The beautiful harbour at Pulau Wangi Wangi, Wakatobi welcomed us with clear aqua waters.
The name 'Wakatobi' is made up of the first 2 letters of the four main islands that make up this region, though there are actually many islands that are part of the Wakatobi marine park archipelago. This whole area is a diving and snorkelling extravaganza of reefs and is world renowned for its underwater beauty.
Pulau Wangi Wangi, the first one we explored, was great. Sailing into Wanci harbour, we were treated to a harbour that was the cleanest and clearest we've seen in Indonesia and was a credit to the tourism department and marina management team. We were offered free berths on the floating pontoons for the whole of our stay and a Welcome centre was manned 24 hours a day for our convenience.
We were surprised on the 2nd morning to find ourselves locked in. That certainly made us a captive audience. 😁 Turns out it was the curious locals that were locked out and we were quickly freed to explore the beauty of Wangi Wangi. We hired ourselves a scooter and did just that.
Fearless bikie gang
First order of the stay was a snorkel, so straight to Sombu jetty where it was reported to be one of the best local spots to access from shore. The reports were right. The reef was magnificent. The abundance and array of corals was mindblowing and it was wonderful to see such a healthy reef. The tropical fish were plentiful, as were the banded sea snakes, the sea anemones with so many different types of clown fish, little rock cod, schools of barracuda and garfish, and a delightful little lionfish showing off all his fins and wings. Heaven for me. So good, in fact, we returned the next day to do it all over again.
lionfish
clown fish in sea anemone
banded sea snake
We also paid a visit to one of the three water caves on the island. This water comes from underground springs, icy cold and fresh, and the caves have plenty of stalactites and underwater caves to make for some interesting swimming holes.
Day 3 and four of us represented the whole rally by joining in a parade through the streets for the lead up to Independence Day in 2 days. We met the Regent and the General in front of the Government house here in Wanci town, got clapped and cheered and photographed a gazillion times. Too hilarious. We're all going to get big heads over all this popularity.
The next morning the Regent visited the marina to look at the boats. He officially invited us all to attend the Independence Day raising of the flag, a very serious, meticulously planned ceremony that the whole town turned out to watch. Indonesia claimed independence on 17th August 1945 and continue to celebrate this special day in a big way. The ceremony was impressive, with the precision of the marching soldiers something to see.
That evening, as the Regent's guests, we attended a dinner followed by karaoke and dancing. He asked if I would sing. What a giggle. I told him I don't ('can't' being closer to the truth) sing and he replied, "Oh, but you look like a singer". Yeah, right up there with the golden oldies.
After dinner, as promised, we were all welcomed to the stage and as a whole rally group we belted out Rod Stewart's 'We are Sailing'. The Regent loved it and we received a huge round of applause. Some of us made our escape not long after that but the few that stayed said the dancing was great fun with some sort of congo line that involved everyone.
the costumes from the different villages were breathtaking
We spent one day on the scooter exploring the southern end of the island, which included the Liya Togo fort. The historical village within its walls still embraces the traditional ways of life and live a simple and happy life. The very first mosque in this area was built in the 1500s and still stands today. The fort walls and the mosque are made of coral held together with egg whites and lime dough. It's incredible how well this structure has stood up to the years and I can only imagine just how many chickens they must have had running around to make the many kilometres of fort walls.
the laneways of Liya Togo Fort
The original mosque and ancient frangipani trees
The Baruga, or meeting house for the village
We tried to find the natural springs we had heard of that were within the fort walls. We ended up with 4 guides, all under 10, showing us the way. What an awesome spot that was. Many steps led down into a stunning ravine with cool, clear fresh water pools. One small pool was full of little fish that clean your feet as you kick back and soak up the serenity of this special spot. Well, when I wasn't having my toes tickled too much.
being watched over by our 4 guides
We tiki toured on our little scooter along the waterfront, passing fishing villages, traditional timber boats, beautiful beaches and aqua waters. We rode through the Waha village that has many homestay residences where you can immerse yourself in local life.
The people in Wangi Wangi were always smiling, waving and calling hello. The students learning english were a wonderful source of local knowledge and they were keen to hang out with us to get some practice in. This island was so welcoming to us and had so much to offer in diversity of nature, from the jungle covered mountains to the aqua seas, from the fishing villages to the fortress settlements.
Sadly, our time in the Wakatobi region was cut short due to one of the misadventures of our mate Carol when she broke her clavicle. It was off to a bigger island for Carol's medical attention so, in the name of friendship, ourselves and the crew of Chanto sailed off to Pulau Buton in support of Carol and Glen.
Until next time, Watusi Woman - no sailor left behind, out.
The view of the sea is beautiful. I haven’t visit a beach for a long time and you make me to miss it. Have a great day.
I'm having a wonderful life in, on and under the water. I hope you can have some time visiting a beach soon.
Magical as always except for the sea snake...eeeekkkk!
Not a fan of snakes then, hey? I saw 4 in total that day and they are lovely to watch as they move through the water. From a little distance of course.
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Wow, thanks guys, that's great!
It's so beautiful, the sea view makes me I want to go to that place, it's amazingly stunning, I've never seen such a beautiful place before, it feels complete by seeing this beautiful view
Wakatobi is a stunning place, for sure. The colour and clarity of the water was incredible.
it is amazing how clear the water is.
The visibility at Sombu was certainly amazing. I've only seen visibility that good in the waters around Lombok.
I've been to Lombok but I just can't figure out what is the exact place I've been.
We will be in lombok in a couple more weeks time. Our next destination is Flores and the Komoda Islands Marine park. Can't wait for those 2 places. I've been there before for short holidays. I'm looking forward to proper exploration.
Great reading ,
Glad you enjoyed 😘
Wow, that place is breathtaking! Thank you for sharing! :)
Thanku, it's awesome being able to explore such beautiful places.
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What a very amazing place this is!
The kids must be so excited touring you around 😅
The underwater shots are so awesome! Weren't you afraid of the sea snake?
It is a most beautiful place. The young boys were great. Not much language between us so lots of gestures and sign language. That's always fun. The sea snakes were too beautiful for me to be afraid of. Mostly they were trying to get away from me 😁
You're so brave! The sea snakes are maybe afraid seeing a human being 😅
I think you're right. The sea snakes are more afraid of me. 😁
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