Togean Islands, a paradise beyond eyeing

Togean Islands, a paradise beyond eyeing

Ruslan Sangadji, Correspondent, Togean Islands, Central Sulawesi

"I am greatly enjoying my holiday in the Togean islands. The
coral reef is in good condition, the aquarium fish gliding on the
seabed are colorful and the sunset is incredibly beautiful.
Beautiful indeed. This is a paradise for me and I don't have such
a beautiful scenery in my own country," Jana (29), a Swiss
tourist, told The Jakarta Post earlier this month.

Jana was staying at Fadillah Cottage, a tourist hotel owned by
a resident of Katupat village, Jana and six tourists from other
countries were sunbathing while reading a book. Other tourists
were busy snorkeling, savoring the beautiful colors of the reef
fish.

The Togeans are indeed charming. Conservation International
(CI) Indonesia reports in its website that the Togeans are a
chain of islands in Tomini Bay, Central Sulawesi, part of the
Wallace hotspot. The islands's land mass and waters span 600,000
hectares. Globally, this group of islands is very important as it
belongs to the world's "Coral Triangle", an area with a rich
diversity of coral reefs.

CI Indonesia research shows that the Togeans offer unique and
diverse maritime resources. There is a vast mangrove forest and
stretches of seagrass, which dugong live on, as well as over 35
species of butterfly fish (Chaetodontidae sp.). Clearly, the
coral reefs are in very good condition.

The waters of the Togean islands constitute a habitat for
various marine biota and offer a great potential for underwater
tourism. These waters are home to 262 kinds of coral, among
others the endemic Acropoda togeanenssis, 596 species of fish,
including Paracheilinus togeanensis and Ecsenius sp., and 555
molluscs and other rare species like giant clams (Tridacna gigas)
and scaled clams (Tridacna squamosa)

The group of islands is also home to the green turtle
(Chelonia mydas), scaled turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata), lola
(Trochus niloticus), dugong (Dugong dugong), pilot whale and the
Maming (Napoleon) fish.

Various land biota include deer (Cerbus timorensis), Togean
monkeys (Macaca togeanus), Togean monitor lizards (Varanus
salvator togeanensis) and rare species like the bear cuscus
(Phalanger ursinus), spectral tarsiers (Tarsius spectrum), deer-
hogs (Babyrousa babirussa), canary Ketang fish (Birgus latro), 97
species of birds, 363 species of flora, among others, meranti
(Shorea sp.), iron wood (Intsia bijuga), Palapi (Heritiera sp.),
33 species of mangrove and various amphibious creatures as well
as reptiles.

As the Togeans are habitat for many land and marine biota,
these areas act as a magnet for tourists, scientists, researchers
and non-governmental organizations.

Jafar M. Amin, the owner of Fadillah Cottage, said most
tourists visiting these islands came from Europe.

Beyond the holiday season, only 15 - 17 tourists come to
Togean islands to stay for several days at a time. During the
holiday season, in August and September, an average of 30 to 60
tourists visit Togean.

Jhon Pahantua, an employee of the Black Marlin Dive Center in
Kadidiri, said that tourists generally only came to these islands
for snorkeling and diving. The average rates for diving and
snorkeling are between US$25 and $650. If you wish to stay in a
cottage, the rate is between Rp 75,000 and Rp 110,000 a night,
depending on the type of the room chosen.

Nearly all resorts in the Togean islands are open to the
public. However, one, namely the resort in Tanjung Kramat owned
by Mr Lucka, an Italian, is very difficult for locals to come
close to let alone enter.

Acting regent of Tojo Una-Una, Syafri Ali Kadir, said that the
resort was only open to foreign tourists and that they were
mostly Italians. "You must wear a tie to enter the resort.
Fishing is forbidden. In short, it's a very exclusive place," the
acting regent said.

In his opinion, the coral reefs at this resort are complete
and perfect. You can see corals in the shape of tree branches
decorated by leaves or in the form of edible ferns with colors
from golden yellow to red.

Tanjung Kramat, however, is not the only beautiful site. There
are other tourist attractions on this group of islands, among
others, Batu Gila, Taipi, Goa-goa, Katupat, Wakai, Kadidiri,
Kuling Kinari, Una-Una, Angkaiyo, Karang, Kadoda, Lumpatan,
Pasibatang and Dondola.

In nearly all of these islands, the underwater scenery is
nearly perfect. Towards twilight, the sunset in the Togeans is
very beautiful because as the sun sets into the surface of the
sea it goes through mountains. "It is extraordinarily beautiful,"
said Abdy, one of the locals.

How to get to all these attractions? There are a variety of
routes. If you depart from Jakarta by air, you can fly to
Makassar, Palu or Manado. Arriving in Palu, you can continue your
journey by car in an eight-hour trip to Ampana, the capital of
Tojo Una-Una regency. If you charter an automobile, the tariff is
Rp 350,000 per trip. If you take a regular bus, or a minivan
owned by a travel agency, the cost is Rp 35,000 and Rp 75,000
respectively for a one-way trip.

When you get to Ampana, you must take a regular motorized
vessel or speedboat to cross the sea to Wakai. This trip will
take between 3 and 4 hours. The fare for a regular motorized
vessel like the MV Duta Samudra or MV Puspita, which will take
you from Ampana to Wakai, is Rp 25,000. If you prefer a
speedboat, you can charter one for between Rp 500,000 and Rp
750,000 for a one-way trip.

However, as the route from Palu must go through Poso, where
sectarian conflicts are taking place, tourists have to take
another route, namely Jakarta-Manado-Gorontalo-Pagimana-Ampana-
Wakai. You depart Jakarta by air to Manado or Gorontalo and then
proceed from Gorontalo on board a motorized vessel, MV Puspita,
to Wakai. If you take a ferry, you must first go to Pagimana in
Banggai regency and then proceed on the two-hour overland journey
to Ampana.