Indonesia travel guide

There are several waterfalls in the countryside of Tomohon. Some can only be reach by hiking, while others are easy accessible – that is if you can find the way, for there are not many signs. The pretty waterfall of Tumimperas, about 6 km from Tomohon, is fairly easy to find. The drop is about 25 m into a small pool, where green ferns cling to the steep rockface. There is a staircase to the base which give you nice views over the jungle below.

The small fishing community at Lamalera still practices traditional whale hunting. From small boats, they hunt with harpoons thrown by hand from the stern. The usual prey are manta rays, dolphins and the occasional hammerhead shark, but a couple of times a year the big game comes by, the sperm whale. Being many times bigger than the boats, it is not unusual for an angry whale to flip over a boat, or even smash it with its tail. The black sand beach at Lamalera is dotted with wooden pieces from splintered boats along with whale bones. The few fishermen with missing limbs just add to the evidence that this kind of whale hunting is insanely dangerous. Since the number of caught animals is small, the village is excluded from any hunting ban, letting them continue their truly unique hunting tradition. You can join the whalers on a hunt. If a whale is in sight, you will be kept in safe distance, but with smaller preys you will get in on the action.