Tangkoko

Tangkoko is small — under 90 square kilometres — and it holds more charismatic Sulawesi endemics per hectare than anywhere else on the island. The crested black macaque (Macaca nigra), the spectral tarsier (Tarsius tarsier), and the knobbed hornbill all live here, and a competent guide can find all three in a single afternoon.

The reserve sits on the coast an hour north of Lembeh. Most visitors come as a day trip from a Bunaken or Lembeh stay, but a night in Batuputih village pays back. The tarsiers come out at dusk, the macaques settle for the night just before, and the dawn forest is the loudest hour.

The macaque troops are habituated and the rangers know each individual by name. Visit with a local guide, not a hotel desk; the village runs a small fee that funds patrols.