A moment of serenity on Seraya Island

If you are looking for a special diving trip to Indonesia, on a quiet and  isolated island , Selayar is the right place for you. You will fall in love with its swathes of pristine white sand beaches and crystal clear tropical waters and its amazing underwater biodiversity. Its un unusal diving destination in Indonesia that will surprise you.

Located at the most southern end of South Sulawesi, the island of Selayar is a piece of paradise on earth. The 80 km. long island of Selayar is in fact gateway to the spectacular Taka Bonerate National Park that teems with colorful coral reefs, giant sponges, a wealth of fish species including dugongs and tuna, gliding past turtles and manta rays.

It’s difficult to say which is the best time to visit Selayar island. Between the the end of October to May you can stay on the east coast of Selayar. Otherwise, you have to stay on the west coast. 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 Aeroppala Airport on Selayar Island. Alternatively, you can travel overland from Makassar to the town of Tanjung Bira and then take the ferry from Tanjung Bira’s port to Selayar. The trip will take about 2 hours, however when the sea is rough, ferries do not sail. We recommend you to take the ferry if before visit Selayar you would like to visit for example Toraja, Sengkang , Bira and then end the trip to Sulawesi in Selayar island.

The population, mainly a mixture of Makasars, Bugis and the natives of Luvu and Buton, is estimated at 57,000 on the main island and 24,000 on the nearby islands. The islands are isolated, quite, calm and with not a lot of cars or motorbikes. Its a perfect place to ride your bike!

On the East part of the island, near Benteng we can find The island of Gusung which is really a secret find. The island offer its visitors pure white sand beaches, turquoise waters and relax. The diving is not specially good. Here we can not find good hotel or good accommodation but there are some projects under construction. In the meantime, we recommend you to stay in Sunari Cottages just in front of the island of Gusung. From here, you can take a boat to Gusung Island to spend the day and enjoy the island.

The West part of the island will offer you  an amazing marine life experience. You will be surprised. We recommend you Pinang Beach, for its natural beauty and stunning coral reef. You can only get there by boat from South Selayar. The hotels are good like  Selayar Dive Resort, Selayar Eco Resort and  Pearl Beach. They are opened from October /November until May.

The entire coast line of the Marine Park offers phenomenal diving. Its one of the best world diving destinations. Selayar offers divers the opportunity to see everything from the tiny pygmy sea horse to the large grey reef shark. And at the same time, we can enjoy pristine beaches, calm and nature.