a: Nirwana Beach near Bau Bau airport.

Traveling around Buton Island in Southeast Sulawesi in three days requires at least two things — a tough driver and a good company.  

A tough driver is crucial to beat the hard terrain and bring you to any destination safely, while good company can laugh with you on bumpy roads and share excitement when you pass the wonderful scenery.  

Buton comprises five regencies — Buton, Muna, Wakatobi, Bombana and North Buton — as well as one city, Bau Bau.

The fact that there are bad roads in remote areas around the island is ironic, since it is the richest natural asphalt source in the world, after Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean.

Unlike nearby Wakatobi — which has successfully promoted itself as a heaven for underwater lovers, Buton Island is not popular among many travelers. There are not many traces of tourist activities in the regency, except for a few hotels and restaurants located in Bau Bau.

A waterfall in Lasalimu district in Buton regencyBut after a closer look, this island reveals its identity as a home to rich cultural, marine and fauna resources.

There is no direct flight from Jakarta to Bau Bau. You have to transit at Hasanuddin airport in Makassar or Kendari airport in Southeast Sulawesi and continue via smaller aircraft on Lion Air or Merpati Nusantara Airlines.   

Overall, it takes six hours to reach Bau Bau’s small airport via Makassar in South Sulawesi from Jakarta. The airport’s arrival room is full with colorful and bright banners on the wall, promoting some hotels in the city.

During the short journey to reach Calista Hotel, a minimalist hotel located just next to Kamali Beach, my eyes were captivated by cashew trees and traditional houses.

Wolio castle in Bau BauThe cashew trees were everywhere. They crowd the backyard houses, side streets and occupy a large portion of the plantations in the remote hills nearby.

The island’s traditional wooden houses, called rumah panggung (stage houses) still exist in some parts of town and plenty are found in the suburbs.

Newly elected Buton regent Umar Abdul Samiun gave a two-day tour to some 20 journalists from Jakarta of the remote corners of the regencies that he wants developed into tourism sites.

Tourism, he said, would let people know the island better.  

“The central government is more interested in sectors that need direct funding, such as infrastructure, than tourism. To date, we have tried to collect data and improve infrastructure to attract investment in tourism,” he said.  

On the first day, we braced for an 80-kilometer journey to Wabula district, which was next to the sea. The crisscross road leading to the district was challenging, as it went up and down most of the time, not to mention the bad surface we had to endure.

In the middle of the journey, I saw Hakima, the secretary of the regency Social Affairs Agency, covering her face with a towel. Before I opened my mouth to ask why she did that, the non-air conditioned minibus that was carrying us passed a limestone mine. The wind fiercely blew white dust that entered our minibus.

When we arrived at a small port, the group was divided into two. The first group continued the journey to Wabula via a narrow long boat, while the other took some officials’ cars and left the minibus.

Customary leaders dressed up in woven attires.
Umar said that Wabula is expected to become a center for maritime tourism. He plans to hire a number of professional divers from Australia to look for the best diving spots in the waters near the district.

The residents at Wabula prepared a traditional party for us. We were greeted with a short traditional dance called, the mangaru.

“The mangaru dance is performed as a welcoming dance to respect guests. It is presented by three men, which reflect the role of men as protectors. In the past, this dance was performed to ward off enemies,” said Udin Ema, a resident.

We also got a glimpse of a traditional party that is usually held biannually, during the second and seventh months of the year. They hold the parties to welcome the planting season and to pray for good harvest of cashews, cassava, corn and breadfruit.  

The party involved performance of a song titled “Layandea” (Love for the customary leader) that was sung by Pandekaule and followed by individual dances that were performed by elderly male and female leaders.

The performance, which usually lasts the whole night, closed with a martial arts demonstration.

“Culturally, Buton is incredibly diverse. For a small island, there are over 120 local languages spoken and each ethnic group has their own practices, ceremonies and traditional clothing,” explained John Watts, a doctoral student from the Australian National University in Canberra.

Earlier in the dusk, we enjoyed dinner in their traditional way. After a short prayer, they opened the beautiful caps that covered some big round trays. It contained various traditional food and snacks that were arranged around the rice. There were neither spoons nor plates.

I ate once. I continued with snacks and instantly fell for a black glutinous cake with boiled eggs that was cooked in coconut milk and spice.

As we began to eat, many villagers who had been standing behind the elderly leaders looked curious. Feeling uneasy, we asked Hakima why the villagers were staring at us.

“They are watching whether the guests are eating the food that they have prepared. These people worked together to cook it and will feel discouraged if the guests do not eat it,” she said.  

The next day when we had lunch at the traditional house in Lasalimu district in the northern Buton regency, we made sure that all dishes were empty as we left.   

Buton residents believe architecture of traditional stage house, as seen in Lasalimu district, will protect them from wild animals.
Most local food involves either coconut milk, fish or cassava. One dish is kapusunosu, corn and red beans that are cooked with coconut milk. Another delicious dish is anchovies that are grilled and marinated with shallots and tamarind before they are fried.

Fish is fresh, affordable and plentiful in the traditional market. Do not forget to buy cashews. They have removed the cashew oil, which makes the taste milder and prevent itchiness in your throat.   

But if you’re not into the traditional food, you can always go to a restaurant. In Bau Bau, we had lunch in Lakeba restaurant, a beachside diner that is a 15-minute drive from the city center. The restaurant serves seafood and Chinese food. One of the popular menu items is parende (fish soup), which can be made of red snapper or grouper fish.

On the second day, we had the chance to visit a pearl farm and the Lambusango conservation forest, which is a home to the anoa, or dwarf buffalo, phalanger possums and tarsius monkeys.

Unfortunately, we did not have enough time to go inside the forest and observe the animals. Anyone who wants to enter the 27,700 hectare forest should be accompanied by a ranger and secure a permit in conservancy office located in Bau Bau.  

The tour ended on the third day with a brief visit to the stunning Nirwana Beach, which offers white sands and blue seas. We also visited the Wolio castle, the remains of the Buton palace.

The walls of the 3-kilometer-long castle, located on the top of the hill, overlook the Bau Bau, Buton Strait and Muna Island.

“In the past, people came observe new ships approaching the palace,” said Harisun, a young resident.” There was also a bunker under the tree that was used as a temporary hideout to beat the enemies that managed to enter this place.”

— Photos by Indah Setiawati