Sulawesi (Celebes)
Denise Nielsen Tackett & Larry Tackett
North Sulawesi (Manado)
Manado is the jumping off point for some of the world's best diving at Bunaken Manado Tua National Marine Park , Lembeh Strait, Bangka Strait, and the Sangihe-Talaud Islands.
Liveaboards Operating in Sulawesi
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North Sulawesi is one of Indonesia's best kept secrets. Manado, the capital, is easy to get to with direct connections from Singapore, Malaysia and major Indonesian cities. Land-based accommodation ranges from backpacker's hostels to sprawling beach resorts and everything in between. Manado is the jumping off point for some of the world's best diving at Bunaken Manado Tua National Marine Park , Lembeh Strait, Bangka Strait , and the Sangihe-Talaud Islands. The Manado area is called Minahasa for its original settlers from several thousand years ago. Portuguese merchants brought Christianity in the 16th century and the Dutch reinforced it during their occupation. Today Manado is predominately Christian with a large ethnic Chinese population. North Sulawesi is relatively prosperous due to agriculture and fishing industries. Much of the area's natural vegetation was cut down by the Dutch to make way for income-producing coconut palm plantations. Many still produce coconut crops while others are harvested to make furniture. Outside of Manado, the area is rural. Cloves, nutmeg, vanilla, coffee, and rice are cultivated on the fertile volcanic soil.
There are many options for single or multiple day trips. The area has several picturesque volcanoes. If you're feeling adventurous you can hike up to the crater of Mahawu volcano where you can see grand views of Manado Bay and the surrounding area. Trails also lead to the craters of Mt. Lokon and Mt. Klabat. White water rafting is another option. A drive through the highlands goes through a series of towns where each specializes in doing one thing. One town grows peanuts, another builds houses, another grows flowers, another weaves baskets and yet another makes pottery. Along the way you can visit spice and copra plantations. There's an orchid farm with thousands of species including the rare black orchid found only here and in Kalimantan.The highland towns, Tomohon and Tondano, have some of the most interesting and colorful local markets you'll find anywhere. The markets are the gathering place for the local pony carts that serve as taxis. Lake Tondano is a crater lake in which goldfish are raised. Ikan mas baker rica, or barbequed goldfish, is the specialty of small lakeside restaurants. Several walks lead to local hot springs and waterfalls. Roadside vents give off sulfurous steam near Lake Linau, a lake that changes color from blue to green and back. Near Kiawa village there are Japanese caves dating back to World War II. At the village of Sawangan you can view waruga , pre-Christian stone coffins carved with characteristics of the deceased's life or death.
There are two national parks in the area. Nearby Tangkoko Nature Reserve is home to the world's largest concentration of Crested Black Macaques and to the Tarsier, one of the world's smallest primates. The forest rangers keep tabs on them and know where to find them. Hornbills and other birds are commonly seen in the early morning hours. Pythons and the rare maleo bird are sometimes seen here. For a longer rainforest experience, there's Bogani Nani Wartabone National Park (formerly Dumoga Bone National Park), a five-hour drive from Manado. This park has macaques and tarsiers but also a wealth of bird life, flora, and the rare, endemic babirusa (wild tusked pig deer) and anoa, a dwarf buffalo.
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Southeast Sulawesi (Wakatobi)
Until recently this was one of the most remote areas of Indonesia because there was no easy access. Today there are direct flights from Bali North Sulawesi and liveaboards visit the huge reefs in the Wakatobi National Marine Park.
The Tukang Besi Islands lie off the southeast tip of Sulawesi in a region known as Wakatobi. Most are low-lying coral islands. The larger islands have rolling hills and rocky coastlines. Until recently this was one of the most remote areas of Indonesia because there was no easy access. Today there are direct flights from Bali North Sulawesi and liveaboards visit the huge reefs in the Wakatobi National Marine Park. In days past, Tukang Besi was renowned for supplying seafarers with kris knives forged from locally mined iron. Today the mines are closed and new knives are produced from scrap iron from nearby Baubau. Decorative wooden hilts, sheaths and colorful woven cloth are produced on the islands. Fishing and seaweed cultivation provide income for the local population. Programs are underway to encourage sustainable fishing practices. Operation Wallacea has surveyed the reefs and developed a local reef management plan. Their work contributed to the area being designated as the Wakatobi National Marine Park. Today Operation Wallacea has a research station on Hoga Island for visiting scientists.
The People
Bugis boats from Makassar (formerly Ujung Pandang) on southwest Sulawesi are visible throughout the area. They're huge catamarans with billowing blue sails on each hull and a large open area for drying small fish known as ikan bilis. The Bugis are traditional seafarers with excellent boat-building skills and are reputed to have sailed as far west as Madagascar in early times. The Bajau people are also called sea gypsies. Many have given up their nomadic existence but continue to live on the sea in stilt villages unlike any others in Asia. The local Bajau traditionally mine coral to build foundations under each house by filling in the spaces between the stilts and above the high water line. Once the stilts are covered, each house becomes an island. Only new houses have stilts visible beneath them. The Bajau are known for dugout boat building, trepang (sea cucumber) harvesting and colorful dress. Their boats use traditional claw-shaped sails.
Attractions
The big attraction in the area is the pristine coral reefs of Wakatobi Marine National Park. There are some caves on the islands but there is no organized tourism in the area except for Wakatobi Dive Resort and visiting liveaboard dive boats. So, it's dive, dive, dive, and leave the other stuff for your visit to Bali or northern Sulawesi.
About the Authors
Larry and Denise Tackett are the authors of all of our Indonesian dive site and regional descriptions. They are professional photographers specializing in underwater and terrestrial natural history and travel subjects. They are represented by stock photo agencies in the US and United Kingdom and their photographs have been widely published in books and magazines worldwide. Their work has appeared in magazines such as National Wildlife, Islands, BBC Wildlife, Ocean Realm, Asian Diver, Unterwasser, Tauchen, Canadian Wildlife, Popular Science, Sport Diver, National Geographic Kids, Geo, and many others.
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