In one of the most remote corners of Indonesia, deep in the Togian archipelago (to be exact in a corner of Tomini Bay in Central Sulawesi) lies dreamily tucked away the Walea Island Dive Resort: the perfect example of a dream come true.

Four Italian enterprising friends discovered the spectacular promontory of Walea Bahi - a large, sparsely populated island - during one of their sailing trips several years ago and immediately fell in love with it. It took them a second to make up their mind…and four years to build their upper-scale resort.

Four years during which they had to face all sorts of problems: first they had to live in tents on the beach (in all sorts of weather conditions) for months, then they had to face the local bureaucracy and the deep-rooted diffidence of the natives (mainly Muslim fishermen) and then again they had to look for political support to obtain special permissions from the central Government in Jakarta. Was it worth it? You bet it was – Walea is one of the most beautiful places on Earth.

Everything was attentively planned to minimize the impact on the environment: bungalows were built with local woods and the sewage drainages were carefully planned to avoid any sort of contamination of the area. Most important, the surrounding area was – after a long battle – declared at last a Marine Reserve, which is now strictly managed by the same folks who own and run the Walea Dive Resort.

Now fishing of any sort in the area is forbidden, as well as mooring, and the vegetation and the fauna on the mainland – which include rare orchids, cockatoos, parrots, parakeets, large monitor lizards, flying lizards, black Sulawesi macaques and pythons - are totally protected.

This truly is an amazing result, considering that the general area, being so extremely isolated, was known for dynamite fishing, deforestation and illegal commerce of exotic animals. The owners even built, at their own expense, a watchtower overlooking the sea, from which Park rangers are now constantly monitoring the reefs. Thanks to their efforts, visitors today can enjoy a completely unspoiled landscape.

The sea bottoms of Walea are very rich in reef macro critters (mimic and wonder octopus, blue-ring octopus, flamboyant cuttlefish, pygmy seahorses of different species, robust and ornate ghostpipefish…you get the picture!) and big specimens of pelagic fauna such as sharks, manta rays, eagle rays, marlin, sailfish, trevallies, groupers, dolphins and several species of big cetaceans.

Coral reefs are absolutely untouched and simply spectacular, going on chilometers, truly some of the best we have ever seen in all our diving life. Blazing in glorious colors, dotted with absolutely gigantic sponges and teeming with thousands of technicolored reef fish, the Walea dive sites are top-notch. What is best, today the detonation of dynamite bombs is only a bad memory.

One of the most important eco-friendly current projects of the Walea Island Dive Resort is the protection of the marine turtles: in respect to this operation the staunch support of the locals – won after a long, hard test of wills and years of indecision - was a decisive factor, especially because turtle eggs are considered a much sought-after delicacy all over Indonesia. The idea was to reward with money those who find and protect a turtle nest… but only after the successful hatching of the eggs in the wild. Well…it works!

Part of the remote Togian archipelago, in the Tomini Gulf, Walea Island lies tucked away in one of the most enchanting corners of Indonesia’s Central Sulawesi. Getting there is a long and tiring trip, at least for Westerners: first to Manado in Northern Sulawesi (where one has to stop overnight), then by local small plane and after much island-hopping to Luwuk in Central Sulawesi, then by car to the coast (that’s four hours’ driving on unpaved roads – ouch!) and then at last by the Resort’s boat to the island.

Peopled by a few local fishermen and cloaked by a thick virgin rainforest, set in an untouched wilderness and surrounded by some of the world’s most beautiful reefs, the island hosts the exclusive Walea Island Dive Resort: only eleven elegant double-occupancy chalets, all with private bathroom and shower, facing an endless, pure white beach of exquisite beauty.

The Resort offers world-class Italian and Indonesian cuisine with tasty home-made afternoon snacks and pastries every day. Carefully built in wood with habitat conservation in mind, the Resort is surrounded by a Marine Reserve, offering endless opportunities for snorkeling, sunbathing, walking in the surrounding forest, deep-sea line fishing, birdwatching or simply relaxing in a natural setting of unequalled splendor.

The Resort’s Padi 5-star Diving Center offers three day dives (two boat dives and one jetty dive, plus night dives on request): skilled Italian and local Dive Masters lead visitors to the discovery of the surrounding reefs with 30-feet fiberglass speedboats. Extraordinary macro life and big pelagics like sharks (silvertips and grey reef), eagle rays and mantas are to be expected with surprising frequency.

First-class dive equipment is available for rental, but please keep in mind that there is no decompression chamber nearby, so caution is highly recommended. The best period to visit the Walea Island Dive Resort is from February to August, though the Resort is open all year long.