Taka Bonerate

SOUTH SULAWESI

Taka Bonerate

CORAL ATOLL & SHALLOW LAGOONS

Taka Bonerate

Taka Bonerate is a coral atoll and marine national park, a long boat ride from Selayar. Its reef ring encloses 21 islands. Few travellers make the trip.

Inside the lagoon the water is calm, with dense reef fish and sometimes turtles. Outside the ring, currents are stronger, with larger open-water fish. The park counted 19 dive sites in 2018. Tinabo Island is the most visited, because it is easy to reach and safe for beginners.

A cruise on a pinisi, a wooden schooner, suits snorkellers and free-divers. Scuba diving is arranged separately. Dive operations here are less developed than at Bunaken or Lembeh.

From Selayar, allow three or four nights, boat included. Pinisi cruises from Bira take 4 to 7 days, with stops at Selayar. Come from September to November, when the sea is calm. September and October are also dry. In January and February, waves reach 1.25 m about a fifth of the time.

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Taka Bonerate National Park, south-east of Selayar: one of the world's largest coral atolls, with sandy islets, shallow lagoons and wide coral gardens.

When to go and how to get there

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

Driest months

Jul – Oct

September is the driest month, with 6 mm of rain on average. December is the wettest, with 281 mm.

  • Driest months
  • In between
  • Wettest months

January: 211 mm, February: 125 mm, March: 126 mm, April: 226 mm, May: 183 mm, June: 151 mm, July: 51 mm, August: 8 mm, September: 6 mm, October: 32 mm, November: 125 mm, December: 281 mm

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

Getting there

  1. 01 · Fly

    To Makassar (UPG)

    Daily flights from Jakarta, Bali and across Sulawesi.

  2. 02 · Drive

    Makassar → Bira

    5 – 6 h by car along the coast. Pinisi cruises to the atoll leave from Bira.

  3. 03 · Ferry

    Bira → Selayar

    Car ferry, about 2.5 h. Pattumbukan, where the charter boats leave, is about 3 h by road from the Selayar port.

  4. 04 · Boat

    Pattumbukan → Taka Bonerate

    Chartered boat, 4 – 6 h each way. The crossing is uncomfortable from December to March and from June to August.

Taka Bonerate weather by month

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

MonthRain (mm)High / low (°C)Sea (°C)Rough for small boats (% of time)
January21129 / 2728.921
February12529 / 2728.819
March12629 / 2729.26
April22630 / 2729.61
May18330 / 2729.22
June15129 / 2628.46
July5128 / 2627.58
August828 / 2627.18
September628 / 2627.54
October3229 / 2728.50
November12530 / 2729.50
December28130 / 2729.59

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

See Taka Bonerate on the live weather page

Taka Bonerate travel guides

The Sulawesi.com guides that cover Taka Bonerate.

Experiences in Taka Bonerate

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

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Where to stay, in Bira

There is nowhere to stay in Taka Bonerate itself. Travellers stay in Bira and go out from there.

See all 75 places to stay in Bira

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