Kepulauan Togean National Park

Kepulauan Togean National Park is a marine protected area spanning multiple islands in Central Sulawesi, covering approximately 3,600 square kilometers within the Gulf of Tomini. It combines extensive coral reefs, dense mangrove forests, and tropical vegetation that support diverse fish and sea life.

The park was established in 2004 by the Indonesian Ministry of Forestry as a marine protected area. This designation came about to safeguard the region's ecosystems and fisheries from intensive commercial exploitation.

The Bajo people have lived on water for generations, building their homes on stilts and maintaining a seafaring way of life through fishing and maritime trade. You can see their distinctive wooden boats and observe how entire families move across the islands using the waterways as their main roads.

Visitors can reach the park by boat from Ampana or Gorontalo ports, with the journey taking several hours depending on the destination. Accommodation options range from simple guesthouses to beachfront bungalows, and traveling during the dry season makes for more comfortable conditions.

Lake Mariona harbors a population of stingless jellyfish that evolved in complete isolation, having adapted to life without natural predators in their enclosed saltwater environment. This unusual species lives nowhere else on Earth and represents a remarkable evolutionary oddity.