One of the tourist attractions in Minahasa region of Indonesia is its farmland. Visitors could take farm tour with a duration of 1 to 2 days in combination with wildlife tour whose duration is usually 1 week covering both lowland and highland of Minahasa Peninsula.
Most of the villagers in Minahasa highland are farmers. They grow rice, corn, cassava, sweet potatoes, tomato, pumpkin, spring onion, shallot, red bean, aubergine, water spinach (locally called kangkung), and etc.
Fruits are important agricultural produce that are in high demand both in local and regional markets of Indonesia. If we explore the farmland of Minahasa, we could see trees of durian, rambutan, avocado, mango, jackfruit, papaya, banana, and duku that grow in rows. Farmers also plant pineapple and dragon fruit in certain areas.
The food crops that they harvest are sold to local market in cities and towns throughout North Sulawesi Province such as Manado city, Bitung, Tondano, Tomohon, Sonder, Kawangkoan and Langowan.
Farmers in Minahasa also run fish, poultry and pig farming. One family can have rice paddy field, vegetable patches and pig farming at the same time. Having multiple income streams will allow them to support their children who go to schools and their daily needs.
Farmers in Minahasa also grow industrial agricultural crops such as coconut, aren tree, vanilla, and clove.
For Minahasan villagers, Aren tree (Arenga pinnata) is very important plant. Its sap is the raw material for making palm sugar. The sap when fermented can be destilled to extract its alcohol. Farmers make traditional liquor called cap tikus. Villagers grow their aren tree on the slopes of their farmland to protect it from erosion.
For coconut, after harvesting coconut, they will separate the husk of the coconut and then cut open its shell to take out its meat. Coconut farmers dry coconut meat in traditional oven using some coconut shell and husk as the fuel. The coconut meat that has been dried above the fire is called kopra. They usually sell the koprato coconut oil factory. In the factory, the dried coconut meat is pressed and boiled to extrat its oil. The coconut oil can be used as cooking oil. The oil is also exported to other companies that will use it as raw materials for making other products.
Wildlife Tour in Minahasa Peninsula
After taking the farm tour, visitors could take wildlife tour across Minahasa Peninsula to see various kinds of animals that are unique to Sulawesi Island of Indonesia. Some of them include the Celebes-crested Macaque, Gursky Spectral Tarsier, Sulawesi Bear Cuscus, Sulawesi Knobbed Hornbill.
The rainforest and farmland of Minahasa is the habitat of a lot of species of birds such as: Sooty-headed Bulbul, Black-naped Oriole, Finch-billed Myna, Zebra Dove, White-breasted Woodswallow, Sahul Sunbird, Brown-throated Sunbird, Sulawesi Hanging Parrot, Ashy Woodpecker, Sulawesi Pygmy Woodpecker, Crimson-crowned Flowerpecker, Gray-sided Flowerpecker, Yellow-sided Flowerpecker, Warbling White-eye, Black-crowned White-eye, White-faced Cuckoo Dove, Sulawesi Cuckoo-dove, Grey-cheeked Green Pigeon, Sulphur-bellied Whistler, Pale Blue Monarch, Barred Rail, Buff-banded Rail, Cinnamon Bittern, White-browed Crake, Little Egret, Cattle Egret, Purple Heron, and etc.
Birding sites in Minahasa include Mount Mahawu, Lake Linow, Pine Forest of Lahendong, the forest, farmland and paddy field of Sonder, Tangkoko Nature Reserve, Talawaan Waterfall, Tambun Maleo Sanctuary, Tapak Kolintang Forest, and Mount Ambang.
Sulawesi
Located between Maluku and Borneo, in the transition zones from the Asia to Australia, Sulawesi island has got high number of endemic birds. Wallace line runs through Makassar strait and then down through Lombok Strait between Bali and Lombok. Some birds that have become the target of observation include: Sulawesi Blue Flycatcher, Red-back Thrush, Sulawesi Pygmy Hornbill, Sulawesi Knobbed Hornbill, Maleo, Maroon-chinned Fruit-Dove, Scaly-breasted Kingfisher, White-necked Myna, Sulawesi Serpent Eagle, Sulawesi Goshawk, and a lot more.
Where is Minahasa?
Minahasa is a region in the Province of North Sulawesi if Indonesia. The capital of the province is Manado city.
Visitors usually start from Manado city in North Sulawesi for watching birds in Mount Mahawu of Tomohon, Tangkoko National Park, Mount Ambang and Dumoga Bone National Park. After that, they fly to Makassar city to enjoy birding in Karaenta and Ramang-ramang areas. They will continue their birdwatching tour to Central Sulawesi for watching birds in Lore Lindu National Park.
If you want a guide to arrange your birding tour in Indonesia and guide you during the trip, please, contact me (Charles Roring by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com or by whatsapp to: +6281332245180.