Located east of Borneo, the landmass of Sulawesi Island includes four peninsulas: the northern Minahasa Peninsula, the East Peninsula, the South Peninsula, and the Southeastern Peninsula. The largest cities are the provincial capital of Manado (in North Sulawesi), Gorontalo (Gorontalo), Palu (Central Sulawesi), Makassar (South Sulawesi), and Kendari (Southeast Sulawesi). West Sulawesi is the island’s newest province, with Mamuju as its capital.

Among Sulawesi’s most famous tourist attractions, top three come to mind: Bunaken in North Sulawesi, Wakatobi in Southeast Sulawesi, and Tana Toraja in South Sulawesi. Bunaken National Marine Park and Wakatobi National Marine Park are two slices of the tangible paradise that is Sulawesi’s underwater splendor. Both are located near the heart of The Coral Triangle, the global epicenter of marine biodiversity, which has more coral reef and fish diversity than anywhere else in the world. Tana Toraja Regency, on the other hand, offers the distinctive lifestyle of the Torajans as a cultural attraction. Living on the highlands, many of these people preserve the olden way of life and a local animist belief named Aluk To Dolo, or the Way of the Ancestors, which translates into unique buildings, dialects, wood carvings, dances, music, and rituals. The most well-known of the latter are arguably the funeral rites with their one-of-a-kind stone-carved burial site.

Being the fourth largest island in Indonesia, and the eleventh largest in the world, Sulawesi certainly offers so much more. From majestic mountains, prehistoric cultural artifacts to well-preserved colonial buildings, crystal-clear waters around the mainland and its scattered islets, as well as natural reserves full of wildlife, Sulawesi allures travelers to unveil its endless charms.