Kendari: the capital that faces the bay

Kendari sits at the head of a bay on the south-east coast of Sulawesi, with hills behind it and mangrove creeks at its edges. It is the capital of Southeast Sulawesi and a city of about a third of a million people, most of them Tolaki, Bugis and Javanese incomers, and it feels like what it is: an administrative and trading town that happens to have a very pretty bay.

The centre is compact and the waterfront is the front room. In the evening the road along the bay fills with food stalls, families and scooters, and the city seems to be out for a walk. There is no checklist of sights here. It is a place to eat well, sleep comfortably and get on a boat or a bus in the morning, which is exactly why it works.

A city wrapped around water

The bay is the reason to spend a night. A promenade runs along part of the shore, with the mosque and the government offices behind it, and at dusk the light comes off the water and the fishing boats start moving. The water is not for swimming, since the city drains into it, but it is good to look at, and the breeze in the evening is the best air conditioning in town.

Behind the waterfront the city is low-rise and busy, with markets, schools, mosques and a university, and the hills rising beyond. It is not a beautiful city in the postcard sense, but it is a comfortable one, and the mix of Bugis traders, Tolaki families and civil servants gives it more character than most provincial capitals.

The waterfront and the clock at Mandonga

The clock monument at Mandonga stands on a roundabout on the road in from the airport, and it has become the city's shorthand for itself: a meeting point, a landmark, a place to say you will see someone. It is a modest thing to make a pilgrimage to, and nobody pretends otherwise, but the roundabout is a good place to watch the city go past.

Nearby are the markets, where the city is more interesting than at the waterfront: sago, dried fish, betel, cashews and fruit from the hills. Go in the morning, when the produce is fresh and the light is good, and take a walk through the lanes behind rather than along the main road.

What Kendari eats

Southeast Sulawesi eats sago, and Kendari's signature dish is sinonggi, a thick, grey sago paste served with a fish or vegetable soup and eaten with the fingers or a wooden fork. It is an acquired texture and a genuinely local experience. Simpler and more immediately likeable is ikan bakar, fish grilled over charcoal with a sharp, herby sambal, eaten at street tables with rice and greens.

The food is cheap and the portions are large. Expect Rp 25,000 to 50,000 for grilled fish with rice, and around Rp 15,000 for a bowl of sago. The best places are not on the main road: look for warungs with plastic chairs and a queue of motorbikes, near the market or in the lanes behind the bay. Coffee is strong and sweet, and the local bananas are excellent.

The gateways: Moramo, Labengki, Wakatobi

Kendari is the launching point for the rest of the province. Moramo waterfall, in a forest reserve about ninety minutes south, is a terraced cascade visited on day trips; the steps are steep and the water is best after rain. Labengki and Sombori, the karst islands to the north-east, are reached by chartered speedboat from the city or from a jetty down the coast.

Wakatobi, the dive archipelago to the south-east, is a flight or a long ferry ride away, and most people fly. The Togean Islands are not near, despite what a map may suggest: those are in Central Sulawesi, on the other side of the gulf. If you are heading out to the islands, keep a night in Kendari on the way back as well, because boats are cancelled and a hot shower is worth the stop.

• One night is enough for the city; two if you want Moramo.
• Eat sinonggi once, then live on grilled fish.
• Charter Labengki boats a few days ahead.
• Fly to Wakatobi rather than taking the long ferry.
• Keep a buffer night before an international connection.

Arriving, staying and moving on

Haluoleo airport is about half an hour from the centre, and the taxi or ride-hailing fare is modest. The city has a good spread of hotels: business places at Rp 400,000 to 700,000, a few better ones near the bay at Rp 800,000 to 1,500,000, and guesthouses for less. None of it is resort territory, but the standards are higher than the prices suggest.

The dry season, roughly May to October, is the best time to use the city as a base, with calmer seas and fewer flooded roads. Kendari is hot all year and busy during Ramadan and Idul Fitri, when hotels fill with families. Traffic is manageable by Indonesian standards and ride-hailing apps work well. Most visitors pass through and are pleasantly surprised by the view on the way.

Questions people actually ask

Is Kendari worth a stop?

Yes, for a night on the way to Wakatobi, Labengki or Moramo. The bay is pleasant at dusk, the seafood is good and the hotels are better value than you might expect. It is not a place to build a holiday around.

How far is Moramo waterfall from Kendari?

About ninety minutes by road, south of the city in a forest reserve. Most people visit as a day trip with a car and driver arranged through their hotel. The steps down to the falls are steep.