Manado Tua Island: the volcano inside the park

By Bunaken Island Editorial Desk

Manado Tua Island is the inactive volcano inside Bunaken National Park and, according to UNESCO's text, its highest point. Sources give its height as over 600 m or about 800 m. The park portal puts it about 90 minutes by motorboat from Manado. Come for its shape, history and wildlife, and confirm any climb locally before you plan around it.

What is Manado Tua Island?

Manado Tua is one of the five islands in the park, alongside Bunaken, Mantehage, Nain and Siladen, according to Wikipedia. The conservation directorate describes it as an inactive mountain with protected forest near the summit, and places it in the park's northern section. What sets it apart is shape. The other four islands are low or modest in height, whereas Manado Tua is a volcano rising straight out of the park's waters.

Published detail concentrates on the mountain and the surrounding water, and little is written about its villages, paths or services. If you are planning to spend real time ashore, expect to rely on local advice more than on anything you can read online, including this page.

How high is the Manado Tua volcano?

Two official bodies give figures that do not sit comfortably together. The UNESCO Tentative List text says Manado Tua rises over 600 m and is the highest point in the park. Indonesia's conservation directorate says about 800 m. Neither gives a surveyed summit height, and we are not going to average them or pick one. Both agree that the mountain is inactive, and either figure puts it far above Nain and Bunaken, the next highest islands listed in the table.

The gap does matter if you are thinking of walking up. A climb from the shore differs considerably between those two figures, so do not trust any itinerary that gives a confident duration without saying which height and which route it assumes. Ask the person who would lead you, and ask how long the climb took them the last time they did it.

Where does the name come from?

According to Wikipedia, Manado Tua means Old Manado, because the settlement moved to the Sulawesi mainland and took the name with it. The modern city therefore carries the island's name, and not the other way round. Wikipedia also calls the island the former seat of the Manado Kingdom, a Christian realm of the 16th century shaped by Portuguese and Spanish contact.

That history comes from a single encyclopedia entry, and the sources on this page name no site, ruin or church on the island from that period. If history is your reason for going, ask a local guide what can actually be seen today before paying for a boat.

What lives on the island?

The park portal says Manado Tua hosts Sulawesi black macaques and cuscus on land, and it lists deer on Mantehage. Sightings cannot be planned or assumed. A visit built purely around seeing macaques here would be a gamble.

If primates are your main goal, a better documented option lies on the mainland. Wikipedia describes Tangkoko Batuangus Nature Reserve, 70 km from Manado, as protecting species including the spectral tarsier and the crested macaque. Manado Tua works better as a scenic addition for people already in the park, with wildlife as a possible extra.

Why does the coelacanth story point to Manado Tua?

Wikipedia says an unfamiliar fish was seen in a market at Manado Tua on 18 September 1997, and other sources differ on the place and year. Wikipedia's park entry adds that the fish was first filmed in place off Manado Tua in 2009.

None of this means a visitor will see one. Our page on the coelacanth at Manado Tua takes it further.

How long does it take to get to Manado Tua?

The park portal gives about 90 minutes by motorboat from Manado to Manado Tua or Mantehage, against about 60 minutes to Bunaken. Treat it as a rough guide. Going by that figure, a same-day visit from the city means around three hours on the water, before weather or a smaller boat lengthens it. Keep that in mind when a schedule looks tight.

Plan on arranging a boat, since the sources on this page describe no regular public service to the island. Wikivoyage mentions private charter at Manado harbour and alternatives from Tongkaina or Bahowo, in the context of reaching Bunaken. Ask whether the boatman will extend the trip to Manado Tua, and agree the turnaround time before leaving. Our Manado to Bunaken guide covers harbours and boat types. If you are already staying on Bunaken, ask your host about the boat and the crossing time.

Can you hike the Manado Tua volcano?

Possibly. Remote + Afloat, a blog written in 2018, suggests an early-morning hike with a local guide and says a boat from Bunaken Island takes around 30 minutes. Travelnania also lists the hike and mentions views of Manado Bay and, on clear days, Soputan volcano. No official source we cite describes a trail, permit process or guide service for the summit, and the protected forest near the top is reason enough to check with the park office before you assume access. Wikivoyage's warning about poorly marked trails concerns Bunaken Island and says nothing about this mountain. Before you commit, get answers to these questions:

• Is the route open at the moment, and does anyone need to approve it?
• Does the park require a permit or a local guide for the upper forest?
• Who is leading, and how recently have they done the climb?
• How long does the climb take, and where does the boat wait?
• What happens if the sea picks up while you are on the mountain?
• Where can you get drinking water, or should you carry all of it from Manado?

Treat a confident yes from someone who has not climbed it as a no. Also check that your travel insurance covers the activity if you do go.

What is in the water around the island?

The portal includes Manado Tua among the park's dive areas. Siladen Resort makes the broad claim that every reef around the park's islands suits snorkelling, rising to as shallow as 3 m. That is an operator's statement and not a site guide. One site is in dispute: Siladen Resort places Sachiko's Point on Bunaken, while Sulawesi.com, a travel publisher that also sells tours, places it on Manado Tua. Our directory of Bunaken dive sites sets that out, and our overview of Bunaken National Park shows where this island fits.

What else do visitors ask about Manado Tua?

Is Manado Tua part of Bunaken National Marine Park?

Yes. Wikipedia lists it as one of the park's five islands, and the conservation directorate places it in the northern section with Bunaken and Siladen. Park rules and charges should be assumed to apply. Ask your boat operator how entry is handled if you go there directly.

Can tourists climb the Manado Tua volcano?

Two travel blogs describe the hike, but no official source we cite confirms a public route, permit rule or guide service. The forest near the summit is protected, according to the conservation directorate. Ask the park office first, then a local guide who has recently made the climb, and do not rely on a tour description alone.

What is Manado Tua island like?

It is an inactive volcano with protected forest near the summit, in contrast to the low islands around it. The descriptions we cite focus on the mountain and the waters, with little on the villages or visitor services, so assume you will need to bring what you need.

How do I visit Manado Tua from Bunaken?

Remote + Afloat, a blog written in 2018, says about 30 minutes from Bunaken. The sources on this page give no schedule, so ask your accommodation or dive operator to arrange a boat. Agree the price, the departure and the return in advance, and check whether the crew will wait while you are ashore.

Is the Manado Tua volcano active?

Both UNESCO's text and the conservation directorate describe it as inactive. Their height figures differ, but on this point they agree. For country-wide volcano warnings, read current official travel advice before your trip, because Indonesia has many active volcanoes elsewhere.

Which sources support this page?

• Wikipedia: Bunaken National Park
• Indonesia's conservation directorate (KSDAE): park profile
• UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List: Bunaken National Park
• Wikipedia: Manado Tua
• Bunaken National Park booking portal
• Wikipedia: Tangkoko Batuangus Nature Reserve
• Wikipedia: Latimeria menadoensis
• Wikivoyage: Bunaken
• Siladen Resort: FAQ (operator)
• Sulawesi.com: Bunaken marine park diving
• Siladen Resort: dive sites map (operator)
• Remote + Afloat: Bunaken National Park travel guide
• Travelnania: things to do in Bunaken

How do I reach the desk?

To ask about a Manado Tua stop within a wider Bunaken trip, send your dates and how much time you have by WhatsApp +62 811-3941-4563 or to bd@juaraholding.com. We run no boats and promise no crossing. A request may lead to a paid booking, so we do have a commercial interest, and any arrangement is set out in a written offer with its price, any fee and the contracting company.