Labengki Island (Pulau Labengki) – Travel Guide (2024)

Labengki Island (Pulau Labengki) is an untouched paradise and one of Indonesia’s best-kept secrets!

I consider myself one of the lucky few to have had the chance to explore this island before it becomes another popular tourist destination in Indonesia.

I have put together this complete guide to Labengki Island including how to get there, how much it costs, and what to expect when you arrive.

QUICK ANSWERS: LABENGKI ISLAND INDONESIA

Here are some quick answers to the most frequently asked questions about Labengki Island Indonesia.

WHERE IS LABENGKI ISLAND?

Pulau Labengki is an island located off the southeast coast of Sulawesi in Indonesia. From the mainland, it’s approximately a 2-hour boat trip to reach the island.

Click here to see the location on Google maps.

HOW TO GET TO PULAU LABENGKI?

The most efficient way to travel to Labengki Island is to fly to Kendari Airport, which is the nearest city to the island in Southeast Sulawesi.

Most flights into the country will fly to Makassar in West Sulawesi and here you will have to transfer flights and fly to Kendari in Southeast Sulawesi.

The flight from Makassar to Kendari is around 50 minutes. When you arrive at Kendari Airport, a taxi will cost 100,000 Rupiah ($7) for a 30-minute ride into the city.

From Kendari City you will have to take a car to the boat harbor which takes roughly 1 hour and then a boat to the island which takes approximately 3 hours depending on sea conditions.

It’s definitely not the most efficient route but this is currently the only way to reach Labengki Island.

Search All → Flights to Sulawesi

WHERE TO BOOK A TOUR TO PULAU LABENGKI?

This region of Southeast Sulawesi is still very much undiscovered and there is barely any tourism, which means at this point there are limited options to book a tour to the Labenki and Sombori islands.

When I visited in 2018, I managed to find a tour company that was able to organize my trip for 3 days and 2 nights to the islands. Unfortunately, this tour company is no longer in operation.

However, you can try to organize your trip with Oji, a local resident of Kendari who has extensive knowledge of Sombori and Labengki.

He can assist in arranging your airport transfers, accommodations, meals, and boat excursions.

His WhatsApp number is +62 813 4340 6633 for inquiries about booking a tour to Pulau Labengki and Pulau Sombori.

If he doesn’t respond immediately, it is possible that he might be on a trip at the moment.

HOW MUCH IS A LABENGKI ISLAND TOUR?

The cost of the Pulau Labengki tour, when I went in 2018, was around 4,000,000 Rupiah (USD $275).

This included transport to and from Kendari to Labengki Island, 2 nights accommodation in a small homestay on Little Labengki Island, a 2-day island-hopping itinerary including a day trip to Sombori Island, 3 meals per day (rice, noodles, fish), and drinking water.

If you wish to stay longer, you can extend your trip to 7 days and the cost will be approximately 15,000,000 Rupiah (USD $1000).

WHAT TO EXPECT ON THE TOUR?

DAY 1

On the first day of the tour, the following locations you will get to visit on Pulau Labengki and Little Labengki Island are;

• Goa Cave Swimming Pool
• Blue Lagoon
• Pasir Panjang Beach
• Kimaboe Hill + Teluk Cinta (view of a love heart-shaped lagoon)
• The Lighthouse

DAY 2

On the second day of the tour, you will take the boat to Sombori Islands for an entire day of island hopping and the locations you will get to see include;

• The lagoons (Grandma’s House)
• Sombori Hill on Pulau Kayangan (viewpoint similar to Raja Ampat)
• Berlian Cave (Gua Berlian)
• Lunch on Mbokkita Island

Full Blog Post → Sombori Island

BEST THINGS TO DO IN LABENGKI ISLAND

GOA CAVE SWIMMING POOL

Located in the center of Little Labengki is the Goa Cave Swimming Pool. Rainwater drips into a limestone cave that is filled with stalactite rock formations.

This rainwater has created a crystal clear and fresh mineral water swimming pool inside the cave.

LABENGKI LIGHTHOUSE

On the southern side of Little Labengki is an old rundown lighthouse that sits perched high on a small cliff. There is a rickety spiral staircase inside that you can climb to the top at your own risk.

Gasp in awe at the amazing panoramic views of the island from the top of the lighthouse.

BLUE LAGOON

Across the channel from Little Labengki is Pulau Labengki Basar, which translates to Big Labengki Island.

The boat will take you across to the Blue Lagoon which is hidden behind a very sharp rock formation at the end of one of the bays.

The water inside the lagoon is fluorescent blue and there are a few spots to do some cliff jumping!

Make sure you have a pair of closed-in shoes to climb the sharps rocks up and over into the Blue Lagoon.

KIMABOE HILL & TELUK CINTA VIEWPOINT

Approximately 10 minutes by boat from Blue Lagoon you can find the Kimaboe Hill and Teluk Cinta Viewpoint.

From the top of Kimaboe Hill, there are incredible views overlooking a bay of islands, bamboo bridge structures, and overwater cottages.

If you have a drone, you can fly it from the top of Kimaboe Hill and capture the Teluk Cinta Bay which is in the shape of a love heart from a birds-eye perspective.

PASIR PANJANG BEACH

A deserted white sand beach lined with coconut palms and crystal blue water is the description that best describes Pasir Panjang Beach.

I used to dream of places like this as a kid, and to be exploring a location such as this one with no one else around was a dream come true.

I made a rope swing on one of the bent palm trees and lost hours playing around on this beach as the day came to an end.

THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

As Pulau Labengki is an up-and-coming destination in Indonesia there is very limited information about these islands, in fact, this article may be the first detailed blog post you will find that is written in English.

On Little Labengki, the only power source comes from a generator that is only switched on from 6 pm-10 pm, so if you need to charge camera batteries, phones, and accessories, this is the only chance you will get. It’s best to have a power bank just in case.

The population is 470 and it’s inhabited by the local Bajo people, said to be the toughest fisherman in all of Indonesia. They are also very welcoming and friendly to new visitors.

Labengki is home to the world’s largest clam and also the only blue hole found in Indonesia for scuba diving. A French diver made it down the blue hole to 170 meters though it is still unknown how much deeper it goes.

There is no wifi anywhere on the island and the only service you will get is from the top of the lighthouse if you are using a Telkomsel sim card.

The food at the accommodation is very basic and only consists of fish, rice, noodles, vegetables, and crackers for the 2 nights and 3 days tour. I recommend packing extra snacks and fruit before leaving the mainland.

There is no ATM machine out here on the island, though you won’t need any cash as everything is included in the tour.

WHAT TO PACK FOR PULAU LABENGKI

When visiting Labengki Island, here is a list of items I highly recommend bringing with you:

FINAL THOUGHTS – LABENGKI ISLAND INDONESIA

I hope you enjoyed reading this article and I hope it inspires you to visit this wonderful region in Southeast Sulawesi while it is still untouched.

If you have any questions, please leave me a comment below this post and I will get back to you as soon as I can.

For a quicker response, be sure to join Jonny Melon’s Travel Tribe on Facebook and post your questions or recommendations to our awesome community.

TRAVEL RESOURCES FOR YOUR NEXT TRIP

Whether you’re a seasoned traveler or it’s your first trip overseas, here are some useful travel resources to help you kick-start your next adventure!

THANKS FOR READING

Hey friend, thanks for reading this guide!

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