sail bunaken 2009

Major international event " Sail Bunaken 2009" is major program of Indonesian goverment,
Sail Bunaken 2009 is jointly organized by the Ministry of Marine and Fishery Affairs, Provincial Administration of North Sulawesi, Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and Navy Force of Indonesia, supported by the Directorate General of Immigration and other government institutions.


Sail Bunaken 2009 for sharing new experience and exploring the marine beauty along with the marine lovers from all over the world in a spirit of adventure, graced by the marine paradise of Bunaken Sea.
The Sail Bunaken 2009 is aimed at strengthening seamen brotherhood and international relations, as well as promoting North Sulawesi as a gate of East Asia.
Foreign participants are also expected to be able to see the beautiful scenery of North Sulawesi`s sea, especially Bunaken National Marine Park.
a view to Bunaken sea, manado tua at the distance horizon
North Sulawesi is one of the provinces in eastern Indonesia that has great tourism potential and there by one of the reasons it was chosen to host the international event SAIL BUNAKEN 2009. The Sail Bunaken event is expected to help to promote Manado and North Sulawesi as one of the rising tourism destinations in South East Asia.

Sail Bunaken 2009 will involve 24 warships and 150 sail boats and cruise ships from 26 countries.
Sail Bunaken 2009 is actually a part of World Ocean Conference's activities (that was held in May 2009 in Manado) which had a theme of "Protect Our Oceans for the Future Generation".
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono will officially open the foreign ship parade which will be held in Manado and Bitung.
The Sail Bunaken will be the largest maritime event ever organized in Asia as it will involve 24 warships, 150 sail boats, and cruise ships from 26 countries.

The warship parade will be participated in by among other things USS George Washington, one of the world`s largest aircraft carriers, with around 5,000 crew members on board.

The US warship will be guarded by three frigates each having 500 crew members on board. The warships will arrive in Bitung starting August 12, 2009.

cruising to manado tua, bunaken

Some of the major attractions / events at the Sail Bunaken 2009:
events will be organized during the Sail Bunaken 2009 which will take place in Manado, North Sulawesi, August 12-20, 2009.


International Yacht Rally will be participated by 22 countries. Around 150 yachts have been registered to take part in a Darwin (Australia)-Bitung-Manado Yacht Rally

Date and Venue
All yacht will anchor at Bitung harbour on August 12 - 13, 2009, and depart on August 20, 2009



Indonesian Fleet Review

Indonesian Fleet Review is a Static parade of Warships and Tallships from Indonesia and other participating countries by the port, allowing visitors to come aboard the ships (Openship).

The parade will begin from Bitung to The Ritzy Hotel at Manado City (Sailing Pass) where President of The Republic of Indonesia will kindly receive placard from all navy commander of the participating countries.

Following the Opening Ceremony by the President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, the parade will sail back to Bitung where the Openship session is held.
Date : August 12 - 20, 2009
Venue : Bitung and Manado, North Sulawesi, Indonesia

Indonesia will host an international maritime event bringing together the world’s largest warships including the USS George Washington super carrier with around 5,000 crew members on board, the event organizer said Thursday.

The Sail Bunaken 2009 event will be held from Aug. 12 to 20 in Manado, North Sulawesi and will showcase 31 foreign warships, 10 Indonesian warships, three tall ships and 165 sailboats and yachts from 29 countries.

Participating Countries :

Warship & Tallship :
United States, Australia, Netherlands, Chile, India, Italy, Japan, Canada, South Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, France, Russia, Spain & Portugal

Warship :
Bangladesh, China, Philippines, England, Germany, Cambodia, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Peru, New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Egypt, UAE, Greece, Libya, South Africa, Morocco, Kuwait, Oman, Aljazair & Syria.


Bunaken Expo & Festival
Bunaken Expo & Festival will showcase various products and cultural performance from North Sulawesi.
The events consist of approximately 400 exhibition booths and 2 main stage where the cultural performance will be held.
Date : August 12 - 19, 2009
Venue : Mega Mas, Manado City, Indonesia


International Big Game Fishing competition "KASAL CUP"
The International Big Game Fishing is a team fishing competition with participant from national and international fishing team. Participants is going to compete for the KASAL CUP.
This year challage is to catch bill fish.
Date and Venue
August 14 - 16, 2009 at Manado Bay, Indonesia


International Diving Competition & Festival
Diving competition will be participated by Indonesian national diving atlet and professional divers from all over Indonesia. The Festival will consist of various competitions and fun games.
This will also includes underwater photography contest.

International Seafood Festival
Bunaken International Seafood Festival will be participated by ambassadors and chefs from several participating countries. The chefs will demonstrate their skill and prepare their countries seafoods' delicacies.
The event will also held a cooking competition for chef from the participating ships of Indonesian Fleet Review (IFR) 2009.
Date and Venue
August 16 – 18, 2009 at Lapangan Mega Mas, Manado


Bunaken Trans Equatouring Celebes 2009
Bunaken Trans Equator Touring 2009 is a motorcycles touring, schedule to start from Makassar City located on South Sulawesi Province and finish at Manado City located on North Sulawesi Province,
The participants will experiences the most beautiful and excotic 1,940 Kilometers of panoramic views, nuances and local culture which will be an unforgetable moments that last forever.
Date :August 13 - 17, 2009
Start at Losari Beach, Makassar, south sulawesi and Finish at Mega Mas Field, Manado.

Among the participant are Harley  Davidson, Indonesian Moge, and lots of biker communities.

more of bunaken national park,

lombok island tropical paradise

source: antaranews, official sailbunaken2009

Sikuai island beach paradise

The Sikuai island is a popular tourist destination in West Sumatera, Indonesia.
It is a wonderfull island with white sandy beach, and warm tropical weather all year round, Sikuai island is about ± 23 KM up to the south of Padang city, which is at Bungus bay.

To go to Sikuai island, you can start at teluk kabung pier, then take a motor boat cross the sea into the Sikuai island, or from wisata-bahari-pier/ dermaga-wisata-bahari at muara-port/ pelabuhan-muara, Padang, about 20 minutes by speedboat and 60 minutes by boat into Sikuai island.

If depart to Sikuai Island from Dermaga Wisata Bahari Padang. We can take the boat that departs from the port at 10 AM or 2 PM daily.

view from sikuai hilltop


There is a resort in Sikuai island, total area about ± 44.4 Ha, with amount of cottages, a restaurant, conference hall, swimming pool and also a jogging track circling the island, and of course the access to diving or snorkeling, and other activities on the sea surrounding the Sikuai island.
The cottages are made of wood. Each cottage has two separated bedrooms, without connecting door. Each bedroom has private balcony where we can sit and enjoy the view. Inside the cottage, there is bathroom with shower, TV, refrigerator, and AC.


The bedroom is simple but clean. The light is dim so makes the room look smaller. There is no telephone in the bedroom.

sikuai beach cottage

With the tropical atmosphere and relaxing and enjoy your private moments, beach walking, swimming, snorkeling etc away from your daily routine activities. There is jogging track around the island where we can walk or cycle.

In the afternoon you will see an exotic sunset from the Sikuai beach or from the top of Sikuai hill just a stroll away. We can watch the sunset from the top of the hill. From there, we also can see other small islands around Sikuai.
The island has white beach and clear water. We can play at the beach, snorkle, or sunbathe. If we want to snorkle, the reef is only short distance away from the beach resort.

On the weekend the island is more lively with day-tripper visitors from Padang city, on the other workdays visitors can have the beach for him or herself,,, its totally a tropical island bliss.

you can have the beach for yourself

sikuai island, a perfect holiday

tranquil Sikuai island beach resort
Sikuai island lies just a short distance away from Padang [a coastal city in west sumatera coast] a perfect place for a getaway, holiday in the unspoilt tropical island, white sandy beaches flanked with coconut trees. Only 20 minutes away from  Padang city by a speedboat there is a tropical paradise waiting. 
crystal clear water glittering under the sunlight, clean unspoilt white sandy beaches.




there are hundreds or maybe thousand island paradise in Indonesia need to be found and explore, beautiful tropical island life.
tranquil beach paradise a perfect holiday for sun seeker, swimming in the blue lagoon-like sea, or walking by the beach or take a boat just cruising around the calm water of the island.

please note these pics are in low resolution as this was taken by a camera phone. Thanks to Nuy, who has shared her holiday photos in Sikuai.

Bunaken marine park, pt 2

Bunaken National Marine Park ranks amongst the best snorkeling destinations in the world. Here you have a rare combination of marine bio-diversity And Bunaken Island is Surrounded by reefs that are more or less easily accessible from the beaches, and crystal clear water with visibility up to 40 metes. Naturally, the first tourists to Bunaken were keen divers on the look out for a new destination.
Now days Snorkelers from all over the world are traveling to Bunaken to see what all the "Fuss" is about.
Bunaken National Marine Park Manado with its pristine reefs, kaleidoscope of colours and unequalled abundance of marine life will remain with you, beckoning you to return time and time again.





Liang beach is the main beach of Bunaken island, located on the west side. Its located 2km from Bunaken village and about 1km from the middle of the eastside ( Pangalisan, Bunaken Timur ). You can go snorkelling just from shore.

Some 20,000 people live on the natural resources of Bunaken National Marine Park. Although there are inevitable conflicts between resource protection and use by people, the Indonesian government is taking a fairly unusual and pragmatic approach to park management. The idea is to promote wise resource use while preventing overexploitation. Local communities, government officials, dive resort operators, local nature groups, tourists and scientists have played an active role in developing exclusive zones for diving, wood collection, fishing and other forms of utilization.
If successful, Bunaken Marine Park will stand as an important example of how Sulawesi, and the rest of Indonesia, can work to protect its natural resources.



Manado can be reach from Jakarta, Bali, Singapore or Kualalumpur by direct flight daily or three times perweek. While from Manado harbour, Bunaken is only less than an hour by public boat.
There are various homestays on the island from budget minded traveller to upmarket tourist.
Bunaken truly is wonder of the world, a tropical paradise in the pacific.

bunaken marine park, north sulawesi

Bunaken, manado can be reach by direct flight from Jakarta, Bali, Singapore.

The Bunaken National Marine Park lies just of the coast off Manado, north Sulawesi, was formally established in 1991 and is among the first of Indonesia's growing system of marine parks. The park covers a total surface area of 89,065 hectares, 97% of which is overlain by sparkling clear, warm tropical water. The remaining 3% of the park is terrestrial, including the five islands of Bunaken, Manado Tua, Mantehage, Nain and Siladen. Although each of these islands has a special character, it is the aquatic ecosystem that attracts most naturalists.


Bunaken Island, right in the heart of the award-winning Bunaken Marine Park, the diving offers beautiful corals, lots of fish, amazing small critters, and some larger exciting creatures including reef sharks, turtles and barracudas.

The Bunaken - Manado Tua National Marine Park geographically located in Indo Pacific region and holds the richest marine diversity on the planet, where the Bunaken island is considered to be one of the top diving destinations.


Bunaken island received some publicity when the marine biologist Dr. Mark Erdmann found a living Coelacanth here, a specie of fish some 60 million years old and have never been seen before.
Bunaken Island is the main island of the theMarine National Park and became famous through it's world class diving and snorkling spots.

The 5 island were established as marine park in 1991.
Indeed, Bunaken was identified as home for more fish species than even the Great Barrier Reef by the International Oceanographic Institute. There are quite many phantastic places around Bunaken Island but also on the neighbouring Islands and the mainland are wonderful places, wich you should not miss.
bunaken liang beach
bunaken sunset

bunaken underwater life
A high diversity on corals, fish and special underwater creatures.
Bunaken National Marine Park is chosen as a one of "10 Top Snorkeling Spots" in the world by Forbes Traveler.com.

The waters around Bunaken island are home to dolphins, whales, turtles, sharks, rays, sea snakes, sea cows, barracudas, tunas and the list goes on.
Bunaken was identified as home for more fish species than even the Great Barrier Reef by the International Oceanographic Institute.

Water temperatures in Bunaken island vary between 27-30 degrees Celsius all year around with a visibility generally between 20 40 meters

There are many options for guest to take advantage of the outstanding snorkeling opportunities just 100 meters in front of the resort, at dawn or night above the magnificent drop-offs.
Remote, unspoiled, Bunaken with its stunningly romantic settings, private beach and extraordinary house reef makes an excellent choice for couples, groups of friends, families, divers and non-divers alike.

gili island natural beauty

lombok island holiday in natural tropical beauty

The Gili Islands are an archipelago of three small islands — Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno and Gili Air — just off the northwest coast of Lombok, Indonesia.
The islands are a popular destination for Western tourists looking for a remote island experience. Each island has several small resorts, usually consisting of a small collection of huts for tourists, and a restaurant. Most local inhabitants live in the hilly interior of the island. Automobiles and motorized traffic are prohibited on the islands by local ordinance, so the preferred method of transportation is bicycle or the horse-drawn carriage called a cidomo.


Diving in and around the Gilis is also popular, although the prices are fairly high due to local cartel activities. The name "Gili Islands" is a bit of a misnomer, because Gili simply means "small island" in Sasak.

All three islands feature superb, white sandy beaches, crystal clear water, spectacular coral reefs, and the best snorkeling and diving to be found anywhere on Bali and Lombok. Visitors from all over the world are attracted to the simple pleasures of sun, snorkeling, diving, beautiful beaches, and socializing. The absence of cars, motorcycles, and hawkers adds greatly to the leisure of staying on the Gilis – although there is now a wide range of accommodation available, the islands have maintained the lazy rustic charms of a tropical paradise.

gili trawangan under water coral beauty
gili trawangan

Gili Trawangan is the most popular among the three Gili’s. Just kick back and enjoy the sun, nightly beach parties and sea. The main stripe is full of accommodations, restaurants, and dive shops.
If you are seeking a quieter place to stay there are bungalows in the north. This Island is also known as "Party Island", where mostly young European find themselves "Lost In Paradise".
If you come during the Peak Season (July-August, December-January), most places are full and prices are doubled. An advanced reservation is a must.
With spectacular sunrises over Lombok's Mount Rinjani volcano and breathtaking sunsets that illuminate Bali's towering Mount Agung volcano, together with warm hospitality of the Gili Trawangan residents, it's not surprising that most visitors end up staying longer than originally plan.


gili air

Gili Air is the nearest Gili to Lombok. It is also the most populated and you will find more trees there than the other Gili's. The local inhabitants are: Sasak, Mandar, Bugis and Makassar. You can find their unique culture that is different from Lombok and wonderful beaches. Many of the older generation still make their living as boatmen, fisherman and farming coconuts.
There are only a few number of luxury upmarket hotels (rooms with air conditioning, swimming pool, TV etc) on Gili Air. Most of places to stay are located in south, west and east side of the island. The island remains quiet and relaxing making it popular with honeymoon couples and travelers seeking a quiet retreat.

sea turtle at gili air

gili air beach

gili meno island
Gili Meno

Gili Meno is the middle island, the smallest of the three Gili's and it is the quietest with fewer tourists. A great escape for honeymooners or someone who wants to get away from it all.
Special features of the island is the salt lake and spectacular dive sites such as, Meno Wall, Sea Turtle Point, and Blue Coral Point. The beach on eastern part of the island is very nice and there's snorkeling just offshore and further north.
Gili Meno has a population of about 300 locals. The interior of the island is mostly a palm trees surrounded by grass which is kept neat by cows munching lazily in the shade. There are no cars or motorbikes on the island, all transport is by horse-drawn carts or on foot. The diving was pretty good, with quite a strong current but that incredible swimming-pool visibility that you get on good days off the islands in SE Asia. The relaxed pace of life and the community feeling on the island is really special. In Gili Meno, where fresh water is shipped from Lombok, eco-friendly practices are not an option. It is a necessity.
source http://www.phonevaganza.web.id/
gili meno beach gili island off the coast of lombok island.

travel info to lombok island coast of gili, diving, snorkeling, beach, natural, coral