Exploring Remote INDONESIA 🇮🇩 Sulawesi's Banggai Islands

Deep in Indonesia’s remote Banggai Islands lies Paisu Pok, a blue lake where fallen trees and bedrock can be seen through the remarkably clear water below.

In the first chapter of our two-week journey through Sulawesi, we travel from Jakarta to Luwuk before making our way across to Peleng Island. After a delayed flight caused us to miss the daily ferry, we arranged a small private boat and continued towards the village of Luk Panenteng.

Paisu Pok was one of the main reasons we travelled here, and over the following days we returned several times to experience it in different conditions. We visited at first light, paddled across the lake, snorkelled above the submerged trees and photographed the small wooden boats from the air.

But our time in Luk Panenteng became about more than the lake. We explored Mandel Beach by scooter, paddled a traditional boat across Kuwala Bay, found quiet beaches hidden behind the palm trees and photographed the village and coastline in the early morning and evening light.

This is a quieter and less polished side of Indonesia, where the days became centred around early starts, simple journeys, empty beaches and waiting for the light.