lambada

Has anyone got an up-to-date information on:

1) How to get to this park from Manado, or, better still, from Tangkoko National Park
2) What kind of accommodation is available
3) If one needs a guide to explore the place
4) Recommended duration of stay (1/2/3 nights)


Thanks

inquest

Got some information would like to share with you about wartabone. By Monday for sure.

inquest

Bogani Wartabone NP is a long haul from Manado,one of the reasons i couldn't make it.Its roughly 275-300 kms and would probably take a whole day to reach..Public transport would be very painful often involved buses and changing multiple mini-buses or petepetes,while driving along winding mountainous roads with multiple stops.
You could hire a cab from Manado or better still fly in to Gorontolo's Jalaluddin Airport from Manado,which is 60km west of the park
A recommended place to stay would be the Bogani Homestay which is on the coastal road and next to the park
Bogani-Homestay

Shoot off a mail to them and i'm sure they could help you with all you queries and probably could arrange for transport too.

Park rangers often are the guides,which was the case in Tangkoko.

Tangkoko is on the other end (east) of the island,by the Lembeh straits.Its about a 3 hr journey from Manado.

inquest

In those days intra-city air travel schedules in Sulawesi was highly unreliable,often being cancelled in the last minute.I'm sure its improved now.
Lion Air's subsidiary Wings Abadi flies daily to Gorontolo from Manado.

lambada

Many thanks for the info. The LP guidebook also says that Bogani Nani is hard to reach. I've decided to give it a miss.

I'm finding it hard to find enough things to see and do in North Sulawesi to fill up a week (minimum). Online info is somewhat scarce. So far I have Tomohon, Mt Mahawu, Lake Tondano, Lake Linow, Ranopaso Hot Springs, Tangkoko National Park, Pulisan beach. These will keep me busy for approximately 6 days (will post itinerary later).

Can you suggest some other places? Is Bunaken worth going to considering I don't dive? I've read that the currents can be quite strong there.

marmot

The North Sulawesi marine area that I especially like is the Lembeh Strait on the other side of the peninsula from Manado. The area is profoundly beautiful. You can snorkel off the shore at many locations or join the dive boats to other sites. Tangkoko is in the same general area.

Kungkungan Bay Resort is a beautiful property, but on the pricy side ( though rates include meals) popular with divers and non-divers alike. There are other choices in the area, but I would avoid the town of Bitung.

I've only been to Bunaken once and I don't remember that the currents were notably strong. I preferred Lembeh for natural beauty and serenity.

If you run out of attractions in North Sulawesi, you should consider adding Tanah Toraja in Central Sulawesi. It's a bit of a schlep to get there from Makassar, but the culture is fascinating and the natural beauty is extraordinary.

crellston

We really enjoyed our time in Tanah Toraja. We visited from Makassar, which as marmot suggests, is quite a journey - 11-12 hours by bus. We engaged the services of "Dodo the Penman to organise a private car and driver, some accomodation and a guide in TT. He
Revised an excellent service and was surprising reasonable in terms of cost compared with DIY. I think I still have his contact details somewhere. If you would like them please let me know.

We spent around 3- 4 days in and around TT and also stayed a night in Lake Tempe and Ramang Ramang on the way back to Makkasar. Both are worth seeing, esp. Lake Tempe which was like nothing I had seen before.

Details and photos of these places are covered in our blog that l linked in one of your other posts.

If interested in seeing the funeral ceremonies, itbis best to include a Sunday in your stay

inquest

Bunaken is not worth it if you don't dive.The resort there cater to hardcore divers.Its known for its great wall and drift diving, healthy coral and a variety marine life like barracudas and trevelly, tuna and sea turtle.There is also night dives for sharks.
There are plenty of places to snorkel though,the waters around Siladen is shallower and is full of life.

Culture,cuisine, nature and adventure the Minahasa Highland around Tomohon is breathtakingly beautiful. To let it soak in one could easily spend 3-4 nights there.

lambada

I've read mixed reviews on snorkelling in the Lembeh Strait. The majority say that it's more suitable for diving than snorkelling due to the murky waters.

As for Tanah Toraja, I'd rather not venture to Central/South Sulawesi due to the distances. I'm going to be doing a lot of travelling in Java so I want to take it a little easy in Sulawesi.

My draft North Sulawesi itinerary can be found here. I would appreciate your feedback. Thanks again.

crellston

You are very welcome lambada. Good luck sorting out your trip.

marmot

You may be right that the Lembeh Strait area is not what you're looking for, but just to clarify the water is not murky. Visibility is in the 10 to 15M range, sometimes more. What the Straits are known for is muck diving which means observing rare sea animals along black sand sea bottoms. However, there are also some nice walls and coral gardens in the area for more traditional snorkeling experiences. I like both diving and snorkeling and found a lot of spectacular marine life just snorkeling off shore.