The north's largest lake
On the Minahasa plateau.
WhiteducksIG — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Theaprilseventeen — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Mardiansyah Nugraha — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Sakurai Midori — CC BY 2.5
North Sulawesi's largest lake, spread across the Minahasa highlands at about six hundred metres, ringed by green mountains, rice fields and villages, with air cooler and gentler than Manado's. It formed in an old volcanic caldera, and its people live by fishing and raising fish in floating cages. On its shores, especially at Remboken, wooden restaurants on stilts over the water serve fresh lake fish grilled or fried with sambal, in a calm setting over the water and mountains. You can take boats on the lake or drive around it through the villages. There is no fee to see the lake, and restaurants and boats charge normal prices. Note: many Minahasa restaurants serve pork and other non-halal dishes, so ask and choose halal places or fish dishes. Combine it with Mahawu crater and Bukit Kasih on a day in the Minahasa highlands, stopping at Remboken for lunch on the water.
On the Minahasa plateau.
Fresh lake fish.
Cooler than Manado.
Minahasa, about an hour south of Manado
Less so than elsewhere: most people are Christian and pork is common. Look for halal signs or order fish and ask how it is cooked.