Pulau Sombori Island – Visitor’s Guide (2024)

Pulau Sombori (Sombori Island) is the definition of PARADISE.

Sombori Island is one of Indonesia’s best-kept secrets and it’s famously known as the Raja Ampat of Sulawesi.

Boasting blue lagoons, stalactite diamond caves, and beautiful turquoise bays filled with coral rock islands, this is one tropical destination you do not want to miss!

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

QUICK ANSWERS: PULAU SOMBORI INDONESIA

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

WHERE IS PULAU SOMBORI?

Sombori is a mecca of small islands located off the coast of Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia.

From the city of Kendari on 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 SOMBORI ISLAND?

Sombori Island is best visited as a day trip from Labengki Island which is included in a multi-day tour.

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

Most flights 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 Makasar 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 1 hour and then a boat to Labengki Island which takes approximately 2 hours depending on sea conditions.

The accommodation is located on Labengki Island and then you can visit Sombori from here.

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

Search All → Flights to Sulawesi

WHERE TO BOOK A SOMBORI ISLAND TOUR?

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 Sombori and Labengki.

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 SOMBORI ISLAND TOUR?

The cost of the Pulau Sombori 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 Pulau Sombori 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

Full Blog Post → Labengki Island

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

BEST THINGS TO DO IN SOMBORI

SOMBORI HILL ON PULAU KAYANGAN

Sombori Hill and Kayangan Peak are located in a small bay of colorful reefs with turquoise blue water and it is surrounded by a dozen coral rock islands.

The boat will pull up at the base of Pulau Kayangan and from here you can hike for 5 minutes to the top of Sombori Hill to Kayangan Peak.

The view from the top is not something you get to see every day. See the images below and you will know what I am talking about.

These are not only the best diving spots in Sulawesi but also fantastic places to enjoy views from above.

Once you’ve enjoyed the view from the top of Sombori Hill and Kayangan Peak, you can ask your guide to take you to another viewpoint across the bay for a different perspective of this location.

The boat will arrive on a deserted white sand beach and you can hike for a short 5 to 10 minutes to the top of another rock island for unforgettable panoramic views of the bay.

BERLIAN CAVE (GUA BERLIAN)

A short 10-minute boat ride from Sombori Hill is the Berlian Cave. To access Gua Berlian, you will have to step off the front of the boat as it arrives at the edge of the rocky coastline that is Pulau Sombori.

There is a small wooden ladder to climb to a flat rock face surface and then it’s an easy 1-minute walk to the entrance of the cave.

On the inside of the Berlian Cave are stalactite diamond formations and it is also home to a large family of bats.

There is a hole at one end of the cave where the sun’s rays will find their way through, providing some light for you to see some of the fine details of the inside of Gua Berlian.

LAGOONS (GRANDMA’S HOUSE SOMBORI)

When exploring Pulau Sombori, we visited some of the most breathtaking lagoons I have ever seen. It is better known by the locals as Grandma’s House, the meaning of this I am not quite sure.

Our boat navigated us through a number of small entrances between large-scale cliffs and we were able to explore and swim around in the blue lagoons.

The best perspective of these lagoons is from above and I highly recommend flying a drone here to capture it all.

MBOKKITA ISLAND

Mbokkita Island seems to be the hub for local fishermen to come to dock their boats for a break during the day.

A small community of villagers inhabit Mbokkita Island in Pulau Sombori and cater to the fisherman when they arrive.

We stopped on the island to have some nasi goreng for lunch and were kindly invited to share some lobster with some of the locals. Hands down the best lobster I have ever eaten.

The island is filled with over-water huts on bamboo stilts, each of which is painted a different color of the rainbow, and wooden decks and bridges between.

THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

As Sombori and Labengki are remote destinations 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 Island the only power source comes from a generator that is only switched on from 6 pm to 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 of Little Labengki Island is 470 and it is 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.

Pulau 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 on the island, though you won’t need any cash as everything is included in the tour.

WHAT TO PACK FOR PULAU SOMBORI

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

FINAL THOUGHTS – SOMBORI ISLAND INDONESIA

I hope you enjoyed reading this article about Sombori Island 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

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