Stretching south of the main island of Sulawesi into the Flores Sea, the Taka Bonerate National Park in the Selayar Regency is a dominantly rich marine park, but it is also habitat to a number of bird species from land birds to coastal and sea birds that frolic on the many sand dunes.
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The Island of Selayar is the gateway to this extensive 530,765 hectares national park, of which 220,000 hectares form an expanse of atolls and lagoons. Taka Bonerate is the third largest atoll region in the world after Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands and Suvadiva in the Maldives.
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Taka Bonerate, together with Wakatobi , Ambon , Banda and Raja Ampat , together with Bunaken as well as the Derawan islands in Kalimantan, are at the heart of the Coral Triangle which stretches from the Solomon Islands in the east, to the Philippines in the north, to Bali , Lombok , Komodo , Flores and the Savu Sea in the south, these latter form the base of the huge Coral Triangle. Besides atolls, this national park comprises 21 islands.
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The island of Tinabo, which is at the heart of Taka Bonerate is also headquarters of the management of this marine park. Measuring 1.5 km by 400 meters, Tinabo is far away from the hustle and bustle of city life, where it feels like you are on your own private island in the middle of nowhere.
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Here you can enjoy snorkeling, scuba diving, take a leisurely walk on the white sand beach, canoe, go fishing, or just watch in awe the sun rise in the morning, or in the evening set slowly behind the horizon in fantastic hues of orange and purple.
The crystal clear waters offer a wide range of reefs, from barrier reefs to fringing reefs and atolls to steep drop-offs, as well as slopes and flat seabeds, all offering opportunities for beginners to professional divers to test their skill and be amazed by the wonderful beauty of this underwater sea life. Besides the 242 species of corals, Taka Bonerate boasts 526 species of colorful and strange reef fish as well as 112 species of macro algae.
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Divers will be able to get close and swim with dolphins, turtles, manta rays, sometimes spot sharks, or sperm whales, and be enthralled by the giant gorgonian fans, black corals, scorpion fish, nudibranch, tuna, trevallies, napoleon wrasse and more that make up this unbelievable,pristine underwater paradise. You will also find hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelysimbricata), Pacific Ridley turtles ( Lepidochelysolivicea), and green turtles (cheloniamydas). Indeed, Taka Bonerate is said to have one of the world's highest marine diversity. The Park has over 50 fantastic dive sites, a number are by the island of Tinabo, others are near the islands of Kahabia, Belang-Belang, and Taka Lamungan.
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Best time to dive is between April to mid-May, and October to mid-November when the soft easterly winds do not whip up the waves. Winds are still reasonable between October through May. But during the west monsoon winds are liable to cause waves to two meters or higher. All ferries will stop operation when waves are dangerously high.
The local population, who lives mostly on and around the island of Selayar are predominantly Bugis, known for their superb craftsmanship in boat building, and the Bajau sea gypsies.
To Get There:
To get to Selayar you must first reach Makassar , the capital city of South Sulawesi Province. From Makassar, Wings Air serves daily flights between the Sultan Hasanudin International Airport in Makassar and the Aeroppala Airport on Selayar Islands. Alternatively, youcan travel overland from Makassar to the town of Tanjung Bira and then take the ferry from Tanjung Bira's port to Selayar. If you want to use public transportation, best take an air-conditioned bus from Makassar that leaves at 9.0 am. The route goes via the town of Bira at Bulukumba Regency, where the bus will be loaded on the ferry to cross to Selayar. From Selayar it still takes some 8 hours by boat from the town of Benteng to the island of Tinabo.
Garuda Indonesia is scheduled to soon start operating Makassar - Selayar flights which will definitely shorten travel time and increase convenience.
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Well, I just love Bali so much, and we fell in love with the culture, people, the food. Everything was just amazing. I feel like in Bali, you can find serenity anywhere, literally. It's our favorite place that we've been to on our entire trip.
