Pulau Hari (Hari Island) is a popular island off the coast of Southeast Sulawesi. It’s about 20kms from Kendari, the capital, and is a fun, chilled hangout with good swimming and boating.
The beaches are the main attraction of Pulau Hari and they are almost on par with those of Boracay Island in the Philippines for their white sand. Plenty of water sports are available here and the diving features colorful fish and corals. Locals know Pulau Hari as the ‘Island of Daylight’.
Kendari itself is nothing to look at other than for access and to possibly spend the night before traveling over to Pulau Hari. It is a bit of a boring town but has some decent hotels, shops, restaurants and bars, as well as Kendari Beach to relax on. Its floating seafood restaurants are worth sampling.
Getting There & Away
Pulau Hari is 1 hour, 30 minutes by fast boat from Kendari harbor and boats leave throughout the day. Getting to Kendari is by way of Wolter Monginsidi Airport, which is 26kms from town. Flights come in from Hasanuddin International Airport in Makassar, the closest major airport with links to Jakarta. Flight time is around 45 minutes. Buses and ferries also serve Kendari, but travel times are long.