Gorontalo is a province in Indonesia which is located in Sulawesi. This province, formed on 22 December 2000 through Law No. 38 of 2000, also has interesting biodiversity assets to explore. One of them is Lake Limboto natural tourism which is located in Limboto District.
This lake is the largest lake in Gorontalo, the 32nd province in Indonesia. Based on Regional Regulation number 9 of 2017 concerning the Strategic Area Spatial Plan for Gorontalo Province, the area of this lake is mentioned to be around 3,334.11 hectares. The Limboto Lake area is in two administrative areas, 30 percent in Gorontalo City and 70 percent in Gorontalo District.
Lake Limboto has a number of uniqueness, namely that it is connected to the sea and is a habitat for migratory fish and birds. In August-October, thousands of migratory birds stop at Limboto lake, before they continue their journey to other continents. The migratory birds use the lake as a place to find food.
In this lake there is also a source of geothermal (geothermal) and is the estuary for 23 rivers that flow around it. In addition, the muddy lakeside, including those in the rice fields around the lake, is the result of a substrate rich in nutrients.
This lake can be enjoyed by walking around it by boat which can be rented from the local community. Generally, boat rentals are available in Kayudurian Village and there is no special price set by residents for renting one boat. Please negotiate with the owner so you can enjoy the beauty of Lake Limboto on a boat.
With the biological richness of various types of freshwater fish, such as tilapia, tawes, tilapia, and cork, fishing is the activity most favored by visitors and the people around Limboto Lake. The lake is also inhabited by endemic fish, namely manggabai (Glossogobius giuris) and payangga (Ophiocora porocephala). It’s just that, now that endemic fish is hard to find.
Around the lake, there are several food stalls offering a variety of dishes made from freshwater fish, either grilled or fried, according to our tastes. The taste of fish is incomplete without the presence of a local chili sauce with a distinctive spicy taste, namely sambal dabu-dabu.
Come in the morning or evening at dusk as this is the best time to enjoy the lake view. As the sun rises or sets, the view of the lake is even more lively by the glint of light falling on the surface of the lake water and the changing shades of the sky. If you visit in the afternoon, besides getting the beauty of the sunset, you can also see a group of wild birds flying across the lake to their nests.
Several tourist objects are also found around Limboto Lake and it is a pity to miss them because they have many memories. Like a simple white house on the shore of Lake Limboto, to be precise in Iluta Village, Batudaa District, Gorontalo Regency. This house became a silent witness to the people of Gorontalo when the First President of the Republic of Indonesia, Soekarno, set foot in this area.
Soekarno visited Gorontalo twice, in 1950 and 1956 by using an amphibious plane, which is an airplane that can land on water. The landing site is on the shores of Limboto Lake, precisely at the Iluta Village pier. The proclaimer used the white house as a place to rest to witness the beauty of the lake.
After this special event, the residents and local government agreed to make the white house the Soekarno Landing Museum. This museum is often visited by the public, especially on school holidays.
Not only Soekarno’s Landing Museum, there are still other tourist attractions around Limboto Lake. One of them is Otanaha Fort which is located on a hill in Dembe Village, Kota Barat District, Gorontalo City.
Otanaha Fortress is the only fortress in the country built on the shore of a lake. This location provides historical tourism as well as natural scenery tours. The view offered from this fort is very enchanting because it is located at the top of a hill and directly adjacent to Limboto Lake.
Anyone who visits the fort can enjoy the beautiful view of Limboto Lake from a height. To get to the location of the fort, visitors must climb 351 steps. The story is that the stones as the main material for building this fort are glued with egg whites from maleo birds, a species endemic to Sulawesi.
On the west side of the lake, there are hot springs which have a constant temperature of 75 degrees Celsius throughout the year. The location of this hot spring is used as a natural tourist area called Pentadio Resort. Visitors who travel to Limboto Lake can also come to this hot spring at the same time. Pentadio Resort is one of the mainstay tourist attractions in Gorontalo Province. In the local language, ‘pentadio’ means monitor and lake. It is named “pentadio” because this resort is on the shores of Lake Limboto in Pentadio Village, Telaga Biru District, Gorontalo Regency.
Every year the local government through the Gorontalo Province Tourism Office holds a cultural performance entitled the Limboto Lake Enchantment Festival (FPDL) to attract domestic and foreign tourists. This festival is held every September located on the shore of Lake Limboto and is filled with various interesting activities such as cultural parades, traditional boat races, and Alanggaya or traditional kite festivals.
In this FPDL, the Nou and Uti Gorontalo elections were also held, an exhibition of traditional Gorontalo clothing, a singing bird competition and an adventuring festival. There was also a culinary party serving a variety of traditional Gorontalo foods and dishes such as iloni chicken, brenebon ice, ilabulo, bilenthango, and putungo vegetables. You are interested? Come on, visit Indonesia and get interesting information from Indonesiar.com.
