling and enjoying paradise. The islands are perfect for diving and snorkelling and discovering sea life, that’s for sure! We didn’t do it, as we just wanted to relax for a couple of days once we had the long trip to get to the island, but it is possible to see different islands and go island hopping.
