Poso

Lying just north of the Toraja highlands in South Sulawesi, Lake Poso is bordered by the Pendolo town at the south end of the lake and Tentena at the north, with several smaller villages scattered in between. The water of the lake pours in a river and out into the Tomini Bay by the town of Poso. The lake spans across an area of 32,000 hectares, and, with a depth of 515 meters at its deepest points, it is almost three times deeper than the Java Sea which has a mean depth of 151 meters only. Silver and yellow eels criss-cross the lake together with two endemic species of fish. The center of the lake is crystal blue, outlined by a shade of green and bordered with soft white and golden sands. Rolling hills surround this enchanting lake, covered with stretches of bright, green rice fields, fragrant clove trees and tropical forests. Here are found anoas and babirusa (wild boar), endemic to Sulawesi.

Get There

The nearest transport hubs are Makassar in South Sulawesi and Manado in North Sulawesi, both of which have domestic flights from all the major cities around Indonesia, and a few International flights, from Manado to Singapore and Davao in The Philippines, and from Makassar to Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Both of the airports listed above have flights to Palu, a city in the west of Central Sulawesi. Mutiara Airport in Palu is a domestic only airport with flights available from Jakarta, Surabaya, Balikpapan, Manado and Makassar.

Alternatively, Sulawesi is extremely well-connected by sea, if you prefer the more scenic, and much longer route over water from the ports of Manado or Makassar to Palu. From Palu, continue over land to the lake via bus, rented car or motorcycle. The drive is about 280 km and will take approximately 8 hours.