Beach, beach, beach. Seems like I can’t get off beach as my
favorite place to spend weekend. Since I was in Makassar and it’s pretty near
to some islands around, I always spent my weekend at the beach. Who doesn’t
like beach though? The sun, the water, the sand, the wind, each component
really makes me wanna come back to beach everytime.
Lanjukang Island is the farthest island in Makassar Region,
located 40 km from Makassar. The population is only around 50 inhabitants, an
ideal place to get away from bustle of the city. I bet you will say “wow” when
you arrived in the island. Blue water, long white sand beach, all this amazing
view will blow your mind.
How to get there?
Since there’s no public boat to Lanjukang Island, renting a
boat is only the way to go there. Get the boat from Paotere Harbor or Kayu
Bangkoa Peer but it’s suggested to contact the owner first. Normally the price
is around Rp 1,000,000, round trip. One boat can fit up to 20 persons.
Sometimes the boat owner only agree to take 10 persons maximum. It takes around three hours from Paotere to
Lanjukang Island with good weather condition. One night camp in the island is
an exciting activity to do. No homestay or hostel. There’s one private resort
owned by a family from Makassar, you can sleep on the balcony. Beware of the
strong wind at night so prepare your sleeping bag or jacket. Bring your hammock
and relax under the stars. Unfortunately, the facilities are still poor, only
one public toilet and one well if you want to clean yourself. Bring your own
food, no restaurant, but if you need something, you can try to find what you
need in a small local store. Better prepare everything from Makassar.
Jump into water!
 |
| Blue Anemon and Nemo |
Huge coral reef can be found on the southwest of the island.
Not far from the shore, only 20 meters and you can swim above huge coral reefs
dominated with staghorn coral. Explore and you can find some spots with
anemone, blade coral, leather coral, etc. Fish swims right round, I found some
unique fishes when I snorkeled. The distance between surface and the corals are
just about 50 cm-1 meter. Be careful not to damage the corals with your fin.
The area is so huge. Even if you swim for 200 meters from the shore, it’s still
shallow and the corals are still good.
Meet the unique locals
Not many people live in Lanjukang Island but they are
special. The locals, literally looks like dwarf because they have short body
only around 100 cm with hunchback. They tend to hide themselves and don’t want
to socialize because of their appearance, not all of them. Some will come
closer but they won’t talk unless you open a conversation first. It was said
that the factor of this short and strange appearance is because of inbreeding.
Traveled in 11-12 May 2013
If you think the post is useful, kindly share this information by
clicking the logo below. You'll be directed to your facebook or twitter.
Labels: beach, Indonesia, South Sulawesi
Since there’s no public boat to Lanjukang Island, renting a
boat is only the way to go there. Get the boat from Paotere Harbor or Kayu
Bangkoa Peer but it’s suggested to contact the owner first. Normally the price
is around Rp 1,000,000, round trip. One boat can fit up to 20 persons. Sometimes the boat owner only agree to take 10 persons maximum. It takes around three hours from Paotere to
Lanjukang Island with good weather condition. One night camp in the island is
an exciting activity to do. No homestay or hostel. There’s one private resort
owned by a family from Makassar, you can sleep on the balcony. Beware of the
strong wind at night so prepare your sleeping bag or jacket. Bring your hammock
and relax under the stars. Unfortunately, the facilities are still poor, only
one public toilet and one well if you want to clean yourself. Bring your own
food, no restaurant, but if you need something, you can try to find what you
need in a small local store. Better prepare everything from Makassar.
