Sulawesi travel guide

Tomohon town lies between two volcanoes at the altitude of around 800 m. Due to the fertile soil and the temperate climate, the local market is flooded with spices, fruits, and vegetables - but it's not the only thing the market is known for. The meat section is a slaughter house full of local specialties, like wild boars, rats, civets (or are they cats), bats (pictured), snakes, and dogs. There are blood everywhere and often bits of meat fly off the fast cutting knives. Most of the animal are already dead, but dogs are sometimes kept alive in cages until sold. They are then killed with a knock to the head, blow torched, and chopped into pieces suited for a shopping bag – it's not a sight for the fainthearted. The stall owners are friendly and don't mind a curious traveller, but leave your opinion about animal rights at home.

On each side of Tomohon is a volcano. The largest is Mt. Lokon (1580 m) which has a perfect cone. The smaller is Mt. Mahawu (1324 m) which has more gentle slopes. You can drive almost to the top of Mt. Mahawu, where you can walk all the way around the crater rim. Mt. Lokon is a slightly more challenging hike - but it's active. If not spewing ashes out, the peak can be reached within tree hours of trekking from the base (which on the other hand can be hard to find). Whatever volcano you choose to summit, you will be rewarded with magnificent views over Tomohon, Tondano Lake, and all the way to Manado.

If you end up in Luwuk and don't know what to do, go and see the waterfall at Hanga-Hanga. It's claimed that the waterfall should be 75 m high, but it's not possible to see the full length of the fall, only the last couple of cascades, as its covered by the forest. To reach the fall take a ojek (motorcycle taxi) from Luwuk to the power plant in the suburb Hanga-Hanga, about 3 km from the town center. The guards will let you through, so you can reach the base of the last cascade. There are several shelters in bad shape, which locals use for picnics – a strange discovery, as hardly any of the locals we met knew about the waterfall.

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.