We depart from Mapia Resort at 8am heading for the Minahasa territory, the mountain area north-east of Manado city.
After a steep and rather curvy road we will reach 600 – 700 meter wide valleys surrounded by several volcanoes, some of them active.
Our first stop is a visit to a beautiful botanic park. Where years ago the rice and corn used to grow is now a fantastic landscape with lakes in which the Ikan Mas (Goldfish) and Mujair (Tilapia) are cultured. The incredible number of different plants and flowers shows us how overwhelming the nature of North Sulawesi is.
When we drive further towards Mahawu Volcano we will enter a beautiful valley where we can admire the view of terraced vegetables gardens and the farmers still use their white buffalo for their work.
A newly built road brings us directly at the foot of the volcano and from there it is an easy walk to the edge of the crater. When the visibility is good we have a beautiful 360 degrees panoramic view over the Bunaken National park, Manado, Bitung and Lembeh.
From the Mahawo volcano we will be heading through the hilltop town of Tomohon, known locally as the “city of flowers”. Tomohon sits in a saddle between two volcanoes Mt. Lokon and Mt. Mahawu. Here we will visit the local market which will have some surprises in store for you!
When we continue our trip, after just a few kilometers, we will reach Tondano lake which is completely surrounded by rice fields. We will make a lunch stop here at the Tondano Restaurant.
After lunch we will drive through a geologic very active valley where sulfur springs and geysers are everywhere.
Our last stop is at Lake Linow. The remarkable Lake Linow fed by a steaming volcanic spring, has different unique colors; green in the morning, sulfuric yellow at noon and brown in the afternoon. Linow lake also known as the "changing color lake". Nearby the lake, we can see some sulfur smoking wells. The surrounding area is nice and became a paradise for some birds like swallow, Duck bird, King Fisher and the White Bird. Here it is also time for a cup of coffee or tea.
After our coffee break it is time to go back to the Mapia Resort. On the way to Manado we will drive through several small villages and are back in the resort between 5pm and 6pm.
Duration: 9 -10 hours
Price: € 50,- p/p (minimum 4 persons) (High Season € 55,-)
