Mbokita village: the Bajo settlement in Sombori

By Labengki Island Editorial Desk

Mbokita village is a Bajo settlement built on stilts over the water in the Sombori Islands of Morowali, Central Sulawesi, according to operator Asik Travel. Spellings vary, including Mbokitta, Mbokkita and Lombokita. A 2019 government article reported about 40 households, scarce fresh water and night-only power. Those details are dated, so treat them as a snapshot.

What is Mbokita village?

It is a small fishing settlement over the water, and in published routes it appears as a stop on a boat trip. Asik Travel calls it a Bajo village built on stilts. The travel blog jonnymelon.com called it a hub where fishermen dock in 2018, with overwater huts on bamboo stilts and wooden bridges.

The fullest description comes from a July 2019 article on the Directorate General of Taxes website, written about Sombori's children and their chances of higher education. It describes a village it calls Lombokita: about 40 households, a mosque and a permanent primary school, with wooden stilt houses. Tourism is not its main subject, which makes it more useful, because it describes the place as somewhere people live.

Its address has also shifted. The same article places the Sombori conservation area in Menui Kepulauan district, Morowali, and our Sombori Islands guide gives its size. Since then, according to Wikipedia, parts of Menui Islands and South Bungku have become a new Sombori Islands District, in 2022. Older writing therefore gives a district name that predates the change, so ask locally how the new boundary treats the village.

Why is it spelled in different ways?

Most likely because it is a local name written down by outsiders, with no one spelling fixed. Four forms turn up:

Search all of them if you are looking for reports or asking about routes. This guide treats Pulau Mbokita (pulau means island) and Mbokita village as the same stop, which is our working assumption. Spelling variation runs right through this area: the tax article's Pulau Kahyangan is written Kayangan elsewhere.

What is daily life like, according to published reports?

The only detailed picture dates from 2019, and a traveller's note from 2018 adds a little. Read the table as a snapshot.

The water detail deserves a moment. A round trip of six hours in a rowing boat means every litre costs someone a lot of effort, and that shapes how a visitor should behave, as the last section here explains.

Ask before you go how residents view visitors and whether water and power have improved, and be ready to be corrected when you arrive.

How do visitors reach it?

Two published approaches come from opposite directions. From the Labengki side, Mbokita is a stop on a tour boat: Asik Travel places it on its five-day route, which our Labengki Sombori itinerary guide compares with shorter trips. From the Morowali side, the Central Sulawesi tourism office describes two routes out of Bungku, one by way of Tanda Oleo and one by way of Molore. It gives no date for them, so ask locally whether they still run. Our guide on how to get to Sombori sets out the road and boat times.

If you hope to stay, Explore leaves you one realistic choice on Sombori, a homestay found on the spot or through an agent. That says nothing specific about Mbokita. Bear in mind the reports on water and power, and do not assume a room exists until someone confirms it for your date.

Is there snorkeling nearby?

The World Travel Guy reports a snorkelling spot near the fishing village of Pulau Mbokita, with healthy coral and fish. That is one traveller's undated impression, and reefs change, so do not treat it as today's condition. Ask the crew where they would stop, and keep clear of boat traffic near the village. Our snorkelling guide looks at the wider area.

Other stops around Sombori named in the tax article are Pantai Koko, Rumah Nenek, Goa Berlian and Pulau Kahyangan, with Kahyangan its favourite for a view it compares with Raja Ampat. Our page on Puncak Kayangan covers that climb. If a boat day strings several of these together, your time at the village itself will be limited.

How should you visit respectfully?

These are our suggestions, drawn from the reports above. They are not rules set by the village, and residents or your crew may tell you otherwise.

• Bring your own water. Reports of a well three hours away are reason enough not to ask for a refill. Carry what you need, and take your empties away.
• Ask before you photograph people. Children and the school deserve particular care. A smile and a gesture usually tells you enough.
• Dress modestly near the mosque. Ask your crew before going closer, and keep your voice down at prayer times.
• Walk quietly on the bridges and walkways. They are people's front doors. Move in small groups and do not step onto a private platform without an invitation.
• Do not hand out sweets or money to children. If you want to help, ask an adult what would actually be useful.
• Ask your crew to introduce you. Arriving with someone known to the village is better than wandering in alone.
• Keep the visit in proportion. If a group of visitors outnumbers the households at home, shorten your stay or go in turns.

What else do people ask about Mbokita?

Where is Mbokita?

In the Sombori Islands of Morowali, Central Sulawesi. OpenStreetMap geocodes Mbokitta near -3.2732, 122.4089, and Pulau Sombori near -3.2838, 122.4265. These are approximate community map data, good for a pin and not for navigation.

Who lives in Mbokita?

Asik Travel calls it a Bajo village, and a 2018 traveller describes fishermen docking there. A 2019 government article reported about 40 households, which is a snapshot from that year.

Is Mbokita the same as Lombokita?

This guide treats Lombokita as a spelling variant, since the tax directorate article describes wooden stilt houses in the Sombori area under that name. Check locally if the difference matters.

Is there electricity in Mbokita?

A 2019 article reported power only at night from a diesel generator when its writers visited. That is several years old, so ask what is available now, and carry your own charge.

How do you get to Mbokita?

By boat. Asik Travel includes it on a five-day route from the Labengki side, and the provincial tourism office describes two road and boat routes from Bungku on the Morowali side. Confirm any of them locally.

Which sources support this page?

• Asik Travel: Kendari travel guide
• jonnymelon.com: Pulau Sombori
• Directorate General of Taxes: article on Sombori children (July 2019)
• Wikipedia: Morowali Regency
• Central Sulawesi tourism office: Kepulauan Sombori
• Explore: Sombori Island
• The World Travel Guy: Sombori Island

How do I reach the desk?

If you live in Mbokita or know its current water and power situation, please write. We would rather correct this page than leave a 2019 snapshot standing. Travellers can ask whether a published route includes the village, though a stop is never ours to promise and a written offer is what counts. The disclaimer explains our role.

• WhatsApp: +62 811-3941-4563
• Email: bd@juaraholding.com