Asik OriginalFrom
$230
Labengki & Sombori, Southeast Sulawesi
Labengki & Sombori 3D2N: Karst Lagoons and Island Hopping
3 Days 2 NightsSmall groups
viewpoint · Labengki & Sombori
Teluk Cinta (Love Lagoon)
A lagoon that reads as a heart shape when you climb the rock above it.
At a glance
- Entry fee
- No gate. The cost is the boat trip.
- Opening hours
- Daylight, on your boat's schedule. Calm dry-season days, around April to November, are best for both the climb and the swim.
- Time needed
- An hour, including the climb and a swim below.
About Teluk Cinta (Love Lagoon)
Teluk Cinta, the Love Lagoon, is a pocket of darker blue water enclosed by limestone on the Labengki side. From sea level it looks like just another pretty inlet. The trick is to climb the rock above it, usually the short scramble up Kimaboe, where the darker water against the pale shallows takes on a rough heart shape.
The heart is loose, not a perfect cartoon outline, so manage your expectations and let the height and the light do the work.
Most trips pair the viewpoint with a swim or a snorkel in the calm water below, and on the way you pass the Bajo stilt houses and other small lagoons that make this corner of Labengki worth the slow boat ride.
Getting there
It sits on the Labengki side and is reached only by boat. Trips generally start from Kendari, with a 40 minute drive to Tanasa Port and then one hour by speedboat (about two and a half hours by wooden boat), though some operate from the Morowali and Bungku side; in all cases it is several hours by boat. Teluk Cinta is normally a stop on an island-hopping day around Labengki, often combined with the Kimaboe viewpoint.
Best time
Late morning to early afternoon, when the sun is high, gives the strongest colour contrast that makes the heart shape read. Calm dry-season days, around April to November, are best for both the climb and the swim.
Good to know
The heart only really appears from above, so do the short climb rather than judging it from the boat. Bring a drone or a wide phone lens, and wear sandals you can grip and get wet in for the rocky shoreline.
Labengki & Sombori
Things to do at Teluk Cinta (Love Lagoon)
01
Climb Kimaboe for the heart shape
The lagoon only reads as a heart from above, where the darker water against the pale shallows takes the shape. Do the short scramble rather than judging it from the boat.
02
Swim in the lagoon below
Most trips pair the viewpoint with a swim or a snorkel in the calm water underneath it.
03
Look at the Bajo stilt houses on the way
You pass them and other small lagoons getting here, and they are a good part of why this corner of Labengki is worth the boat time.
Labengki & Sombori
Tours that include this
Good to know
Teluk Cinta (Love Lagoon) FAQs
Why is it called the Love Lagoon?+
Seen from the rock above, the darker blue deep water against the lighter shallows forms a rough heart shape. Hence Teluk Cinta, literally Love Bay.
Can I swim or snorkel here?+
Yes, the enclosed water is usually calm and good for a dip. Many trips combine the viewpoint photo with a swim or light snorkel in the lagoon.
Do I need to hike to see the heart shape?+
Pretty much. From the boat it just looks like an inlet, so plan on a short scramble up the adjacent rock for the proper view.
Labengki & Sombori
More to see in Labengki & Sombori
Work Teluk Cinta (Love Lagoon) into a trip
Add it to a route across Indonesia and we will work out the travel time and cost between every stop.
Build your trip