At peace: Sunset near Jinato Island illuminates a fi shing boat in an area where most locals make their living from the sea.The exhausting two-hour boat journey is promptly forgotten after stepping ashore at Tinabo Besar Island in Taka Bonerate, South Sulawesi.

The pristine white sand and clear blue sea is so mesmerizing that all fatigue dissipates.

This scenery, however, is only the tip of the iceberg, for under that blue sea is even more of the natural beauty on offer at Taka Bonerate National Park. Dazzling underwater panoramas impossible to detect at sea level invite one to explore the park’s diverse coral reefs and multitude of marine species.

Piotr Kordas, 30, a Polish tourist visiting Tinabo Besar with several journalists recently, was curious about the captivating atoll of Taka Bonerate, offering what most divers describe as an underwater paradise.

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