Directions
It’s not the easiest place to reach, but believe us: it’s worth it!
We can help arrange pick-up from Wakai, the main village in the Togian Islands (let us know), you can arrange a charter boat once in Wakai, or take a public boat to Una Una leaving every Sunday, Tuesday, Friday from Wakai around 8 or 9 in the morning. To get to Wakai, you have a couple of options:
Via Ampana
There are two daily speed boat from Ampana to Wakai at 09:00 in the morning and at 12:00 noon. The other way around the boat is operated also at 9:00 and 12:00 noon. It takes around one hour and twenty minutes and costs Rp 130.000/person. The boat has limited seats, so we advise to book the tickets a couple days in advance during the busier period (June to September).
There are some other boats operated between Ampana and Wakai, but schedules are not daily and less reliable.
For bookings of all transport to and from Ampana please contact Adnan; +62 85242108719 (WhatsApp possible). He is based in Ampana and happy to help with any question you have.
Ampana can be reached via different routes; quickest way to reach Ampana from outside of Sulawesi is to fly to either Luwuk (LUW) or Poso (PSJ). From there daily minivans to Ampana are available or a chartered car can be arranged, again Adnan can help you with these. Flights can be booked by https://www.traveloka.com (please note many European flight search engines don’t include part of the local flights). Ampana airport is currently under construction, once flights are available we will let you know.
Via Gorontalo
The night ferry “Tuna Tomini” runs two times a week from Gorontalo to Wakai (takes about 12hrs). It leaves Gorontalo every Tuesday and Friday at 17:00, arriving in Wakai the next morning early. The ferry makes the return trip to Gorontalo on Mondays and Thursdays, leaving Wakai at 16:00 and arriving the next morning early in Gorontalo.
Economy class ticket is Rp 65.000/person, ticket for a place on the open sleeper area Rp 73.000/person. You can rent a mattress for an additional Rp 10.000. Business class (bunk beds, airconditioned) available for Rp 89.000/person and a cabin with up to 4 beds for Rp 600.000 (excluding the economy ticket fare). Tickets can be booked in the harbor.
For bookings of all transport to and from Gorontalo please contact Harry/Mimin; +62 812-6817-7779 (WhatsApp possible). They run a small travel agency (next to their homestay) based in Gorontalo and are happy to help with anything in or around their city.
Gorontalo is reached easily by daily (direct) flights from Manado, Jakarta and Bali. For full range of domestic flights see https://www.traveloka.com. There are several minivans operated between Gorontalo and Manado, taking about 10 hours.
Alternative routes
There are several alternative sea routes to reach Wakai / Una Una from islands or cities around.
For people on a tight travel schedule, we can arrange direct transport from Ampana or Marisa (close to Gorontalo) to our resort. A direct speedboat transfer from Ampana takes about 2 hours, price starts from Rp 3.000.000 (2 person). A direct speedboat transfer from Marisa takes about 2-and-a-half hours, and costs Rp 5.000.000 (fits max 6 people). Let us know.
An alternative route to enter the Togean Islands is via the ferry from Bumbulan (near Marissa) to Dolong. It leaves on Thursdays and Sundays at 8am and takes around 5 hours to reach Dolong.
From Dolong you could start island hopping towards for example Malenge, but we would only recommend this to backpackers with plenty of time and patience. There are public boats operated between the different islands in the Togian Archipelago, but schedules change on a weekly basis.
It is possible to charter a direct (slow) boat to Una Una from islands in the Togeans other than Wakai, like Bomba, Malenge or Kadidiri. Resorts on these islands should be able to help you arrange it, but let us know when our help is wanted (fare price ranging from 800.000 to 1.200.000 Rp, depending on the island).
