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Wakatobi – Sea gypsy homestay in the middle of the golden coral triangle, Sampela, Southeast Sulawesi

Take the chance to experience the traditional life of the Bajo, sea gypsies who used to roam around in their boats. Now most of the Bajo live in houses on stilts and go out fishing day or night in their little canoes. They can dive up to 20 meters deep and remain underwater for as long as five minutes using wooden goggles and hunting fish with homemade spear-guns. Wakatobi is famous as it has one of the most diverse reefs in the world, a paradise for (free) divers and snorkelers.

Your homestay in Sampela village is a cozy, private house on stilts, with one bedroom, a sitting room/bedroom, a bathroom and a balcony with hammocks from where you have a first class view of village life.

Where you gonna stay

Opposite your hut, is the house of your hosts Pondang and Rus, and their son Laki. They are looking forward to welcome people from all over the world and introduce them to the traditional way of life.

Rus will prepare delicious meals with of course fresh fish ant take care that there is always hot water for coffee and tea. Like most of the villagers, Pondang is a traditional fisherman. He speaks English quite well. He can bring you with his fast boat to the reefs for freediving and spearfishing and also to the dive shop on Hoga island, Wakatobi-Hoga-Diving, which is only 10 boat minutes away.

Pondang was involved in several documentaries about the sea gypsies, for instance ‘Leben bei den Seenomaden’. He went to Germany to star in ‘Gegenbesuch der Seenomaden ‘. Both were produced by Galileo, Germany. If you´re interested, have a look in this video, with the Seagypsy Village starting at 10:47.

Pondang is active in various community programs in the village, most of which were initiated by Piara.nl, an NGO from the Netherlands. Until recently, he brought the village children to the main island where they could attend secondary school. Now Sampela has its own school. Pondang has also organized and realized a football field in the village, in the sea. You are more than welcome to join a game!

How to get here

First you need to get to either Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Bali or Jakarta to get a flight to Makassar, Sulawesi in Indonesia. From Makassar there are daily flights to Wangi, Wakatobi by Lion Air. From Wangi it is a one and a half hour ferry trip to Sampela.

Rates and Contact

The price for stay and meals is Rp 300.000 p.p. / night, including pick up and snorkelling trips.

For further inquiries and reservations send a mail to wiahoga@gmail.com or call Pondang directly +62 821 48728544

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