The dormant volcanic cone that anchors the marine park, with steep walls around its base.
Manado Tua is the tall volcanic cone you see from the city waterfront, from every dive boat and from every beach in the park. The name means Old Manado, and the dormant volcano rises straight out of the sea to over six hundred metres, which makes it the highest point in Bunaken National Park and the reason the whole area photographs so well.
Underwater it is a different proposition from Bunaken island. The slopes around its base drop fast into deep, clear water and the sites here, Muka Kampung and Tanjung Kopi among them, sit where the water moves. On the right tide that current pulls in bigger fish, schooling jacks and barracuda, and occasionally something larger passing through. On the wrong tide it is hard work and there is not much to hold on to.
These are not beginner dives. Currents around the cone can run strongly and can move vertically as well as horizontally, which is unpleasant if you are not expecting it, so this is a site to dive with a guide who knows the tide table and to skip if you have fewer than a couple of dozen dives.
Above water, a steep hike to the summit can be arranged with local guides from the island's villages. It is a hot, hard climb through farmland and forest with limited shade, done early or not at all, and views from the top over the park are the payoff. Most visitors never do it, and experience Manado Tua purely as the backdrop to the rest of the trip. That is a perfectly reasonable choice.
Cara ke sana
Manado Tua is one of the outer islands of the marine park, around an hour by boat from Manado and rather less from Bunaken or Siladen. Dive boats include its sites in day trips when the tide suits, so you do not usually book it as a standalone. The summit hike is arranged through local guides in the villages on the island, which in practice means asking your resort or dive centre to set it up rather than turning up and hoping. The Bunaken National Park entrance fee applies to anyone in the water. Manado's Sam Ratulangi airport (MDC) serves the region, about an hour from the harbour depending on traffic.
Masa terbaik
The drier months, roughly April to November, give the calmest crossings and the best visibility, which matters here because the sites are exposed and the boat ride is longer. For diving, the tide matters more than the month: guides pick the window and will change plans on the day. For the hike, start at first light, because the trail is steep, largely unshaded and brutal once the sun is up.
Baik untuk diketahui
Take your guide's judgement on whether the sites around the cone are diveable today. Current here can be strong and can include downcurrents, and the honest answer is that this is the part of the park where experience counts. If you hike, go with a local guide rather than alone, carry far more water than feels necessary, and expect a sweaty scramble rather than a walk. Wear proper shoes and start early. Either way, the boat ride around the island at the end of a dive day is worth staying on deck for, as the cone catches the last light better than anything else in North Sulawesi.
Yes, the volcano can be hiked to the summit with a local guide from the island's villages, but it is a steep, hot and demanding climb on a largely unshaded trail. Start at dawn. Most visitors admire it from the water instead, which is a fair choice.
It is considered dormant, with no current eruptive activity. It functions as the scenic centrepiece of Bunaken National Park and the park's highest point at over six hundred metres, rather than as a hazard.
Often not. Several sites around the cone can carry strong current, sometimes including vertical movement, and they depend on precise tide timing. They favour experienced certified divers. Newer divers are better served by the Bunaken island walls.
Steep slopes and walls dropping into deep water, with the chance of schooling jacks, barracuda and other larger fish when the current is running. It is a site where conditions determine the dive far more than at the sheltered Bunaken walls.
It is a steep climb of several hours up and down from the villages at the base, depending on pace and conditions, and guides start early to avoid the midday heat. Arrange it through your resort or dive centre rather than on arrival.
Tambahkannya ke dalam laluan merentasi Indonesia dan kami akan kira masa perjalanan dan kos antara setiap hentian.
Bina perjalanan anda
