Regency in Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia

Wakatobi

Wakatobi Regency is a group of ca.

Every way there

Dili → Wakatobi
422 km · quickest by road, 157h 57m · $110–150
Guide Today
Oecussi-Ambeno → Wakatobi
453 km · quickest by road, 155h 4m · $95–130
Guide Today
Makassar → Wakatobi
460 km · quickest by road, 27h 33m · Rp752,000–1,002,000
Guide Today

Road and air are today’s quick answer; timetabled trains, buses and ferries load on the results page from the operators’ feeds.

The field note

How transport actually works in Wakatobi: 12 ways of moving, each with its operator, timings, fare and sources, and what we could not confirm.

Read the note on Wakatobi

What Wakatobi has

NScheduled flightsnearest airport DIL is 387 km away
NTrains and coachesno timetable feed known for this country
YFerriesPelabuhan Kaledupa, 3 km; sailings estimated
YDriving and taxiOpenStreetMap roads; cab fare from the country band
NBike and scooter shareno share feed known
NCruisesno open itinerary source anywhere

Y routable now · F found, not yet implemented · N no source known. Nearest place with more: Baubau, 128 km.

-5.536°, 123.758°

150 islands forming an administrative regency located in Southeast Sulawesi Province of Indonesia. The four largest islands are Wangi-wangi, Kaledupa, Tomia and Binongko, and the official name of the regency is a contraction of WAngi-Wangi, KAledupa, TOmia and BInongko; the islands were traditionally known as the Tukang Besi islands. The capital of the regency is located on Wangi-wangi Island, and was established by virtue of Law of the Republic of Indonesia Number 29 of 2003 dated 18 December 2003.

How locals move

Getting around Wakatobi the local way

Four islands with no road between them: fly in from Bali or Kendari when an airline is actually running, or take the day-long boat from Kendari or a crossing from Buton, then move between Wangi-Wangi, Kaledupa, Tomia and Binongko on the regular boats, weather permitting.

01
Kendari – Wangi-Wangi (FlyJaya)scheduled flight
Haluoleo Airport (KDI), Kendari to Bandara Matahora (WNI), Wangi-Wangi
Where
Book on flyjaya.com or through Traveloka or Tiket.com; FlyJaya is the only carrier on this route
When
roughly twice a week; Wikivoyage saw Tuesday and Friday in December 2025
Fare
not confirmed for the current FlyJaya service
Takes
about 1h
Season
this route has been suspended and restarted repeatedly since 2022; confirm it is flying before you plan around it
Booking
airline website or a booking agent
Sources: rri.co.id (2026-02) · tegas.co (2025-05) · en.wikivoyage.org (2025-12) · confidence medium
02
Denpasar – Wangi-Wangi (TransNusa)scheduled flight
I Gusti Ngurah Rai (DPS), Bali to Bandara Matahora (WNI), Wangi-Wangi
Where
Book with TransNusa or an Indonesian ticket agent; the first and only direct flight from Bali
When
three times a week, since 16 July 2026
Fare (2026)
launch fare from IDR 1,849,000 one way
Takes
not confirmed
Season
a new route with no seasonal pattern established yet
Booking
airline website or an Indonesian booking agent
Sources: antaranews.com (2026-07) · confidence medium
03
Wanci boat, Kendari – Wangi-Wangiferry
Pelabuhan Kapal Malam / Wanci port, Kendari (north end of the Kendari Bay Bridge) to Wangi-Wangi
Where
Ask at the Wanci boat port in Kendari for the boat by name; several operators run on different days
When
daily departures around 08:00-09:00, split across KFC Jetliner, KM Aksar Saputra, KM Al Sudais, KM Napoleon and Simba 1 on a rotating weekly pattern
Fare (2025)
around IDR 110,000 per person on KFC Jetliner, IDR 220,000-230,000 on the other boats
Takes
about 10 hours
Season
cancelled in rough seas; which boat runs depends on the day of the week
Booking
buy at the harbour before departure; there are touts outside the ticket counters
Sources: en.wikivoyage.org (2025-03) · wakatobitourism.com (2023-08) · confidence high
04
Buton ports – Wangi-Wangi (Pasarwajo, Lasalimu, Kamaru)ferry
Pasarwajo, Lasalimu or Kamaru port on Buton Island to Wangi-Wangi
Where
Take a taxi or shared car out of Bau-Bau: about 1h to Pasarwajo, 2h to Lasalimu, 3h to Kamaru
When
the Kamaru ferry was daily at 13:00; no published departure time was found for Pasarwajo or Lasalimu, where the port works 08:00-10:45
Fare (2024)
IDR 80,000-150,000 per person
Takes
about 2h crossing from Lasalimu, 3h from Pasarwajo, 5h from Kamaru, plus the drive
Season
as of 2024 nothing leaves from Bau-Bau city itself; you have to go out to one of these ports
Booking
pay at the port
Sources: en.wikivoyage.org (2024) · wakatobitourism.com (2023-08) · confidence medium
05
KM Cantika, Bau-Bau – Wangi-Wangiboat
Bau-Bau, Buton Island to Wangi-Wangi
Where
Ask at Bau-Bau's port for KM Cantika; the regency site does not say which pier it uses
When
daily, departs 22:00
Fare (2023)
IDR 80,000-150,000 per person
Takes
about 3 hours
Season
can be cancelled in heavy swell; Wikivoyage describes Cantika as running a rolling schedule between the main islands
Booking
pay at the port
Sources: wakatobitourism.com (2023-08) · confidence medium
06
Wisita Indah 02, Bau-Bau – Tomiacargo boat
Bau-Bau Numana Port to Tomia
Where
Wooden cargo-passenger boat; ask at Numana Port in Bau-Bau
When
at least once a week, Tuesday evenings
Fare
not confirmed
Takes
not stated
Season
weather-dependent; other boats also run between Bau-Bau and Kaledupa or Tomia, so ask at the port
Booking
at the harbour
Sources: en.wikivoyage.org (2025-12) · confidence medium
07
Wangi-Wangi (Numana) – Kaledupa (Ambeua/Buranga)boat
Numana Harbour to Ambeua Harbour or Buranga Harbour, Kaledupa
Where
Numana Harbour in Wanci town; return boats leave from Ambeua or Buranga
When
one regular boat daily each way; out 08:00, return 06:00
Fare (2023)
IDR 50,000 per person
Takes
2-3 hours
Season
cancelled if the waves are too big
Booking
pay at the harbour; a chartered boat on to Hoga Island is arranged at Ambeua
Sources: wakatobitourism.com (2023-08) · confidence medium
08
Wangi-Wangi – Tomia: KM Fungka Express ferry and the speedboatboat
Numana Harbour to Feri Harbour near Pantai Hondue (ferry) or Waha Harbour (speedboat), Tomia
Where
Numana Harbour; ask separately for the slower regular ferry or the faster speedboat
When
ferry out 08:00, back from Hondue 09:00; speedboat out 14:00, back 06:00, daily
Fare (2023)
IDR 170,000 on the ferry, IDR 150,000 on the speedboat, per person
Takes
ferry 3-4h; speedboat 2-3h
Season
cancelled in bad weather; from Tomia the ferry carries on to Binongko
Booking
pay at the harbour
Sources: wakatobitourism.com (2023-08) · en.wikivoyage.org (2025-03) · confidence medium
09
Wangi-Wangi – Binongkoboat
Numana Harbour to Rukuwa Harbour or Bante Harbour, Binongko
Where
Numana Harbour; which harbour you arrive at depends on the boat running that day
When
daily, departs 08:00
Fare (2023)
IDR 185,000 per person
Takes
4-5 hours
Season
the longest inter-island crossing and the most exposed to rough seas
Booking
pay at the harbour
Sources: wakatobitourism.com (2023-08) · confidence medium
10
Wakatobi Dive Resort guest flight, Bali – Tomia airstripchartered flight
Bali to the resort's own airstrip near Tolandona Island, Tomia
Where
Booked only as part of a Wakatobi Dive Resort stay
When
generally Monday and Friday, varying with the time of year
Fare
included in the resort package, not sold separately
Takes
under 3 hours
Season
still running for booked guests; the resort's page carries a July 2026 modification date
Booking
arranged with the resort at the time of booking
Sources: wakatobi.com (2026-07) · confidence high
11
Ojek from Matahora Airport into Wanci townmoto taxi
Matahora Airport (east side of Wangi-Wangi) to Wanci town
Where
Airport staff can call one; expect to wait around 30 minutes, since the airport has no public transport stand
When
on demand, called at the airport
Fare (2025)
IDR 50,000
Takes
about 30 minutes
Season
year-round
Booking
on demand; ask airport staff to call one
Sources: en.wikivoyage.org (2025-03) · confidence high
12
Ojek around Wangi-Wangi and the other islandsmoto taxi
port to accommodation and other short hops on the main islands
Where
flag one down on any main road or at a harbour
When
on demand, readily available
Fare (2025)
IDR 20,000 for a short trip, IDR 50,000 for a long distance
Takes
short trips, minutes
Season
year-round
Booking
flag one down; the Maxim app also covers Wangi-Wangi (Dec 2025), Gojek and Grab do not
Sources: en.wikivoyage.org (2025-12) · confidence high

Not yet confirmed: Correction to an earlier draft of this entry: the Kendari flight is not flown by Wings Air or Garuda Indonesia. Wings Air stopped its Kendari-Wakatobi route on 26 May 2025 (tegas.co, 27 May 2025) and Garuda's Kendari-Wakatobi route dates from 2017 and is long gone. FlyJaya is the operator now.; Correction to an earlier draft: every boat fare on the Wakatobi Tourism Authority site was dated here as 2026. That page (wakatobitourism.com/plan-trips/getting-around) was published in 2018 and last modified on 28 August 2023 according to the site's own WordPress REST API, so its fares are marked 2023 above. Its older Kendari-Wanci figures were IDR 86,000 for KFC Jetliner and IDR 200,000 for the other boats; the 2025 Wikivoyage figures used above are higher.; RRI reported on 15 September 2026 under the headline 'Fly Jaya Kembali Layani Rute Kendari-Wakatobi Mulai 21 September 2026' that the route restarted again on 21 September 2026. The article itself could not be reached from a publisher URL, so it is recorded here rather than cited. No current schedule or fare for FlyJaya was confirmed.; The TransNusa Denpasar-Wangi-Wangi flight is recorded from its July 2026 launch announcement only. Whether it is still running three times a week, and what it now costs beyond the IDR 1,849,000 launch fare, was not confirmed.; An earlier draft gave departure times of 08:00 for the Lasalimu ferry and 09:00 for the Pasarwajo ferry. No source supports those times. Wikivoyage lists Pasarwajo Ferry Port as working 08:00-10:45, which is port hours, not a sailing time. Ask at the port or by phone (+62 85236323829, the number Wikivoyage lists for Pasarwajo).; The tegas.co article cited for the Wings Air withdrawal returns HTTP 403 to every automated fetch tried, including its WordPress REST API, so its text could not be re-read on review. The claim is consistent with the RRI and Wikivoyage accounts of the route stopping and restarting, but someone should open that URL in a browser before the Wings Air date is relied on.; PELNI's own site (pelni.co.id) returned HTTP 403 during this research. Local sources describe KFC Jetliner as a PELNI ship, but that was not confirmed from PELNI itself, and no PELNI schedule for Wanci or Bau-Bau was checked.; ASDP Indonesia Ferry's public route API (asdp.id) returns no routes for Wangi-Wangi, Kaledupa, Tomia, Binongko or Bau-Bau, only an unrelated Raha-Pure route near Muna. ASDP's ro-ro network does not appear to cover Wakatobi's inter-island crossings.; Bandara Maranggo on Tomia has no public commercial flights, only the Wakatobi Dive Resort's guest charter (Wikivoyage, Nov 2024).; Bentors (motorised becak) were not found in any source for Wakatobi; only ojek is documented. Do not assume bentors operate here.; Scooters can be rented on all four islands (Jelly in Wangi-Wangi, Villa MM in Kaledupa, Labore Stay in Tomia, Anjungan Busoa in Binongko per Wikivoyage) and can be carried on the inter-island boats, but no rental rate was found. Roadside petrol was IDR 15,000 a bottle in March 2025.; No Wakatobi-specific source names the months when crossings stop. Sources only say boats do not sail 'if the waves are too big'. Ask a local operator or the harbourmaster for the current closure pattern..

The field note on Wakatobi reads this entry in full, one option at a time, with every source beside it.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Wikimedia Commons (see Commons), Wikimedia Commons.