Source: www.indonesia.travel
Wakatobi stores a million tourist charms. Starting from the beauty of underwater tourism, beach tourism, historical relics to cultural arts. After being designated as one of the ten priority tourist destinations by the central government, Wakatobi continues to be addressed. In 2016, the government determined that Wakatobi was one of the ten priority tourism destinations in Indonesia.
Data from Wakatobi National Park shows how Wakatobi deserves to be a priority tourism destination. Of the 820 species of coral in the world, as many as 750 species of coral (90%) of which are in Wakatobi. That means 90% of the world’s coral species are found in Wakatobi. In addition, Wakatobi is also one of the world-class dive sites. There are dozens of dive sites and dive tour operators ready to guide tourists to enjoy an underwater paradise.
In Wakatobi, there are also Bajo tribes who spend almost their entire lives on the sea, with their unique cultural customs. The amazing potential of marine tourism and culture led Wakatobi to be designated as the 8th Earth Biosphere Reserve in Indonesia by UNESCO in 2012.
Interestingly, the Wakatobi archipelago consists of four islands. Among them are the following:
- Binongko Island
Binongko Island is very popularly referred to as “Coral Island” because most of its land surface is coral. The island also still lacks infrastructure. Nonetheless, the island offers some marine tours and historical tours.
- Tomia Island
Tomia Island is a very popular tourist destination in Wakatobi because there is Maranggo Airport, capable of being a landing site for small planes. On Tomia Island, seven popular dive sites are Roma Dive Spot, Marimabok Dive Spot, West “38” Fun Divespot, Aly Reef Dive Spot, Wakatobi Table Coral Dive Spot, and Wreck Huntete Dive Spot.
Popular beach tours on this island include Onemoba’a Beach, Lakota Beach, Huntete Beach, Hondue Beach, Soha Beach, and Waitii Beach. In addition to the beach, Tomia Island also has other historical objects, such as Rambi Randa Fort, Tomb of Ince Sulaiman, Suo-suo Fort, Patua Fort, and Onemay Old Mosque.
- Kaledupa Island
Kaledupa Island has several dive points that tempt tourists, such as Buoy, Bay Batfish, Inner Pinnacle, Outer Pinnacle, Ridge 1, Coral Garden, Aquarium, Blue Hole, North Wall 2, Kaledupa Buoy 2, and Kaledupa Double Spur.
In addition, some small islands around Kaledupa Island are also exotic locations for diving. Hoga Island is one of the small islands on the northeast side of Kaledupa Island. For example, it offers a diving point frequented by domestic and foreign tourists. Kaledupa Island also has several interesting beach destinations, including Sombano Beach, Peropa Beach, and Langgira Beach. Other tours that are pretty popular on this island are Lake Sombano, Goa Alam Sangka’anukiye, and Goa Alam Derawa. In addition, there are also some forts and tourist attractions of historical value, such as the Togo Fort and the Old Mosque, La Donda Fort, the Tua Tomb (Imam Fada’s Tomb) and the Kamali Palea Traditional House.
- Wangi-Wangi Island
Wangi-wangi Island, also known locally as Wanci Island, is the main gateway to Wakatobi National Park. The administrative center of Wakatobi Regency is also on this Wangi-wangi island. There are several dive sites on Wangi-wangi Island, namely Sombu, Kapota Ujung or Tanjung Kapota, Kapota Danau, Entrance or Wandoka Pinnacle, Muka Kampung Station, and Waha.
In addition to the four islands mentioned above, the Wakatobi Regency Tourism Office also lists several exciting tourist objects. Among them are Kaluku Beach, Moli’i Sahatu Beach, Melai One Beach, Waikesa Beach, Sousu Beach, and Waha Beach or Cemara Beach. Many interesting forest tours include the Motika Protected Forest, the Tindoi Protected Forest, and the Liya Bahari and Liya Togo Mangrove Forests.
In addition, tourist baths in many caves can also be enjoyed by visitors. These bathing tours include Goa Kontamale Water, Goa Tee Kosapi Water, Tee Kuea Natural Bath, Water Goa Walobu, Wa Pia-pia, and Watu Tofengka.
Whether your trips take you on a long stroll on beaches, delicious cuisines, relaxing spas, and resorts or urban attractions, extra research will give you the best experience for your visit. Get to know more about Wakatobi by visiting Wonderful Indonesia.
