Manado
Tua Island, along with Mantehage, Siladen, Bunaken and Nain make up the Bunaken
and Manado Tua Marine National Park. The island is separated from the land by a
trench of submarine. The depth of the trench reach a depth of 1,200 m. It has
clean and clear water. The island is quite far from the city, and therefore it
is free of silt and garbage. The marine park of Manado Tua is protected by law.
Hence, spearfishing and fish or coral collecting are forbidden. Also, heavy
equipment for fishing such as dynamite is strictly forbidden. When you dive in
this marine park, you should remember what you can do and can’t do.
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| Picture Mercywenas.blogspot.com |
Location
Manado is the capital city of North
Sulawasi Province. It is situated in Manado Bay. The surrounding area of Manado
is mountainous, and therefore as far as you can see, it is beautiful scenery.
To reach Manado, it depends on where you are from. The airport of Manado, i.e.
Sama Ratulangi Airport is the transit of various flights from many direction.
For example, SilkAir flies from Singapore four times a week to Manado.
Domestic airlines such as Lion Air, Garuda
Indonesia and Batavia Air serve flights from various cities in Indonesia like
Surabaya and Denpasar. Thus, wherever you are, you will have various options of
flights. After you have arrived at Manado, you can go to the marine park by
local transportation, such as bus.
Activities
You can enjoy various activities in
Manado Island. Both on land and underwater, the activities you can do is fun
and exciting. You can do marine activities, such as diving and snorkeling or
land activities such as hiking or trekking. When you choose to dive, you will
get an exciting experience as you can see a lot of species of sea creatures and
fish, such as groupers, napoleon wrasse, snappers,
and occasionally hammerhead sharks.
However, the current in the diving spot of
Manado Tua is quite strong. Only professional divers are suggested to dive in
this spot. For common visitors, you can do hiking or trekking. The marine park
also provides jogging tracks and facilities for camping or mountain biking.
These activities will be fun as you can bike in the beautiful mountain around
Manado.
Accommodations
There are many hotels and resorts you can select when you visit Manado Tua Island. Among the popular hotels are Sintesa Peninsula Hotel Manado, Gran Puri Hotel, Swiss-Belhotel Maleosan Manado, Hotel Santika Premiere Seaside Resort-Manado, and Ritzy Hotel Manado. If you think that staying in those hotels expensive and cost a lot of money, you can stay in a cheaper lodge available all around the city of Manado. Otherwise, you can set a tend and have a camp around the marine park.
Manado Tua provides a challenging
adventure to visitors. You can enjoy the beautiful nature and the incredible
underwater life. Dive or simply snorkel to enjoy the beautiful panorama of the
sea. Manado Tua Island is one of the best tourist destinations in
Sulawesi.
