Three nights on Kadidiri: what I did and what I skipped

I spent three nights on Kadidiri in October 2024, which turned out to be about right for me and slightly too short for most of the people I shared a table with at dinner. Kadidiri is a small island a short boat ride from Wakai [TODO: verify transfer time], and a lot of first-time visitors to the Togeans base themselves there. I can see why. It's easy to reach, the water in front of the bungalows is good for snorkelling, and nobody expects you to do very much.

Where I stayed

I stayed in a wooden bungalow on the beach [TODO: verify name of accommodation]. It had a bed with a mosquito net, a small veranda with a hammock, and a bathroom with a scoop-and-bucket shower. Electricity came from a generator in the evenings [TODO: verify current power hours], so I charged my phone and camera at dinner and didn't think about them much after that.

Meals were included in the nightly rate and served at set times in a shared dining area [TODO: verify whether full board is still standard, and the current rate]. I liked that arrangement more than I expected to. You end up talking to whoever is next to you, and that's how I heard about most of the trips I later took or didn't.

I booked by message about a week before I arrived and was met at Wakai by a boat from the bungalows [TODO: verify whether transfers are still offered, and the cost].

What I did

Snorkelling off the beach

Most of my time went on snorkelling straight off the beach. The reef starts close to shore in front of the bungalows, and I went in every morning before breakfast and again in the late afternoon. I'm not a fish-identification person, but I saw plenty without trying. Watch the tide: at low water some of the shallows were too shallow to swim over without touching anything, and I'd rather turn back than kick the coral.

One boat trip

On the second day I joined a boat trip with three other guests to snorkel a couple of reefs nearby [TODO: verify site names and cost]. We split the cost of the boat, which made it an easy decision. The second stop was the better one, deeper and with more fish and fewer people. I'd do it again, and I'd push to go out early, because the wind picked up in the afternoon and the ride back was choppy.

Doing nothing

The third day I mostly read. I'm including it because it was deliberate. If you've come a long way to reach the Togeans, and most people have, a day without getting on a boat is worth planning for.

What I skipped

I was offered a lot of trips and turned most of them down. That wasn't because they looked bad. Three nights isn't long, and every boat trip costs you half a day sitting in a boat.

• The Una-Una day trip. Several guests were going out to dive or snorkel at Una-Una, the volcanic island further out in the gulf [TODO: verify boat time from Kadidiri]. It was the trip people talked about most at dinner, and it's the long one. I'd do it with more time.
• The jellyfish lake. Other guests went to a lake with stingless jellyfish [TODO: verify name, location and whether it is still open to visitors]. They enjoyed it. I'd rather have had the morning on the reef, so that's what I did.
• A trip back to Wakai for supplies. I'd planned to go back for snacks and more cash, and didn't need to, because I'd brought enough of both. Ruben's post on cash and signal in the Togeans is the reason I had.
• Diving. There was a dive centre on the island [TODO: verify], and I thought about a fun dive. In the end the snorkelling was enough for me on this trip.

Three nights, in hindsight

For me, three nights on Kadidiri was right for one visit. It gave me two full days on the island, which was enough to snorkel the reef in front of the bungalows properly, take one boat trip and rest. If you want to dive, or go out to Una-Una, I'd add at least two more. The people who had stayed a week seemed to have settled into a rhythm I had only just started to find by the time my boat back to Wakai left.

After Kadidiri I'd go somewhere quieter. Malenge and the islands further east get fewer visitors [TODO: verify], and a few days on Kadidiri is a good way to get used to island time before you head somewhere with even less going on.