WOC 2009 - Tomohon city

This picturesque town, 25 km. from Manado, is the center for many of the Christian Missionary groups. It is located on a plateau between two active volcanoes, Lokon and Mahawu. The cool fresh air enables a multitude of flowers and all kinds of the more exotic plants to proliferate. Bukit Inspirasi, (auditorium) facing Mt. Lokon is the home to national conventions, festivals and other events.

MT. LOKON & MT. MAHAWU
The volcanic mountains Lokon (1.580 m) and Mahawu (1.311 m), both have crater lakes of considerable beauty. Lokon is sometimes considered to be the most beautiful of the two. The trek to the top should be made by climbers in reasonable condition. The steaming crater lies 600 m below the peak of the mountain and the lake is about 60 m deep. The best time to start walking from Kakaskasen is 7 AM and it is possible to arrive at the crater while the morning is still cool. It is important to contact Pos Pengamanan Gunung Lokon and Gunung Mahawu in Kakaskasen III, Tomohon.

MT. SOPUTAN
This active volcano is situated in Tombatu, about 60 km from Manado or 10 km walk from Toure village. Soputan, 1825 meters in height, is still active, often times steaming and spewing volcanic ash. Trekers will pass through plantations, as well as areas overun with "Edelweys" flowers, usually called "Bunga Abadi" or "Eternal Flower". Often times people choose to camp overnight in the Casuarina Forest before making the final accent which begins at 4:00 AM.

WATU PINAWETENGAN
Pinabetengan village, about 50 km from Manado, is the home to an ancient stone, shaped like a table. It measures 4 m long and 2 m high and is one of remnants left by the Minahasan Tribes where they negotiated the territorial division, unification, peace, and war against their enemies. Pictography carvings on the stone cannot be deciphered.

JAPANESE CAVES
These caves are located alongside the road between Kiawa and Kawangkoan, countryside villages about 45 km from Manado. The caves were built by the Japanese during the World War II primarily for storage.

LAPIAN - TAULU MONUMENT
This monument, located in Kawangkoan, 45 km from Manado, commemorates Bernhard Wilhelm Lapian and Charles Chus Taulu, the leaders in Peristiwa Merah Putih, February 14th, 1946, which represented the heroic fight to defend the Republic of Indonesia. B.W. Lapian was also a religious hero who established KGPM (Kerapatan Gereja Protestan Minahasa).

IMAM BONDJOL MAUSOLEUM
This mausoleum, located 7 km from Manado, represents traditional Minangkabau architecture and honors Imam Bondjol, a national hero from Minangkabau in West Sumatera. He was a hero of the Perang Paderi (Paderi War) against the Dutch and was later exiled to North Sulawesi. He was born in 1791 and died in Lota Village, Pineleng in 1864.

KALI WATERFALL
Located in Kali Village, Pineleng, about 10 km from Manado, this natural 60 m waterfall is an ideal place to enjoy nature and fresh water pools at the base of the falls. It is easily reachable from Manado by public transportation followed by a short 30 -45 minute hike past the village.