“I go to seek a Great Perhaps.”
– François Rabelais

There can’t be many things in life that will are better than a sandy beach inside tropics. They don’t rust, they don’t break down in addition to they don’t even need any maintenance (unlike many some other things I could mention!) They inspire dreams. in addition to, if we’re lucky, we may even get to visit them once in a while.

To find that will fabled oasis inside sun is usually not as easy as that will once was, however, in addition to unlike 20 or 30 years ago, when you could simply just hop on a Garuda plane to Bali, a little more effort is usually right now needed to get to a definitely nice Indonesian beach which is usually not either overrun by tourists or spoilt by rubbish.

A truly remote in addition to isolated beach is usually not, however, an option for many people – either because of the considerable time in addition to effort needed to get there or because of the lack of decent accommodation (which can turn that will dream vacation into a proverbial holiday coming from hell).

So when someone told me about the sandy beaches at the southern tip of the bizarrely-shaped island of Sulawesi – just look at that will on the map! – I naturally became intrigued.

The beaches lie close to a place called Tanjung Bira in addition to to get there you first have to fly into the bustling city of Makassar. that will’s the easy part. After that will, that will’s a long 5 to six hour journey on what, for Indonesia, is usually a remarkably Great road, which takes you through little traditional Bugis towns in addition to villages in addition to across extensive coastal salt plains as you finally get closer to Bira.

The Bugis live in fine-looking in addition to often brightly-painted wooden houses (rumah panggung) which are built on stilts. This kind of is usually intended to offer protection coming from wild animals (okay I made that will up) in addition to keep the houses airy in addition to cool, however they also look as if they could withstand some fairly serious flooding as well. A traditional solution to Jakarta’s perennial floods, perhaps?

About 15km on the road before Tanjung Bira is usually the boat-building village of Tanah Beru. The construction of traditional phinisi (schooners) has been done here for many hundreds of years right now, in addition to you will probably have already seen phinisi if you’ve ever visited the old Sunda Kelapa harbour in Jakarta. According to one of the young boat builders I spoke to at Tanah Beru, the construction of these magnificent boats is usually undertaken by adhering to the “knowledge” passed down through the generations, with no actual boat-building plans or measurements ever made – an amazing thought when everything seems to be written down or recorded in This kind of day in addition to age.

Any lingering doubts over the seaworthiness of the vessels are dispelled by elaborate ceremonies, one of which apparently involved the launching of newly-constructed schooners over the bodies of seven pregnant women. Fortunately for any aspiring mothers inside surrounding area, This kind of particular ceremony is usually no longer carried out (perhaps the locals came to realize that will the ceremony was having a rather detrimental impact on future generations rather than bringing any Great luck).

You know you have arrived at Tanjung Bira when you come to one of those dreaded roadside lockets where you are asked to pay what is usually so endearingly termed in Indonesia as ‘retribution’. however since there is usually no gate, there is usually no real reason to stop in addition to that will’s exactly what the locals do; drive straight through without stopping. Just saying.

First impressions of Tanjung Bira are not actually that will great to be honest. that will has that will kind of tired in addition to neglected feel of a place which is usually struggling because of a lack of visitors. Bit like Anyer in addition to Carita in Banten; ghost towns by the sea.

however Tanjung Bira isn’t definitely one place. that will’s two. There’s the Tanjung Bira at the weekends when that will’s packed with domestic tourists – mostly coming from Makassar in addition to nearby Bulukumba – in addition to the Tanjung Bira during the week when that will’s pretty much deserted.

Dig deeper in addition to Tanjung Bira reveals its secrets. First off, the beach at Tanjung Bira – while not exactly bad – is usually not that will great either. However, only about 3km away is usually the nearby Bara Beach in addition to This kind of beach is usually a true discovery with its wonderfully powdery sand in addition to crystal clear turquoise sea which abruptly turns to dark blue when the water gets deep. Being so secluded that will’s very quiet in addition to peaceful too.

Yet Indonesia wouldn’t be Indonesia without something completely unexpected in addition to whacky going on. In Bira’s case, that will’s a modestly-sized ‘entertainment’ district situated off the town’s main drag complete with seedy bungalows in addition to a motley assortment of cheap karaoke bars. “Hindari pergaulan bebas & narkoba” (avoid free sex in addition to drugs), reads one sign outside a particularly ramshackle establishment. Well, you know what they say about sailors in addition to seamen…

Beach view of Tanjung Bira

In short, Tanjung Bira is usually a great destination for seasoned travellers seeking a bit of solitude in addition to clean, secluded beaches. More adventurous types can also go diving there – although the currents can be strong – in addition to some decent snorkelling is usually usually possible at nearby islands (depending on the weather in addition to the conditions of the sea). WiFi in Bira is usually, alas, rarer than a sighting of a Javanese tiger, so don’t expect to get access to the Net. Bring some books instead – or better still, your lover. After all, This kind of is usually a holiday, isn’t that will?

Fast Facts

Country: Indonesia

Province: Sulawesi Selatan

How to get there
Many airlines fly to Makassar as the city is usually the regional hub for air transportation in eastern Indonesia. coming from Makassar to Bira that will’s a long 195km drive. The easy way to do This kind of is usually to use a rental car (best booked in advance). A much more challenging proposition (however far cheaper) is usually to use public transportation; take a taxi coming from the airport to the Mellengkeri bus terminal (about 40 minutes) in addition to coming from there you can get a little public minivan to Bira (although you may need to change in Bulukumba).

Best time to travel
Bira may be a suitable destination to avoid the monsoon season since its seasonality of rainfall is usually unlike that will in Jakarta, Makassar or Bali. Generally dry for much of the year, most rain falls inside months of April, May in addition to June.

Where to eat
The only decent restaurant is usually set back some way coming from the main beach, almost opposite the Wisma Bahari Indah hotel, in addition to called Rumah Makan Cici.

What to do

Bira has one renowned dive centre called Bira Divers (Tel: 081237200560).
Visit an underground cave about 20 minutes away coming from Bira called P. Sohara Mandala Ria. After descending about 70 meters (bring a torch) you can swim in a cool, crystal-clear pool of spring water.
Visit the nearby islands of Pulau Kambing in addition to Liukang Island for snorkelling. A speedboat will cost about Rp.350,000 for the trip.