The Minahasa Highland - Nature & Adventure Tours

Tomohon is famous as the ‘city of flowers’. Flowers are a part of every journey here, and every year in August (originally every two years) the town hosts a major event called the Tomohon Flower Festival. The festival started in 2008 and in recent years has attracted up to 25,000 people. The main event is the Decorated Float Parade, which features more than 80 spectacular exhibits from cities all over Indonesia and international participants from as far afield as North Korea, Vietnam and even Russia.

The large fresh market in Tomohon is a good stop on any tour of the North Sulawesi highlands. The market sells just about everything for the daily needs of the local people – and we do mean everything. The “meat” section is not for the faint of heart. You’ll most likely find beef, pork, chicken, snake, bat and dog on sale. Skip the meat section if you’d rather not see fresh roasted doggy. There’s plenty to see, like fresh fruits, vegetables, flowers and household items.

Tomohon Flower Festival

Tomohon market

Mount Lokon, together with Mount Empung, is a twin volcano located to the west and not far from the resort. It rises 800 m above the surrounding plain and an elevation of 1580 m above sea level. Lokon has a flat and craterless top. Its active crater is located on its foot, named “Tompaluan” crater. Solidified lava flows meander down the side of the volcano and can easily be followed up to the steaming crater, a climb of about 1 hour. It is one of the most active volcanoes in Indonesia and especially since 2011 has erupted regularly. Our guides will only take visitors to the crater rim when activity is low; we will check with Tomohon’s volcanologic centre before.

Mount Lokon – View from front of Highland Resort

Mount Lokon

Opposite Mount Lokon is its smaller sister, Mount Mahawu. The gentler slopes of Mahawu offer a much less challenging hike but the view is no less impressive. Inside the crater is a steaming emerald-green lake ringed with yellow sulphur deposits. On a clear morning you get a bird’s eye view of the whole region right down to the city of Manado and Bunaken Island to the north and as far as Bitung and Mount Dua Saudara to the east.

Mount Mahawu. In the background: Mount Lokon

Mt. Mahawu

The beautiful Kali waterfall actually consists of two falls (plus a smaller one with a pool further uphill) and is only a scenic 1 hour jungle trek away (longer on the way back) from the resort. We suggest to wear sneakers or hiking boots as it can be quite slippery, and maybe bring a change of t-shirt and shorts as the force of the water is pretty intense, causing the mist to pretty much cover everything and everyone.

Kali Waterfall

Located on the hill along the roadside approximately 20 kms from the resort are these tunnels that were built during World War II as storage bunkers for the occupying Japanese forces. They are an eerie reminder of a turbulent time in Indonesia’s history and until this day nobody can be sure what the cost was in the lives of the local slaves who dug them.

Japanese Caves

The colours in this highly sulphurous lake constantly change depending on the light and viewing perspective. Many species of large and small birds make their home around the lake and the grassed area to one side is a very pleasant spot to take a picnic lunch.

Watch out for bubbling mudholes at the edge of the lake, or you will end up with serious burns.

Linow Lake

Pulutan is a village dedicated to traditional pottery. Make your hands dirty and create your own souvenir.

Pottery at Pulutan

A short drive from the resort you can visit the site where traditional wooden houses are built in the small village of Woloan. These “knock down” houses can be transported to a site of the purchasers choice and the style is particular to this region.

Traditional housebuilding in Woloan

This Nature Reserve is home to a great variety of flora and fauna. There are black apes, maleo birds, snakes, wild pigs, hornbill birds and rusa deer. But special interest is given to the Tarsiers which sneak out at dawn and dusk. About the size of a childs fist, these tiny creatures are among the smallest known primates and a delight to see.

The reserve is located north of Bitung and covers an area of 3,196 hectares. To get there requires a 2 1/2 to 3 hour road trip from Highland Resort, but for those prepared to make the journey, the delights of the jungle await you.

Tasikoki is one of the several wildlife rescue centres and wildlife transfer stations set up to care for the ever increasing inflow of confiscated illegally kept and traded wildlife within Indonesia. The centre has been established in a strategic location to tackle the cross-border trade from Indonesia towards the Philippines and onwards to China, Taiwan and Japan. Orangutans, sun bears, gibbons, tarsiers, lorises and pangolins were some of the most endangered mammals smuggled out of the country; however cockatoos, hornbills, birds of paradise as well as turtles and other reptiles were shipped out in even bigger quantities. Without a sustainably run rescue facility, the authorities would not be able to enforce wildlife laws, raid and confiscate live animals, hence the Tasikoki Wildlife Rescue Centre was intended to be instrumental in stopping this trade.

Orang Utan Bento

Sunbear

The current team at Tasikoki are trying to establish financial self-sustainability of the project, develop capacity to recommence active rescue and education work, as well as develop the knowledge and standards of the local staff for the better care of captive wildlife.

What visit to North Sulawesi is complete without one day to view the spectacular coral gardens of the Bunaken Marine Reserve ? Declared a Marine Park in 1991, it is acknowledged as one of the top dive sites in the world. It is approximately 60 minutes drive from the resort to one of the dive centres or to the central harbour where a motorized outrigger canoe or dive boat will whisk you to Bunaken Island in about 45 minutes.

The National Park comprises of the Islands of Bunaken, Siladen, Nain and Montehage and the dive and snorkelling sites are numerous and diverse. The drop off wall at Liang Cove in particular is rare in the world and described by enthusiasts as spectacular with caves, gullies and caverns harbouring an immense wealth of marine life. Brilliantly coloured fish dart amongst the vibrant coral and the water is clear and warm. Ideal for first time snorkellers or experienced divers alike.

Bogani Nani Wartabone National Park is a 2,871 km2 (1,108 mi2) National Park on North Sulawesi’s Minahasa Peninsula. Formerly known as Dumoga Bone National Park, it was established in 1991 and was renamed in honour of Nani Wartabone, a local resistance fighter who drove the Japanese from Gorontalo during the World War II. The park has been identified by Wildlife Conservation Society as the single most important site for the conservation of Sulawesi wildlife [1] and is home to a large number of species endemic to Sulawesi.

24 mammal, 11 reptile and 125 bird species have been recorded in the park. These include the endangered anoa and cinnabar hawk owl, which was only described scientifically in 1999 from a specimen collected from the park. Among the larger animals of the park are babirusas and the Sulawesi warty pig.

The maleo megapode is endemic to the island and is the park’s mascot. Maleo birds have been bred successfully in this park, and as per February 2012, about 3,300 birds have been released to their habitat. Normally the birds need geothermal hot sand for their breeding as in Hungoyono camp.