Tourism of Indonesia
Ready to Go to Wakatobi National Marine Park the Underwater Paradise
Planning to go on a tour or travelling, we definitely want a smooth trip, comfortable accommodation, cheap hotels, good food, cheap plane tickets, close to everywhere, and can rent a motorbike or car.
Attraction
In Wakatobi National Marine Park, there is natural beauty and unique culture of the local community. There are many uniqueness, starting from the village (desa), sub-district (kecamatan), district (kabupaten) and provincial levels.
In Indonesia, each province has different and interesting characteristics. Each province has a different and unique culture and lifestyle.
Wakatobi National Marine Park is located in south-east of Sulawesi Province,between the Banda Sea to the north-east and the Flores Sea to the south-west.
This national park consists of four larger islands: Wangi-Wangi, Kaledupa, Tomia and Binongko, as well as many small islands such as Tokobao, North Lintea, South Lintea, Kampenaune, Hoga and Tolandono.
The highest elevation is 274 metres (899 ft) on Wangi-Wangi, followed by Lagole Hill (271m) on Tomia, Terpadu Hill (222 m) on Binongko and Mount Sampuagiwolo (203 m) on Kadelupa. The water depth varies, with the deepest parts reaching 1,044 meters (3,425 ft).
Located right in the heart of the Asia-Pacific Coral Triangle, in the province of South East Sulawesi, the Wakatobi Islands offer crystal clear pristine waters and a rich bio-diverse underwater life, a true paradise for Divers,
Interestingly, this is one of 3 hearts in the World Coral Triangle that stretches from the Solomon Islands in the Pacific to Wakatobi, and North to the Philippines.
Wakatobi alone is said to have 942 fish species and 750 coral reef species from a total of 850 of world’s collection, which, comparing with the two world’s famous diving centers, the Caribbean Sea owns only 50 species with 300 coral reef species in the Red Sea, in Egypt.
The District capital of Wakatobi is Wanci on Wangi-Wangi. Since the opening of the Matohara Airport on Wangi-Wangi, these remote islands are now more accessible and can be reached by flights from Jakarta or Makassar. There is also another landing strip on Tomia island, which receives charters from Bali.
Now a National Marine Park covering the entire Waktobi District, it comprises a total of 1.4 million hectares, of which 900,000 hectares are decorated with different, colourful species of tropical coral reefs.
For Wakatobi is widely recognized as having the highest number of reef and fish species in the world. The islands are also famous as the largest barrier reef in Indonesia, second only to the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.
Here can be found fringing, atolls and barrier reefs and offer more than 50 spectacular dive sites easily accessible from the major islands. This is the habitat of large and small fish species, the playground of dolphins, turtles and even whales.
Wakatobi National Marine Park has 25 chains of coral reefs, and the total circumference of the coral islands is 600 km. There are more than 112 species of coral such as Pavona cactus, Leptoseris yabei, Fungia molucensis,
Also Lobophyllia robusta, Acropora formosa, A. hyacinthus, Psammocora profundasafla, Merulina ampliata, Platygyra versifora, Euphyllia glabrescens, Tubastraea frondes, Stylophora pistillata, Sarcophyton throchelliophorum, and Sinularia spp.
There are about 93 species of ornamental and commercially valuable fish, including the napoleon wrasse (Cheilinus undulatus), peacock grouper (Cephalopholus argus), bluespine unicornfish (Naso unicornis), titan triggerfish (Balistoides viridescens),
Also two-spot snapper (Lutjanus biguttatus), spotted rabbitfish (Siganus guttatus), tomato anemonefish (Amphiprion frenatus), ovalspot butterflyfish (Chaetodon specullum), beaked coralfish (Chelmon rostratus), longfin bannerfish (Heniochus acuminatus), one-spot snapper (Lutjanus monostigma), and gold-banded fusilier (Caesio caerularea).
Among the recorded species of sea bird are the brown booby (Sula leucogaster plotus), Malaysian plover (Charadrius peronii), common kingfisher (Alcedo atthis); while certain species of turtle can also be seen, such as the hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata), loggerhead (Caretta caretta), and Pacific ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea).
The island group comprises 143 larger and smaller islands where only 7 are inhabited counting a total population of around 100,000, while the others remain uninhabited. Most notable are the Bajo communities, the seafaring nomads who inhabit many of Indonesia’s remote islands.
The government is taking good care of the preservation of nature and maintaining the condition of the forest.
The environment is also well maintained.
Activity
Visiting Wakatobi National Marine Park, we will witness routine community activities in unique traditional cultures. And there are special dishes and food as part of culinary tours that are delicious and yummy.
Because of its magnificent underwater life, Wakatobi is fast gaining worldwide attention for its quality dives that can be made by beginners to professionals.
Small wonder, therefore, that many live aboard make this one of their main ports of sojourn. Aside from its dive sites, Wakatobi has many superb beaches.
Tired of diving and snorkeling? Visit the Kampong Bajo Mola on Wangi-Wangi and see the life of the local Bajo sea nomads. There are also a number of interesting forts on Wangi-Wangi.
Five kilometers from Wanci is Fort Tindoi, standing on top of Tindoi Mountain, while at Liya Togo Village is Fort Lya which also has the Lya Kraton Mosque within its compound.
The fort was built in 1538 by an influential Islamic cleric called Syekh Abdul Wahid. Other forts are the Mandati Tonga Fort and the Kapota Fort.
Kaledupa has some of the best beaches such as the Hoga Beach, Sombano Beach, Peropa Beach, and Puncak Jamaraka
The Untete Beach at the Kulati Village is the longest white sand beach on Tomia with endless rows of coconut trees, where the usual fish grilling tradition is held. There are also mangrove forests to explore.
The conservation group “Operation Wallacea” is very active in this marine park, conducting underwater research and conservation.
During the Sail Wakatobi 2011 in August, the Marine Laboratory on Hoga Beach by Kaledupa is to be officially inaugurated.
In this place there are also regular events or activities held every year, both national and international.
Accessibility
The journey to Wakatobi National Marine Park is now very easy. We can enter through various modes of transportation.
The condition of the infrastructure is getting better. Starting from highways, airports, trails, ports, bridges, stairs, even some places can be reached by toll roads.
Access to go to Wakatobi National Marine Park:
Location : Regency of Buton, in the Province of Southeast Sulawesi
Express Air is the only regular airline that flies from Jakarta to Bau-Bau, in Southeast Sulawesi, and continues to land on Wakatobi’s Matohara Airport on Wangi-Wangi.
Other airlines flying to Bau-Bau from Jakarta, Bali or Surabaya are Garuda Indonesia, Lion Air, Batavia Air and Sriwijaya Airline. From here you must take a boat to Wakatobi.
The Wakatobi Dive Resort operates Charter flights so they can pick up passengers from Bali arriving direct on the island of Tomia.
We can visit by plane, car, ship, bus, motorcycle and bicycle. At some point, we can take the train. We can also walk freely.
Amenity
In Wakatobi National Marine Park, as technology getting better. We can easily find locations for mini markets, shops (warung kedai), ATMs, Bank BRI BCA BNI Mandiri, BTPN Bank Nagari BJB, supermarkets, and restaurants. So we will not starve or lack the necessary items.
Suggestion before visiting Wakatobi National Marine Park:
- Best time of year to visit: April to June and October to December
- Temperature: 19° – 34° C
- Altitude: 0 – 3 m asl.
- Wind speed: 12 – 20 knot
- Salinity: 35 0/oo (on average)
- Geographical location: 123°20′ – 124°39′ E; 5°12′ – 6°10′ S
If you are sick and need help, you can also visit clinics, drugstore pharmacies (apotek), practice doctors, hospitals, and health centers (puskesmas).
In this place we can also look for places of worship such as mosques, churches, and others.
Accommodation
Finding place to stay in Wakatobi National Marine Park is very easy. We can stay at homestays, hotels, inns, hostels and other places.
To get lodging at a cheap and definitely comfortable price, please see below:
Booking.com
Experience and Reviews
There are already many visitors have visited Wakatobi National Marine Park, there are many interesting stories that are told. Like feeling satisfied, happy, wanting to come again, sleep well, and almost no one is disappointed or complains to come here.
So, visitors will find out on how to find the best hotels, where is exactly located, why it is amazing, how much is the fare and rate, who are the people, whom to ask, and when is the best time to visit.
We can visit these tourist attractions from Tanjung Pinang, Tanjung Redep, Tanjung Selor, Tapak Tuan, Tarakan, Tarutung, Tasikmalaya, Muara Bungo, Muara Enim, Muara Teweh, Muaro Sijunjung, Muntilan, Nabire, Negara, Nganjuk,
That’s all the information we provided, hopefully useful.
Comments are closed.