According to franciscogardening, Sulawesi (Celebes) is an island in the Pacific and Indian Oceans (Asia) that is part of Indonesia. The largest city on the island is Makassar (formerly: Ujung Pandang). Another great place is Manada.
Sulawesi is a mostly mountainous island with a beautiful coastline. The island has many elongated white sandy beaches with palm trees. The clear blue water is ideal for diving and snorkeling to the large coral reefs and many colorful fish species. For divers there are 3 recognized marine reserves. In addition, especially the central part of Sulawesi is known among tourists for its pristine jungles and the Toraja culture. This culture is characterized by beautifully painted houses, wood carvings and traditional funeral rituals. Furthermore, there are volcanoes, high mountains, vistas and a large number of coral reefs on the island. See a2zcamerablog for Easter holiday in Asia.
Where is Sulawesi located?
Travel information of Sulawesi
Official name: Celebes
Continent: Asia
Area: 174,600 km²
Capital: Makassar (largest city)
Country code: ID, IDN
Population: 18,455,058 inhabitants (2014)
Form of government: Republic
Highest point: 3,450 m (Mount Rantemario)
Distance (Amsterdam – Makassar): 12,109 km
Flight time: approximately 15 hours
Travel advice
Current status: Be aware of safety risks.
Current color code: Yellow.
Corona
Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19), there may be (temporary) measures in Sulawesi that you as a tourist may have to deal with. For the most up-to-date corona travel advice, please refer to our special coronavirus travel advice page. For the number of current corona infections, number of deaths and various corona-related graphs of Sulawesi, please visit Countryaah.
Travel offer
On our travel offer page you will find an overview of reliable travel organizations that offer complete trips and holidays to Sulawesi. In addition, you will find an overview of separate travel components (hotels and airline tickets) with which you can compile your ideal trip yourself.
Travel guides and maps
Are you looking for a travel guide, map, walking map, cycling map, book or DVD about Sulawesi?
Weather and climate
Sulawesi has a tropical rainforest climate. Throughout the year the temperatures are around 25 to 30 degrees.
The current weather (weather forecast) and a weather forecast for Sulawesi can be found on our extensive weather page.
Extensive information about the climate of Sulawesi can be found at Climate info.
Best time
June, July, August, September and October are the best months to travel to Sulawesi. This avoids the prolonged rainy season.
Language
Indonesian is the official language in Sulawesi. In addition, 50 other languages are spoken on Sulawesi (including Makassarese, Buginese, Toraja and Gorontalees).
Would you like to translate from or into Indonesian for free? Use the Google translator for this.
Travel documents
You must have a passport that is valid for at least 6 months upon departure from Sulawesi.
A visa is not required if you stay less than 30 days and arrive through an airport, port or country border on this list. If you arrive in another way or are staying in Sulawesi for more than 30 days, you can personally apply for a visa at the Embassy of Indonesia in The Hague.
Embassies and consulates
Below is an overview of relevant diplomatic representations, including addresses and contact details.
Dutch embassy and consulates in Indonesia: netherlandsworldwide.nl.
Indonesian Embassy in the Netherlands: new.indonesia.nl.
For urgent assistance, you can contact the Ministry of Foreign Affairs 24/7 on +31247247247.
Vaccination (inoculation)
Vaccination against yellow fever is compulsory for Sulawesi if you have visited a yellow fever country in the seven days before you visit Sulawesi. In addition, it is advisable to get one or more vaccinations.
For extensive vaccination advice and to make a vaccination appointment at home, please visit Thuisvaccinatie.nl. You can also see here whether your health insurance reimburses the vaccination(s).
Malaria
Malaria occurs on Sulawesi. Malaria is an infectious disease transmitted by malaria mosquitoes. This infectious disease can lead to death if not treated in time and/or incorrectly.
For prevention and control of malaria, please visit our malaria page.
Money and Currency matters
On Sulawesi, payment is made with the Indonesian rupiah (rupiah) (IDR).
The current position of this currency (currency, currency) can be found on our exchange rate page.
An overview of all ATMs on Sulawesi can be found on our ATMs page.
Price level
The prices on Sulawesi are a lot lower than in the Netherlands. The price difference with the Netherlands is -40% on average. Some examples are: restaurants (76% cheaper), food (1% cheaper), imported beer in catering (28% cheaper), cigarettes (77% cheaper) and public transport (90% cheaper). Please note that the price difference in tourist areas, especially during high season, may vary.
Tipping
In Sulawesi it is customary to tip. If this has not already been included in the bill, it is customary to tip approximately 5-10%.
Time difference
During our summer time it is 6 hours later on Sulawesi.
During our winter time it is 7 hours later on Sulawesi.
Sulawesi has no difference in winter time and summer time.
The local time, date and time zone for Sulawesi can be found on our time difference page.
Traffic and route
On Sulawesi you must drive on the left.
To drive and/or rent a motor vehicle in Sulawesi you must have an international driver’s license. The international driver’s license is available at an ANWB shop.
With the Google route planner you can compile a route description from, to or within Sulawesi.
Electricity
On Sulawesi the same plugs and sockets are used as in the Netherlands.
More information about electricity on Sulawesi can be found on our electricity page (look under Indonesia).
Emergency services
If you need help from the police, fire brigade and/or ambulance in an emergency, you can use the emergency numbers below.
– Police: 110
– Fire: 113
– Ambulance: 118
Tap water
It is not recommended to drink water from the tap.
If you are unable to buy bottled water, use a water purifier to purify the water or boil the water for 5 minutes. After this you can safely use it as drinking water and for things like brushing teeth, cleaning lenses and washing vegetables and / or fruit. More information about drinking water and/or the purchase of water purification products can be found on our drinking water page.
News and newspapers
The latest news regarding Sulawesi can be found on Google news.
An overview of Sulawesi newspapers can be found on Abyznewslinks.
Internet
Websites from Sulawesi end with.id.
Official websites of Sulawesi: north-sulawesi.com and tourism-indonesie.nl.
Telephony
The country code (international access number) to call someone on Sulawesi is 0062 or +62.
Do you want to call the Netherlands from Sulawesi? Then use the Dutch country code 00131.
(If you use a country code, you must omit the first 0 of the number to be called.)
All Sulawesi area codes can be found on Wikipedia.
Company details can be found in the Yellow Pages of Sulawesi.
Photos and videos
On Flickr you will find a nice collection of photos of Sulawesi.
On Youtube you will find a nice collection of videos from Sulawesi.
Holidays
An overview of all public holidays on Sulawesi can be found on Beleven.org.
Reviews and travel experiences
On Zoover and TripAdvisor you will find reviews from travelers about accommodations (eg hotels and holiday homes), restaurants and destinations on Sulawesi, supplemented with photos, videos and places of interest.
Travel reports
Are you looking for a travel report about Sulawesi?
Here you will find travel reports and experiences of travelers who have previously visited Sulawesi. It is also possible to keep a free diary of your trip for family and/or friends.
Nature and world heritage
An overview of the protected nature areas (including national parks, reserves and wildlife parks) on Sulawesi can be found on Protected Planet.
Sulawesi is not on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Customs rules
Do you want to know how much you are allowed to import and export when traveling to Sulawesi? On the IATA website you will find an overview of the maximum quantities of cigarettes, alcohol, money and medicines, among other things. If you stick to these quantities, you don’t have to declare anything to customs. In addition, on this website you will find the laws and regulations regarding the importation of pets and a list of everything that may not be imported and/or exported from Sulawesi.
Entrepreneurship and doing business
If you are planning to do business on or with Sulawesi, it is wise to prepare well. The Netherlands Enterprise Agency can help you with this. On PaulSourcing.com you will find a large amount of information about Sulawesi, including: opportunities, Sudan and export regulations, trade figures, do’s and don’ts, product requirements, business partners and subsidies.
Studying and internship
Are you considering a study, internship or gap year in Sulawesi? You are by no means the only one and certainly not the first. To help you on your way, Nuffic (the Dutch organization for internationalization in education) has set up the WilWeg.nl website. On this website you will find all the information that can help you on your way, such as admission requirements, forms of education, accommodation, scholarships, internships, health insurance, study costs and of course experiences.
Relevant legislation
Below you will find relevant legislation and regulations that you may encounter during your visit to Sulawesi.
– Alcohol: Buying and/or drinking from the age of 21.
– Alcohol and traffic: No maximum permitted alcohol content.
– Tobacco: Buying and/or smoking at all ages.
– Smoking ban: In public places.
– Homosexuality: Allowed
Did you know that…
…Sulawesi is the eleventh largest island in the world in terms of surface area?
…Sulawesi was created by collisions of different Plates?
… Sulawesi was hit by an earthquake in 2011?
