Mountains

There are more than ten "gunung" ( /ghoo-noonk/ ) or mountains, including active volcanoes, in north Sulawesi, however listed below are only a few of them, which are more common for hiking, in Bitung and in Minahasa.

In Bitung

The most two common mountains for climbers in Bitung are gunung Dua Sudara or "Two Brothers" (1,351 m - 4,432 feet) and gunung Tangkoko (1,109 meters - 3,638 feet), which are linked by a northeast to southwest aligned ridge.

Hikers need climbing permits to go up, which can be obtained at "Post 1" in Tangkoko-Dua Sudara Nature Reserve in Batu Putih ( /bhâ-too phoo-tee/ ) village. Post 1 operating hours 7am-5pm. How to get to this post please see below.

Gunung (Mount) Dua Sudara

Located about 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) from Bitung town center. Depending on your pace but usually it takes more than four hours to reach the top of this mountain because of its muddy conditions.

Admission charges : entry ticket Rp. 2,000 per person, guide fee Rp. 200,000
How to get there: from Manado to Bitung, click Transportations on the left or here. From Bitung to Batu Putih village: take mikrolet bound for "Girian terminal" (fare: Rp. 2,500 for a ten-minute trip), by ojek (fare Rp. 4,000 for a five minute trip).

Gunung (Mount) Tangkoko

Located approximately 22 kilometers (13.6 miles) from downtown Bitung, gunung Tangkoko is the most recommended mountain to climb in Bitung, because of many reasons, such as kinds of animals, trees within the forest on this mountain and it is easier and faster to reach its top, within four hours.

Admission charges: entry ticket Rp. 2,000 per person, guide fee Rp. 200,000
How to get there: see mount Dua Sudara above
Remarks: Make sure you bring your warm clothes, insect repellent and any camping equipment with you (except you want to have an eight-hour going up and down again on the same day)

In Tomohon

As in Bitung, the two most attractive mountains for both domestic and foreign visitors, which are gunung Lokon and gunung Mahawu. A climbing permit is also required, which can be obtained from Observatory Center of Lokon and Mahau, a local government agency for volcanoes observation, which is located at Jalan Okoy in Kakaskasen III village. No admission fee for this permit.

Currently gunung Lokon is more active than gunung Mahawu and recently showed some physical signs of sulfur clouds, hence it is not recommended for anyone who wants to climb up.

Gunung (Mount) Lokon

Mount Lokon, which stands tall at 1,580 meters (5,183 feet) above sea level, is accessible from Rurukan village, about 5 kilometers or 3.1 miles from downtown Tomohon. Its last big eruption was on October 1991 caused local people who lived in Kinilow village, which lies right on its foot, to be evacuated to Kakaskasen III village. The only victim was a German photographer, who sadly died during the eruption and nobody could ever find his remain.

If you want to hike this mountain, 7am is a good timing to start your journey from Kakaskasen III village, so that you will reach the top still in a cold morning. Once you reach the top, you will see its crater lake which is about 60 meters (197 feet) depth.

How to get there: from Manado's Karombasan terminal take a bus to Tomohon terminal direction (fare: Rp. 6,000), tell the driver or his assistants to drop you off at Kakaskasen III village
Remarks: advisable to take your sweater since it might be quite chilled on its top.

Gunung (Mount) Mahawu

Mahawu's last eruption was in 1958 and caused no victim. Gunung Mahawu, 1,331 meters or 4,367 feet, is located next to gunung Lokon, on eastern side of Tomohon town.

Many hikers say climbing up to Mahawu top is not as challenging as hiking its bigger sister gunung Lokon. Many hikers could reach the Mahawu's top in about 30 minutes from Rurukan village (a village situated about 5 kilometers or 3.1 miles from downtown Tomohon). While climbing up you will see a beautiful scenery of Rurukan farming areas and you will also see magnificent views of Tondano lake and its surroundings area, while at the top if it's a clear day, you will be able to see Klabat mountain, city of Manado, Bunaken island and its adjacent Manado Tua (Old Manado) island, town of Tomohon, and even Bitung, which is about 45 kilometers or 28 miles away from Tomohon!

Admission charges: There is no entrance fee to climb it and you can go there anytime.
How to get there: from Manado's Karombasan terminal take a bus to Tomohon terminal direction (fare: Rp. 6,000), from Tomohon terminal take a mikrolet to Rurukan vilalge (fare: Rp. 4000) and tell the driver you'd like stop at the starting point to Mahawu.
Remarks: advisable to take your sweater since it might be quite chilled on its top.