Likupang

On the Pulisan Peninsula, Pal Beach is a long curve of white sand with calm water. It is almost empty on weekdays. Offshore, fringing reefs and walls have healthy coral. Divers see jacks, snappers, turtles and reef sharks. Dive sites see far fewer boats than at Bunaken. The current is gentler too.

Half-day boat trips go to Lihaga, an uninhabited island of white sand, and to Bangka, with stops to snorkel. Bukit Larata and Bukit Pulisan are two low hills, an easy walk from the road. Both look out over the bays.

Two or three nights fit into a longer North Sulawesi trip. One plan is three nights on Bunaken, two here and two at Tangkoko. Places to stay range from village homestays to beach resorts. Some resorts are government-backed, in the Likupang Special Economic Zone.