Pelni vessels KM Kambuna, KM Kerinci and KM Tidar, from Makassar, Bitung, Kalimantan and Java dock 30km north of town at Pantaloan harbour . Mutiara Airport is 7km southeast - microlets or taxis will be waiting. Bemos from Donggala use Terminal Inpres , on the southwest side of town; buses from destinations between Manado and Makassar use Terminal Masomba , 2km southeast of the centre. Microlets (bemos) run within the city boundaries for a fixed Rp400.

You'll find cheaper lodgings in the city centre, including the convenient Purnama Raya, Jl Wahidin 4 (tel 0451/23646; under $5), a popular budget standby with rather stuffy rooms but English-speaking management. North a little, Hasanah, Jl Cut Nyak Dien 19c (tel 0451/22225; under $5), is a small, friendly, family-run place with simple but roomy doubles and a mostly local clientele. The best mid-range hotels are clustered together 1km southeast of the centre along Jalan Kartini , not too far from Terminal Masomba. These include the standard Chinese-owned Hotel Sentral, at no. 6 (tel 0451/22789; $5-10), with a booking agent, coffee shop, supermarket and all rooms with air-con, mandi and TV. Buana , at no. 8 (tel 0451/21475; $5-10), is a neat hotel where all rooms have air-con and TV; and Kartini , at no. 12 (tel 0451/21964; $5-15) has old but decent en-suite rooms, some with air-con, off a central courtyard.

To eat with locals it's worth tracking down the nocturnal grilled-fish stalls near the cinema on Jalan Heyun and overlooking the bay on Jalan Moili. Otherwise, Depot Citra, Jl Hasanuddin Dua, serves cap cai, nasi/mie goreng, sate, grilled prawns and iced fruit drinks, Oriental, Jl Hasanuddin Dua, does an authentic Chinese menu, and Ramayana, Jl Wahidin, serves very good Chinese-Indonesian fare. For snacking, the chocolate and cream cakes at Golden Bakery on Jalan Wahidin can't be beaten.