CENTRAL SULAWESI

Banggai Archipelago

BANGGAI ISLANDS & LAKE PAISUPOK

Banggai Archipelago

The Banggai Archipelago lies off the eastern tip of Central Sulawesi, between the Banda Sea and the Molucca Sea. The Peleng Strait separates it from the mainland at Luwuk. The reason to come is one fish: Pterapogon kauderni, the Banggai cardinalfish, which evolved in this archipelago and nowhere else on the planet.

It is a small striped fish, no bigger than a hand, and it broods its eggs inside the male's mouth. You see it in shallows over sea-urchin colonies; the urchin spines are the nursery.

Few dive boats work these reefs, fewer than in the Togean Islands. Phone signal is patchy or absent on most islands.

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Banggai Archipelago in pictures

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The Banggai Islands, off eastern Central Sulawesi: Lake Paisupok on Peleng Island, reef diving, and the Banggai cardinalfish, native only to these islands.

When to go and how to get there

Rain in Banggai Archipelago, month by month, and the journey in from the nearest airport.

Driest months

Sep – Nov

October is the driest month, with 51 mm of rain on average. June is the wettest, with 226 mm.

Driest months
In between
Wettest months

Rain: CHIRPS v2.0, Climate Hazards Center, UC Santa Barbara, average of 1991-2020. See the weather in Sulawesi by month

Getting there

01 · Fly
To Luwuk (LUW)
Batik Air flies nonstop from Makassar daily, about 1 h 10 (October 2026).
02 · Ferry
Luwuk → Salakan
A daily ferry crosses from Luwuk to Salakan on Peleng island in 3.5 to 4 h.
03 · Ferry
Salakan → Banggai town
Slow ferry most mornings, 3 – 4 h to Banggai town, the capital of Banggai Laut. Speedboat charter halves it.
04 · Boat
Banggai → outer islands
Bone Baru, the cardinalfish village, is 20 minutes by road from Banggai town. Boats from the island's villages go to the smaller islands and beaches.

Banggai Archipelago weather by month

The average rain, temperatures and sea of each month, measured over many years.

Month	Rain (mm)	High / low (°C)	Sea (°C)
January	83	31 / 25	29.4
February	112	31 / 25	29.4
March	184	31 / 25	29.4
April	145	30 / 25	29.4
May	130	30 / 25	29
June	226	29 / 24	28.4
July	163	28 / 24	27.5
August	115	28 / 23	27.1
September	97	29 / 24	27.4
October	51	31 / 24	28.3
November	75	32 / 25	29.1
December	127	31 / 26	29.4

Rain: CHIRPS, 1991-2020. Temperatures: NASA POWER, 2001-2025. Sea temperature: NOAA Coral Reef Watch, 1991-2020. Waves: NOAA WAVEWATCH III, 2017-2026, in the open sea about 28 km away. Bays and straits are calmer. Rough means waves of 1.25 m or more, BMKG's warning level for small boats.

See Banggai Archipelago on the live weather page

Banggai Archipelago travel guides

The Sulawesi.com guides that cover Banggai Archipelago.

Tours that go to Banggai Archipelago

Every published trip that reaches this part of the island.

7 day trip7-Day Banggai Islands Expedition CruiseCruise through Central Sulawesi’s most remote archipelago to swim in glass-clear lagoons, jellyfish lakes, and untouched reefs.Explore tour

Experiences in Banggai Archipelago

Day trips and activities in and around Banggai Archipelago. Each one has its own page.

Full dayLuwuk and the Banggai Islands: Island Hopping and Clear LakesFrom Luwuk to the Banggai Islands: Lake Paisupok on Peleng, blue lagoons and reefs off eastern Central Sulawesi.See the experience

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Where to stay

See all 15 places to stay in Banggai Archipelago

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