Manado waterfront

Manado (also Menado) is in the capital of North Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Understand

The capital of the province, the former stronghold of the Dutch and the cultural center of the Minahasa people, for a long time Manado prospered through trade with the nearby Philippines and the spice trade with the rest of the world. Alas, the bombings of World War II and the suppression of a local insurgency in the 1950s flattened most of Manado's older buildings. While by Indonesian standards still relatively prosperous, most visitors will be rather less impressed and head straight to the islands and reefs of nearby Bunaken.

Get in

Manado is quite far from the rest of Indonesia and most visitors arrive by plane.

By plane

Manado's Sam Ratulangi Airport (MDC) is an airy, modern facility last expanded in 2001. The airport fields some international flights to Singapore (Silk Air, 4x weekly, 3h) and Davao, Philippines (Merpati, 1x weekly, 1h), with visa on arrival possible. There are also frequent flights to Jakarta (3h) and Makassar (1.5h), as well as some flights to Denpasar (Bali), Ternate (North Maluku) and Sorong (Papua). A taxi from the airport to central Manado takes about 30 minutes and costs Rp. 70,000 (bargaining may be necessary).

Departure tax from Manado is Rp. 75,000 for international flights and Rp. 25,000 for domestic flights. The terminal has the standard array of restaurants and gift shops inside, but note that there is nothing once past immigration.

Get around

The main ways of getting around are ojek/ompreng, moped taxis that can be a bit scary, or with Mikrolets (mikros), the blue mini buses that you jump on just standing by the street. They all have a certain route and within a day one should figure out how it works.

By taxi

Dian Taksi has a fleet of white and blue station wagon taxis lounging near major hotels, you can either use the meter or bargain. Figure on Rp. 10,000 for most hops around the city, or Rp. 60,000 from airport to city.

See

• Ban Hin Kiong. A 19th century Buddhist temple.
• Orchid garden, Kairagi Village.

Do

Manado is famous throughout the region for its diving areas. Bunaken is one of the finest and maybe the most well-kept national marine park in Indonesia.

Buy

Eat

A yummy-looking bowl of tinutuan (it doesn't taste that bad, honest)

Manadonese food is famous throughout Indonesia for two things: the Minahasa eat absolutely anything, and the flavor of choice is very, very spicy. Sugar is used little if at all, with flavor added through lemon and herbs. Being Christian, the Minahasa also often marinate meat in alcohol and favor pork. More exotic protein options include bat, field rat and dog, the last of which is the obligatory centerpiece of any wedding ceremony or Christmas feast. Classic dishes include:

• ayam rica-rica, grilled chicken topped with a fiery red chili-and-onion paste
• ikan woku, fish simmered in herbs
• babi tore, fried pork until crunch with a lot of chilli
• perkedel milu, corn fritters
• tinutuan (or bubur manado), a goopy porridge of rice, pumpkin, noodles and random vegetables — doesn't look very attractive, but it can be tasty (and, for once, not spicy)

Dutch settlement here has also brought in a few surprising influences, notably:

• breneibon, a rich kidney bean soup
• klappertart, a Western-style coconut cake

Drink

This two kind of drink are made from Palm tree:

• saguer,
• cap tikus

Sleep

Budget

• Hotel Ahlan, Jl. Sudirman. Stuffy, unappealing, dillapidated. Cheapest option on the menu is a double room w/out air-con and with stuffy shared mandi for 50,000 Rp.

Mid-range

• Hotel Central, Jl. Sam Ratulangi No. 33, tel. +62-431-851234. Opened in 2004, the sheen of newness is fading fast, but the rooms are clean and functional with air-con and hot water. Single rooms from Rp 150,000, including breakfast.

• Hotel Minahasa, Jl. Sam Ratulangi. A nice family-run place on Sam Ratulangi. They are used to tourists, as well as being the main place that academics in the area stay in, so you are apt to meet some one who could really fill you in on the local scene. The drawback is the monotonous breakfasts.

Splurge

• 'Hotel Ritzy, Located At Central Manado
• 'Grand Puri, Located At South Manado

Get out

• Bunaken — divers' paradise
• Tangkoko National Park — Home of The Big-eyed Tarsius Monkey (The Smallest Monkey In The World)