Tanjung Bira, South Sulawesi: Two Days, a Boatyard and a Beach

Tanjung Bira, at the southern tip of South Sulawesi, does two things very well. It has a white sand beach with clear water, and it has the Tana Beru boatyards, where Bugis builders still make large wooden ships by eye. Plan two nights here, not three. That gives you one full day, one slow afternoon and time for the boatyard.

Many tour operators sell Bira as a three-night stop. Most travellers find the town has given them everything by the end of day two. This guide covers what to do, what to leave out, and how to catch the boat on to Selayar Island.

Bira at a glance

• Location: the far south of the South Sulawesi peninsula, roughly 200 km by road from Makassar.
• Best for: beach time, the pinisi boatyard at Tana Beru, a boat day to Liukang Island.
• Ideal stay: two nights.
• Best season: April to October, with May the pick.
• Onward: ferry to Selayar Island from Pamatata.

The beach

Bira Beach is the obvious reason to come, and it deserves its fame. The sand is truly white. It squeaks underfoot, because the grains are so round they do not lock together. For about fifty metres from shore the water stays shallow. After that the bottom falls away.

Come at sunrise. In the evening, the cliffs at the west end of the bay throw their shadow across the water. The colour goes flat, and the beach no longer looks like the photographs.

Three things to do

Ranked by value:

1. The Tana Beru boatyard. If you have time for only one activity in Bira, make it this. Details are in the next section.
2. A half-day boat to Liukang Island. Expect about two hours on clear water. The windward side has good snorkelling, and there is a quiet beach for lunch. When this guide was written, a boat cost around €29 to €38, shared by four people. Agree the price at the jetty on the morning of the trip, not the evening before.
3. A low-tide walk to Pantai Bara. This is the next cove west, around the headland. On foot it takes about twenty minutes, but only when the tide allows. It has the same sand, fewer people and one coconut stall. Carry water: you will find no shop once you leave the path.

Tana Beru: where pinisi are still built

Tana Beru lies twelve kilometres inland from Bira town. The road passes two villages and some cassava fields. In the yards here, Bugis carpenters still build the pinisi with the methods their ancestors used three centuries ago.

The pinisi is a wooden schooner with two masts. Bugis traders sailed it all over the archipelago. Their routes reached as far as northern Australia in one direction and the Mergui Archipelago of southern Burma in the other. In 2017 UNESCO added the craft of building it to its list of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

How a pinisi takes shape

The ships are impressive, but the working method is more so. No one in the yard uses a tape measure. The master builder, called the panrita lopi, carries the shape of a 30-metre hull in his memory. To mark a waterline, he holds each new plank against the one before it and draws the line in chalk. Carpenters cut the keel with an adze. They check its curve with a weighted string.

Three or four men, working full time, need nine to twelve months to finish one ship. They lay the keel first. The ribs and the planks then rise together. There are no plans on paper at any stage.

Visiting the yard

The yard is open every day. There is no gate and no ticket. Leave your vehicle by the road and walk down to the slipway. Visitors are a normal sight for the builders, and they are happy for you to watch. Keep out from under the spars.

If someone shows you around, a small tip is polite. At the time of writing, €2.50 was enough. For an English-speaking guide, have your guesthouse book one of the guides who work from the yard, such as Pak Ali. A couple of hours cost about €12 when this was written.

Go early. The morning light is better for photographs, and the carpenters work at full pace before the day gets hot.

Getting to Bira

Bira is about 200 km from Makassar. You have two options:

Most visitors arrive by car, as part of a loop that also takes in Toraja. You can drive from Rantepao to Bira in one day, but it is a hard day for anyone with a bad back.

The whole road is now paved. The last hour, from Bulukumba to Bira, crosses limestone country and goes slowly. Google underestimates this section, so add time.

When to go

The dry season lasts from April to October. The single best month is May: little rain, light winds and a calm sea for the Selayar crossing.

From November to March, strong winds blow onshore. On most days in that period, the boats to Liukang do not sail. Leave spare days in your plan if you travel in those months.

Where to stay

Accommodation falls into two groups. Some guesthouses sit on the cliffs along the road into town. Others stand on the sand at Pantai Bira. Choose the cliffs for the breeze and the view. Choose the beach if you want a swim before breakfast.

• Mangga Lodge (mid-range, on the cliff): clean rooms, a good breakfast and a calm atmosphere.
• Salassa Guesthouse (budget, back from the beach): run by a Bugis family, five minutes on foot from the sand.
• Amatoa Resort (top end, alone to the east): for guests who want privacy and the view to themselves.

Avoid the row of new buildings south of the main road. They look fine from outside. Inside, the wifi is poor and the windows do not close tightly. For the last two seasons, building work next door has also been constant.

The ferry to Selayar

To reach Selayar Island and then Takabonerate, take the ferry from Pamatata. The port lies east of Bira town, roughly one hour away by car. The crossing takes two and a half hours.

At the time of writing, there were two sailings a day in the dry season, usually at 09:00 and 13:00. Fares were about €3 per passenger on foot and about €17 to bring a small car. Check on the morning you travel. Bad weather delays the boats, and over the last three seasons the afternoon sailing was cancelled on most mornings in April.

The top deck is open with no shade. Bring a hat and water.

What to skip

• Diving from the main beach. The reef here suits snorkelling at best, and close to shore it is heavily bleached. Divers should go on to Selayar and Takabonerate.
• The boat to Kambing Island. It is smaller and messier than Liukang, the boat ride is twice as long, and the price is the same.
• A third night. Two nights are enough. By the third morning you will want to move on.

If you want extra days on this coast, spend them on Selayar. The water is better, there are fewer visitors, and a Pelni ship continues south to the smaller islands.