INDONESIA - MANADO |
INDONESIA
Manado is the provincial capital of North Sulawesi surrounded by mountains on the Manado Bay. It is inhabited by more than 600,000 population and is divided into five municipality; Wenang, Sario, Malalayang, Molas, and Mapanget. It is one of the favorite travel destination in Indonesia especially for divers alike. Manado also provides other tourist activities and attractions for non divers. It can be accessed by flights from Singapore, Philippines, Bali, Surabaya, Jakarta and Makassar.
Manado is located in the north of the Indonesian Island of Sulawesi. Despite Sulawesi having two main airports one in the north and one in the south and the ease in which travel can be made to the area, Sulawesi remains one of the less visited islands. The climate of Sulawesi is similar to most of Indonesia and is tropical with an average temperature of around 32 degrees C in the day and 24 degrees C in the night. Rainfall is scarce in the dry season between August and September and frequent and heavy in the wet season between December and March. One of the main attractions of Sulawesi is the incredible diversity in tropical wildlife both above and below the water on the land, in the sky and under the sea. Sulawesi lies on the Wallace Line, which is the most biodiversity area in the world. There are some amazing monkeys to see including the rare black macaques which are the smallest monkeys in the world and weigh a tine 200 grams and are just 15cm in length. Another amazing activity is snorkeling around the islands where you will see some amazing and in tact reefs and fishes with the possibility of turtles and other amazing sites.
Manado also has some wonderful traditional villages and at the Tondano Lake you can see the fishermen who still fish in the traditional way and still live on the quaint floating houses. You can dine at the floating restaurants and also take trips to the volcanoes where you can see all across the
Manado and north Sulawesi area as well as the incredible sulfuric lake that bubbles and changes color regularly due to the gases being released from the bottom. There are many activities in
Manado including white water rafting at the Timbukar site where you will glide through the most beautiful riverside environment on the island and then negotiate the exhilarating drops and rapid sections. You can also visit the markets where you can purchase some incredible and interesting items that are unique to this area of the island. Some people like to combine visiting this area with making trips to the south where you can see the huge amount of diversity and differences in the landscapes and cultures that exist on this island.
The easiest, safest and most efficient way to visit these islands is to employ the use of a guided tour operator so you can be sure to see all of the best sights within your time constraints and eat and sleep only at the recommended places.
Manado has plenty of things to do for all of the family and in this un-spoilt paradise of white sand beaches and tropical lagoons as well as jungle and volcanoes, there is no better place to travel if you are looking for adventure and tranquility, just
Manado. You can see the evidence of the Japanese and Chinese as well as the other nations that used the area for trading which also adds another aspect to the culture of
Manado.
The airport of Manado, Sam Ratulangi International Airport is one of the main gate to the eastern part Indonesia. The number of travelers has been increasing year to year and has now recorded more than 16,000 foreign visitors to the region.
Scuba diving and snorkeling are amongst the popular attraction while other attractions include Lake Tondano, Lokon Volcano, Klabat Volcano and Mahawu Volcano. The main diving spots in Manado are Bunaken Island, Siladen Island, Gangga Island, and Lembeh Island.
There are number of hotels and resorts with special discount. Some recommended Manado Hotels include Hotel Santika Premiere Seaside Resort Manado, Ritzy Hotel, Kima Bajo Resort, Tasik Ria Resort, , Sahid Kawanua Manado, Sahid Manado Hotel, Siladen Hotel Manado, and many more.
