Togean Islands Prospect

I met some tourists at the Tangkoko Nature Reserve. All of them came there for seeing tarsiers, but Tangkoko was not their only destination in Sulawesi. Definitely all of them have visited or will visit the Bunaken Marine Park, which is half an hour boat from Manado, capital of the North Sulawesi Province. A tourist couple cancelled their trip to Bunaken having heard about the plastic and other junks swept the beach of Bunaken. Bunaken will die off fast if the water pollution in Manado is not managed.

Interestingly many of these tourists have also visited the Togian Islands. All of them were impressed with the pristine and beautiful coral reefs and islands (more than 20) of the Togian—an archipelago in the Gulf of Tomini, Central Sulawesi in Indonesia. The reefs surrounding all islands are full of tropical fish. For better impression, check out this video  http://youtu.be/8lYCBWV-g5w or search “Togian Islands” or “Togean Islands” in YouTube or WikiTravel websites.

This finding confirmed my thought that the only way to attract eco-tourists in significant number is to offer them a visit package: the tropical rainforest of Lore Lindu National Park and the coral reef of Togian Islands. From Watutau of the Lore Lindu National Park, the harbor of Ampana is 4-hour drive. From there, it only takes one-hour speedboat. Thus, it is possible to reach the Togian Islands from the Lore Lindu National Park on the same day.