The
National Park Taka Bone Rata, located 250km south of Makassar,
Sulawesi, is dominated by see pines, coral reef and palm trees. It is
the third largest atoll in the world after Kwajifein on the Marshall
Islands and Suvadiva in the Maledives. The atoll has a overall size of
220.000 hectare of which 50.000 hectare is made of coral reef.The area is unique since the 20 small islands in the atoll are made by the coral reef. Of the 20 islands of the atoll only 6 are inhabited and 15 can be used for diving. The park is perfect for marine activities like snorkeling and diving with small ponds surrounded by corral (especially at low tide) and deep straits between the islands.
The national park is considered to contain some of the world's highest marine biodiversity with 261 species of coral, 295 species of fish and 244 species of mollusks and several turtles, including the Hawksbill Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata), the Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas) and Pacific Ridley Turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea) .
Bantimurung
National Park is a 480 km2 large nature reserve just 45 km north of
Makassar / Ujung Pandang. The name Bantimurang is a combination of the
words 'membanting kemurungan' which means 'getting rid of sadness'. The
park is famous for its many butterflies. When Sir Alfred Wallace visited
this area in 1856 he termed it the 'Kingdom of butterflies'. A name
still used till today.
Increased human activity in the area is seen as the cause of this
decline. In a response the government has started a butterflies breeding
program. But in spite of the decline you can still enjoy the thousands
of multi-colored butterflies here especially in or near one of the
caves.
Fort
Rotterdam (Benteng Ujung Pandang as it is now called) is an old Dutch
colonial fort in Makassar, overlooking the harbor. It is one of the top
attractions in Makassar. 
Fort Rotterdam consists of five towers, four on each corner and one
at the main entrance. Inside are thirteen buildings, eleven made by the
Dutch and two were built by the Japanese. The oldest building was built
in 1686 and is called the Speelman's house, after the admiral who
concurred the fort although he never actually lived in the house. The
house was used by Dutch governors till mid 19th century. Currently a
museum is housed here. Other structures were used as sleeping quarters
for officers, prison or warehouses. One of the leaders of the Java war
(1825-1830), the Indonesian National Hero Prince Diponegoro, was
imprisoned here for 26 years till his death in 1855.
Akkarena
beach is located at the coastal side of the city of Makassar, more
precisely in front of Makassar Mall GTC, just about 10 minutes drive
from the city center by private vehicle.
