Sulawesi's Cultural City
Gorontalo, is nestled in the calm waters of the northern shoreline of the Tomini Bay, on the southern fringe of Sulawesi's protective northern arm. Here the weather is balmy and equatorial, the landscape punctuated by chains of mountains. Being the main gateway to the diving mecca of the Togean Islands and only a 1 hour flight from Manado, Gorontalo is easily reached and often passed through. There are many small islands around the north and the south of the province, 67 of which have been identified and named. In 1525, with Portuguese assistance, three small rock fortresses were built overlooking the waters of Lake Limboto. Still in place today, the Fort Otonaha complex has commanding views.
Get There
Visitors to Gorontalo no longer need to travel overland. Regular flights now connect Gorontalo with the outside world. Daily flights are available from Jakarta via Makassar (to Gorontalo with Lion Air and Sriwijaya Airlines. Garuda Indonesia has also opened daily flights to Gorontalo from Jakarta, Denpasar (Bali), Surabaya and Makassar. Jalaludin Airport is the primary airport of Gorontalo City and is located about 20 minutes from downtown Gorontalo. From Manado, Wings Air now has daily flights to Gorontalo, leaving every evening.
If you prefer to travel overland, that option is also availale and private transport can be arranged in Manado with a driving time of about 9 hours by private transport. Alternatively, you could go by bus, and there are several bus lines available. The bus trip from Manado to Gorontalo takes about 10 hours. Roads are mostly in good condition, with a few small dirt and rock sections under repair. By sea there are passenger ships and a ferry ship.
Well, I just love Bali so much, and we fell in love with the culture, people, the food. Everything was just amazing. I feel like in Bali, you can find serenity anywhere, literally. It's our favorite place that we've been to on our entire trip.
