| Buton Island in Southeast Sulawesi is just a stones | | | | take the boat to Buton. Boats leave from both |
| throw from the famous Wakatobi diving region, and | | | | Kendari and Bau-Bau at approximately 7 am and 12.30 |
| it is becoming an increasingly popular scuba diving | | | | noon and the journey takes approximately 5 hours. |
| destination in its own right. Many Indonesian divers | | | | · Option 3: Another option is to take a PELNI ship |
| now know about Buton as a diving destination and it | | | | from Makassar to Bau-Bau. Schedules vary and are |
| won't be long until the international diving community | | | | only produced one month in advance, so call the |
| catches on too. | | | | PELNI center near to the time of your departure for |
| So how do you get to Buton? | | | | details. But this option makes it difficult to plan your |
| It is simple really, and there are three ways you can | | | | Buton trip in advance. |
| do this: | | | | Things to think about when choosing how you are |
| · Option 1: Bau-Bau is the main town on Buton | | | | going to get to Buton include: |
| Island, and it now has a small airport with daily flights | | | | · Wings Air (Lion Air) uses 72 seater planes and has |
| to and from Makassar. Airlines coming into Bau-Bau | | | | a baggage allowance of 15kg. |
| airport include Wings Air (a partner of Lion Air) and | | | | · Express Air uses 32 seater planes and has a |
| Express Air. You can fly from Jakarta, Bali or other | | | | baggage allowance of only 10kg. |
| big Indonesian cities, connect in Makassar, and take | | | | · It may be best to leave your heavy dive gear at |
| the plane on to Buton. Flights arrive and depart from | | | | home and rent diving equipment when you get here. |
| Bau-Bau airport around mid-morning to early | | | | So to summarize the easiest and quickest way to |
| afternoon. | | | | get to Buton in Southeast Sulawesi is to fly directly |
| · Option 2: There are also two daily fastboats, to | | | | to Bau-Bau, but if you have a lot of luggage and |
| and from Kendari, giving you the option to fly into | | | | more time you may want to consider one of the |
| Kendari which has a much bigger airport, and then | | | | other options. |