Off to Bunaken
North Sulawesi’s tourism industry is still at its nascent stage, and thus it’s relatively unknown outside Indonesia. However, there is this one place that keeps luring travellers from all over the world to come ~ the Bunaken National Marine Park. Unassuming and serene, it’s been hailed as one of the top 10 dive sites in the world, rivalling Malaysia’s own Sipadan Island and the many atolls in the Pacific and the Caribbean. Since its reputation as a superb dive site has not wandered far from the circle of professional divers, Bunaken remains one of Indonesia’s best kept secrets.
To get there, you can either charter a boat (available throughout the day, recommended for big groups or when the sea is rough) or hop on one of the public boats (available daily except Sundays, it usually leaves for Bunaken Island in the afternoon and returns to Manado in the early morning) for a small fee if you’re travelling alone. Since there were 6 of us, we opted to charter one. The moment we reached the harbour, we were instantly approached by several boatmen, who in turn were eager to earn some tourist bucks in this wet season (in other words, the low season) which lasts from November to April.
Boats of all sizes docked at the bustling harbour of Manado
One of the larger boats with a labourer
Now, the interesting part kicked in. The price offered will always be around Rp 500,000 for a round-trip per boat, and every traveller should know the basics to haggling. After some intense bargaining, we managed to get one of the men cut the price all the way down to Rp 350,000, which sounded pretty good to us. And the next thing we knew, we were all set for our excursion to Bunaken! :D
Look… Our boat had arrived!
Hotel Celebes! We stayed in the most expensive suite the previous night (the one shown within the white frame, talk about going on a budget!), but the price was pretty reasonable since we were such a big group.
Guess how old was he? 30? 40? Nah, this man was over 60! Unbelievable…
Shrouded in clouds, the Mt. Klabat looked equally impressive from the sea
The Bunaken National Marine Park covers an area of 890.65km², of which only 3% is terrestrial. It encompasses several islands off the coast of Manado, and for this tour, we were heading to the eponymous island of the marine park, Bunaken Island. Being the most developed of the bunch, Bunaken is home to a wide range of accommodations, ranging from budget homestays to full-fledged dive resorts where everything is priced in euros and dollars. All prices include 3 meals a day and free flow of drinking water, coffee, and tea. The journey from Manado took us approximately 1 hour to reach.
Bunaken, I see thee!
Getting there…
Bunaken, here we come! :D
Entry to the park costs one Rp 50,000 per day or Rp 150,000 per calendar year if you’re gonna stay on the island for more than 3 days. As far as I know, the entrance fee contributes to the fund which is responsible for the conservation of the marine park. So new visitors to the park, please don’t complain if you’re asked to pay for the permit upon arrival. For the sake of the extensive coral reef system and aquatic life at the Bunaken National Marine Park , this is the very least that we earthlings can do to protect them.
Our boatman, Frankie, himself a Bunaken native
Found this kid at one end of the pier
Our accommodation, MC Cottage Bunaken (aka MC Homestay) on the less crowded Pangalisang Beach
The chalets overlooking a small patch of garden and the wide open sea
The room with very basic facilities, and electricity was only available from sunset to sunrise (the standard island-wide)
The garden at our chalets’ doorstep
Lunch!
The islands that constitute the Bunaken National Marine Park
(light blue: coral reefs; light green: mangroves)
Peekaboo… Lil’ boat, where are you?
Serenity was felt everywhere on the island
The flat, low-lying island of Siladen on the horizon
The lounge at dusk
Look… It was a full moon night!
How spellbinding and romantic…
Compilation of MANADO & NORTH SULAWESI TRIP 2009
- PART I : The forgotten frontiers: Tales from Manado and North Sulawesi
- PART II : Great churches of Manado
- PART III: In the shadows of volcanoes: Manado Bay and its harbour
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27 sOleiLians
27 sOleiLians
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wah, your moon bigger than mine.
abuthen mine onli handphone cam mah.
meh.
i love the sea. but i think i’ll get seasick. ewwwek
tuti´s freshest bake…
5 chups!
Seasick? You must bring along a vomit bag then, just in case! ;)
Always, when I see boats, I remember my trip to Kukup, hehe. Was marvellous. Although I think this place is bigger and more fascinating than Malaysia’s most southern tip :) And the sunset reminds me of one I saw in Batu Ferringghi in 2007. I love sunsets and yours is just marvellous. What a nice ending to your post.
Happy holidays, continue with your great blog and hope I can keep you as my commentator next year. ;)
My Kafkaesque Life´s freshest bake…
3 chups!
Kukup? Where’s that? Never heard of the place though I’m a Malaysian! *blush* Never mind, I’ll ask Uncle Google. :P
Sunsets? Or did you mean the full moon pics? o.O
Oh sure, I definitely will visit your blog whenever I can! ;)
Wahseh the water so blue!!
Whoaaaa… it’s true!!! it’s beautiful!!! And even, this one hasn’t show the beauty inside the sea…. Bunaken is famous for diving!
Will you recommend this place for honeymoon? hehehe…
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, Kyh!
Selba´s freshest bake…
Public boats not available on Sunday? Guess the natives are devout Christians…
khengsiong´s freshest bake…
day-dreamer: 1 chup!
Yeah! :D
Selba: Honeymoon? I thought Bali would be a more suitable choice? Bunaken is for the adventurous ones, or for those seeking to escape from civilization. ;)
khengsiong: I’ve never thought of that before. But yup, the people there were really pious!
The colors are amazing to me, especially right now. In winter, everything is just white white white in Canada. I miss these tropical colors!
Looks like a nice place to stay… I’d have splurged for the suite too!
Zhu´s freshest bake…
You know what, I’d love to experience an all-white winter wonderland! It’s very hot here, and I’m sweating! :P
Wow looks like someone’s enjoying HOLIDAY!!!! Merry Christmas to you and a wonderful new year ahead!
Naturally Nesh´s freshest bake…
LOL! But now I’m back at school. *bawl*
Happy holidays!
Nice island! Must be nice traveling on that boat : )
foongpc´s freshest bake…
It was really a beautiful island, with rustic village life some more! :D
Hi Kyh! It looks gorgeous! As I don’t dive, I’m not so envious… ;)
Enter 2010 in great shape! Wish you all the best for the New Year!!!
I’m not a diver too, and I just went snorkelling there. But it was a really rewarding experience!
Happy 2010 to you and your family! :D
Looks like a really beautiful place. I stopped by to wish you a Happy New Year!
Linda´s freshest bake…
So rustic! I like.
My wishes for you,
Great start for Jan,
Love for Feb,
Peace for March,
No worries for April,
Fun for May,
Joy for June to Nov,
Happiness for Dec,
Have a lucky and wonderful 2010!
eastcoastlife´s freshest bake…
Linda: Thanks, and I wish you a great year ahead too! :)
eastcoastlife: Wow… What a list for this new year, LOL! Happy 2010 to you and your family! :D
happy new year, kyh!
wish you success and good health this 2010!
tuti´s freshest bake…
[...] PART IV : Off to Bunaken [...]
tuti: Happy New Year to you too! Have you made your resolutions for this year yet? ;)
[...] PART IV : Off to Bunaken [...]
[...] PART IV : Off to Bunaken [...]
[...] PART IV : Off to Bunaken [...]
nice story and shots
Thanks! :D