Manado City Guide

Indonesia>Manado
Manado, the provincial capital of North Sulawesi, is a convenient and easily reachable base from which to explore the many natural wonders of North Sulawesi.

North Sulawesi has an abundance of accommodation and facilities available to meet the needs of travelers from backpackers and budget class to four star resorts.

The natural wonders of North Sulawesi make it well suited to both organized and adventure travel. The full spectrum of scuba diving activities is available in North Sulawesi.

Diving exotica include the steep walls and magnificent coral gardens of Bunaken Marine Park and Bangka Stait, walls of fishes and underwater volcanoes in the Sangihe Islands and the unusual and rarely seen critters of Lembah Strait to name but a few. Whales and dugongs attract visitors and scientists alike.

Land-based activities focus on rain forest hiking in Tangkoko Nature Reserve (home to the largest concentration of black crested macaques and the world's smallest primate, the tarsier) and Dumoga Bone National Park (home to the fabled babirusa pig deer and other endemic mammals)

Along with viewing scenic cascading waterfalls, you may also enjoy the excitement of volcano climbing and river rafting. The Tomohon/Tondano highlands area, rice paddies, coconut plantations and flower gardens are easily accessible and such nice places to be visited.

Hot springs, horseback riding and a variety of cultural diversions round off the land based activities should not be missed for your vacation in Manado, Sulawesi.

Perhaps North Sulawesi's most valuable asset is its genuinely friendly and open people. Visit the smiles of Sulawesi and you won't be sorry!

Getting There and Moving Around

By air

Sam Ratulangi International Airport in Manado has regular non-stop flight sevice to / from Singapore and Davao, Philippines as well as the principal cities of Indonesia. Manado, is reachable by air from Ujung Pandang, Jakarta, Surabaya, Balikpapan, Ternate, Ambon, and jayapura.

Other airports in this province i.e. Gorontalo, Tahuna and Talaud are served mainly by domestic feather-line traffic.

It is also accessible by sea. The port of Bitung is undoubtedly the most important port, serving shipping lines of the peninsula and the eastern part of Indonesia.