The footbridge from Malenge to Pulau Papan.
Pulau Papan was the reason I went to Malenge. I'd seen photos of the footbridge before I left home, a long line of planks running across the water from Malenge to a cluster of houses on stilts, and in June 2025 I finally walked it. Pulau Papan is a Bajau village, and it's somebody's home rather than an attraction, which is worth keeping in mind the whole time you're there.
Getting to the bridge
I was staying on Malenge after a few days on Kadidiri, having come into the islands from Gorontalo. The place I stayed [TODO: verify name] was a short boat ride from the start of the bridge [TODO: verify], and the family who ran it arranged the boat for me in the morning [TODO: verify cost]. You can also arrive at Pulau Papan directly by boat, but walking in from the Malenge end is the point.
Go early. I set off soon after breakfast and it was already hot by the time I was halfway across. There is no shade on the bridge at all.
On the bridge
The bridge is long [TODO: verify length], made of wooden planks on posts, and it was in reasonable repair when I walked it, though a few planks were loose and one or two were missing. Watch your feet more than the view. I took photos standing still and walked with my phone in my pocket.
At low tide I could see straight down to the sand and seagrass, and small fish moving around the posts. Children from the village ran past me in both directions, much faster than I was going. A man repairing a section of planks waved me round the gap he was working on.
In the village
Pulau Papan is small: houses on stilts, boats tied up underneath, and plank walkways connecting everything. The Bajau are often described as sea people, and the village is built around the water in a way that makes that obvious without anyone having to explain it.
I didn't have a guide. I'm not sure I needed one, but I'd have understood more with one [TODO: verify whether local guides are available]. I walked slowly, said hello a lot, and asked before taking photos of anyone. Most people said yes. A couple said no, and that was the end of it.
I stayed about two hours. Near the end I sat in the shade on the far side of the village, where a woman selling drinks let me rest without expecting me to buy anything more, and watched canoes slide in and out under the walkways. Nobody explained anything to me, and I came away feeling I'd understood more than I had on the bridge.
A few things I would do the same way again:
- Dress as you would in any village in Sulawesi, with shoulders and knees covered.
- Ask before photographing people, and don't wander up to anyone's house uninvited.
- Bring small notes. I bought a drink and a snack at a small shop [TODO: verify], and there was nowhere to change a large note.
- Carry water. There isn't much shade on the bridge or in the village.
Snorkelling near Pulau Papan
In the afternoon the same boatman took me to snorkel a reef not far from the village [TODO: verify site name and cost]. The water was clearer than around the bridge, and I spent about an hour in it. It wasn't the best snorkelling I did on the trip. That was the reef in front of the bungalows on Kadidiri. But it was quiet, and I had it to myself.
If you're coming to the Togeans mainly for the water, Pulau Papan isn't where you'll spend your best hours in it. If you're on Malenge anyway, though, a morning on the bridge and an afternoon in the water make a good day.
Practical notes
I paid cash for everything on Malenge, including the boat. There was no cash machine, and my phone had no usable signal for most of the day [TODO: verify current coverage], which seems to be normal in the Togeans. Ruben's post on cash and signal in the Togeans is the one to read before you leave the mainland.
I'd allow a full day for Pulau Papan if you're based on Malenge, and half a day if you're coming from further away and only want to walk the bridge. Either way, go in the morning, and take your time on the way back.
