Is this where the finest coral reefs are?

Wakatobi is a national park and UNESCO marine biosphere reserve, as well as being sustainable tourism at its best. It’s reached by the resorts private charter plane from Bali. It is home to tropical coral reefs and colourful fish and is considered the largest barrier reef in Indonesia.

The word Wakatobi is a combination of the first two letters in the names of its 4 major islands: Wangi Wangi, Kaledupa, Tomia, and Binongko. The island has some of the best diving and snorkelling spots in the world and, once there, you won’t be rubbing shoulders with any other divers within 100 miles; this is a major attraction. In fact, no two boats belonging to the resort visit the same spot at the same time.

“Welcome to Wakatobi Ms Emma, Mr Simon, your very special no shoes resort” says Crispin, Operations Director at Wakatobi, as we step off the boat onto the white sand, lined with comfortable seats and umbrellas. A couple of our group were a little put out, having spent some time packing carefully selected dresses to wear to dinner, with said shoes, not to mention wishing they hadn’t packed unnecessarily. “I guess you didn’t read the fine print!” said Crispin. I must say, being barefoot for an entire week was blissful. It’s peaceful, picturesque and warm.

As we walk to our rooms at this peaceful, picturesque and wonderfully warm island, we noticed the sand was raked in beautiful shapes – how can we possibly mess that up? So we didn’t … we walked around at all times not realising that by doing this, we were preventing them from doing a job they took great pride in!

For the next seven days we would be living at the resort with only about 30 others in one of the most remote and serene resorts in this part of the world.

Private boat tours

Our group included people who had hardly ever snorkelled, non-divers and divers. We had our own private boat for some days, with plenty of snorkel and dive guides so that we could all do what we enjoyed, but together on the boat.

Everyone had a swim crate for their equipment, which was delivered to the boat in advance, and wet suits were on numbered hangers. Even BCD’s (diving vests) were lifted on your back for you whilst you sat on the very edge of the boat, so no-one had to feel the weight before being in the water. Where at all possible, you don’t lift a finger here.

After coming out of the water there was a hot shower, hot towels, ginger tea in china tea pots and all sorts of treats in the way of food.

Here are the highlights of each day:

Exploring the Marine Marvels

The Zoo and Magnifica

Our first full day began with a walk around the resort. We got up for an early breakfast and had an awakening walk around the resort to say good morning to the resident water monitors and birds, such as the ubiquitous island monarchs. A few guests decided to do their first ever dive with their private instructor; the rest of us joined our private boat and went to Wakatobi’s most famous site ‘The Zoo’ and then onto the acclaimed ‘Magnifica’, a site rich with beautiful soft corals.

After a delicious lunch, we resumed with a snorkel on the house reef. It was low tide and with the drop-off only about 200m away, we zig-zagged until sunset. Common lionfish, green turtles and Napoleon wrasse were among the highlights. As it got dark, we were forced back to the beach for cocktails (shame!) with the resort staff before dinner and an early night.

Batfish Wall & Dunia Baru

The next day started with some birdwatching before heading to Batfish Wall. Here, we were lucky to see about 40 batfish. After a short lunch break, we took the boat to at Dunia Baru, a site with rejuvenated coral reefs. For divers, this was a chance to see the amazing legendary pygmy seahorses. A night snorkel revealed the reef’s nocturnal beauty, with glowing corals and basket stars feeding on plankton.

Other Thrills Beyond Diving

Birdwatching and House Reef Wonders

We decided to take it easy on the third day. Some of us went walking, others had a lie in and some enjoyed a leisurely snorkel. The house reef, protected for thirty years, was a playground of fish life. We even found a photogenic octopus during our morning swim.

Lunchtime was another delightful feast, followed by more snorkelling. The reef turned into a bustling highway of parrotfish and crayfish. As the sun set, we enjoyed cocktails on the pier, as per usual, watching the sky turn pink.

More Underwater Adventures

Dolphins, Pygmy Seahorses, and Fluorescence Snorkelling

A sunny morning took us to Sawa Utara, where we had one of our best swims. We saw the newly described Pontohoi pygmy seahorse, hairy squat lobsters and candy crabs. The afternoon brought a rare encounter with dolphins, cuttlefish, and abundant sea turtles.