Sombori caves: Goa Berlian, Goa Allo and reported handprints

By Labengki Island Editorial Desk

The Sombori caves most often named are Goa Berlian, which The World Travel Guy describes as lit through its ceiling, and Goa Allo, which operator guide labengkisombori.com says fills and empties with the sea. Bats are reported in both. One travel blog reports prehistoric hand prints, but no account dates them, and one site is roped off.

Which Sombori caves can you visit?

Two caves carry most of the writing, with a third mentioned more cautiously. Before reading further, note the spelling: goa and gua are both Indonesian for cave, and berlian means diamond. So Goa Berlian, Gua Berlian, Berlian Cave and the Diamond Cave of The World Travel Guy all appear to be the same place, though the authors do not say so outright.

The official record is thin. The Central Sulawesi tourism office names Goa Berlian among the attractions of the Sombori islands. Almost everything else below rests on travellers and sellers. Read it as a set of reports from particular days, and expect the details on the ground to differ.

What is Goa Berlian like?

By the published accounts, a stop that rewards a short effort. The World Travel Guy says the cave takes its name from sparkling limestone and is lit through a hole in the ceiling. The travel blog Jonny Melon reports that Berlian Cave is a short boat ride from Sombori Hill, reached by a small wooden ladder, with stalactite formations and many bats. The same blog places Sombori Hill on Pulau Kayangan, which gives you a landmark for where the boat will be. The two accounts add up to a clear picture without contradicting each other.

Timing may matter here. The operator guide at labengkisombori.com says Goa Berlian catches shafts of light in the morning. If you want that effect for a photograph, ask whether the day's route reaches the cave early, since crews may order stops around tide and distance and may not be able to oblige. Do not count on it from one operator's line, and be glad of the cave whatever the light does.

The ladder deserves a thought if anyone in your group has limited mobility or a fear of heights. Jonny Melon mentions a small wooden ladder. Its condition is not reported, so ask the crew and skip the cave if you are unsure.

What is Goa Allo like?

It is a livelier place to get into, because the sea is part of the visit. The World Travel Guy describes Gua Allo as a sea cave with two entrances, entered by swimming or canoe at high tide or on foot at low tide, with hundreds of bats. The labengkisombori.com guide says Goa Allo fills and empties with the sea, and more broadly that some caves can only be entered at the right state of the tide.

In practice, the tide on your day decides what kind of visit you get, and possibly whether you get one at all. A few questions for your crew will help:

• What will the water be doing when we arrive, and how long does the entry stay usable?
• If we swim in, how far is it, and is there somewhere to stand inside?
• Is a canoe available, or would we need to bring or hire one?
• Will a crew member go in with us, and who stays with the boat?

No source rates this entry for safety, on foot or in the water, and the cave fills and empties with the sea. If you cannot swim, tell the crew early, ask how long the way out stays open, and skip it if the answer is vague. Keep your phone in a dry bag and bring a small torch. Going barefoot over wet rock in a dark cave is rarely wise. Dropping the visit is a sensible outcome if the water does not suit you.

Are there prehistoric handprints?

There are reports of them, and those reports deserve careful reading. Three mentions exist, and they do not obviously point to one place:

• The World Travel Guy says Diamond Cave has prehistoric handprints on its walls.
• The same blog describes a cave beyond Gua Allo with government signs, roped-off areas, excavation tools and prehistoric hand prints.
• Operator Asik Travel lists a Handprint Cave on its six-day route.

"Prehistoric" is the blogger's word. None of these accounts gives a date, cites a study or names a dating method, and this page will not supply one. Be wary of any seller who quotes an age without saying where it comes from. The government signs and tools suggest that someone official has taken an interest. Ask your guide whether a site is open to visitors.

How should you treat cave sites?

Assume that any painted or printed wall could be irreplaceable, and that any roped-off area means exactly what it appears to mean. A site with government signs is being looked after by someone with a reason, even if no one is standing there to enforce it. These habits cost you nothing:

• Stay outside ropes and obey signs, including ones you cannot fully read. Ask your guide to translate.
• Never touch a marked wall, and never hold your own hand up against a print for a photo. Contact can damage it.
• Do not use flash near marked walls or roosting bats, and keep torches pointed at the floor around them.
• Take no stones, stalactite fragments or souvenirs of any kind.
• Keep voices low. Bats disturbed in numbers are unpleasant for you and harmful for them.
• Avoid sharing a precise location for any marked wall on social media.
• If a guide offers to take you past a rope, decline.

Which trips reach them?

Ask by cave name, as package titles rarely settle it. Asik Travel says its trips run three to six days, and the six-day version is the one that adds Handprint Cave. That leaves a real question for shorter trips: which caves are included? Ask for Goa Berlian and Goa Allo by name, and ask whether the tide on your dates suits them. The operator guide at labengkisombori.com calls this a karst, cave and lagoon trip with snorkelling attached, so a seller should be able to answer without hesitation.

The caves also compete for time with other Sombori stops, chiefly the climb covered in our Puncak Kayangan page. A single day from Labengki has limits, so decide which matters most. The Labengki and Sombori itinerary page shows how days are commonly arranged, and Labengki Sombori tours compares the kinds of trip on sale.

If the Sombori day falls through, Labengki has caves of its own. The Jadesta portal lists Tobelo cave and a swimming pool cave among its visitor spots, and our page on Tobelo Lake covers another stop where the tide governs access.

Which cave questions come up most often?

What caves can you visit at Sombori?

Goa Berlian and Goa Allo are the two most often named. The Central Sulawesi tourism office names Goa Berlian. A traveller account adds a further cave with hand prints, and one operator lists a Handprint Cave on its longest route.

What is Goa Berlian?

A limestone cave near Sombori whose name means diamond. The World Travel Guy says it is named for sparkling limestone and lit through a hole in the ceiling. Jonny Melon reports a small wooden ladder at the entrance, stalactites and many bats.

What is Goa Allo?

A sea cave with two entrances, according to The World Travel Guy, which also reports hundreds of bats inside. Operator guide labengkisombori.com says it fills and empties with the sea, so the same cave can feel quite different a few hours apart.

How do you get into Goa Allo?

The World Travel Guy describes swimming or using a canoe at high tide, and walking in at low tide. Ask your crew about the tide on your day, and tell them if you are not a confident swimmer before anyone gets out of the boat.

Are there bats in the Sombori caves?

Yes, by the accounts of two travel blogs. Jonny Melon reports many bats at Berlian Cave and The World Travel Guy reports hundreds at Gua Allo. Keep lights low and keep your voice down.

Are there prehistoric handprints at Sombori?

Travellers report them, and one operator sells a Handprint Cave. None of the accounts on this page gives a date or a scientific study, and they do not agree on a single location, so treat the word prehistoric as the writers' description.

Which sources support this page?

• The World Travel Guy: Sombori Island
• Central Sulawesi tourism office: Kepulauan Sombori
• Jonny Melon travel blog: Pulau Sombori
• labengkisombori.com: Labengki Island guide (operator)
• Asik Travel: tour packages
• Ministry of Tourism Jadesta portal: Desa Wisata Labengki

How do I reach the desk?

If a particular cave is why you are going, name it in your message to the desk on WhatsApp 6281139414563 or at bd@juaraholding.com and say whether you can swim. We will tell you what we know, and any offer that follows will be in writing. Our about page explains what the desk is.