Manado

Introduction

Mikrolet Maddness

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Manado is the main administrative centre for northern Sulawesi and the heart of the Minahasa (meaning 'united, becomes one', a name given to the collective of independent states originally in the area) people. The town looks out over the beautiful Manado Bay across to Palu Bunaken (a collection of tropical islands) where superb diving and snorkelling can be found, the main reason for western tourism. The port itself has traditionally been a centre for traders throughout the ages and the region.

Neighbourhoods

Events and Festivals

Weather

Manado has a tropical climate with hot and humid conditions. Temperatures usually range from 23-24 °C at night to 28-32 °C during the day. The wet season is from October to April while May to September is drier, but still sees occasional rainshowers.

Getting There

By Plane

Sam Ratulangi International Airport near Manado is the main gateway by plane. There are flights to/from Kuala Lumpur with Air Asia and Singapore with SilkAir. Other destinations include Jakarta, Balikpapan (in Kalimantan, Borneo), Bali, Surabaya, and Jayapura (West Papua).

By Train

By Car

By Bus

By Boat

Getting Around

By Car

By Public Transport

• For short journeys try some Mikrolet Maddness.
• For destinations further afield try the bus stations.

By Foot

By Bike

Eat

As a result of the rich surrounding volcanic soils the Minahasan's enjoy an abundant variety of foods, from an amazing array of vegetables, seafood's to the more 'exotic' such as rat, possum, dog and bats.

Drink

Sleep

Budget

Mid-Range

Upscale

Work

Learn

• Manado University

Keep Connected

Internet

Phone

See also: International Telephone Calls

Post

Pos Indonesia provides the postal service in Indonesia. Pos Indonesia is government-owned and offers services ranging from sending letters and packages to money transfers (usually to remote areas which have no bank branch/ATM nearby) and selling postcards and stamps.

It is recommended to send letters from a Pos Indonesia branch, not by putting it inside orange mailbox (called Bis Surat) in the roadside, because some of the mailboxes are in very bad condition and aren't checked regularly by Pos Indonesia. Opening times of post offices usually tend to follow general business hours: Monday to Friday from 8:00am to 4:00pm (sometimes shorter hours on Fridays), Saturdays from 8:00am to 1:00pm, closed on Sundays. Bigger cities, tourist areas and central post offices tend to keep longer hours, into the evenings.
Sending a postcards, letter or parcel is relatively expensive, but fairly reliable. It takes several days at least to send it within Indonesia, at least a week internationally.

Private postal services based in Indonesia include CV Titipan Kilat (CV TIKI), Jalur Nugraha Ekaputra (JNE), Caraka, and RPX. There are also foreign postal services that have branches in Indonesia, including DHL, TNT, UPS, and FedEx.