Asik OriginalFrom
$458
Luwuk Banggai, Central Sulawesi
Luwuk Banggai 6D5N: Waterfalls, Paisupok Lake & the Banggai Islands
6 Days 5 NightsSmall groups
Labengki & Sombori 6D5N: Extended Island Expedition
Labengki & Sombori, Southeast Sulawesi6 Days 5 NightsAsik Original
An Asik Original, run by us
Planned and run end to end by the Asik team. You book and deal directly with us, start to finish.
Overview
The longest itinerary we run here, and the only one that reaches Handprint Cave and gets you to Love Bay by boat rather than in passing.
Six days is a lot for two small islands, and that is the point. Nothing on this itinerary is a rushed stop. You get two separate Sombori days and two separate Labengki days, which means the guides can read the weather across a whole week instead of a long weekend and put you at each site when the light and the sea are right.
The extras over the five-day trip are Handprint Cave, a set of ochre hand stencils on a limestone wall whose age nobody has properly established, and a slower run through the Labengki side that includes Love Bay and the Swimming Pool Cave on a dedicated afternoon rather than squeezed around a crossing.
This is the trip for people who want to photograph the place properly, for divers and freedivers who want repeat visits to the same reefs, and for anyone whose reaction to a good lagoon is to want to swim across it twice.
Itinerary
1Day 1
Kendari to Labengki
Transfer, crossing, first afternoon in the water.
Day 1
Kendari to Labengki
Transfer, crossing, first afternoon in the water.
- 08:00
Hotel pick-up in Kendari, with time to buy water and snacks before the drive
- 09:00
Tanasa Port, board for Labengki
- 12:00
Check in and lunch
- 15:00
Long Sand Beach (Pantai Pasir Panjang), a wide bank of white sand backed by leaning coconut palms and almost always empty
- 16:00
Snorkelling from the boat over shallow coral, sheltered and easy
- 17:00
Back to the accommodation before dark
- 19:00
Dinner, cooked on the island and eaten together
2Day 2
Sombori: Handprint Cave and the Five Lagoons
The first Sombori day, and the only one that reaches the hand stencils.
Day 2
Sombori: Handprint Cave and the Five Lagoons
The first Sombori day, and the only one that reaches the hand stencils.
- 07:00
Breakfast at the accommodation before the boat goes out
- 08:00
Cross to Sombori, the more theatrical of the two islands, where the limestone rises straight out of the water
- 09:20
The Priyanka snorkelling spot, one of the better patches of coral on the Sombori side
- 10:30
Air Kiri Beach (Pantai Air Kiri), a swimming and snorkelling stop between the cave visits
- 11:00
Handprint Cave, a limestone wall carrying ochre hand stencils whose age has never been properly established
- 12:00
Lunch, usually served on the boat between stops
- 13:00
Allo Cave (Goa Allo), a limestone chamber at the waterline that you step into from the boat
- 14:00
The Five Lagoons, a single karst island holding a cluster of separate pools, best understood from above
- 15:20
White Sand Beach, a lunch and swimming stop
- 16:00
Back to the accommodation before dark
- 19:00
Dinner, cooked on the island and eaten together
3Day 3
Labengki: Small Labengki, Love Bay and Red Sand Beach
A full unhurried day on the Labengki side.
Day 3
Labengki: Small Labengki, Love Bay and Red Sand Beach
A full unhurried day on the Labengki side.
- 07:00
Breakfast at the accommodation before the boat goes out
- 08:00
A full day on the Labengki side, at boat pace rather than a march
- 09:20
Small Labengki Island
- 10:30
Swimming Pool Cave, a flooded chamber you swim into rather than walk
- 12:00
Lunch, usually served on the boat between stops
- 13:00
Red Sand Beach (Pantai Pasir Merah), a short stretch of rust-orange sand that photographs unlike anywhere else on the trip
- 14:00
Love Bay
- 15:20
Snorkelling from the boat over shallow coral, sheltered and easy
- 16:00
Back to the accommodation before dark
- 19:00
Dinner, cooked on the island and eaten together
4Day 4
Sombori again: Jellyfish Lagoon and the caves
Second Sombori day, at a slower pace.
Day 4
Sombori again: Jellyfish Lagoon and the caves
Second Sombori day, at a slower pace.
- 07:00
Breakfast at the accommodation before the boat goes out
- 08:00
Cross to Sombori, the more theatrical of the two islands, where the limestone rises straight out of the water
- 09:30
Jellyfish Lagoon, an enclosed basin holding stingless jellyfish. Numbers vary by season, so treat it as a bonus
- 11:00
White Sand Beach, a lunch and swimming stop
- 12:00
Lunch, usually served on the boat between stops
- 13:30
Diamond Cave (Goa Berlian), named for the way daylight catches the wet limestone inside
- 14:30
Allo Cave (Goa Allo), a limestone chamber at the waterline that you step into from the boat
- 15:00
The Five Lagoons, a single karst island holding a cluster of separate pools, best understood from above
- 16:00
Back to the accommodation before dark
- 19:00
Dinner, cooked on the island and eaten together
5Day 5
Twin Lagoon, Blue Lagoon and Toros Kampali
The last full day, spent on the Labengki lagoons.
Day 5
Twin Lagoon, Blue Lagoon and Toros Kampali
The last full day, spent on the Labengki lagoons.
- 07:00
Breakfast at the accommodation before the boat goes out
- 09:00
A full day on the Labengki side, at boat pace rather than a march
- 09:30
Twin Lagoon (Danau Kembar), two pools linked inside the limestone and calm even when the open water is not
- 10:30
Tobelo Lake (Danau Tobelo), an enclosed inland pool reachable only at low tide, and the tide suits it roughly one week in four, so this stop is genuinely tentative rather than weather-shy
- 11:00
Snorkelling from the boat over shallow coral, sheltered and easy
- 12:00
Lunch, usually served on the boat between stops
- 14:30
Blue Lagoon (Laguna Mahumalalang), an enclosed basin below steep forested cliffs and the best swim of the trip
- 15:30
Toros Kampali, a snorkelling stop over shallow coral
- 16:20
Back to the accommodation before dark
- 19:00
Dinner, cooked on the island and eaten together
6Day 6
Return to Kendari
A slow morning, then the crossing back.
Day 6
Return to Kendari
A slow morning, then the crossing back.
- 07:00
Breakfast at the accommodation before the boat goes out
- 07:30
A slow morning to pack and swim before the boat leaves
- 11:00
The crossing back, then the drive into Kendari
Getting there
Everything starts in Kendari, the capital of Southeast Sulawesi. Haluoleo airport (KDI) takes daily flights from Makassar, and Makassar connects to Jakarta, Bali and Surabaya several times a day. We collect you in Kendari at 08:00 and drive 40 minutes to Tanasa Port, then it is about two and a half hours by wooden boat to Labengki. Plan to arrive in Kendari the night before. Same-day connections do not work.
What the accommodation is actually like
Simple, and worth knowing in advance. Rooms are twin share with a shared bathroom, either in a homestay or in a cottage a step above it. There is no air conditioning, hot water is not guaranteed, and the electricity comes from a generator that runs from about 6pm to 6am, so there is no power during the day. Mobile signal is patchy on Labengki and mostly absent around Sombori. People who come expecting a resort are disappointed; people who come for the water are not.
A note on price
The per-person rate falls sharply as the group grows, because the boat, the guide and the fuel cost the same whether one person or six is aboard. Two people pay roughly double what six people pay each. If your dates are flexible, tell us and we will try to pair you with another small group. Cottage accommodation is available on every departure for a supplement.
What's included
- Wooden boat transport for the whole trip
- 5 nights accommodation on Labengki (twin share, shared bathroom, homestay or cottage)
- All meals while island hopping, three per day, plus drinking water
- Entrance and retribution fees at every stop
- English or Indonesian speaking guide
- Trip photos and video, DJI action camera and iPhone
- Snacks and soft drinks
Not included
- Flights to and from Kendari
- Hotel in Kendari before or after the trip
- Snorkelling gear (rented in Kendari or on the island)
- Personal medication
- Alcoholic drinks
- Personal spending, tips and souvenirs
Gallery
1 / 7 Full size
Good to know
How do I get to Labengki and Sombori?
Fly to Kendari (Haluoleo, KDI) in Southeast Sulawesi. Makassar has daily flights and connects onward to Jakarta, Bali and Surabaya. We pick you up in Kendari at 08:00, drive 40 minutes to Tanasa Port and cross by wooden boat, which takes about two and a half hours. Arrive in Kendari the night before; there is no same-day connection that works.
Is this the same as Raja Ampat?
The geology is similar, both are drowned karst, and the aerial views look alike. Raja Ampat has richer reefs and far better diving. Labengki and Sombori are much cheaper, much quieter and much easier to reach from Makassar. If you want world-class diving, go to Raja Ampat. If you want empty lagoons without a long haul east, Labengki and Sombori are the easier trip.
Is snorkelling gear included?
Not in the price, but you can rent a set on Labengki for about IDR 40,000 a day. Bring your own mask and snorkel if you have them anyway, because a mask that fits your own face is worth more than a rented one, and fins are worth having for the outer sites.
When is the best time to go?
The drier, calmer months generally run around April to October, and the crossing is the part most affected by weather. Rougher seas in the wet season can force the guides to swap exposed stops for sheltered ones. Tell us your dates and we will be honest about what they usually look like.
Do I need to be a strong swimmer?
You should be comfortable in open water. Most snorkelling is shallow and sheltered inside the lagoons, and buoyancy aids are available, but some outer sites have current and the boat drops you in deeper water. Non-swimmers can still do the caves, the viewpoints and the beaches.
Why does the 6-day price change so much with group size?
The boat, the fuel, the guide and the crew cost the same whether one person or six is on board, so the per-person rate falls steeply as the group grows. Two people pay roughly double what six pay each. If your dates are flexible we will try to pair you with another small group.
Is this an open trip or a private trip?
It is a private trip by default. The boat, the guide and the itinerary are yours, and the per-person rate is set by how many of you travel, which is why a party of two pays more each than a party of six. If you would rather share the cost, tell us your dates and we will try to pair you with another small group, which is the open trip arrangement. We will not put you with strangers without asking first.
Is there a resort on Labengki or Sombori?
Yes, one: Labengki Nirwana Resort, and we can arrange a room there on request. Our standard trips use homestays and simple cottages or beach huts instead: twin share, shared bathroom, fan rather than air conditioning, and generator power in the evening and overnight rather than around the clock. The homestays are Bajau family houses in the village itself; the cottages sit on their own on Labengki Besar with a beach in front and only the kitchen crew and other guests around. Sombori has no accommodation at all, so you sleep on Labengki and visit Sombori by boat. Ask us if you want the resort, but the appeal of these islands is how little is built on them, not the comfort of the beds.
Booking and cancellation terms
- A deposit confirms your booking. The balance is due before the trip starts.
- Cancel 14 days or more before the start date: full refund of what you have paid.
- Cancel 7 to 13 days before: 50% of the total paid is refunded.
- Cancel less than 7 days before, or do not show up: no refund.
- If we cancel the trip, you choose a new date or take a full refund.
Full terms are confirmed with your booking. Bank transfer fees are paid by the sender.
