North Sulawesi, with a population of about two million, is a province of Indonesia. It is on the island of Sulawesi, and borders the province of Gorontalo to the west. The islands of Sangihe and Talaud form the northern part of the province, which borders the Philippines. The capital and largest city in North Sulawesi is Manado. North Sulawesi's culture is evident in the highland towns of Tomohon and Tondano where you'll find clove and coconut plantations, rice paddies and flower gardens with the same beauty and serenity found in the smiling people of the area.

Established in 1991, the Bunaken National Marine Park covers 343 square miles (89,065 hectares), 97% of which is clear, warm tropical waters. Nearly everything can be found at Bunaken. Reef inhabitants include white and black tip reef sharks, giant sea turtles, napoleon fish and dugongs. You may also run into dolphins, and occasionally schools of whales.

Extend your stay in North Sulawesi and explore the natural wonders of the area. Land-based activities focus on rain forest hiking in Tangkoko Nature Reserve and Dumoga Bone National Park, along with viewing scenic waterfalls, volcano climbing and river rafting and even golf. Exploring the Tomohon/Tondano highlands area, rice paddies, coconut plantations and flower gardens rounds out the activities. Contact Adventure Travel for details.

If you'd like to break up the trip, you can stopover in Singapore on the way to or from Manado and take in the atmosphere of Singapore, a unique city-state. Singapore is efficient, clean and offers some excellent shopping and nightlife opportunities. For hotels in Singapore, ask for a "Singapore Stopover", which is a special rates deal offered only by Singapore Air. Note that you must book your "Stopover" at the same time that you pay for your flights.