Tangkoko Sanctuary Villa & Spa

We are so happy we chose to stay at Tangkoko Sanctuary Villa, this is certainly one of the best accommodation in this area! This little hotel (currently four rooms, but soon to have some more) is run by three wonderful ladies who will do their utmost to make their guests feel at home. The rooms were super clean and spacious, food was fabulous but the best is that you immediately feel like being part of the family! We really regret having booked for only two nights as there is so much to enjoy there. The guide they provided for the national park tour was very knowledgeable, spoke excellent English too and showed us everything we had hoped to see. Transportation from and to the airport worked very well! We would go back there without any hesitation and hope to be back soon!

We had three nights here in order to try and see as much wildlife as possible. And we weren't disappointed. Ana was a magnificent host and very accommodating regarding the picky eater writing this review. All the food was excellent and the staff very welcoming. It's a bit of a hike from the garden rooms up 70+ steps but not too difficult really. Room was large and very comfortable. Very close to the National Park.

Many guests just came for 1 or 2 nights, some even arrived late at night after a long day of traveling - but that is really a pity as this place is so relaxing, wonderful and special! Try to spend at least 3-4 days here and you won't regret it! For us, the 4-night-stay marked the end of our 3,5 week trip throughout Sulawesi and we could not have ended it better! Ana, the host and manager really knows how to make you feel welcome, she is always available, speaks excellent English and has a great attention to detail! As most reviews say, the food is delicious and the best part is that it is really "tailormade" to your wishes and preferences. Our son is a bit of a picky eater, and Ana and her team always managed to accommodate our suggestions or came up with great proposals. Of course we also came for the jungle walks and did the morning safari as well as the afternoon trip and were so lucky to see many beautiful animals, of course mostly thanks to the Villa's private guide Sakar who spotted them all. But the area also has some nice surroundings and beautiful beaches to offer if you are prepared to drive 30-60 minutes (motorbike or car). During our stay in July during weekdays, most beaches were quite empty and very clean! We did not make any trips to Bitung or Lembeh, but that is another option to spend your time. The journey to Manado airport took around 90 minutes by car (friendly driver arranged by Ana, of course). Thank you so much, we want to come back!!!

We spent just one night in Tangkoko Sanctuary Villa but we should have spent at least another one. The rooms are very clean and beautiful. The food in the restaurant was really nice. And , Ana , the owner was lovely and really helpful. Thanks for everything!!

We had THE best stay here for four nights. The owner Anna and all staff were so accommodating and lovely! Beautiful jungle, lovely villa, can walk to village/beach, tours were incredible, our guide Sakar was so knowledgeable, we saw tarsier, hornbills, macaques, and the birding tour to Tomohon was a wonderful day adventure to see the scaly breasted kingfisher. Definitely recommend. Thank you!

Fabulous place to stay. Close to the park. Lovely clean rooms with good Aircon which is essential. The food was excellent,restaurant quality standard for both meat eaters and vegetarians. The fact it is up a hill gives it lovely views. The guide who runs the tours is brilliant and really knows the park including which macaques are aggressive so need to keep more distance from.We saw so much as he knew the places where the various animals are. I highly recommend staying here if you want to visit the park. Definitely one of the highlights of Indonesia.

Guesthouse: The room was really nice and clean with a comfortable bed. There is even a bathtub to enjoy after a long jungle trek. The restaurant has a lovely view and the food was amazing with a lot of vegetables. The keeper was exceptionally friendly and we really enjoyed our stay. What we also appreciated was that the guesthouse had a nice brochure with lots of information about the accommodation as well as the park. Guide: Our guide (provided by the accommodation) was really good, an awesome spotter with lots of experience and dedication (maybe sometimes too much dedication). We did the morning and afternoon tour and we saw macaques, cuscus bears, lots of birds and tarsiers. He even found small owls sleeping on the tree! The only criticism we have is that he still lacks some awareness not to disturb wildlife (going too close to the animals or making loud noises to get the animal’s attention). However, we guess that is true for all the local guides.

We spent recently four precious days at this Villa. It was a true success. The rooms are beautifully appointed, the AC works, the food is excellent and the host Ana does not spare any energy to turn our experience into a very beautiful one. It was a good idea to book one or two days more than necessary to ensure we had at least one vry good late afternoon and one very good early morning tour into the rainforest - because unexpected rains (due to La Nina) made some morning and evneing trips into the jungle impossible. Ana has an excellent guide Sakar who has been guiding through this wonderful world for the past 3 decades. He was outstanding, showing us the hornbills high up in the canopy, the fulgurid bugs, the king fishers by day and night, the tarantulas, the bear couscus (we were very lucky to see 8 of them...) and the spectral tarsier. These trips through the jungle require experience, stamina and determination. So people who expect instant gratification without physical effort should stay away from Tangkoko rainforest. Sakar also knew the botany (and botanical names) of many plants and was very kind and patient, able to decipher many bird calls from a distance. Ana was extremely helpful. We could also observe the black macaques - two very different large families, and their social interactions, a rare treat. On the night before our flight we were told by the airline that they had changed our departure time from Manado by a number of hours. Ana helped us get a taxi a 3 am (!) and even got up to greet us at our departure. That was a sign of her extraordinary dedication. The hotel is very nicely positioned, a short 15-20 walk to the village at the Ocean is pleasant. So the hotel is a wonderful island of comfort embedded into the rainforest. We are very grateful and would easily come back in the future for deeper trips into this fairly well protected patch of rainforest. Thank you so much, Anna and Sakar!