Liukang Loe Island: boats, villages and the turtle pool

By Bira Sulawesi Editorial Desk

Sourced figures: prices in the table carry their source and check month. They are third-party figures, sources can disagree, and none of them is our offer.

Liukang Loe Island is a small coral island in the Flores Sea. Detik puts it about 3.5 km from Bira and Bara beaches, roughly 20 minutes by boat. There is no ticket office, according to a local resort: you agree a price and return time with a boatman on the sand. Go in the morning and check the life jackets first.

Where is Liukang Loe Island?

In the Flores Sea, a short but real sea crossing from the cape. Indonesian Wikipedia places it in the Flores Sea, administratively part of Bira village, at 5°39′1″S 120°25′54″E, and gives the name's meaning as "many black woods".

Detik puts it about 3.5 km from Bira and Bara beaches and about 20 minutes by boat, while the agency guide indonesia-travel.com says about 15 minutes. On size, the tourism ministry's village platform says under 6 sq km and Seascapes Bira, a Bara Beach resort, says three kilometres long and two wide. Those two are close enough for planning, since either way the island is small. Spellings vary too, so you may see Liukangloe or simply "Liukang".

How do you get there and agree a boat?

How to get to Liukang Loe is simple: you walk down to the beach and talk to someone. According to Seascapes Bira, boats leave from the sand with no ticket office, and travellers settle a price and return time in cash with a boatman before leaving. That has two consequences. Nothing is printed, so a misunderstanding has no paper to settle it, and the sum you agree is whatever you both accept that morning.

Say these out loud before anyone pushes off:

1. The price, and whether it is for the whole boat or per person.
2. What it covers: a drop-off and pick-up, a snorkelling stop, or waiting time.
3. The return time, and where the boat will collect you on the island.
4. When you pay. Keeping part of the money until the return leg is a sensible thing to ask for.
5. Life jackets, counted and tried on, including any for children.

The price table on this page gives the published figures, but its rows do not measure the same thing. One is general boat hire reported in 2024, another is a speedboat rate from an agency guide, and another is a resort's starting price for a short run with one snorkelling stop. Read each row as its source states it, and open the source before you rely on a figure.

What is on the island?

People, first of all. Liukang Loe has two villages with traditional houses, the ministry platform says: Tabuntuleng on the north shore and Pasilohe on the south. Seascapes writes the first as Buntutuleng, so do not be thrown if a boatman says it differently. Visitors mostly use the north beach, which is where the lodging and food are.

Because this is somebody's home and not a resort island, it is worth covering up when you walk through the villages and asking before you photograph anyone or anyone's house. Carry enough cash from the mainland for the boat and for lunch.

What about the turtle pool?

You will hear about it, so here is what is on record. The ministry platform says the island has a turtle captive-breeding site where visitors can pose and swim with turtles. IDN Times described it in 2020 as a pool 2 m deep and asked visitors not to handle the turtles roughly. The price table shows the ticket it reported that year, so read all of this as a 2020 snapshot.

Neither source assesses the animals' welfare, and this guide cannot vouch for it. We describe the site because you may see it mentioned. We do not recommend it. If you want to see turtles, the Indo Ocean report on these reefs lists sea turtles among the species vulnerable to bycatch, which is a good reason to watch them in the sea from a distance and leave them alone. No sighting can be promised either way.

Is the water good for snorkeling around Liukang Loe?

The published descriptions are positive, and they come from parties with a stake in visitors coming. The ministry platform says the shallow sea around the island suits snorkelling and diving. Seascapes Bira draws a useful line: the inner sites are calm enough for beginners, while the outer side is deeper with current and suits experienced divers.

That line is drawn for divers, and no source rates either side for snorkellers. Ask the boatman which side he would use that day and where the current runs, and tell him how well you swim. If you cannot swim well, shallow does not mean safe. Australia's Smartraveller notes that many Indonesian beaches are unpatrolled and can be dangerous, so assume nobody is watching and keep a life jacket on. Our snorkelling comparison weighs the island against swimming out from shore. Divers should also read about Kambing Island, which Seascapes calls more exposed, before planning both islands in one day.

Can you stay overnight?

Yes, on the evidence available. The ministry platform says the north beach has lodging and restaurants. Ask what is running when you enquire, because no names or standards are listed. Two practical points follow. Agree your return boat before your first night, not after it, and keep some slack before any flight or long drive, because a day of rough water could hold you on the island. If you would rather sleep on the mainland and visit by day, see where to stay in Bira.

What boat safety checks matter?

Government advice is plain and is not specific to this crossing. The UK government warns of fast-changing seas and uneven safety standards on Indonesian boats, and says children's life jackets are not always available. Smartraveller advises always wearing one and avoiding water travel after dark, in storms or in rough weather.

• Bring your own child-size life jacket if you are travelling with small children.
• Look at the sky and the sea, and if the boatman or anyone on the beach hesitates, take that seriously.
• Keep your phone and documents in a dry bag.
• Do not agree to a return after sunset, however good the price.

When do boats stop?

When the wind says so, and the season is only a rough guide. Sulawesi.com, an agency that sells tours, says in its article on Bira that November to March brings strong onshore winds and that charters to Liukang stop on most days. Seascapes Bira describes a slightly shorter windy spell from December to March. The drier months are no guarantee either: in August 2026 ferries at Bira port ran on-off because of east wind and waves, Detik reported, though that was on open water and not this short crossing.

Within a day, Seascapes advises going in the morning, when it says the sea is flattest and the light on the reef is best before eleven. Check the BMKG marine forecast for Bulukumba waters that morning, and read the timing page before you fix dates around this trip.

What else should you know about Liukang Loe Island?

How far is Liukang Loe from Bira?

Detik gives about 3.5 km from Bira and Bara beaches and about 20 minutes by boat. The agency guide indonesia-travel.com says about 15 minutes.

How do you get to Liukang Loe Island?

By small boat from the beach. Seascapes Bira says there is no ticket office, so you agree a price and return time in cash with a boatman before you leave.

Can you stay on Liukang Loe Island?

The tourism ministry's platform says the north beach has lodging and restaurants. Ask what is open before you travel, and arrange your return boat in advance.

Can you swim with turtles at Liukang Loe?

The ministry platform says visitors can pose and swim with turtles at a captive-breeding site. Published sources do not assess the animals' welfare, and this guide does not recommend the activity.

How much time should I allow for Liukang Loe?

We would allow a morning for a crossing and a snorkel, since Seascapes advises going out before eleven. Keep the afternoon free in case the sea picks up or your boat runs late.

Which sources support this page?

• Pulau Liukangloe, Indonesian Wikipedia
• Pulau Liukang Loe, tourism ministry village platform
• Detik, 10 spots in the Tanjung Bira area, 8 May 2024
• indonesia-travel.com, Liukang Loe guide (travel agency)
• Seascapes Bira, Tanjung Bira guide (resort operator)
• IDN Times, facts about Liukang Loe, 18 June 2020
• Indo Ocean Foundation and Indo Ocean Project, Tanjung Bira reef report
• UK government, Indonesia safety and security advice
• Smartraveller, Indonesia travel advice (Australian government)
• Sulawesi.com, Bira article (agency selling tours)
• Detik, on-off sailing at Bira port, August 2026
• BMKG, marine forecast for Bulukumba waters

How do I reach the desk?

You can do this trip without us, since the boats leave from the sand. If you would like the desk to look into a boat or a room for you, write on WhatsApp +62 811-3941-4563 or to bd@juaraholding.com with your date and group. We would earn from a resulting booking, so you would see the price, any fee and the contracting company in a written offer first, and no boat counts as confirmed before then.