Wakatobi National Park

Wakatobi National Park covers the Tukang Besi archipelago in Southeast Sulawesi — the islands of Wangi-Wangi, Kaledupa, Tomia, and Binongko that give the park its name — and about 13,900 km² of surrounding sea. Established in 1996 and later recognized as a UNESCO biosphere reserve, it protects atolls, barrier reefs, and fringing walls at the heart of the Coral Triangle, along with the seafaring Bajau communities who live across its waters. Diving concentrates around Tomia, where a resort-supported conservation program and long house-reef walls deliver unusually pristine hard coral, and around Hoga and Kaledupa, long used as reef-research stations.

The rules that bind divers

The park is zoned for conservation, tourism, and traditional use; core zones are closed to extraction and tourism zones are effectively no-take for visitors. Guests pay park entrance fees, usually bundled by resorts and liveaboards, and dive operations run under park licenses. Anchoring on reef is prohibited — operators use moorings or live-boat drifts — and no-touch, no-collection rules apply throughout. Around Tomia, a collaborative reef program compensates local fishers for respecting no-fishing house-reef zones, and guests are expected to follow the sponsoring operators' stricter briefings.

Fees & permits: Park entrance fee per visitor, normally arranged by the resort or liveaboard; confirm current rates when booking.