About Reconnect
In 2019, after 3 years of living in Bali, a friend invited me on a journey to Central Sulawesi, where I discovered the remote Buka Buka Island.
Instantly, it awoke in me this childhood dream of living on a private island "one day". And I realized this day, maybe that day.
I decided to create a place where anybody could come and live an authentic island experience. Away from today's noise, distraction and chaos.
Today, I live there with my Indonesian wife, where we host travelers from all around the world, and share with them our little piece of paradise.
Developing an Eco Resort on a remote island
Buka Buka is 30 min off te coast of Ampana, a medium-sized city of the Tojo Una-Una in Central Sulawesi.
Before Reconnect Island resort development, there were no permanent residents on the island and this means that there was also no infrastructure whatsoever. This blank canvas was an opportunity to build a place with a vision, a comfortable accomodation nestled in nature with te lowest impact possible on the eco system.
Here below are some of the challenges we have tackled to make te vision come true, and open te doors of our Eco Resort to guests from all around the world.
Fresh water access
There is a small fresh water well on the island. It is used by the locals but requires to walk 30 min in a dense jungle to reach it. There is also an abundant water source rigth in front of the resort, the ocean. That's why we brought a desalination unit on Buka-Buka to unlock a new fresh water resource for consumption & hygiene. We distribute it through an ingenious piping system - having running water on a remote island is a Robinson Crusoes dream come true.
We also harvest rainwater as part of our hybrid system.
Clean energy
We farm our energy from the sun thanks to solar panel technology we placed on te roof of our restaurant. This installation is sufficient to supply the energy needs of up to 50 people - i.e. our team, our guests & the occasional villagers who come to the island to harvest coconuts every 3 months. Although it seems like a norm in the modern world, having 24/7 electricity on a remote (undevelopped) island is quite a feat.
Local impact
Since we started developping the resort we created 15 permanent jobs. We also involved regional craftmanship, from building our wooden villas to getting our furnitures locally made.
We made a commitment with the head of the village, to support local fishermen who catch fishes using manual traditional techniques.
100% of the fish we serve our guests is sourced from less than 5km around Buka Buka Island.
This way, we both help to preserve the ecosystem, and support our local community.
armonious coabitation
Living in nature without disrupting it is at the core of our project. We managed to create an island resort accomodation were local fauna and flora strives. we often spot endemic species like the Sulawesi Bear Cuscus, hanging out in the trees by the beach, moving slowly or feeding on leaves. We also get visited by parrots and other tropical birds.
Our reef biodiversity is quite frankly amazing. We came together as a community to implement simple-yet-effective practices tat support marine life protection.
Showcasing the potential for
Eco Tourism in Central Sulawesi
At Reconnect Eco Resort we believe in the potential of regenerative eco-tourism to improve our future. If you come visit us in Central Sulawesi, and want to explore other eco-resorts in the Togean Islands, here are a few options of places with a similar vision.
Feel free to contact us if you want to visit them, we'll be happy to arrange the trip and facilitate your island hopping experience in paradise.
