Thought i'd drop a quick review of my recent trip to Tulamben (me and the missus)
Matahari Accommodation: Arrived and found we had been given a room facing the main road, which was incredibly noisy. Mentioned to front desk we couldn't stay and was given another room. Room was ok... a bit small and tatty, but hey it's a budget room.
Matahari Diving: Went to the dive centre and immediately knew it was not the place for us. Seems to be catering for large groups from the Asian market.
So.... decided to take a look around Tulamben and find another budget option. Mimbi looked great, but a bit expensive for my tight budget
Scuba Tribe had a room and offered a very personal diving service. We moved there immediately. The room was actually cheaper than Matahari and was much bigger, cleaner, and in better condition. We really enjoyed staying there.
For diving they have a policy not to mix divers, so the two of us had our own guide. Mang (guide) was brilliant. He always asked us where we would like to go and was brilliant at spotting all the very small stuff. His instagram (scubadiving.tulamben) can give a good idea on what he can find.
Scuba Tribe give a discount on the room if you are diving. We chose a 10 dive package (further discount). They also give a free lunch to divers, and do not charge any extra for transport. Even though Matahari appeared cheaper, we worked out that it's actually slightly cheaper to dive with Scuba Tribe - so my recommendation is to stay and dive with them. They are also closer to the USAT Liberty, which is great for the early mornings.
For eating i recommend to get out of the resorts and eat at the Warungs. Of note was Warung Dini, which was superb food at a great price. We got talking to a guy called Eric who lives in the house at the back of Warung Dini and it turns out he services dive gear. That was perfect and the next day he fixed my self-inflating BCD for a very bargain price (50k rupia). Thanks Eric!
Matahari Accommodation: Arrived and found we had been given a room facing the main road, which was incredibly noisy. Mentioned to front desk we couldn't stay and was given another room. Room was ok... a bit small and tatty, but hey it's a budget room.
Matahari Diving: Went to the dive centre and immediately knew it was not the place for us. Seems to be catering for large groups from the Asian market.
So.... decided to take a look around Tulamben and find another budget option. Mimbi looked great, but a bit expensive for my tight budget
Scuba Tribe had a room and offered a very personal diving service. We moved there immediately. The room was actually cheaper than Matahari and was much bigger, cleaner, and in better condition. We really enjoyed staying there.
For diving they have a policy not to mix divers, so the two of us had our own guide. Mang (guide) was brilliant. He always asked us where we would like to go and was brilliant at spotting all the very small stuff. His instagram (scubadiving.tulamben) can give a good idea on what he can find.
Scuba Tribe give a discount on the room if you are diving. We chose a 10 dive package (further discount). They also give a free lunch to divers, and do not charge any extra for transport. Even though Matahari appeared cheaper, we worked out that it's actually slightly cheaper to dive with Scuba Tribe - so my recommendation is to stay and dive with them. They are also closer to the USAT Liberty, which is great for the early mornings.
For eating i recommend to get out of the resorts and eat at the Warungs. Of note was Warung Dini, which was superb food at a great price. We got talking to a guy called Eric who lives in the house at the back of Warung Dini and it turns out he services dive gear. That was perfect and the next day he fixed my self-inflating BCD for a very bargain price (50k rupia). Thanks Eric!
