Tropical paradise on the tip of Sulawesi
TONGKAINA, Molas, North Sulawesi (JP): If work stress burns you up consider taking a break in a place where you can hear the voices of nature.
North Sulawesi province offers sea and mountain lovers many places of interests. Manado's only resort hotel, the Santika Manado in the Molas district village of Tongkaina is located ten minutes by speed boat to the world famous scuba diving site of Bunaken.
As soon as you leave Manado airport you will immediately feel the tranquil village atmosphere in your 45-minute trip to the hotel.
Santika Manado is nestled on a hilly seafront surrounded by mangrove forests, shrubs and trees with a long pier into the sea.
The hotel boasts 99 guest rooms including 28 bungalows and a large swimming pool. It also has a five-star diving club, the Thalassa, which provides scuba diving lessons.
Guests are completely isolated from the modern world and sleep to the serene humming of crickets, wake to the chirping of birds. In fact the birds sing all day long. This is a place to fish a feast of inspiration.
Santika Manado, one of a chain of nine hotels, eight in major Indonesian cities, is constructing a conference room and a tennis court scheduled for completion in March next year. There is a nine-hole golf course 25 minutes drive from the hotel.
At sunset, the panorama of sea and islands, including Bunaken, Manado Tua and Siladen fades to one of the most romantic sights in the world.
Bunaken has more than 40 diving spots and is home to 90 percent out of the 2,200 species of fish in the world. Its underwater cliffs drop 300 meters or more.
If you are not a diver you can still enjoy the colorful fish and reefs by snorkeling. Or ride a boat with a glass bottom. Or simply lay back on the white sandy beach.
Manado, the capital of North Sulawesi is a much slower-paced town compared to Makassar, the capital of South Sulawesi. But traffic in the city has been heavier in recent months. Residents attribute it to migrants from Jakarta and Maluku who came to Manado to escape from riots or communal unrest.
Besides water sports, visitors can make an easy one-day excursion to Tomohon and Tondano, famed for their flower and agricultural products.
For more adventurous travelers, the Tangkoko natural reserve is only 85 kilometers away. A two-hour afternoon walk and nature lovers will arrive at a location where Sulawesi tarsiers, the smallest primates in the world, can be observed. They come out from the trunks of trees at twilight to forage.
The lowland forested area which is close to the magnificent Bitung port also offers mountain climbing in nearby Dua Saudara (twin peaks) mountains.
A number of airlines fly to Manado, the capital of North Sulawesi including Bouraq, Garuda, Mandala and Silk Air.(hbk)
More information on North Sulawesi tourism industry can be obtained from www.northsulawesi.com