1 week N Sulawesi in March ?

[Joskid2]

At the end of a 3 week indo land tour I will finally fly to N Sulawesi to dive. I can stay up to one week. Originally I was planning 4 days/3 nights in Lembeh only. And trying to squeeze in a visit to Tongkoko Nature reserve and some birding. Now am wondering if I should also stay at bunaken since it is not far from the airport. If so, what ratio of days would be recommended for lembeh / bunaken ? What resorts are recommended? I found a resort in lembeh with photo instructors but they do not have nightly mandarin fish dives and the mandarin dives are first come first served on the nights they are offered so no guarantee I can do it if too many people sign up...so I am looking for other options now.

I also thought of diving nusa lembogan to see the mantas and by chance perhaps mola but I've been told march is not ideal for Bali

 

[Wingy]

Allow a full day for Tangkoko. Although the distance is not far on a map the road is really something special - very Indonesian plus the walk is quite a few hours to see the Tarsiers and hopefully you will see one of the Yaki families surfing or playing on the beach on the way up. Look for Cuscus while you are looking for Hornbills and birds up in the canopy too. In your timeframe I would do two days at Bunaken, transfer back to mainland and if you try you may get a driver from an op who are on both Bunaken and Lembeh to take you Tangkoko otherwise you will have to return back to Manado after your trek. The Grand Puri hotel has some of the most comfortable beds in Manado and a great masseuse if you do have to overnight then hit Lembeh early the next morning. I like Froggies as a budget option who are on both Bunaken and Lembeh. Bunaken is really just walls but good walls so how you split your time will depend on what your interest is - muck or walls? Black Sands in Lembeh are great too, many good operators and im sure other posters will chime in with opinions that may suit you more as I am not a photographer. I do know climbing Tangkoko tho can be quite strenuous on a hot day so make sure you take plenty of water - its worth it.

 

[billt4sf]

Allow a full day for Tangkoko. Although the distance is not far on a map the road is really something special - very Indonesian plus the walk is quite a few hours to see the Tarsiers and hopefully you will see one of the Yaki families surfing or playing on the beach on the way up. Look for Cuscus while you are looking for Hornbills and birds up in the canopy too. In your timeframe I would do two days at Bunaken, transfer back to mainland and if you try you may get a driver from an op who are on both Bunaken and Lembeh to take you Tangkoko otherwise you will have to return back to Manado after your trek. The Grand Puri hotel has some of the most comfortable beds in Manado and a great masseuse if you do have to overnight then hit Lembeh early the next morning. I like Froggies as a budget option who are on both Bunaken and Lembeh. Bunaken is really just walls but good walls so how you split your time will depend on what your interest is - muck or walls? Black Sands in Lembeh are great too, many good operators and im sure other posters will chime in with opinions that may suit you more as I am not a photographer. I do know climbing Tangkoko tho can be quite strenuous on a hot day so make sure you take plenty of water - its worth it.

This looks like great input, Wingy.

I am looking for topside attractions as well -- love birding.

Thanks!

- Bill

 

[Snoobles]

To determine the split I would need to know if you have dove in the pacific before (Indonesia in particular). The walls and sites at bunaken are beautiful, but if you have done all that then devote more time to lembeh. When we went we did a week in bunaken and about four days in lembeh and 3 in buyat. If I planned it now I would do 4 days in bunaken and the week in lembeh if that helps with proportions. And if I remember it is a few hour drive 2-3) between the two so plan for that. Also muck diving if you haven't done it takes some focus not to stir up silt and to look for creatures so if you aren't super experienced then maybe less of that. Just hard to tell without knowing what you are looking for.

As for land excursions we hired a guide for the day when we were in Bunaken and did a local tour. If you haven't seen local Indonesian markets and stuff like that it is interesting for a few hours but not a whole day. There is also the second largest Jesus statue in the world (or so we were told) in Manado.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Wingy]

While we are above the surface - there is also Tomohon (known as the flower village) up in the mountains for a bit of cool relief and some Japanese war caves if you have more than a day to do some topside stuff. If you do go up to Tomohon take a jacket as it will be cold..er.

 

[WetPup]

At the end of a 3 week indo land tour I will finally fly to N Sulawesi to dive. I can stay up to one week. Originally I was planning 4 days/3 nights in Lembeh only. And trying to squeeze in a visit to Tongkoko Nature reserve and some birding. Now am wondering if I should also stay at bunaken since it is not far from the airport. If so, what ratio of days would be recommended for lembeh / bunaken ? What resorts are recommended? I found a resort in lembeh with photo instructors but they do not have nightly mandarin fish dives and the mandarin dives are first come first served on the nights they are offered so no guarantee I can do it if too many people sign up...so I am looking for other options now.

I also thought of diving nusa lembogan to see the mantas and by chance perhaps mola but I've been told march is not ideal for Bali

1 week? I'd spend 4 days (3 diving) in Lembeh, 3 in Bunaken (2 diving) - bearing in mind that it'll take the better part of the day to get between the two. Bunaken is nice, but a bit "same-same" if you've done much other wall diving around SE Asia. Lembeh is more intersting IMO.

Also, nobody in Lembeh runs mandarin fish dives every night. Last time I was there, the resorts all had a community policy of sharing the load around so that each resort had access to those specific dive sites 2-3 evenings a week. I understand why - the sites are tiny and get very overcrowded very easily. Unless that's changed recently, you'll find the same thing at every resort.

And yes, March is way too early for mola mola. You might get extraordinarily lucky, but I doubt it. June's about the earliest I'd say sightings are reliable.

 

[Joskid2]

Wunderbar. Thank u everyone for sharing ur experience. i will plan 4n/3d lembeh and 3n/2d bunaken. I have been diving for over 30 years, so have been to many places,including Red Sea, Fiji, Tahiti, mAlaysia, Trinidad and Tobago, Socorro islands, eastern fields, grand cayman, etc, although I am not a hardcore diver or photographer. Lembeh is such a curiosity, so I will follow my first instinct to spend more time there . It helps to be mindful of the time required to travel between locations.

i am considering Tasik Ria. Their boats look really sturdy but the rides are 45 min to bunaken and they stay all day. Would love to hear your thoughts on this . I'm still looking or. Map but I think th other resorts are itching minutes of the dive sites

 

[WetPup]

I usually stay at Tasik Ria myself to be honest. The boat ride over to Bunaken is nice, get to sit around and chat with the guides and talk about what you saw in Lembeh. There is also a small house reef just off the resort which has some critters to see - which they do a few days a week as the third afternoon dive. The resort is a bit bigger than some others, but it does seem to cater to quite a few non-divers. Food is good. Rooms are good. Dive operation is good. The spa is good

 

[Pedroinspain]

I would stay on Bunaken rather than to waste 90 minutes on the two-way wait/transfer each day. Why do that when the on-site lodges are good and provide value, and the dive guides are very knowledgeable. Tangkoko is awesome, but make VERY sure that your guide is an experienced naturalist. We didn't and all we got was a local with good eyesight :-(

 

[Luko]

I would stay on Bunaken rather than to waste 90 minutes on the two-way wait/transfer each day. Why do that when the on-site lodges are good and provide value, and the dive guides are very knowledgeable.

That would be sensible if the purpose was to dive Bunaken NP only, the thing is that staying Mainland opens many more dive alternatives like Manado bay or Popoh area,as well as dining option less limited than the resort full board (try once Raja Sate downtown Manado).

Anyway, if it were just me wouldn't even care about Bunaken and chose staying on Bangka island. So much better diving.