Snorkelling in Indonesia

With over 900 inhabited islands in Indonesia, it is unsurprising that there is a teeming reef in several parts of this huge, spread of a country. The good news is, if you’re willing to travel, much of Indonesia’s outstanding reef is really untouched.
Most tourists opt for easy to reach spots like the reef off the coast of Bali or the Gilli Islands (effortlessly accessed from Bali and often visited in conjunction with a trip to). But, Indonesia’s real beauty lies in the hard to reach places that remain unspoilt and undisturbed. Sadly, there are areas which were subject to blast fishing (aka bombing the reef) and this has led to some die off, but overall there’s many, many places where the reef looks in great shape.
I explored the hard to reach Togean Islands, off the island of Sulawesi, and I can confirm it was well worth the absolute ball-ache of effort that it took to get there; a long car journey, an overnight in a hotel, another overnight boat, and a daytime boat.
In particular, the Atoll reef here was one of the most breathtaking things I’ve ever seen in my life. A great monolith, rising out of the water, teeming with fish and brightly coloured coral. It was spectacular.
The Togean Islands have many beautiful and quiet spots to enjoy. It’s not the cheapest place you’ll do a boat trip in Indonesia, but if you’re snorkelling you can still expect to pay a reasonable 30 or so euros per person for a seriously impressive snorkelling trip that takes in several sights that you won’t forget for a very long time.
Unbeknown to me before I arrived, the Togean Islands are also one of the rare places in the world (other than Palau) that you can swim with stingless jelly fish. It takes a certain kind of lake to evolve and separate its self form the sea (with jellyfish evolving inside said lake!), to create this natural phenomenon. I was lucky enough to hear about this excursion whilst snorkelling, and jumped at the chance of leaping in the lake, donning my snorkel. It was a truly unforgettable experience, and having many hundreds of jellyfish float around you in this murky lake, was totally eerie and awesome! On the same trip I visited Karina Beach and saw my first ever sea snake too!
An easier to reach spot from Sulawesi, is Bunaken, an hours’ boat trip from Makassar. The reef is a little way out from Bunaken’s shore, and though swimmable, I found the currents could be dicey. It was well worth it though and there were plenty of fish. I heard diving from here was good and there are several dive schools on the island.
Lastly, another couple of up and coming spots are Raja Ampat and Flores. Raja Ampat has long been notoriously difficult to reach though transport connections but that’s easing thanks to increasing flights to major hubs and then an onward boat trip. Another true desert island experience, like the Togean Islands, with no phone signal, limited amenities, but a stunning and well-worth-it reef.
My top tip for Indonesia.. Indonesia is a really economical place to travel, it’s easy to stretch your money here and travel in relative comfort without breaking the bank. What it isn’t, is time-friendly. The best places to visit take effort and a long time on (often uncomfortable) transport. It’s not a country that lends its self to be skipped through in a week or two. But, it’s a 100% worth it and Indonesia is a place that is totally inline my travel ethos.
Phoebe Maddrell of PhoeTravels.com: Raised predominantly in Herefordshire (United Kingdom) and left her homeland for the first time, after being bought a flight to The Netherlands as a 16th birthday present. From there she has travelled to and around 29 countries, totalling over 700 cities. To fund her travels, Phoebe has lived a semi-nomadic life in England, New Zealand, Australia, Iceland, France and Turkey.
Read more on PhoeTravels.com
