WILD AND GREEN. A faraway land of creatures, cultures and craters. Hiking, and for the aquatically inclined, diving, and wildlife viewing are the main attractions here, but there are also some interesting and warm welcoming people.
Tomohon is close enough to the international airport at Manado that you can skip the capital.
The green hills and some lakes beckon, and with a motorcycle, exploring is easy.
You could bike out to Mount Lokon and take in the views from its smoking crater, and be home for lunch.
There'd still be time in the day to ride through the farms to Mount Mahawu.
Tomohon is also famous for its Extreme Market, where you have far more chance of seeing wildlife.
Huge pythons for sale is one of the less confronting sights there.
Dogs, wild boar and bats are all sold here.
Rats too. The local Minahasan people have been eating these things for many generations.
Food was pretty good up this way, and most of it was more conventional.
Mie dal, sometimes called bubur Manado, is a great noodle soup breakfast, made with pumpkin, tofu and rice.
And while Minahasan food is generally pretty spicy, they also have a sweet-tooth.
From what little I know about the Minahasan, I gather they are a traditionally hunter and warrior people.
They struck me as incredibly friendly and easy going. They loved a laugh, and okay, cock-fighting too.
But if it is wildlife, like the Sulawesi Tree Frog you came to see, you want to head to Tangkoko National Park.
Easy to access, and lodges are a short stroll from the park entrance. Guides are mandatory but professional.
Some of the major target species are the Sulawesi bear cuscus.....
...the Celebes black crested macaque, who are quite relaxed around humans....
...and the palm-sized Spectral Tarsier. If you are really lucky (like us), you'll see some away from the evening crowd. Knobbed hornbill are also usually seen, too.
About half way to Gorontalo, Bogani Nani Wartabone National Park takes a little more effort to get to.
There are some waterfalls and other attractions on the western side, but the Kotamobagu side is really for the twitcthers.
The fascinating Maleo bird is the star here, a bird that buries its eggs and then considers parenting done!
We stayed with the park warden, who takes and reburies the eggs away from hungry monitor lizards. He also showed us a good number of rare birds, too. And the food!
While I spend nearly all my holiday time on land, Sulawesi's 6000km of coastline provides for plenty of marine experiences.
Two of the major diving destinations are the Bunaken islands near Manado, and the Togean island, offshore from Gorontalo.
A short 30 minute drive from Gorontalo, whale sharks can be seen just off shore.
Unfortunately, it is a bit of a zoo, full of instagrammers and drones. Boat crews throw food out to encourage the whale sharks, who originally were attracted by a fish factory's waste product.
West of town, Lake Limboto's Portugese for has nice views and a smattering of birds. With time and stamina, much more wildlife could be seen in the region.