GENERATIONS away from the advent of mass tourism, the long, narrow, rocky island of Selayar lies just 17 kilometers off Cape Bira on the southwest tip of Sulawesi in the Flores Sea. The island measures only 76 kilometers long and 13 kilometers wide.

Selayar’s inhabitants live at a slower pace than those on the mainland. Speaking dialects similar to Makassarese, the island is predominantly Muslim, though one Christian church is found in Benteng