Particularly, the remote corner of North Sulawesi is known for having some of the best diving in all of Indonesia.. On our recent trip to Indonesia, we had an opportunity to visit North Sulawesi and experience some incredible diving in this region while staying at the Gangga Island Resort & Spa. This clue or question is found on Puzzle 12 of Islands Hard Pack.

Sulawesi – known as Celebes in past times – is an odd shaped but amazing island in Indonesia. Often there is no accommodation on these islands, or there is but nobody has heard of it yet. Sulawesi is an island in Indonesia. In fact the island is actually bisected by the equator in the regency of Central Sulawesi.

The landmass of Sulawesi includes four peninsulas: the northern Minahasa Peninsula; the East Peninsula; the South Peninsula; and the Southeast Peninsula. These buses however are not always safe, and an often heard complaint is that tourists get mugged during a overnight bus drive (so always keep your valuables with you).

Indonesia has many thousands islands, ranging from big to tiny; Sulawesi is the fourth biggest island (and 11th biggest in the world). It is also very cheap if you use public buses on longer routes. Cities like Makassar and Manado only have a few 4 star and 5 star hotels, and only a handful of boutique hotels and pleasant B&B’s which you see so much at other Indonesian destinations.

Sulawesi is renowned for its scuba diving and snorkeling possibilities. Manado is the starting point of numerous attractions in Northern Sulawesi. The Mandar dialect is found on north west coast of South Sulawesi on the area of Majene northward up to Mamuju. All three parks offer great hikes, an abundance of wildlife, guided tours and the option to stay overnight. These marine parks are protected areas where fishing is prohibited. However, the province is struggling with the limited … However, Bunaken, Lembeh, Bangka and Togian are much better accessible and all offer awesome scuba diving and snorkeling conditions.Sulawesi has numerous beautiful marine parks that attract scuba diving and snorkeling enthusiasts from all over the world. They are however small compared to Indonesian cities like Jakarta, Surabaya, Medan and Yogyakarta. Domestic flights are an option too, but are not cheap compared to taking a bus. Each of the marine parks offer great diving, and there are numerous diving schools that operate at each location. Real adventurous travelers often venture out to explore the lesser known islands around Sulawesi.Travelers that visit Sulawesi have two cultural highlands that both are absolutely worth a visit; Tana Toraja and the Minahasa tribes. It depends on your bargaining skills what you will end up paying for a taxi ride.Most resorts offer tours that include transport. Even non-divers will have a perfect time. There are many other endemic species, including several bird and fish species. Being able to be part of an actual funeral ceremony (party) would be unforgettable. To many travelers Sulawesi represents the ultimate ‘off the beaten track’ holiday.

A large percentage, 62% (79 species) are While over 20 bat species are present on Sulawesi, only a portion of these are endemic: Several endemic shrews, the Sulawesi shrew, Sulawesi tiny shrew and the Sulawesi white-handed shrew, are found on the island.By contrast, Sulawesian bird species tend to be found on other nearby islands as well, such as The larger reptiles of Sulawesi are not endemic and include The amphibians of Sulawesi include the endemic frogs Other cities in Sulawesi are Bitung, Tomohon, Gorontalo and Kendari. At diving hot spots like Bunaken you have a luxurious resorts, but nothing for those that come here to really splurge. It is said that the waters around Sulawesi contains a percentage of fish species that is one of the highest in the world. The two biggest cities in Sulawesi are Makassar (+/- 1.4 million people) and Manado (+/- 0.5 million people).