With sailing yacht La Cardinala to Sulawesi in Indonesia for charter
Looking at the map of Sulawesi
the first thing you will notice is its weird shape. There must have been quite a bit of volcanic and tectonic activity here in the far past in order to create all this. Previously called Celebes it is separated from the huge island of Borneo by the Makassar Strait. It basically consists of four peninsulas separated by three gulfs—Tomini on the northeast, Tolo on the southeast, and Bone on the south. The terrain is almost wholly mountainous, with many semi-active volcanoes.
The most famous culture on Sulawesi are perhaps the Toraja's with their colorful and unique funeral ceremonies. Also the rest of Sulawesi can offer colorful festivals, and the large number of cultures all have their different forms of dance, music, art and crafts. A visit here is out of this world. However, it is the waters of Sulawesi that harbour its real treasures. Just offshore is some of the best diving and snorkelling in Indonesia, if not the world. Pulau Bunaken and the Lembeh Strait take top billing, but for those prepared to venture off the trail, there are the beautiful beaches of the laid-back Togean Islands in Central Sulawesi and the incredible Wakatobi Marine National Park in the far southeast.
The richness in marine life is breathtaking and the tropical setting and warm clear waters permit it to harbor about 580 of the world's 793 species of reef-building corals, which grow as some of the most bio-diverse coral reefs in the world, and an impressive array of marine life, including whales and dolphins, sea turtles, manta rays, eagle rays, barracuda, marlin and other reef and pelagic species. Tuna and yellowfin tuna are also abundant. No wonder the area is considered to be paradise for scuba divers and snorkelers alike.Sailing the warm waters of the Celebes Sea will offer you everything that you've ever dreamed of. Nice winds, perfect weather, beautiful anchorages and welcoming fishing villages ashore ... they all contribute to an experience of 'once in a life time'.
