Every Stop on a Labengki and Sombori Trip, and What Each One Is Like

Most lists of things to do here read the same way. A name, a photograph, a sentence about crystal-clear water. That's not much use when you're trying to work out whether you can manage the climb, whether you need to be there at a particular tide, or whether you'll be getting off the boat into knee-deep water with a camera.

This is the full list with those details attached.

Two rules apply almost everywhere out here, so assume them unless a stop says otherwise. Landings are wet: there are no piers, so you step off into the water and walk in. And the sea decides the order: the crew plans each day around tide and conditions, not around a printed schedule.

Viewpoints

Puncak Kayangan (Kayangan 1 and 2)

The picture you have already seen of this region was almost certainly taken here. A short, steep climb from the water up onto a limestone ridge on the Sombori side, looking out over a cluster of karst islands in pale shallow water.

The climb is on rock and constructed steps and is short rather than long. It is steep enough that footwear matters. There are two viewpoints, referred to as Kayangan 1 and Kayangan 2, and you'll see the name spelled Khayangan and Kahyangan too. Full detail on the climb to Puncak Kayangan.

Kimaboe Hill

The viewpoint on the Labengki side, above Teluk Cinta. A shorter climb than Kayangan. From the top you look down over the bay, the islands beyond it and the structures along the shore.

Teluk Cinta (Love Bay)

The heart-shaped bay. Worth being straightforward about this one: from Kimaboe Hill you get a good view of a beautiful bay, but you don't really see a heart. The shape only resolves from directly above, which in practice means from a drone. More on the heart-shaped bay at Teluk Cinta.

Caves

Goa Berlian (Diamond Cave)

Named for stalactites that catch and throw light. The reason to go in the morning is that light enters through gaps in the rock and does something worth photographing; later in the day it is a dark cave.

Getting up to it is a scramble rather than a walk, over rock and roots. It is the most physically demanding stop on a standard itinerary and it is reasonable to sit it out. Detail on the light shaft inside Diamond Cave.

Goa Allo

A wet cave near Goa Berlian. When the sea drops, the floor becomes a still, clear pool and you can go in. When the water is high, you can't. Entirely tide-dependent, which is why it appears on some trip reports and not others.

Handprint Cave

A small cave known for markings on the rock. We are not going to tell you how old they are or what made them, because we have not seen a source we trust on either question. It is a short stop.

Kolam Renang Cave (Swimming Pool Cave)

A cave with a pool of clear water inside it, on the Labengki side. The name is descriptive rather than poetic. A quick stop and a good one on a hot afternoon.

Lagoons and lakes

Blue Lagoon

Locally, Laguna Mahumalalang. Enclosed water inside the karst, reached through a gap that's not obvious until you are in front of it. One of the more reliable stops because it is less exposed than the outer sites.

Twin Lagoon

Two connected bodies of water separated by rock. Quiet, sheltered, and usually approached slowly because the channel between them is narrow.

Five Lagoons

A cluster of small enclosed pools rather than one large one. Best appreciated from slightly above, and one of the stops where a drone earns its baggage allowance.

Toros Kampali

Called Laguna Toros Kampali in Indonesian sources. Another enclosed lagoon on the Labengki side, and one of the stops most often trimmed from a three-day itinerary when the weather compresses the schedule.

Tobelo Lake (Danau Tobelo)

The most interesting entrance of any stop out here. Tobelo is a large lake ringed by vegetated karst walls, and the way in is through a water tunnel rather than an open channel. That is exactly why access depends on the state of the water.

Jellyfish Lagoon

A lagoon holding jellyfish, and a recent addition to itineraries here rather than a long-known stop.

One correction, because it is repeated on almost every page about this region: you'll read that stingless jellyfish exist in only three places on Earth. That's not true. Jellyfish lakes are documented at Kakaban in Kalimantan, in the Togean islands, in Palau, at Misool in Raja Ampat and here. It is a genuinely unusual thing to swim in without being a thing that exists in three places. More on the jellyfish lagoon found in 2023.

Beaches

Red Sand Beach (Pantai Pasir Merah)

Reddish sand rather than white, which is unusual enough in this region to be worth the stop. On the Labengki side.

Long Sand Beach (Pasir Panjang)

A long spit of white sand. Reaching it on foot from the village side is awkward because the path is rocky. It is easier and more pleasant to arrive by water, which is how we do it.

Air Kiri Beach

White sand on the Sombori side, usually combined with a swim and a snorkel stop rather than visited on its own.

White Sand Beach

Another Sombori beach stop, and one of the common lunch spots on a day working through that island group.

Villages and the water itself

Mbokita

A Bajo village built on stilts above the water on the Sombori side. People live and work here, so we visit at a sensible hour, ask before photographing anyone, and buy something if there is something to buy. It sits inside a marine conservation area. More on Mbokita, a Bajo village built over the water.

Small Labengki (Labengki Kecil)

The small island with the fishing village and most of the accommodation. It's also the centre of the giant clam conservation work in these waters, where relocated clams sit on reefs the community treats as no-take zones. Look, photograph, do not touch and do not stand on anything. More on the giant clams of Labengki Kecil.

Labengki Lighthouse

A working navigation light with a view from the base. A short stop, usually slotted in around something else.

Priyanka

A snorkel stop rather than a landing.

Which stops depend on the tide

Worth knowing before you book a short trip, because these are the ones a compressed itinerary misses:

• Goa Allo, entirely
• Tobelo Lake, because of the tunnel entrance
• Several lagoon entrances, depending on the channel
• Any crossing between the Labengki and Sombori groups, which depends on sea state rather than tide

This is the practical argument for a longer trip. Not more places, more attempts.

Common questions

How many of these does a three-day trip cover? The headline stops on both island groups. It doesn't cover the further lagoons, and it has no slack if the tide closes something.

Which stop is the hardest physically? Goa Berlian. It is a scramble over rock and roots rather than a walk. Kayangan is steep but on constructed steps.

Do I need to swim at every stop? No, but most landings involve getting off the boat into shallow water and walking in. You need to be comfortable with that.

Can I fly a drone at these stops? We do not require a permit from you at our sites, and several of these places are far better from the air. Indonesian national rules still apply and are yours to check before you travel.

Which stops are best for snorkeling rather than scenery? The Sombori side has the better snorkel stops of the two, but we can't responsibly name the best sites until our guides confirm their current condition.