There is a tarsier in Tangkoko that weighs less than a coffee cup. Its eyes are larger than its brain, and it only comes out at night. If you are lucky, you will see it just as the sun goes down, its tiny hands gripping a branch, its gaze impossibly wise. Sulawesi is full of such creatures — and such moments. The reefs of Bunaken are a kaleidoscope of colour. The highlands of Minahasa are a landscape of volcanoes and lakes. The market in Manado sells things you have never seen, scents you have never smelled. This is Indonesia’s forgotten island — and its most unforgettable. And as you sit on a quiet beach, listening to the waves and the distant calls of unseen birds, you will wonder why you ever went anywhere else.

In that fading light, you’ll feel the island’s wild heart beating softly beneath everything, steady and ancient.