Bukit Kasih: Manado, Sulawesi’s Stone Faces & Volcanic Area. This site offers a unique blend of cultural intrigue and natural beauty, making it a must-visit destination for those seeking both historical exploration and scenic adventures.
Bukit Kasih: Manado Sulawesi’s Stone Faces & Volcanic Area
In Manado, Sulawesi’s Minahasa highlands, there is a strange shrine and monument called Bukit Kasih.
Carved into the hillsides, like some sort of eerie tribal Mount Rushmore, are two enormous stone faces, honoring historical indigenous Indonesian heroes.
Additionally, because it’s a geothermal location, the earth is smoking, there are erupting rock foundations, and boiling hot springs.
It sounds insane, don’t you think? Throughout my travels, I have seen and seen a lot, but this is most likely one of the strangest and most weird places I have ever been. I adore it!
What Is Bukit Kasih?
What location is this? Excellent query.
I still think Bukit Kasih is really bizarre, even after going there several times. It looks like a hybrid of Indiana Jones, Yellowstone National Park, and a pompous old amusement park.
As soon as you get out of your car, amiable local touts will be all over you, trying to offer you foot massages in the hot springs and attaching owls to you for picture opportunities (just say “no thanks” politely).
Bukit Kasih offers breathtaking and extreme natural scenery, including bubbling geothermal pots and boiling gases, as well as haunting old stone faces in the hills that evoke scenes from a horror or adventure movie.
Some of these monuments have fascinating mythologies and histories that trace back to the Minahasa tribes, who are the ancestors of the people who currently reside in this region of Sulawesi.
Overall, you will never have a more amazing travel experience than this one. Promised.
• Geothermal Pots
Situated on the foothills of Mount Soputan, a volcano that underwent a huge eruption in late 2018, Bukit Kasih is a highly active geothermal area.
Boiling hot springs with a sulfurous stench abound here, yet some are mild enough for you to put your feet in. For a nominal fee, locals offer foot baths in warm water to tired hikers.
It’s an interesting location to explore, but exercise caution if you choose to go about on the sulfurous ground. There are heat vents in some risky spots, and it’s unstable.
Remember that this is rural Indonesia, so don’t expect any security. I should have known better than to wear sandals, for I could feel the heat from the earth on my feet. Just avoid any areas where people are smoking!
• Giant Stone Faces – Toar & Lumimuut
The mythological pair Toar and Lumimuut from old Minahasa folktales are depicted by two enormous stone faces on Bukit Kasih.
According to the legend of Toar and Lumimuut, Toar was a fearless and agile warrior who had never fallen prey to a foe or a forest animal.
Under the full moon one night, Toar and Lumimuut met and married, becoming ancestors of the Minahasa people in northern Sulawesi.
Carved into the hills near Bukit Kasih, these two sculptures feature huge stone faces adorned with grass for hair. I love this style so much. These faces were reportedly sculpted in 2003 by a Balinese artist hired on contract.
If you’d want, you can approach the statues directly, but proceed with caution near the sulfur rocks. The statues are spaced approximately 50 yards apart, with Toar’s being the most approachable up close.
I find the scale to be quite stunning. Those nostrils could accommodate one or two people.
(P.S. The villagers have no problem with you taking pictures of these enormous stone faces because they are not sacred objects.)
This has to be one of the weirdest vistas I have ever seen, in my opinion.
• Hill Of Love
Those of all various religions are believed to be able to pray at an interfaith shrine at the summit of Bukit Kasih hill.
A Catholic church, Protestant church, Muslim mosque, Buddhist temple, and Hindu temple have all been located at the summit since 2002. Given how divided the population is in northern Sulawesi, the goal of this initiative was to attempt and bring the many religions together while also fostering peace.
The majority in Manado identify as Muslims (31%) and Christians (67%) with other religions coming in third. For the record, Bukit Kasih translates to “Hill of Love” in Bahasa Indonesian.
There are more than 2,000 steps on the strenuous ascent to the summit. If you decide to go check up there, don’t forget to pack water!
Entrance Fees
- Parking: 10k IDR (less than one US Dollar)
- Entry: 10k IDR
How To Get There
North Sulawesi, Indonesia’s Kanonang settlement is home to Bukit Kasih.
The closest airport is Manado’s Sam Ratulangi International Airport (MDC). There are currently direct flights from Makassar (UPG) and Bali (DPS) to this airport. Citilink also provides connecting flights from Singapore. There are flight choices to Manado available on Skyscanner.
Bukit Kasih is 1.5 hours’ drive from Manado City. The ideal method to see this is as part of a driver-driven day tour from Manado; further information is provided below.
Proudly powered by Club TravelScape
