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An area of rugged highlands and isolated coastal fishing communities, Central Sulawesi is an adventures' destinations. Overland travel is difficult, requiring long
arduous  journey in four-wheel-drive vehicles to cover the shortest distances. However, this hardship brings its own reward, as isolation has engendered many
disparate, often fascinating cultures and customs in a small geographic area.

Lake Poso , a vast, crystaal-clear lake in the geographic centre of the island, is the
centrepiece of Central Sulawesi. Cool and clean, with fresh breezes blowing sail-
craft across the clear waters, Lake Poso appeals to all who value calm and tranquillity. The surrounding mountinsides are a study in vegetal luxuriance with lush primary forest, regimental columns of clove and coffee and terraced rice field
For snorkelers and divers, the magnificent panorama continues under-water, with
submerged limestone abutments and ridges mirroring the landscape above the surface. Tentana , a tidy, attractive town, has several basic though comfortable
hotels right on the lakeshore, ideal for a few days of recuperation after the rigours
of overland travel through Central Sulawesi.

Anyone in moderately good physical condition and with a liking for outdoor life
can taste the experiences of exploration and discovery in the Bada Valley . Accessible only by foot and missionary small-aircraft service, the valley evokes
images of a lost civilization. Though isolated, the fertile soil and abundant stocks
of domestic animals provide a comfortable life for the few thousands inhabitants,
with surpluses of coffee and cloves bringing in extra cash. Scattered through-out
the valley is a collection of megaliths ranging from one to four metres in height,
left by an unknown culture an equally unknown number of centuries in the past.
Impassive and mysterious, the minimalist human features of the monuments seem
to gaze across the centuries, disdaining to notice the incongruous gravel footpaths
laid recently by the tourist authorities.

The megaliths lie near Lore Lindu Natioanal Park , one of the most remote and
unspoiled reserves in the archipelago. An area of wild savannahs and river gorges,
the seldom-visited reaches of the reserve house many of Sulawesi's curious endemic fauna, such as the anoa, a dwarf buffalo, and the babirusa, a strange animal known as the 'pig deer'.

Though dominated by towering mountains, Central Sulawesi is also a marine province, with several ports and two significant island groups. The Togean Islands
in the Gulf of Tomini and the Bangkai islands off the east coast are accessible by
cargo boats on scheduled routes. Visits to these islands offer glimpses of a life almost totally dependent on the sea. Every day, fishermen set out in craft ranging
from sturdy motorized ships to precarious canoes with freeboard measured in millimetres, hoping to eke their daily servival from the area's dwindling fish stocks. Living on these remote islands is literally life on the edge, though government-sponsored shipbuilding and sustainable harvest programs are helping
to build a more stable and prosperous existance for Sulawesi's coastal peoples.

One of the many natural oddities of Sulawesi is located on the coast of the Tomini
Gulf. The Fire Cape Reserve is the site of rock formations seeping natural gas, which ignites spontaneously on contact with air in an eerie display of natural power.

Booking & Query : Please write to : NELL Tours Ltd. ( Indonesian Tour Operator )
 

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