Siladen Island
A small white-sand island with the park's easiest sea-garden snorkeling off the beach.
At a glance
- Entry fee
- Bunaken National Marine Park charges every visitor, diver or not, under Provincial Law 9/2002. IDR 150,000 for a waterproof pin valid for the rest of the calendar year, or IDR 50,000 for a daily ticket valid three days.
- Opening hours
- Daylight. The beach snorkelling is there whenever you are, which is the appeal.
- Time needed
- A day, or a stay. The Bunaken sites are an easy twenty minutes away by boat.
About Siladen Island
Siladen is the smallest and quietest of the marine park islands, a low patch of white sand and palms about three kilometres from Bunaken island. There is a village, a handful of resorts and homestays, sand paths rather than roads, and essentially nothing to do after dark. For a lot of visitors that is exactly the appeal.
What sets it apart underwater is how close the reef starts. Bunaken's famous walls need a boat and a certification; Siladen's shallow sea garden begins a short swim off the beach, which makes this the friendliest island in the park for people who snorkel rather than dive. Hard and soft coral, anemones and clownfish, parrotfish grinding at the reef, and turtles often enough that a week here will usually produce a few.
Divers get the wall by the jetty, generally a gentle drift with fans, sponges and good macro, plus easy boat access to the Bunaken sites twenty minutes away.
Be realistic about the trade-offs. Facilities are limited, most food is whatever your guesthouse is cooking, and if the weather turns you are on a small island with one way off. Day-trip boats stop at the jetty reef around the middle of the day and the beach gets briefly busy, then empties again. Staying overnight, rather than passing through, is what Siladen is actually for: the reef in the early morning before anyone else is in the water is a different place from the reef at noon.
Getting there
Siladen is about an hour by boat from Manado, often on the same run as Bunaken island. If you are staying on the island, your resort or homestay arranges the transfer and that is much the simplest option, since public boats are infrequent and tied to village schedules rather than tourist ones. Day trips from Manado or Bunaken usually include a stop at the jetty reef. The Bunaken National Park entrance fee applies to anyone entering the water anywhere in the park, including snorkelling from the beach here, and is charged separately from your boat or accommodation. Manado's Sam Ratulangi airport (MDC) is the arrival point for the region.
Best time
The drier months, roughly April to November, bring the calmest crossings and the clearest water for snorkelling off the beach. Early morning is the best time to be in the water, before any day boats arrive and while the light is coming in low over the shallow garden. Check the tide as well as the season: at the bottom of a spring low there can be very little water over the coral.
Good to know
Time your shallow snorkel to the tide rather than to your schedule. On a low tide the sea garden has minimal clearance and it is easy to kick coral without realising, so keep your fins up and behind you, and go at mid to high water where you can. Bring your own mask and snorkel if you have them, as rental kit on the island is limited and often leaks. Be aware of the drift near the jetty wall, which is stronger than the calm beach suggests. Bring cash: card facilities on Siladen are minimal to non-existent, and so is reliable mobile signal in places.
Things to do at Siladen Island
Snorkel the sea garden off the beach
The park's easiest snorkelling straight from white sand, with no boat needed.
Dive the wall by the jetty
Generally a gentle drift with fans, sponges and good macro.
Use it as a base for Bunaken
Easy boat access puts the main Bunaken sites twenty minutes away, with a quieter island to come back to.
Siladen Island FAQs
Is Siladen good for non-divers?+
It is the best island in the park for snorkellers. The reef starts a short swim from the beach and by the jetty, so you do not need a boat or a certification to see healthy coral and reef fish, which is unusual for Bunaken.
Can I stay overnight on Siladen?+
Yes. There are resorts and simpler homestays on the island. Staying over is really the point: you get the house reef to yourself early and late, either side of the day boats, and the island is very quiet after dark.
How is the snorkelling compared to Bunaken island?+
Siladen's shallow garden is easier to reach from shore and very rich in coral. Bunaken has the bigger walls and the turtles, but those are better on scuba. For relaxed beach snorkelling, Siladen is the gentler and more rewarding option.
Do I pay a park fee to snorkel off the beach?+
Yes. The Bunaken National Park entrance fee applies to anyone in the water inside the park, including snorkelling straight off the sand at Siladen. Your accommodation can usually organise it.
What is there to do on Siladen besides the water?+
Very little, honestly. There is a village to walk through, sand paths, a beach and sunsets over Manado Tua. There is no nightlife, few shops and limited dining outside your accommodation. People who want quiet love it; people who want options do not.
How do I get to Siladen?+
By boat from Manado, around an hour, usually arranged by your resort or homestay. Public boats exist but run on village schedules. Day trips from Manado and Bunaken also call at the jetty reef.
More to see in Bunaken
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