Wakatobi - Wakatobi Resort
- All Year
- Courses
- Nitrox
- Snorkeling
- DIN & Yoke
- Diving
- 12+ Days
Deemed as having the World’s Best Housereef. World-class diving is at your doorstep. From shore or by boat, you have exclusive access to miles of pristine reefs, where diverse marine life and dramatic underwater landscapes immerse altogether. Wakatobi is a dive resort in southeastern Sulawesi, Indonesia. In a tranquil island setting far from crowds and cities, with no other divers for at least 100 miles, Wakatobi seamlessly blends five-star amenities and civilized comforts with a pristine natural environment; a pairing that has secured its reputation as one of the world’s finest diving and snorkeling destinations.
Wakatobi - Wakatobi Resort
All Year
12 Days From € 3500 / Person
16 Dives From € 1400
(Based on double occupancy)
(All Flights Included)
Overview
Wakatobi Resort is an exclusive resort, with just 17 Ocean Bungalows, 9 Palm Bungalows and 4 Villas. Accommodations are within easy walking distance of all amenities and all are just a short distance from the beach and the ocean.
The exclusice Wakatobi Dive Resort is located on the small island of Onemobaa, right next to Tomia island and a few kilometers from Binongko Island. Wa-Ka-To-Bi got its name from the islands of Wangi Wangi, Kaledupa, Tomia and Binongko.
Whether you are diving or snorkeling amongst our vibrant protected coral reefs bristling with marine life, enjoying a rejuvenating spa, taking in a glorious sunset with your favorite cocktails at the jetty bar, or perhaps indulging in a romantic beach dinner, Wakatobi Dive Resort provides a unique and enriching experience for those seeking recreation, relaxation and privacy.
You will enjoy the tranquility and secluded location of Wakatobi; no traffic noise, no pollution, no other divers for at least 100 miles. Although we are far off the beaten track, our private charter flight will transport you from Bali to our purpose-built airstrip in less than three hours, followed by a short boat ride to our resort and your vacation will truly begin.
Activities in the Wakatobi Islands
The Onemobaa Nature Trail leads guests from the resort into a world of pristine greenery, and on to a local village on the island. Paths crisscross the interior, providing opportunities for nature lovers and bird watchers alike. Keep your eyes open for monitor lizards, which can often be seen in an area that has been set aside as habitat for these intriguing animals.
Enhance your Wakatobi stay with a visit to neighboring islands, where you can engage in walking tours of villages and open-air markets and immerse yourself in the local culture. Many of our staff are from the local villages, which welcome resort guests into their communities. Bring a camera, as curious and gregarious children are often eager to pose for photos.
Wakatobi offers many opportunities to broaden your knowledge, be it for personal enrichment on various subjects or to enhance the enjoyment of your diving. From fish behaviour to Indonesian cookery, we are sure to have something that will interest and engage you. Learn about our marine life or help our turtles get a head start. Or you can do more than just savor the delicious Indonesian dishes served in the resort’s restaurant. Working with our five-star resort chefs, you can learn the secrets to Sambal Olek, the region’s traditional chili and tomato relish
Learn about image editing with a focus on techniques such as achieving proper color balance, creative cropping and composition. range from beginning to advanced Lightroom and Photoshop editing
During your stay in Wakatobi, evening wildlife shows will be held giving insights on particular aspects of marine wildlife of relevance to visitors to Wakatobi.
Wakatobi offers perfect conditions for kitesurfing with large expanses of open water close to the resort and ample winds. Kitesurfers are all provided with a waterproof walkie-talkie and may tap the knowledge of our resident kitesurfing guide and tutor.
The shallows and mangrove forests surrounding Wakatobi are the nurseries of the reef, and rich habitat for a host of resident bird populations, invertebrates and colorful fish life. You can glide over these calm waters in a self-guided kayak or SUP tour, or go with an experienced guide who knows the best sights and sounds of this saltwater forest.
Wakatobi Resort
You will discover that, despite its remote location, Wakatobi Dive Resort offers a very civilized existence. Each hand-crafted villa and bungalow is spacious, quiet, comfortable and just a few steps from the ocean. All are air-conditioned with wi-fi satellite internet access, along with comprehensive amenities. All your meals and snacks (chef-prepared in our beachside restaurant) are included throughout your stay.
You will find yourself slipping into Wakatobi’s easy rhythm, rejuvenated by its comforting ways – freshly prepared and appetizing food, comfortable accommodation, sensational diving and friendly, personalized service.
Main inclusions
- Private ocean view
- Varied gourmet meals and snacks throughout the stay
- Access to Concierge for stopover planning or other trip preparation
- Personalized service and support without equal (ratio 5 staff : 1 guest)
- No fuel surcharges / park fees
Diving Wakatobi
Wakatobi is located at the world’s epicenter of coral reef biodiversity and is designated a UNESCO Marine Biosphere Reserve. This means that while diving at Wakatobi you can see the greatest variety and diversity of marine life. You’ll not only see beautiful vistas or pristine coral reefs, but also abundant colorful reef fish and rare and unusual cryptic ‘critters’. New and undocumented species continue to be discovered at Wakatobi.
There are other locations where you can see larger schools of fish, bigger animals and experience more adrenaline-filled underwater ‘rides’, but for sheer reef scenery and marine life variety, you won’t be disappointed with a diving holiday at Wakatobi.
Wakatobi is blessed with more than 50 mapped and named dive sites all within a short distance of the main resort.
Nowhere else do you have such ease of access to miles of pristine reefs with diverse topography, life and highlights. In other locations you collect the good dive sites together over large areas with perhaps long and arduous boat journeys in between and might not even get close to what Wakatobi offers out there right at the doorstep.
Night diving at Wakatobi is fantastic! One or two night dives (depending on length of the trip and weather) will be offered from the boats. You can dive any night on the house reef in front of the resort (unguided buddy teams). Simply gear up in the diver preparation area and walk-in off the beach.
World’s Best Housereef
House Reef: Actually six different sites, one accessible directly off the beach in front of the resort, including a seagrass bed and healthy reef top right of the beach. It’s only 80 yards from the shoreline to the drop-off. With well protected schooling fishes and the jetty full of resident fish, the snorkelers find here plenty of attractions without the need for taking a boat. Highlights include a great variety of fishes, invertebrates, macro subjects, beautiful soft corals, gorgonians, tunicates, whips, sponges, overhangs-all totalling a spectacular rainbow of colour. Frequently there are strong and changing currents.
Appropriately dubbed one of the best house reefs in the world, the Wakatobi House Reef is indeed a special place to dive. It is unusual to find guests skipping out on boat dives so that they can dive a house reef all day long, but that is often the case here.
The reef consists of a colourful wall with a shallow drop off that can begin in water less than two meters deep during low tide and as deep as four meters during high tide. In the short distance between the drop off and the resort lies a vast ecosystem of turtle grass and isolated coral heads, a rich environment for odd and beautiful creatures such as frogfish, stonefish, blue ring octopus, moray eels, blue spotted stingrays, ghost pipefish, jawfish, shrimp and goby pairs. It also provides a safe haven for a wide variety of juvenile reef fish. The bright blue mantles of juvenile giant clams seem to be wedged between some of the coral formations and rocks, most likely due to the shallow reef top and strong sunlight in this habitat.
Beyond the reef top, you will cruise over the edge of the drop off, where a sheer wall face is covered with hard and soft corals, sea fans, sponges, tunicates and over hangs that have become a favourite resting place for large resident turtles. The other residents on the reef include a sizable school of jacks that can be regularly found in front of the jetty bar at the end of the pier, which protrudes from the island to the edge of the drop off. At night, while enjoying a drink at the jetty bar after your house reef night dive (equally as rewarding as the daytime experience), you can hear the jacks hunting and splashing. The current on the house reef can range from mild to fairly wild, and there is always a small taxi boat available to drop divers off up current so that you can drift right back to the resort for a quick surface interval before a repeat performance. This is definitely a reef that you can dive all day long. By varying your depth and drop off points, each dive is a unique.
Coral Reef Biodiversity
The Wakatobi region is considered to be the epicenter of coral reef biodiversity. 85% of the world’s coral reefs are located in the Indo-Pacific region, and as you travel either east or west from the epicenter of biodiversity, the number of species decreases. At the Western edge of the Indian Ocean, or the Eastern edge of the Pacific, you will only find about 25% of the number of species that are present at Wakatobi.
The Atlantic/Caribbean region has even less diversity, less than one tenth the number of species found in the Indo-Pacific. For instance, the Atlantic/Caribbean region has fewer than 70 species of corals while the Indo-Pacific has over 700 species.
Dive Site Map
Favourite Dive Sites
With more than 50 dive sites scattered around the huge area, we will give you a list of our top ten, – but all of them are worthy of diving! Wakatobi’s House Reef is known as one of the best shore dives in the world. Located just across Tomia at the luxurious Wakatobi Resort. You’ll be immersed in a world of healthy seagrass beds and a reef busy with life, all leading to a drop-off just 73 meters from the shoreline. Drifting along the outer edge of the site, you can watch schools of fish swirling under the jetty, search for macro life, of which there is plenty, or watch sea turtles grazing just inshore on the seagrass. Being shallow, the House Reef is well lit by the sunlight overhead, making it ideal for photography and a snorkeller’s haven.
Roma is perhaps the best-known dive site at Wakatobi, Roma’s pinnacle rises from the depths to within 2 meters of the surface and is covered in the most astounding assortment of corals. The fringing ring of potato coral around the crest gives the dive site its name, thanks to its resemblance to the Colosseum in Rome. A unique rose-shaped turbinaria coral steals the show; stretching across more than 6 meters of the dive site. The upper part of the pinnacle is covered in clouds of anemones and clownfish, and there is plenty more marine life to discover while admiring the striking corals on display.
The Zoo is a patch reef close to the resort just beyond the site Turkey Beach. Named for the plethora of critters founds here it is also a favourite for night dives. As the sun sinks further below the horizon, hunting cuttlefish and lionfish appear from the darkness and your dive light will reveal bobtail squid and octopus out hunting the dark. Dive the Zoo during daylight and you’ll be surrounded by tiny reef fish – they are absolutely everywhere. One of the more unique critters found at The Zoo among mushroom coral are the mushroom pipefish, an unusual tiny white pipefish resembling an underwater python. Peer more closely into the corals and you’ll spot frogfish, ghost pipefish and bright pink hairy squat lobsters as well.
Table Coral City is a great site to see extensive branching and table corals, especially on the upper slopes where this seamount rises to the shallow waters. The crest is covered in huge corals and the sides of the pinnacle have abundant sponges and gorgonians. A large basin of cabbage coral along one side of the seamount and patches of vivid soft corals make great photography subjects. Wherever you look, there is an array of reef fish hovering above the corals and numerous schooling fish patrolling on the edge of blue water.
Blade is the most distant site visited by the resort’s day boats, and the rewards are well worth the journey at this dramatic dive site. Blade consists of a row of elongated parallel seamounts that rise up dramatically from a deeper ridge. These striking seamounts run for more than 200 meters and yet are never wider than 7 meters across. Seen from the side, they resemble the serrated blade of a giant knife. If you drift close to the surface you can view both sides of this formation together, admiring giant sponges and sea fans up to 3 meters across. There are numerous crevices and caverns to explore, some extending through the pinnacle, and the site is entirely covered in corals.
Teluk Maya is one of the most diverse sites at Wakatobi Resort, Teluk Maya is a great dive site that delivers an intriguing mixture of environments all close together. You can enjoy shallow coral formations around a sandy bay with patches of seagrass, or visit a nearby wall with steep overhangs that shelter macro life and black corals. There are large schools of resident batfish in the bay and visiting cuttlefish are known to mate and nest there. Make sure you look closely to find the solar-powered nudibranch. This large invertebrate is a prized find amongst divers. The Lembeh Seadragon, a fairly recently discovered species, can be seen amongst the corals at Teluk Maya. Ask your dive guide, he’ll know where to find this rare site.
If you love critters and colour, the Great Wall of Cornucopia is a real Wakatobi dive highlight. With a higher than average critter counter and a dramatic wall swathed in bright soft corals, there is plenty to keep you occupied. Stay in the shallow for sea fans and sunlight or go deeper to discover larger gorgonians, sponges and black coral groves. The undercuts on the wall host diverse macro life and a special signature resident; Randal’s shrimp goby. Unlike other shrimp goby, which inhabit sandy bottoms, Randal’s prefer the crevices of Cornucopia.
Turkey Beach – This ever-popular site has a resident population of sea turtles, often found gliding along the edge of the drop-off. In addition to these charming turtles, there is also a variety of reef fish, eagle rays and bumphead parrotfish. Divers enjoy Turkey Beach, but with sea turtles patrolling the shallows you might choose to just grab a snorkel and drift along to your heart’s content.
Another favourite amongst guests, Lorenzo’s Delight has extraordinary coral life and is ideal for mixed groups of divers and snorkelers who want to explore together. Gentle slopes are covered with healthy colonies of whip corals, sea fans and barrel sponges and there are numerous overhangs dotted with nudibranchs. Schools of sweetlips, unicornfish and black snappers patrol the reefs and you can also see larger pelagics, such as tuna, in the blue.
Treasure Chest – Beyond the northwestern edge of the House Reef, a trio of seamounts rise from a deeper ridge, including well-known Table Coral City and Waiti Ridge seamounts. But the third seamount is more mysterious. This is the Treasure Chest. Just ten minutes by boat from the resort, it has minimal currents and an impressive array of life. Schools of fusiliers, black snapper and groups of bumphead parrotfish populate the seamount eastern face, along with sea turtles and barracudas. The sandy bottom supports colonies of hundreds of garden eels and the western face is one of the best places at Wakatobi to find frogfish.
Season
In Wakatobi you can enjoy diving 365 days a year. There is no period or season unsuitable for diving, and we have skipped only 4 dives in the last 10 years.
The climate is drier than in other parts of Indonesia, and the location is nicely protected by the surrounding reefs and islands.
Easterly winds from June to October, and Westerly winds between December and April.
November and May are usually transitional months. July and August see a slight increase in wind, and the sea ripples somewhat; visibility is still fine. The weather in these months is a little cooler than the months on either side, making it a great time to visit for those who prefer to sleep without using an air-conditioner at night.
Underwater visibility is mostly between 20 m and 50 m, with an average of 35 m or 100 feet. There are no rivers or lakes bringing sediments, therefore visibility is not affected by rain.
Included
Included
- International Flights
- Airport pick-up by private car (Denpasar International Airport)
- 1 nights in a 4* hotel w/ breakfast
- Domestic flights to and from Wakatobi
- Transfer between Tomia by boat to Wakatobi Resort
- 7 nights in Wakatobi Resort w/ fullboard & free mineral water + hot water for tea/coffee
- We recommend prebooking the dives to get a diver’s discount
- *Fee to Rejsegarantifonden
- Full package tour – See the benefits of being covered by the Full Package Act and Regulations here
*A Danish Travel Guarantee Fund covering all European citizens in case of bankruptcy: link
Not Included
- “Visa On Arrival” ~ €30
- Tips for the staff
- Airport departure tax ~ €10
- Personal Travel Insurances
- Dive Packages
- Anything not listed in “Included
A Domestic Flight or Along the Way:
North Sulawesi
The Lembeh Strait
Muck diving capital of the world. Life has evolved without the ordinary reef fish. Two domestic flights away.
West Nusa Tenggara
South Lombok
From the secret Gilis you can dive 2 areas of South Lombok – Belongas Bay: Pelagics! Only a few hours by boat away.
North Sulawesi
Pulau Bangka
Bounty island, surrounded by soft coral color explosions and pinnacles. Two domestic flights away.
East Nusa Tenggara
Alor Archipelago
Vibrant coral reefs, strong currents, macro subjects, hammerhead sharks and culture. One domestic flight away via Bali!
Wakatobi & Bali – Island of the Gods
Many Tours
Duration Half to Full Day
When you are going to the Wakatobi Resort, you will fly directly via Bali. This is why our landtours for Wakatobi Resort features Bali.
There are so many things to do in Bali, so instead of listing all of them let us know your interests. Temples, waterfalls, hiking, motorbiking, rafting, cooking, rice fields, coffee etc.
We can tailor make daytrips.
You can visit Ubud, which is a famous town in Balis inland surrounded by rice fields. Here are many many restaurants and souvenir shops and the Monkey forest where the small monkeys roam around and can get a bit nosy around tourists.
Uluwatu Temple is a Balinese Hindu sea temple built at the edge of a 70-meter-high cliff projecting into the sea. A Kecak dance performance based on the Ramayana is performed daily in Uluwatu temple at every 6pm on the cliff-side. The performance which is outdoors also shows the beautiful sunset at the background of the performance
Tanah Lot is one of Bali’s most important landmarks. Its unique offshore setting provides the perfect backdrop for sunset photos. Constructed in the 16th century to honor the Hindu sea god, Baruna, Tanah Lot is one of Bali’s most-visited landmarks.
The Mount Batur hike in Kintamani, Bali is one of the most popular and enjoyable sunrise trekking experiences you can have in Indonesia. It’s not very hard to do the Mount Batur trek from any part of the island, and the guided trek takes you up a still active volcano — Gunung Batur — with a summit elevation of more than 1,700 meters. A perfect way to catch the sunrise. You drive up to around 1200 meters and walk the last 500 meters. Total duration up and down is 2-4 hours.
Q & A
Yes beginners can dive here and even take beginner courses.
Wakatobi is not infamous for strong currents, but of course, this is still Indonesia and the open ocean, so there will occur some currents, but nothing crazy.
Great! We can offer you courses from entry level to technical dives.
Contact us for further details.
The prices for PADI OPEN WATER courses roughly start at €1330 and takes 4 days.
The 3 day course will let you study via e-learning before you get here, which is smart if you want to be better prepared and spend your holiday time diving and relaxing instead of studying.
The 4 day course is the most popular and you start your studying once you get here.
The prices are almost identical.
Please book courses at the time of booking the whole trip.
You do not need to pre-book the dives.
However, for dive courses – you should book those in advance when you make your booking with Pilgrim Adventure.
We have both the International Yoke and DIN connections for the 1st stage.
There are no atm’s on the island.
On the resort, we accept Visa and MasterCard as well as Indonesian Rupiah cash (local currency). It is possible for us to settle any bills in Dollars, Euro or other major currencies, however, most guests choose to conveniently pay everything on credit card – even staff tips. We suggest you change a little money while in Bali to cover incidentals along the way. Also note that throughout Indonesia, the best exchange rates for US currency will be for unblemished $100 dollar bills issued within the last couple of years.
As for the resort, we have a good stock of medical gear and medication. Should that not be enough, there is a basic hospital on the neighboring island (sufficiently equipped for most general treatments).
In case of a serious medical incident, we have access to a medical evacuation plane service in Bali and worked out clearly defined procedures.
Add to this Swiss perfection in maintaining all equipment, thoroughness in managing and training on-site security, and a highly qualified international dive staff (currently with an average of over 3000 dives)–you can rest assured that every possible effort is made that you’ll never need this service
The risk of getting Malaria in the Wakatobi region is very, very low.
Gastrointestinal diseases: We’ve been lucky and have never contracted any, but again make sure you have some rehydration salts and basic medicines on hand. (Consult your doctor regarding appropriate medicines before you go.) Anti-diarrhea medicines like Imodium are best taken only if you have to travel – they only treat symptoms, not causes. Drinking only boiled or otherwise purified water will greatly reduce your chances of stomach troubles. You can read more about drinking water here.
Skin and wound infections: You should clean and treat even small wounds immediately with an antiseptic, and then examine them regularly for signs of infection. Especially if they are coral scrapes, which are notorious for going septic. Keeping wounds dry until healed is also good practice, but it’s a big ask when you’re on a short stay in the islands. Fungal infections love a tropical environment too, so you might want to consider having some antifungal medicine in your first aid kit.
Ear infections: Spending a lot of time with water in your ears in the tropics raises the risk of ear infections, so if you’re concerned pack an appropriate medicine.
Japanese Encephalitis and Dengue Fever: These mosquito-borne diseases have been reported from the Wakatobi Islands. You might want to consider vaccination for Japanese Encephalitis. Avoiding mosquito bites is the only protection available against Dengue Fever.
Tropical diseases: All tropical environments harbour parasites and pathogens not found elsewhere. You’re extremely unlikely to come into contact with any of those during a short holiday in Indonesia, but if you suffer any persistent or recurrent symptoms that can’t be diagnosed or aren’t relieved by standard medical treatment – even if those symptoms appear months after your visit – you should consult a tropical diseases specialist.
See our “About” page to know more about prevention of moscuito bites.
For further reading on health: https://www.iamat.org/country/indonesia