Discover the best attractions & things to do in Sulawesi, Indonesia
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anemptytextllineThe island of Sulawesi looks a bit like a contorted starfish with four long peninsula’s hanging off a mountainous interior. The geography has endowed the island with an extensive coastline whilst the central highlands created a natural barrier that isolated the inhabitants to their respective peninsula’s for thousands of...
anemptytextllineHaving erupted at least 30 times since the late 18th century, the twin volcanoes of Mount Lokon and Mount Empung are among the most active in Indonesia. At 1,580m and 1,340m high respectively, they’re not particularly high but they are significant landmarks dominating the Tondano Plain just 10km due...
anemptytextllineOnly 6km due east of the Lokon-Empung volcanoes lies another stratovolcano called Mt Mahawu (1,324m). Mahawu recorded a small eruption in 1789 which created a small, deep crater and sulphur pond at the summit. Fumaroles, hot mud pools and small geysers appeared after a brief burst of activity in...
anemptytextllineWhitewater Rafting The mountainous highlands around Manado are laced with clean, fast flowing rivers and streams that are perfect for a bit of white water action. The main rafting rivers are the Nimanga River (also known as the Timbukar River) and the Ranoyapo River, the longest in North Sulawesi, both...
anemptytextllineAt 1,995m high, Mt Klabat is the highest mountain in Sulawesi. Located roughly 20km due east of Monado, it’s hulking presence dominates the city skyline and is visible from almost anywhere on the north Minahasa Peninsula and surrounding islands. Not surprisingly, the views from the summit are superb.Copyright Dan...
anemptytextllineYet another of North Sulawesi’s highly active volcanoes, Mt Soputan offers a first rate volcano trekking experience. This relatively young stratovolcano has erupted at least 39 times in the last 600 years, with some of those eruptions lasting well over a year. The most recent was in January 2016...
anemptytextllineLembeh Island is located just across the narrow Lembeh Strait from the busy port town of Bitung. In the last couple of decades this pretty tropical island has earned itself a reputation as one of the best muck diving locations in the world; attracting divers, marine biologists and underwater...
anemptytextllineGunung Ambang Nature Reserves sits just to the east of the Boganinani Wartabone National Park, straddling the small Ambang mountain range in central north Sulawesi. It’s characterised by steep-sided mountains with elevations ranging from 700m to 1,795m, deep valleys, small highland lakes and lowland marshes. Despite the relatively small...
anemptytextllineThe biggest lake in North Sulawesi, Lake Tondano has been a long time favourite with locals and tourists alike. Cradled in a natural basin at 600m above sea level surrounded by Mounts Tondano, Kaweng, Lembean, Tampusu and Masarang, it is a cool and scenic retreat away from the hot...
anemptytextllineOne of Manado’s most popular attractions is the very pretty Kali Waterfall, a twin cascade plummeting 60m into a narrow river gorge. Even during the dry season, Kali roars powerfully over the sheer rock face with enough force to fill the air with a misty vapour that has created...
anemptytextllineIf there's one thing that Sulawesi isn't short of, it's waterfalls. So much so it's easy to fall into a "seen one, seen them all" mindset, but Tunan Waterfall is one that's definitely worth making the effort to see. This beautiful cascade plunges 86m down a sheer rockface flanked...
anemptytextllineYet another of Minahasa's treasure trove of attractions, Pinaras Waterfall is an attractive 43m high cascade pouring into a lushly vegetated rocky chamber. According to local legend, there was once a big rock in the middle of the waterfall which on contact, sent the cascade spraying out around it instead...
anemptytextllineThe Tangkoko National Park is located right on the northern tip of Sulawesi, sprawling over the three peaks of Mt Tangkoko, Mt Dua Saudara and Mt Batuangus and a good chunk of coastline to their east. The small coastal reseve of Bukitputih sits adjacent to the parks northern boundary...
anemptytextllineUndoubtedly one of Sulawesi’s most iconic tourist attractions, the Tana Toraja highlands of south-central Sulawesi are spectacularly beautiful and home to one of Indonesia’s most vibrant and interesting traditional cultures. Isolated for thousands of years in the mountainous interior, the Toraja had little contact with the outside world until...
anemptytextllineTravellers invariably describe Lore Lindu National Park in Central Sulawesi as a highlight of their trip, and that’s not surprising given the natural and ancient archaeological treasures contained within its borders. This massive 2,180km2 park sprawls across a densely forested mountain range, bounded by the Palolo, Napu, Bada and...
anemptytextllineAt an impressive 2,830m elevation, Mt Bawakareaeng occupies third place on the list of highest peaks in Sulawesi behind Mt Rantemario and Mt Moncong Lompobatang. These three peaks are neighbours in the vast Latimojong mountain range which straddles the southeast sector of the South Sulawesi peninsular.Copyright Dan Quinn/Gunung Bagging In...
anemptytextllineThe first thing that greets you at Bantimurung National Park is a gaudy butterfly towering over the entrance gate and just beyond that, a similarly tacky monument to the parks primates. The butterfly is tribute to South Sulawesi’s amazing diversity of these enchanting creatures, believed to be in excess...
anemptytextllineMaros-Pangkep Karsts (Leang-Leang Karsts) If there’s one thing you shouldn’t miss in Sulwesi it’s the Leang-Leang karsts in the Maros Regency of South Sulawesi. The karsts form part of the 45,000 hectare Maros-Pangkep karst mountain range, officially the world’s third largest karst area after Tsingy in Madagascar and Shilin in...
anemptytextllineOnce believed to have been an open gulf between southern Toraja and the rest of South Sulawesi, millions of years transformed the now Lake Tempe into a vast, shallow, freshwater wetland teeming with a wonderful array of waterbirds, fish, pretty reed beds and flowering lily’s.Photo © Francesc Genové Around 30...
anemptytextllineThe Spermonde Archipelago comprises of some 117 scattered coral islands stretching along the Makassar Strait from Takalar in the south to Pangkep in the north. The biggest cluster lies directly off Makassar, presenting a world of island hopping, snorkelling and diving opportunities within a half hour boat ride from...
anemptytextllineWakatobi hangs off the bottom of Sulawesi’s south eastern peninsular; a dazzling archipelago of 143 tropical islands sitting resplendently among a 1.4 million hectare marine wonderland. “Paradise on earth” is a tag so commonly applied to Wakatobi it’s almost cliché but anything less complementary would be churlish. Wakatobi sits right...