RegionOutline guide

Northern Sulawesi

Province in Sulawesi, Indonesia

Photo: Sakurai Midori, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Overview

Northern Sulawesi consists of the provinces of North Sulawesi and Gorontalo in Indonesia.

Regions

Minahasa
Minahasa is a region in Northern Sulawesi.
Sangihe Islands
Sangihe Islands are a group of islands which constitute two regencies within the province of North Sulawesi.
Bolaang Mongondow
Gorontalo
Gorontalo is a province in Northern Sulawesi.

Getting there and around

Getting there

By boat
By car or bus
You can travel by car or bus from South Sulawesi towards Manado; however, because of security problems in Central Sulawesi, this is not recommended.

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Getting around

By car
Rental cars are available in Manado, but like most other areas of Indonesia, hiring a car with driver is advisable because of traffic woes and knowledge of local conditions.
By mikrolet
You won't go far without seeing a torrent of light blue Mitsubishi Colts (aka bemos elsewhere) trolling the streets for customers.
By bus

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Airports and nearby hotels

Choose an airport to see hotels, stations, taxi ranks and car rental desks around it.

Sam Ratulangi International Airport

Manado · International · MDC

Search stays near MDC

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Cities

Manado

the largest city and main gateway to the north

Bitung

the main deep-water port and access to the Lembeh Strait

Gorontalo

Gateway to the Togeans

Modisi

a small town in South Bolaang Mongondow Regency

Tomohon

cool off in the central highlands

Bunaken

world-famous diving site

Tangkoko Nature Reserve

Tangkoko Nature Reserve is in Northern Sulawesi (Sulawesi Utara), on the north-eastern tip of Sulawesi island of Indonesia.

Bogani Nani Wartabone National Park

Bogani Nani Wartabone National Park is in Northern Sulawesi in Indonesia.

Show all 10

Bangka

group of small islands just off the coast

Tumbak

a fishing village

Read before you go to Northern Sulawesi

Articles and travel topics about Northern Sulawesi and Indonesia.

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Full travel guide

Every section of the guide. Open one to read it in full.

UnderstandInhabited by the Minahasa, Hulontalangio, Bantik, and Sangirese, much of Northern Sulawesi is a solidly Christian (mostly but not entirely Protestant) enclave in mostly Muslim-majority Sulawesi.

TalkThe local language is Manado Malay (Bahasa Manado), also known as Minahasa Malay.

Get inManado has an airport (MDC) with international flights from Singapore (by Scoot) and from China (Changsha, Guangzhou, Shanghai-Pudong, Shenzhen) by Lion Air, China Southern and TransNusa and domestic flights from major…

Get aroundRental cars are available in Manado, but like most other areas of Indonesia, hiring a car with driver is advisable because of traffic woes and knowledge of local conditions.

DoScuba diving is the main draw for tourists to North Sulawesi. Popular diving areas are:

BuyAlso worth a visit is a local market in Tomohon (not for the faint-hearted) where locals sell various delicacies e.g. dog, bat and the rather boring pig (North Sulawesi is largely Christian).

EatMinahasan cuisine from North Sulawesi features heavy use of meat such as pork, fowl and seafood. Woku is a type of seafood dish with generous use of spices, often making up half the dish.

DrinkBeing largely Christian in North Sulawesi Province, alcohol is a little easier to find than in some other parts of Indonesia. The local beer Bintang costs Rp 15,000 and 20,000 in resorts.

Stay safeThe ethnic strife in central and south Sulawesi has not really affected the north.

Go next

Togian Islandsan archipelago in the Gulf of Tomini, directly south of Northern Sulawesi

Sources and licences

Guide text adapted from the Wikivoyage article "Northern Sulawesi" by its contributors, available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read on Wikivoyage · Contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
Summary from the Wikipedia article "North Sulawesi", available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Wikipedia
Photo: Sakurai Midori, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

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