Togean Islands liveaboard: who sails there, when, and what the crossing involves

By Sulawesi Liveaboard Editorial Desk

Sourced figures: prices in the table carry their source and check month. Published fares are not our offers, and fees change.

A Togean Islands liveaboard is a short list: the published departures are few and tied to specific dates. Mermaid lists Lembeh, Togian, Lembeh sailings from Bitung in February 2027, 2028 and 2029; Oceanic Society lists a snorkelling expedition in June 2027. Mikumba, Dancing Wind and Wallacea describe one-way routes with no date we could read. Sources disagree on season, partly because they describe different boats.

The Togians, also spelled Togean, are an archipelago of 56 islands and many islets in the Gulf of Tomini, off Central Sulawesi. Wikipedia places them near the centre of the gulf, which separates the Minahassa and East peninsulas. Wikipedia adds that part of the group became a national park in 2004, including 292,000 hectares of sea, and UNESCO lists a Togean Tojo Una-Una Biosphere Reserve with 2019 as its year of nomination. UNESCO also cites surveys finding approximately 596 fish species in the national park.

Which boats publish a Togian route?

Two operators publish dated trips. Everything in this table is their published schedule, read in November 2026. A date on an operator's page tells you the trip was planned when the page was written. Whether a cabin is free, and whether the sailing will run, is for that operator to confirm.

Three more operators describe Togian routes with no date we could read. Mikumba Diving publishes a 12-day, 11-night sample from Lembeh through Gorontalo and the Togians to Luwuk, and the reverse, and sells its Sulawesi trips for November and December. Dancing Wind describes 11 days from Bitung to Kendari through Gorontalo, the Togians, Boalemo, Luwuk and Banggai; the first of the ten pages of its schedule listed only Raja Ampat dates. Wallacea Dive Cruise mentions two east coast and Togian itineraries ending at Luwuk, with the last two days at Tompotika. Ask each one for a dated sailing, and see the routes page for how they compare with other routes.

LiveAboard.com showed 10 liveaboards for the Togian Islands when we checked. That is a count of listings, and one boat can appear under several destinations, so use it as a list of names to query. It is not a departure calendar. If a boat on that list interests you, ask for the next dated Togian sailing and the page where it is published.

Mermaid itself calls the route rarely visited. Its listed sailings fall in one month of each year, which fits that description. If February does not work for you, we have seen no other dated dive departure, so the three operators above are the ones to ask.

What does the published trip include along the way?

Mermaid describes a route that combines Lembeh, Gorontalo, Bolaang Mongondow (the operator spells it Bolaan Mongondow) and the Togians. The boat leaves from Bitung and returns there, so you are not arranging a one-way flight home from Central Sulawesi. The 10-day version is listed at 25 dives. Ask for the figure on the 12-day sailing before you compare it with anything else.

On the way to the islands, Mermaid describes whale shark dives at Botubarani and walls at Olele Marine Park. A local guide at luwukbanggai.com says whale shark sightings at Gorontalo are seasonal. Neither source gives months, so a February sailing should not be booked on the assumption that you will see one.

One wreck named in the islands is a B-24 Liberator. LiveAboard.com dates its ditching to 3 May 1945. A travel guide at asiktravel.com gives its depth as about 18 to 22 metres and notes that published depths vary. The sources here do not say whether it is on the Mermaid plan, so ask, and ask what certification level the operator expects for it.

The Oceanic Society trip works differently. It is a snorkelling expedition, with 4 to 5 hours a day in the water by its own description, and the Togian stop depends on the weather. Read it as a Halmahera and Sulawesi crossing that may include the islands.

Which Togian sites do operators name?

Una-Una, Batu Gila and the B-24 come up most often, and the descriptions do not fully agree. Mikumba lists Una Una as an active volcanic island with large sponges and barracuda at sites called Apollo and Fishomania, and calls Batu Gila a seamount with reef sharks. LiveAboard.com describes Batu Gila as a deep, narrow ridge where hammerheads and mantas are sometimes seen. Mikumba also lists a jellyfish lake as a snorkel excursion. Those are lists of possible stops, and each operator's plan for your date can differ.

Two conflicts matter when you judge your own level. LiveAboard.com calls Togian diving usually very easy, with gentle currents, while Dancing Wind describes swift currents on the large barrier reef. LiveAboard.com also records 819 fish species, against the approximately 596 that UNESCO cites for the national park. The two may count different areas, and neither page says, so use neither number to choose a boat. Dancing Wind adds that atolls, barrier reefs and fringing reefs all occur in the group.

When should you go, given that sources disagree?

Three published statements point in different directions:

• Mermaid states that the Gulf of Tomini faces east and is not affected by the northeast monsoon from November to March. This is the operator explaining the season it sells.
• LiveAboard.com says the Togians are generally best in the dry season, roughly April through October. This is a general note on a marketplace page.
• The local guide at luwukbanggai.com says small-boat crossings get cancelled from December to February and that some lodges close for part of January and February. This is about public boats and places to stay.

These claims are less opposed than they look. A cancelled public crossing tells you about small boats and a land itinerary. It does not tell you how a liveaboard handles the same water, and an operator's statement about its own route does not tell you what a lodge will do. No published source settles the question for liveaboards.

The practical test is to ask the operator two things. How many recent departures on this route completed the published itinerary, and what is the fallback if the boat cannot reach the islands? If you plan extra nights on land before or after the trip, take the local guide's warning at face value, because public boats are what you would then depend on. Our region-by-region guide to when to go puts the Togians beside the other routes in our Sulawesi liveaboard guide.

What do the fares and add-ons come to?

This page's price table carries the published fares and add-ons, each with its source and the month we checked it. They belong to the operators named, and they are not offers from us. Before you add them up, read how each line is charged:

• Base fare. Mermaid prices per person by cabin, and Mermaid I and Mermaid II use partly different cabin names. Compare the cabin you would actually book, because the two boats do not line up label for label.
• Fuel surcharge. The Mermaid fare excludes it, and it varies with trip length. Mermaid says the surcharge is fixed for 2026 with changes possible from 2027, which covers the February 2027 sailing. Ask for the figure that will apply to your booking.
• Nitrox. Charged per fill or as one amount for the 12-day trip. Work out how many fills you would take before choosing.
• Rental. A full set is charged per diving day, with a dive computer as a separate line. Mermaid says a computer is mandatory per diver, so this line applies if you do not own one.
• Park fee. We have seen no official entry or marine fee for the Togians, so no figure appears. Ask whether the fare covers it or whether it is billed separately.
• Marketplace range. The LiveAboard.com range spans every trip that lists the islands, across different boats and lengths. It shows spread and cannot stand in for a quote.
• Oceanic Society. Its fare leaves out airfare, alcohol, airport taxes and gratuities. The trip is one-way, so you also pay for flights into one city and out of another.

What does remoteness change for safety and cash?

Wikipedia describes the land route as an airport such as Palu, Gorontalo or Luwuk, then overland to Ampana or Gorontalo, then a ferry, speedboat or chartered boat. A liveaboard spares you that chain on the way in. It also means that leaving early, for any reason, is a serious logistical problem. If you would rather weigh the land option, our page on the Gorontalo ferry and the boat alternative sets out both.

Medical access is the first thing to raise with any operator on this route. Our page on recompression chamber access near Sulawesi routes sets out the two published listings and the questions to ask before you pay a deposit.

Cash matters mainly if you step ashore. The asiktravel.com guide says there are no ATMs on the islands and that resorts are cash only. The same guide advises keeping at least one spare day, ideally two, between your last island night and an onward flight. Both points describe a land stay. On a boat, ask how onboard extras are settled, in which currencies, and whether any shore visit needs cash. Then draw what you need before you reach Bitung.

What questions come up most about Togian trips?

Is a liveaboard the only way to reach the Togian Islands?

No. Public ferries, speedboats and chartered boats also reach the islands, and staying on land is the alternative. A liveaboard removes the overland legs and the connections, but you give up the flexibility of choosing your own dates.

Can I dive the Togians in February?

Yes, on the published evidence. Mermaid lists its Lembeh, Togian, Lembeh sailings in February of 2027, 2028 and 2029 and says the gulf is not affected by the northeast monsoon in those months. That is the operator's own statement, so ask how recent sailings went.

Does the Mermaid fare include the fuel surcharge?

No. The published fare excludes it, and Mermaid charges it separately according to trip length. Get the amount for your sailing in writing, since the operator says changes are possible from 2027.

Are whale sharks certain on the way to the Togians?

No. Mermaid describes whale shark dives at Botubarani, and a local guide calls sightings at Gorontalo seasonal. Treat them as a possibility, not as part of what you are paying for.

Can snorkellers join a Togian boat trip?

Yes, on at least one published trip. Oceanic Society runs a snorkelling expedition between Ternate and Gorontalo limited to 12 guests, with a Togean stop if the weather permits. Ask any dive operator directly about non-divers before you assume a place is open to you.

Which sources support this page?

• Mermaid Liveaboards: Mermaid I schedule and rates
• Mermaid Liveaboards: Mermaid II schedule and rates
• Mermaid: Togian Islands
• Mermaid: Lembeh, Togian itinerary
• Mermaid fuel surcharge
• Mermaid Liveaboards: equipment rental prices
• Mermaid Liveaboards: nitrox
• Oceanic Society: Halmahera to Sulawesi
• LiveAboard.com: Togian Islands listing
• Luwuk Banggai guide: Togian or Banggai Islands
• Asik Travel, Togean guide
• Wikipedia, Togian Islands
• Wikipedia: Gulf of Tomini
• UNESCO: Togean Tojo Una-Una Biosphere Reserve
• Mikumba Diving: Sulawesi trip information and sample itineraries
• Dancing Wind: Sulawesi itinerary
• Dancing Wind: prices and schedules
• Wallacea Dive Cruise: Sulawesi itineraries
• LiveAboard.com: Sulawesi

How do I reach the desk?

Message the desk with the month you can travel, your certification and the number of divers, and we will tell you what we can find on this route. This site lists no boat or sailing of its own, and only a written offer would commit anyone to anything. A request through the desk can lead to a contract with a company in our group, so test our offer as you would any other. Reach us on WhatsApp +62 811-3941-4563 or at bd@juaraholding.com.