SOUTH SULAWESI

Bira

WHITE BEACHES & PINISI BOATYARDS

Bira

Bira is a small town on the southeastern tip of South Sulawesi, with two reasons to come: an extraordinary white-sand beach below limestone cliffs, and the working shipyards at Tana Beru where the wooden pinisi schooners of the Bugis people are still built by hand.

Boats leave Bira for snorkelling trips to Liukang island. Car ferries leave for Selayar, further south. Most travellers come by car, on a loop from Makassar through Toraja.

Three nights is enough for the beach and the shipyards; four if you add a Liukang day trip.

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Bira in pictures

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Tanjung Bira, at the southern tip of South Sulawesi: white sand beaches, clear water for snorkelling, and the pinisi boatyards of Tana Beru nearby.

When to go and how to get there

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

Driest months

Aug – Oct

September is the driest month, with 30 mm of rain on average. May is the wettest, with 297 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 Makassar (UPG)
Daily direct flights from Jakarta and Bali.
02 · Drive
Makassar → Bira
5 – 6 h by car along the coast. Stops at the boatyards en route.
03 · Boat (optional)
Bira → Liukang
Half-day charter from the beach for a snorkel day.

Bira weather by month

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

Month	Rain (mm)	High / low (°C)	Sea (°C)	Rough for small boats (% of time)
January	202	30 / 27	29.1	0
February	151	30 / 27	29.1	0
March	186	30 / 27	29.3	0
April	229	30 / 27	29.6	0
May	297	30 / 27	29.1	1
June	294	29 / 26	28.3	3
July	141	28 / 26	27.5	6
August	39	28 / 26	27.2	6
September	30	29 / 26	27.5	2
October	53	30 / 27	28.4	0
November	118	31 / 27	29.4	0
December	153	31 / 27	29.6	0

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 14 km away. Bays and straits are calmer. Rough means waves of 1.25 m or more, BMKG's warning level for small boats.

See Bira on the live weather page

Bira travel guides

The Sulawesi.com guides that cover Bira.

Tours that go to Bira

Every published trip that reaches this part of the island.

Experiences in Bira

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

Full dayBira by Sea: Diving, Snorkelling and Pinisi ShipyardsReefs and sea turtles off Tanjung Bira, and the pinisi boatyards of Tana Beru, where wooden ships are still built by hand.See the experience

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Where to stay

See all 75 places to stay in Bira

Local businesses in Bira

Contact each business directly.

So, ready to start?

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