Islands near Makassar

Makassar is an excellent base for trips to the group of small islands and atolls that make up the Spermonde Archipelago (click here for chart). A part of the islands are densely populated, but some are still uninhabited. In this area you will find many great places for snorkelling and diving with a huge variety of colourful fish and beautiful coral reefs. Some of these are easily accessible from the shore (such as Samalona) and others can only be reached by boat (such as Lanyukang Atoll). The east monsoon season (May - September) is the best period for visiting the Spermonde Archipelago. This is also the best time to make trips by sailing boat in the area. Many of the islands close to Makassar show interesting village life and some historical sites can be found on the island of Kodengareng Lompo. Below are descriptions of several islands belonging to the Spermonde Archipelago. Their distance from Makassar is written in kilometres.

Islands for snorkelling and diving:

Samalona (7 km)
This island is inhabited by a few families and its oval shaped area is about 300 x 600 meters, so it takes only a short stroll to see its complete coastline. Beautiful coral reefs are easily accessible from the shore of Samalona. The reef on the northern side of the island is the best for snorkelling. There are a few rooms for rent on the island. Sometimes you even can rent a whole house. Simple meals like "nasi goreng" are available but unfortunately some people tend to overcharge, so ask the price first. A couple of places sell coffee (local), soft drinks and beer. Usually drinks are not

served cooled.

Kodengareng Keke (12 km)

Dolphin Resort built some small and simple cottages on Kodengareng Keke. In 1997 Kodengareng Keke still looked like a sandbank. Nowadays a big part of the island is shaded by trees that are the result of the planting and protection activities since Dolphin Resort is there. The island still offers good snorkeling and diving sites, but like all reefs near Makassar its coral reefs run the risks of destruction.

Pulau ini terletak 14 km dr daratan #Makassar. Bs ditempuh dr dermaga Bangkoa selama 40 menit. Pulau seluas 1000 m persegi ini memiliki perairan yg jernih, asik sekali utk snorkelling atau diving. #Makassar

Lanyukan (37 km)

The island Lanyukan is located on the outer edge of the Spermonde shelf with a barrier reef protecting its western shore. Around Lanyukan are reefs with steep drop-offs and caves, excellent for diving. This is the place to

spot big fish like sharks and barracuda. There is a small village on the island but Lanyukan does not offer facilities for staying overnight.

Kapuposang (70 km)

Kapuposang is a beautiful green island of about 2 km length covered with casuarina trees and coconut palms. This island is located at the edge of the Spermonde shelf, pointing toward the deep sea. It contains some small villages. The people of Kapuposang make their living through fishing and harvesting coconuts. At the north-west point of Kapuposang is a tall lighthouse. At the south-east point of the island is a resort for divers located. For both divers and non-divers this place offers an excellent opportunity for spending some relaxed days in a quiet natural setting. Around Kapuposang you will find attractive reefs and drop-offs, a paradise for snorkellers and divers. Besides many species of colourful fish you probably will meet with bigger animals like giant grouper, tuna, shark, stingray and turtles. Though this is one of the islands further away from Makassar, a speed boat can get you there within 1 hours.

Islands interesting for their culture or historical sites:

Kodengareng Lompo (15 km)
Together with Barang Lompo and Lae-Lae the island Kodengareng Lompo belong to the bigger islands near Makassar. The length of the oval shaped island is about 1,5 km. At the south end of the island is a lighthouse which, in the evening, can be seen from the shore of Makassar. On the island are remnants of old water tanks built by the Japanese during World War II.

boat reparation

lighthouse

Barang Lompo (12 km)

Like on many islands located further away from town, the majority of the population on Barang Lompo are fishermen. Besides this there are some silversmiths and civil servants (such as teachers) living on the island. Hasanuddin University in Makassar has a research centre on the island.

Barang Caddi (11 km)

The increasing housing density on this island may soon result in people building on shallow parts of the surrounding reefs. Recently local fishermen from the island have begun working with a local nongovernment organisation to reorganise the system of marketing their fish so as to bypass middlemen. This means that they are now able to earn a reasonable income.

Other islands:
Kayangan (2 km) :
An island in front of the harbour of Makassar full with simple restaurants and rooms for rent.

Lae-Lae (1,5 km)

Lae-Lae is the island nearest to Makassar. It has been extended with a long breakwater at the north side that is designed to protect the harbour of Makassar against waves. Lae-Lae is densely populated. A part of the population earns their money with fishing, others run the small boats that can take you from town to Lae-Lae, Samalona and Kodengareng Keke. More and more people find work in town as crossing by motorboat now takes only 5 - 10 minutes.

Pulau Badi (22 km)

Pulau Badi is one of the many islands belonging to Pangkep District. It is a small friendly and colorful island with about 400 families.

Shark paradise, Kapoposang island

One of the most beautiful islands in Spermonde archipelago, Makassar is Kapoposang island. It is 70 km from Makassar and also the farthest. This island is covered about 2 km length of casuarinas trees and coconut palms. The island also has several villages and the villagers make their living by fishing and harvesting coconuts. This site is shark paradise, where the blue-and-white tip reef shark will be inquisitive but mostly harmless. Be careful for the hammerheads because they are ready to attack. This is a deep water site. At 300 meters from the island and the reef plunges down to 800 meters and you will find giant groupers, schools of tuna, stingray, barracuda, trevally, rainbow runner, dogtooth tuna. In some caves you may find sea turtle, lobster, crab, scorpion fish and moray eel. Some dive sites offer different characteristic such as: Shark Point, Tanjung Point, Marjono Point, Nakano Point, Ian Point, Lagoon Point dan Aquarium point. Shark Point and Tanjung Point have the down current, many big fishes swimming there. If you

dont want to dive around the down current, then you could try at Nakano Point or Aquarium Point. It is called aquarium because there are much colorful fishes, soft coral and reefs there. The water around there is so clear, so you who dont dive could enjoy this site by snorkeling or see it from the boat. Not like Lanyukan island, here you can find a resort to stay overnight at the south east point of the island. To access Kapoposang island you can rent a speedboat from Makassar. It will take around 90 minutes to reach the island. If you want to dive in this fantastic island, then you can book a trip through the local operator such as Makassar Diving Club (MDC).

Kodengareng Keke with Wreck Gunboat

Kodengareng Keke is located around 12 km from Makassar. In 1997 this island is just like a sand bank. Since Dolphin resort built some small cottage on it, there is no longer free access to this island. Here, you can go snorkeling and diving with the clear water and many variety of marine life to be enjoyed. Dolphin resort also offers dive equipment for rent. For diving arrangement, it is better for you to organize it with one of dive operator in Makassar. Kodengareng Keke is one of the wreck dive sites in Makassar, South Sulawesi.