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BUTON STRAIT

Selat Buton is an 80nm strait at the end of the Southeast peninsula of Sulawesi, running between mountainous Buton island and the flatter Muna Island. Buton Strait has minimum width of 0.3nm, but otherwise runs wide and is quite easily navigated.
The biggest city in Selat Buton is Baubau, which in its past has both seen chieftains, kings and sultans. Located in the south end of the Strait on Buton Island, this is a convenient stopover before or after transiting the strait. Diesel, water, food and visa extensions can be obtained here, and a colorful history can be explored while waiting.
The city of Raha, located on Muna Island about in the middle of the strait, is another place to restock and, along with Meleura beach, was one of the many highlights of our time in Indonesia.

It looks like there are endless places to anchor in decent depths and with good protection. And when talking to locals, one amazing place after the other has been suggested to us, with hikes, caves, fresh water springs and waterfalls.
Navionics seems reasonably accurate, but I highly recommend using satellite for more detail and for exploring the nooks and crannies for potential stopovers.

PASSAGE TO SELAT BUTON FROM THE NORTH

We crossed the Ceram sea from Sanana on Sula Island in north Maluku to Labuan Belanda at the very north end of Buton Strait. The crossing was 252nm long and took us 2 days and 7 hours with very little wind and numerous squalls.
Be aware of many unlit FADS (Fishing Attracting Devises) even a 100nm out at sea in 5000m of water.

TIDES AND CURRENTS IN THE STRAIT

Navionics has tidemarks at Baubau and Kendari. According to the marks, the tides are simultaneous in these two locations. The Tidal information provided for Baubau, did not differ much from the tide we observed in Raha.

Based on local information and our own observations, this is what I can share: (Observations during NW Monsoon)
In the north end of Buton Strait the tidal currents flood SW from South of Wowoni Island through Tioro Strait and ebbs NE. The ebb tide is stronger, yet rarely reaches more than 0.5 kts.
The tide floods S past Raha, but is quite week.
The Tide current directions switch somewhere around the north end of the narrows. So that flood tide runs north from Baubau through the narrows and ebbs south.
The current runs at its strongest (a friend saw around 3kts) through the narrows, and timing it right is well worth it.

The spring tides are around 2 meters, and this should be considered when tying up the dinghy in ports.

TRAFFIC

The Strait is highly trafficked by Tugs towing barges, cargoes and fast passenger ferries traveling at speeds over 25kts, they all appear on AIS so it is easy to tell there approach, speed and heading. Staying to either side of the Strait you are out of their way.

INTERNET

There are various cell phone towers along the straits in towns and bigger villages, so you will have some signal most of the transit.

Labuan Belanda, North Buton Island

Anchorage

04°26.186’S 122°56.374’E

Labuan Belanda on the North end, mentioned in Andy Scott’s ‘Cruising Guide to Indonesia’ is a convenient stop when arriving in the strait.

Raha, Muna Island

To break up the transit, Raha, the capital of Muna Island, is another convenient stop, making for a 30nm first day and a 40nm second day to Baubau.
Apart from being a convenient stop, Raha is an extremely interesting place to stop. The waterfront offers an impressive Esplanade along huge manmade lakes, surrounded by trees and palms, with the Giant Mosque, Masjid Darussalam with its golden dome, built on a manmade island in the middle.
This is a magical place to stroll in the evening when the sun sets behind the Mosque and rows of food stalls and vendors are open and chairs are set out along the waterfront to view the evening fall over the strait. Fairy lights, live music and chatty locals adds to the charming atmosphere.

READ ALSO our story from Raha: A Muslim, a Christian and an Atheist walks into a Mosque

Anchorage

04°50.157’S 122°44.017’E (recommended anchorage at Esplanade)

04°51.401’S 122°44.096’E (at fisherman’s harbor in south end of town)

Diesel

We found no Pertamina reachable by Dinghy but took 3 x 20L jury-cans to the Pertamina 20-30m walk from the dinghy dock and scootered them back for only 20000 IDR. People are extremely friendly however, and I imagine it would be easy to get a car sorted if you need a bigger load.
We were also told of a diesel place in the southern end of town near the Fisherman’s Harbor, but due to our very slow dinghy, we did not venture that far.
Dexlite is available here, but was expensive at 12000 IDR/L as of February 2022.

Market

The market is conveniently located right next to the small-boat harbor whereto you can bring your dinghy. Tie to the rock wall and hold it off with a stern anchor.
The market is decent with good variety and very cheap prices on vegetables. People are super eager to know where you are from and if you aren’t scared sailing on the ocean, so expect to spend as much time chatting as you do shopping.
And remember to practice your vegetables in Bahasa Indonesia for smooth shopping.

Meleura Beach, Muna Island

Meleura Beach, a local tourist spot only 7nm south of Raha, was recommended to us many times by locals, who referred to it as ‘Mini Raja Ampat‘

The water here is crystal clear with sand bottom. However there is no coral in Meleura itself, but local tourist boats do offer trips to a nearby island in Buton Strait which supposedly has great snorkeling and diving.
But Meleura has so many other attractions to offer, such as many fresh-water lakes, lush jungle where Kayu Jati (teak) grows abundantly, numerous caves, some underground with clear water, and some with ancient cave paintings and a lively waterfront where people come to hang out, go on boat trips, swim and dance traditional dances.

Sunday is the best day in Meleura when many local tourists come to the pier to eat, dance and go on afternoon boat tours.

Just like Raha, the locals at Meleura informed us that they have never seen yachts anchor here before, so naturally people are very curious, very friendly and overly hospitable. The ability to speak some Bahasa Indonesia makes all the difference. (The local language is Bahasa Muna and it is very different to Indonesian.)

Fresh Food

Meleura Village is quite small and does not have any other shops than kiosks and stalls selling cold drinks, cup noodles and coconuts. But every evening around 5-6pm a woman on a scooter comes to the pier with saddlebacks full of vegetables (from her own garden), tempeh and tofu for a very good price.
On Sunday there is also a bigger vegetable market a short angkot/motor ride away.

Motonuno Lake (Danau Motonuno)

Motonuno Fresh-Water lake lies less than 2 kilometers walk from the jetty at Meleura Beach. It is a beautiful lake with crystal clear water and a popular place for locals to swim and do laundry on the tiled bank.

Ask a local about the lake and someone will certainly be happy to show you the way.
Remember to respect the locals by wearing culturally appropriate clothing when you go for a swim, for women that means longer shorts and t-shirts.

At one end of Motonuno the lake narrows into a river which leads to the bigger lake ‘Mata Air Wolio’

The Cave paintings of Kabori and Metanduno Cave

Locally known as Liang Kabori and Gua Metanduno, both caves are located in Mabolu Village about 17km inland from Meleura Beach. The trip to the caves can be made from either Meleura or Raha. We asked two Ojek drivers in Meleura to take us. They charged us 70,000 per person round trip and spent hours at the caves with us, teaching us everything they knew about the area.

These cave paintings are extremely interesting. For one there is a great variety in figures, from negative hand stencils, sun symbols, warriors, hunters and sailing boats to domesticated animals such as chicken and horses. But a great mystery is the ages of these paintings which are not yet tested. The many different figures are most likely painted over a great span of time, starting with the hand stencils, possibly ancient and ending with domesticated horses, estimated to be no more than 500 years old (as this is when horses were first brought to Indonesia by the Mongols).

Only recently cave paintings (hand stencils) in the cave of Leang Leang in Maros, east Sulawesi were discovered to be the oldest figurative cave paintings in the world with an estimated age of 45,500 years old.
Is it possible that the hand stencils in the neighboring caves of Kabori and Metanduno might be as old as that?

Kapontori, Buton Island

Kapontori lies in a big bay on the east side of Buton Strait off Buton Island, 24nm south of Meleura and 20nm north of Baubau.

Kapontori, a small village surrounded by beautiful jungle and farmland, especially rice paddies, paints a picture of an idyllic farm-life, where gardens are packed with banana palms, mango trees and coconuts.
The waterfront is not very inviting as there is no beach and the bottom is brown and sharp with rubble. But a reservoir with crystal clear water, hidden in the jungle a little outside Kapontori makes up for this.

Kopontori Reservoir (Permandian)

A really nice walk starting at Kapontori Village, then going along a dirt road through the rice-paddies and the old farm houses takes you to this great reservoir where you can enjoy a refreshingly cold swim.
Again, be respectful and wear culturally appropriate clothing.

It will most likely happen naturally, but I will highly recommend that you let the kids accompany you and show you the way. It is the best way to practice your Bahasa Indonesia, and in return it is a great opportunity for them to practice and test out their English, which they are learning a bit of in school.

Baubau, South Buton Island

Immigration Baubau

Where: The Immigration Office is inconveniently far out of town, and only reachable by taxi or Ojek (motorbike)
We payed two Ojek drivers 30,000 IDR per Ojek to drive us there, and 40,000 to come and get us when we were finished at the office.
You can also get a grab (Indonesia’s version of Uba, I think it is about 60,000 each way, just male sure they are willing to come all the way out to get you)

We have also been informed of a guy by the name Salem Darsen WhatsApp: +62 823 43092817 (a friend of agent Raymond Lesmana) who can drive you and help you at the office. But I am not sure of the cost.

How long: The process can be done in a single day if you have your sponsor letter ready at hand or sent to the office. But our process took three days due to the fact that we had not arranged for a sponsor letter (coming from the east, we were unsure if this would be required).

How: You are required to present a sponsor letter. This can be on email, but the original has to be sent to the office also. But as per the forms, you can fill it all out yourself.
After the forms are filled and the required documents have been handed over, you will receive a bill to bring to the bank for transfer of Immigration fee. (The standard 500.000 IDR / person)

Required Documents

• Passports and passport copies
• Crew list (1 for each person) + copy of original crew list with Immigration entry stamp
• Vaccine certificates
• Visas
• Sponsor letters

NOTE: This is unusual, but Immigration in Baubau might ask to come on your boat for a routine check. I suspect this is purely out of want to see the boat and take a photo, but the official reasoning is for documentation. Almost deterred by the look of our tiny dinghy, they finally came onboard for a photo and an extra crew list. They stayed in the cockpit for a few minutes and then asked to be returned to shore.

Keraton fortress (Benteng Keraton)

If you stop in Baubau, Keraton Fortress is really worth a visit. Ask an Ojek driver to take you to ‘Benteng Keraton’, it should cost no more than 10,000 IDR. You will be dropped at the top where you can enjoy a great walk inside the walls overlooking Baubau and Buton Strait.

Stretching over an area of 23.375 hectares Keraton Fortress is among the biggest forts in the world (it is ranked as the biggest by Guinness Book of Records) Keraton, originally named Wolio Palace was built in the 16th century for Sultan Buton III, Sultan Kaimuddin (1591-1596).

If you are interested in the history, I suggest you read more about the fortress before going, as all the signs are written in Bahasa Indonesia.

OTHER ATTRACTIONS

Check out this site which lists all the waterfalls on Buton Island
Buton Island, Paradise Most Beautiful Waterfall in Southeast Sulawesi – DISPAR SULTRAhttps://disparsultra.id/id/pulau-buton-surga-air-terjun-terindah-di-sulawesi-tenggara