Tanjung Bira

Bira is at the south-eastern tip of the Sulawesi peninsula, a cape of fine white sand and clear water facing the Flores Sea, and it is the beach destination of South Sulawesi - a strip of guesthouses and dive shops above the sand, with reef offshore and the islands of Liukang Loe and Kambing nearby, and currents in the strait that give strong drift diving. It sits directly alongside the boatbuilding coast at Tana Beru and Ara, where pinisi are built on the beach by eye, so the two are seen together and boats under construction stand a few kilometres from the swimming. The ferry to Selayar and on towards Takabonerate leaves from Bira. The drive from Makassar takes most of a day and the road is fair but long.

Highlights

• Fine white sand - the cape beaches at the southern tip of Sulawesi.
• Drift diving - strong currents in the strait off the point.
• Boatbuilding next door - pinisi under construction at Tana Beru and Ara.
• The Selayar ferry - the crossing towards Takabonerate from Bira.

When to go

May to October. Three days.

Things to know

The drive from Makassar takes five hours or more. Currents off the point are strong - dive with operators who know them. Facilities are simple and power can be unreliable.

Nearby

Tana Beru and Ara are along the coast; Selayar is across the strait.

Key facts