Tomohon
The small town of Tomohon is up in the hills about an hour's drive from Manado. It's something of a transportation hub for North Sulawesi, and many of the sights around the highlands are not far from Tomohon. The city has a rather interesting market, but other than that doesn't seem to have much to recommend it. There are a few accommodations around Tomohon, which are best described as "rustic" but the highlands sights are quite spread out, so staying in Tomohon doesn't necessarily make it any easier to access the sights without your own transportation.
Tomohon Area Sights
Mount Mahawu Volcano is just a surprisingly short drive from town, through fields of corn, cabbages and other produce. Mahawu is the northernmost, and least active, of a string of young volcanoes along North Sulawesi's spine.
Just outside of Tomohon is the handicraft village of Woloan. The local “handicraft” here is quite unique: houses - the kind you live in.
In this section
The large fresh market in Tomohon is a good stop on any tour of the North Sulawesi highlands. The market appears to sell just about everything for the daily needs of the local people - and I do mean everything. The "meat" section is not for the faint of heart. You'll most likely find beef, pork, chicken, snake, bat and dog on sale.
Vegetables and spices on sale in the market Skip the meat section if you'd rather not see fresh roasted doggy.
Mahawu is the northernmost of a string of "young" volcanoes along the spine of North Sulawesi. Less active than it's neighbors, Mahawu is just a few minutes' drive from the center of Tomohon. A small road leads to a visitors center about halfway up the side of the crater. From the small parking lot, you have to hike up to the rim. There is no paved path or stairs, just a rough cut trail through small brush and thickets of elephant grass that took me about 20 to 30 minutes.
Just a few minutes west of Tomohon is the small village of Woloan. The village is known throughout Indonesia for it’s unique craft. Anyone who has visited Southeast Asia knows that craft villages are very common. However, the speciality of Woloan is rather unique. The local handicraft is houses. No, not model houses. Real houses. The kind you live in.
New houses under construction in Woloan village. The houses are made from local hardwood using traditional methods that allow them to be easily knocked down and moved.
