Manado

Above The Water

Manado is the largest city (and airport) in North Sulawesi and the area is filled with topside activities for the adventurous diver looking for some culture. The local island people are genuinely friendly, making interactions an opportunity to learn, share and enjoy new experiences. Moving out of town the farming terraces built up the sides of Mahawu Volcano are intriguing and offer amazing views of Manado, the Bunaken National Park and an open volcanic crater that is still steaming. Worth a look is the Tomohon Market, if you want to see an entirely different range of food on display. If you have time on your hands If you have the time, stop by the Tangkoko Nature Reserve – a conservation area for endangered species (about 70 kilometers from Manado) see tarsiers, black macaque monkeys, maleo birds, and cuscus in their natural habitat.

Below The Water

The diving is spread between several dive regions, including mainland Manado and Bunaken National Park each has distinctly different diving.

The Islands around Bunaken offer some of the best coral reef diving in Southeast Asia. With large numbers of schooling fish racing by on most dives it’s a great dive area, see lots of butterflyfish, triggerfish and turtles with the shallows filled with small fish rising in and out of the healthy coral. It’s worth consider a day trip across to the national park area whilst on your dive trip to Manado.

Bunaken is primarily wall diving with some walls showing a visible bottom below recreational dive limits while others have no visible bottom. The area offers great diving especially for those looking for a macro fix – hello photographers! Drift dies are always a possibility with anything from a mild drift to a seriously speedy current, ensure you keep your dive guide across your confidence level with drifts so you enjoy the ride.

Accommodation in Manado