Gangga Island: A travel guide to Indonesia’s Offtrack Island

With nothing much more than one dive resort and two small villages, Gangga Island in North Sulawesi is really off the beaten path. If you’re looking for a tropical Indonesian island getaway full of diving diving, snorkelling, village visits, and lounging poolside, read on to learn much more about Gangga.

It was 6:30 pm when our boat docked at Gangga Island resort and Spa. The sun had just set behind us, illuminating the sky with a purple hue. even in the dim lighting, we could see all the way to the rocky bottom of the sea. 

Nick and I looked at each other and smiled — if the clearness of the water was this amazing at night, imagine what it would look like during the day.

Greeted by a team of porters and staff, we were led through the property. The air was humid, the ground was sandy and we were surrounded by palm trees. What much more could we ask for?

Why choose Gangga Island?

Ever because our first trip to Indonesia in 2009, we’ve been fascinated with this diverse country. This was our first visit to North Sulawesi and as our van drove from the airport to the pier, we were in awe of the landscape. Passing through the bit villages (while dodging sleeping dogs), with volcano and palm tree views, we understood this region of Indonesia would be an exciting adventure. 

Gangga Island is found off the suggestion of mainland North Sulawesi and is part of the Sangihe chain of islands — numerous of which are still inhabited. While on Gangga, you feel worlds away from the hustle and bustle of the busy cities, and can completely relax. 

A drone’s eye view of the Gangga Island jetty – and the incredibly remove sea

Getting off track is always something we seek to do. Gangga Island provides that Robinson Crusoe feel, but it’s easy to get here and has all the amenities you need. With culture, natural charm and various day trips on offer, Gangga Island is a traveller’s dream. 

Getting to Gangga Island

You’re probably thinking it’s challenging to get here, but it really isn’t. You just need to get to Manado (the capital of North Sulawesi). From there, you take an hour-long van ride to the Serei port (arrange this with the resort, or take public transport). At the port, hop on the private Gangga resort and medical spa boat for a 15-20 minute ride to Gangga Island.

If you’re coming from North America, you can fly to Bali through Taiwan, Japan, or Korea. From there, you can take a direct flight to Manado.

Another option is to fly from north america to Singapore, and fly directly to Manado from there.

Our route was from new York to Bali through a 5-hour layover in Taiwan. We decided to spend a few days in Bali enjoying some downtime before hopping on another plane to Manado.

Gangga Island resort and medical spa Accommodation

Famished after our travel day from Bali, we were offered a fresh coconut, a sandwich, and some fruit to snack on (plus a cold hand towel to wipe off the travel grime from the day!). inside the main common area/dining area, we were given a quick orientation of the property.

I was paying attention, but I kept looking around at the beautiful structure we were sitting in. The round, wooden, open-air building was stunning. This common area is where breakfast, lunch and some dinners would be served.

From the verandah looking into our bungalow – this lodging was amazing

We were led to our room down a pathway lined with palm trees, before arriving at our deluxe beachfront bungalow with private gazebo and lounge chairs — this would be our home for the next 4 nights.

As a bonus, we were in the second to last bungalow on the beach, providing extra privacy (fewer people passing by our room), and much more tranquillity. There are generators used at the property, but when we visited, all of the solar panels were installed and they were just waiting on one final part to arrive in Manado — things don’t exactly relocation rapidly in Indonesia.

Sliding open the glass doors, we were greeted with high ceilings and beautiful dark wood interior, complete with a four-poster bed, air-conditioning and a huge (modern) bathroom. There was a TV, but we didn’t plan on turning it on.

Inside view of the deluxe bungalow – a comfortable place to stay

Not only was the inside of the bungalow perfect, but there was a large verandah with a comfortable seating area out front — the ideal spot to watch sunset, and delight in a morning coffee. 

We had just shown up and we already understood four nights wouldn’t be enough in a place like this! 

The following morning we were able to see Gangga Island in the light of day, and it was even much more stunning than the night before. Seashells littered the white sand, palm and frangipani trees dominated the property, and the Celebes Sea was glistening. 

The Underwater World: diving diving and Snorkelling

Gangga beach was gorgeous, but we were eager to see what the surrounding islands and reefs had to offer — we didn’t come all the way to North Sulawesi to just sit on a beach.

The first thing on our island holiday itinerary was a snorkel excursion. After only a 5-minute boat ride, we shown up at bit Lihaga Island, and jumped in the water with Dolfie, one of the divemasters at Gangga Divers. 

The exposure was amazing.

Our snorkelling trip was fun! The water was so remove and the coral was healthy

The coral was bright and healthy, and within minutes, we spotted some baby sharks, batfish and angelfish. I was excited to be snorkelling again, but Nick was primarily looking forward to doing some diving diving the following day.

This area of Indonesia is understood for its outstanding diving and distinct underwater critters of the well-known Lembeh Strait and Bunaken national park. There are around 50 dive sites within reach of Gangga Island resort and Spa, making it a great base for dive trips.

Nick sorted out his gear and had an orientation with the Gangga Divers PADI shop. safety and professionalism are at the forefront of this dive center and we were delighted to see just two divers for every one divemaster. Plus, the equipment was in great shape, the dive boats were new, the dive briefings were thorough, and Nick was able to dive with nitrox.

Nick headed out on two dives, Sempini and Pulisan.

A mermaid! ?

While there were lots of fish species and coral, the highlights included a cuttlefish, turtle, elaborate ghost pipefish, seahorses, blue-spotted stingray, and a pinnatus batfish.

For divers and snorkellers, this part of Indonesia is a great place to visit. And, if you’re not a diver yet, you can take your PADI open Water course here at the dive resort — what a beautiful place to get certified.

The Villages on Gangga Island

During those “non-diving days”, there are two small villages on this island you can visit — Gangga Satu and Gangga Dua. This equates to Gangga “one” and “two”, not the most imaginative names.

Gangga Satu is predominantly Christian, while Gangga Dua is Muslim.

After completing a few dives and a snorkel trip with Dolfie, we asked him if he’d like to show us around his village (Satu). Dolfie agreed, and together we set off by foot down a dusty, dirt pathway. 

The kids on Gangga Satu, we had a bit of an entourage

The residents of both villages have a strong tie with the ocean and are either boat builders or fishermen. This was evident after walking for just a couple of minutes when we saw 4 guy sanding and painting some wooden boats.

Within seconds of arriving at Gangga Satu, we spotted two boys running down towards the water. Dolfie asked what was going on and they stated a man had caught a huge marlin and had just brought it in.

We made our way to the shoreline and sure enough, there was a massive marlin that had just been gutted, cleaned and cut into pieces for sale. Without a proper fishing rod, and with just a small wooden boat, this man was able to pull in a 50 pound fish with his hands! 

Continuing on, we were greeted various times with Ciao!. We found it odd that these villagers on such a remote island were speaking Italian to us, and later found out it’s because the owner of Gangga Island resort and medical spa is Italian and they think this is the way to greet all foreigners.

We eventually shown up at Dolfie’s home where his child climbed a palm tree to retrieve hydrating coconuts, his brother-in-law was building a boat, all of the women were doing each other’s hair and tending to the children, and the older youngsters were running around or riding their bikes. Chickens and dogs came and went — it was a very vibrant scene.

It seemed as though everything occurred in the front lawn of the home. We sat there and took everything in.

Dolfie’s child climbing up the tree to retrieve coconuts!

Saying our goodbyes and thank-you’s to Dolfie’s family, we continued on the hot pathway to Gangga Dua, and shown up just in time for the Muslim contact us to prayer.

Wespotted the small mosque bellowing the prayer in the distance, and we also noticed best away that there weren’t any dogs here (Muslims believe that dogs are impure), but instead, lots of goats were roaming the roads.

We came across a group of people playing cards and best away one of the women grabbed my hand to shake it and welcome me to her village. Performing the customary handshake, complied with by touching your heart, I thanked her for having us. 

Next to them was a group of giggling teens — one of whom could speak a bit of English and was eager to practice with us. A few minutes later, a woman holding her baby desired a photo with me, and a group of youngsters ran over for a picture as well. 

A man was snoring on a wooden table, an elderly woman gutted some small snapper fish, and everyone gathered around us to get a better look — some youngsters were even touching our skin, and most were staring at our blue/green eyes.

It was such a great experience!

Feeling overheated, rather than walking back to the resort, a boat came to Gangga Dua to take us to our bungalow. The villagers waved goodbye as our boat whisked us back to the southern end of the island. 

It was a ideal day.

Gangga Island resort and medical spa assists out these villages in numerous ways, both economically and in the form of education.

Numerous people from the villages are trained in hospitality and tourism, and numerous are employed full-time (divemasters, waiters, cleaning staff, etc.).

The resort has renovated one of the institutions and developed a new kindergarten school.

They offer scholarships to students.

Gangga Island resort and medical spa is continuously educating the people on the significance of protecting the sea and marine life. 

Locals are employed to do beach clean-ups.

A portion of revenues are contributed towards community development & education programs.

When travelling, it’s always good to know where your tourism dollars are going. and in the case of Gangga Island resort and Spa, a portion of your room rate goes to the village. Plus, as a guest, you have the option to donate some money towards school supplies for the children.

Environmental Projects 

While we were enjoying a morning beach walk at low tide, we noticed some round, metal humps in the water just out front of our bungalow.

We initially guessed they were lobster or fish traps (and presumed that the locals had set them there), but later found out they were put there to avoid erosion.

Prior to 2015, there was a major issue with erosion in the area — because of modifications in the environment, higher seas, stronger storms, and currents.

The destruction was so devastating that the beach was virtually lost, trees were uprooted and falling into the sea, and the bungalows were close to being washed away.

Thankfully, in 2015 the artificial biorock reef project was created.

A cuttlefish – the marine life was outstanding in Gangga Island

Under the water, various concrete and iron structures were sunk (the metal “humps” we had seen), which would act as artificial reefs. This not only assists the marine life population (coral grows on these structures), but it also acts as a natural breakwater during storms (breaking up the strength of the waves before they reach the shore).

A small amount of electrical power is passed through the biorocks, which helps with the growth of coral, and the prevention of rust. Today, these artificial reefs are flourishing and are home to coral and numerous fish. Plus, the erosion has been completely reversed and there’s once again a sandy beach on Gangga Island.

We’ve seen manmade reefs before, but never heard of biorocks, or seen ero