Bunaken Marine Park is a marine park and it is located at the northern part of Sulawesi Island, Indonesia. The marine park is home of various
species of corals and fishs. The number of the species is up to 390 species, including coral, fish,
mollusc, reptile and marine mammal. There are also sea-grass and coastal
ecosystem in the region of Bunaken. Bunaken was founded in 1991. It becomes the
first marine park in Indonesia with an incredible diversity of species.
The total area of
Bunaken is about 890.65 km². The area consists of marine habitat of about
its 97%, and the remaining 3% is terrestrial park. The park includes Bunaken,
Manado Tua, Mantehage, Manado, Nain and Siladen Islands. With professional
management, today Bunaken has become one of the most popular diving and
snorkeling areas in the world.
Location
Bunaken
Marine Park lies in Sulawesi Island. It is about 45 to 60 minutes from Manado
by boat. When you visit Bunaken, means of transportation is available for
visitors. The resorts in Bunaken usually arrange transfers of visitors from the
airport to the island where they want to visit. The transfer facility allows
visitors to be more easily to reach the island they prefer. You can also go by
boat to Bunaken by boat. The boat serves passenger every day, except on Sunday.
The cost for one
trip is Rp25,000 ($2.50) for foreign tourists and Rp10,000 ($1,00) for local
tourists. The boat returns to Manado every day but Sunday as well. If you go to
Bunaken with a group of people, it is better for you to charter a private boat
to Bunaken. This will save your budget a lot.
Activities
The main
activity you can do when you are in Bunaken Marine Park is surely scuba diving.
In Bunaken, there a lot of dive centers that serve visitors to dive. The rate
to use the service of the dive center is various. However, it is better for you
to pay a few more dollars to hire a professional and experienced operator.
You should not
choose the cheapest rate but poor service. Safety should become your first
priority when dealing with diving activity. If you are a beginner, you should
also hire a guide to help you succeed the diving activity. Spending a little
more budget is better than have any trouble when diving.
When
visiting Bunaken Marine Park, you will have a number of options of home stay.
The rate for the home stay is various, ranging from Rp80,000 ($9.00) per day.
The home-stay are comfortable, but if you have enough budget, it is better for
you to find a better home stay even with a more expensive rate. Most home stay
offer the best service to customers, and therefore you don’t have to worry
about which home stay you should select. Most home stay provides basic
accommodations such as comfortable rooms and beds, restaurant and lounge
chairs.
Bunaken is
popular around the world, and therefore you don’t need to worry about the
facility you will get. You will have the best service for accommodations during
your stay in Bunaken Marine Park.
Pictures
taken from www.worldtourismindonesia.blogspot.com
