Asik OriginalFrom
$94
Labengki, Southeast Sulawesi
Labengki & Sombori 2 Days 1 Night
New experience
2 DaysSmall groups
Calm lagoon by a Bajo village where a conservation reef shelters huge Tridacna clams.
Labengki Kecil is the small island next to the main Labengki, home to a Bajo (sea nomad) village on stilts and a sheltered lagoon of pale blue water. The draw beyond the scenery is the giant clams. A local effort, the Toli Toli Labengki conservation project started by a man named Habib, has gathered thousands of clams onto protected no-take reefs near the village.
Over about ten years roughly 8,000 clams of eight species have been relocated here, including Tridacna gigas, the largest of all, which can reach around 1.5 metres.
Snorkelling over the clam reef, you drift above rows of these animals with their wavy, electric-coloured mantles. It is shallow, easy, and genuinely different from a normal coral swim.
Getting there
It is reached only by boat, and Labengki Kecil is usually one of the closer stops to the main Labengki base. Trips typically start from Kendari (a 45 minute to one hour drive to the harbour, then about one hour by speedboat or three hours by wooden boat), with some running from the Morowali and Bungku side instead; either way expect several hours by boat to reach the area. Your guide arranges the village visit and the short hop to the clam reef.
Best time
Go around midday when the sun is overhead, since the colours of the clam mantles pop most in bright light over shallow water. Calm dry-season conditions, roughly April to November, keep visibility good.
Good to know
Look but do not touch, and never stand on the clams or the reef, as this is a protected conservation area. There may be a small fee or donation that supports the project, and a guide who knows the site will show you the biggest specimens.
The species range widely, and the largest, Tridacna gigas, can reach roughly 1.5 metres across. Several of the eight species protected here are smaller, more colourful clams.
Yes, the reef is a community-backed no-take conservation zone that rescued clams from illegal fishing. Visiting respectfully, with no touching, helps fund the work.
No. The clam reef is shallow and calm, so basic snorkelling is enough. A life vest is easy to arrange if you want one.
Add it to a route across Indonesia and we will work out the travel time and cost between every stop.
Build your tripKolam Bidadari (Berry's Pool)
