Any ideas?

Hi people!

My girlfriend and I are in the middle of planning a trip to Indonesia for 3 - 4 weeks in July/August 08 and whilst we have chosen where to dive we are struggling putting the whole trip together. We have both got just over 20 dives each under our belts and we have done our Advanced PADI.

We currently live in Thailand so we plan to fly from Bangkok via Kuala Lumpur and via Medan/Banda Aceh to visit Pulau Weh and dive with Lumba Lumba for 3 or 4 days. There seem to be many excellent reports on here about this place.

We are planning on getting entry Visas in Medan as you cannot do this in Banda Aceh?

The next leg of the trip will take us to Bali so a flight from Banda Aceh to Jakarta then to Denpasar. We haven't made our minds up entirely on where to dive here but we are thinking a couple of days Nusa Lembongan and a dive at Liberty but we are open to suggestions.

After this we would like to get up to Manado for a Liveaboard at Bunaken, Lambeh Etc. We have found a liveaboard called MY Aurora which will help keep the cost down but I haven't found any posts from people that know this boat.
Does anyone know if Lion Air is the only company flying this route?

We then hit a small wall as we plan to finish off our trip staying at Sipadan Kapalai for 4 or 5 more days of diving. We keep on reading about a direct flight from Manado to Kota Kinabalu but then read somewhere else that the flight has been scrapped and can't find anyone that covers this route. The other option seems to be a flight into Balikpapan then another flight to Tarakan and finally a ferry or speedboat to Tawau.

A once in a lifetime trip we know which is why any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers

I don't know if my info is up to date since I was last in Indonesia in 2004, and the last time I was in Tarakan trying to get to Tawau was in 2000.

Nonetheless, I happen to like Tulamben very much and doing one dive at the Liberty hardly does the place justice. The three dive sites at Tulamben (Liberty, Coral Gardens, and Drop-off) are excellent and very easy dives, aside from the fact that you have to walk on boulders and rocks on shore - it is not a sandy beach except for the east end of the bay) and when you enter the water. Then there's Scuba Seraya, which I have never done but supposed to be really good diving as well.

In answer to your question about airlines out of Denpasar, in 2004, in addition to Lion Air, Pelita, Garuda, and Merpati serviced the domestic routes in Indonesia. All of them had flights from Jakarta to Manado - not sure if all of them do Denpasar-Manado.

I'd be interested in knowing once you find out if there is a flight from Manado to KK. But a comment regarding going from Tarakan to Tawau. In addition to taking the ferry, I flew Tawau-Tarakan roundtrip on Malaysia Airlines back in 2000, so you might want to check and see if they still service that route.

Good luck.

Spoons13:

Hi people!

We are planning on getting entry Visas in Medan as you cannot do this in Banda Aceh?

Click to expand...

That's affirmative, VOA is not yet available in Banda Aceh.

Spoons13:

Hi people!

My girlfriend and I are in the middle of planning a trip to Indonesia for 3 - 4 weeks in July/August 08 and whilst we have chosen where to dive we are struggling putting the whole trip together. We have both got just over 20 dives each under our belts and we have done our Advanced PADI.

We currently live in Thailand so we plan to fly from Bangkok via Kuala Lumpur and via Medan/Banda Aceh to visit Pulau Weh and dive with Lumba Lumba for 3 or 4 days. There seem to be many excellent reports on here about this place.

We are planning on getting entry Visas in Medan as you cannot do this in Banda Aceh?

The next leg of the trip will take us to Bali so a flight from Banda Aceh to Jakarta then to Denpasar. We haven't made our minds up entirely on where to dive here but we are thinking a couple of days Nusa Lembongan and a dive at Liberty but we are open to suggestions.

After this we would like to get up to Manado for a Liveaboard at Bunaken, Lambeh Etc. We have found a liveaboard called MY Aurora which will help keep the cost down but I haven't found any posts from people that know this boat.
Does anyone know if Lion Air is the only company flying this route?

We then hit a small wall as we plan to finish off our trip staying at Sipadan Kapalai for 4 or 5 more days of diving. We keep on reading about a direct flight from Manado to Kota Kinabalu but then read somewhere else that the flight has been scrapped and can't find anyone that covers this route. The other option seems to be a flight into Balikpapan then another flight to Tarakan and finally a ferry or speedboat to Tawau.

A once in a lifetime trip we know which is why any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers

Click to expand...

You could go the other way around, frm bangkok to KK/tawau (dive off Sipadan) then onto Indonesia Manado via Balikpapan, then Manado to Denpasar, Denpasar to Medan via JKT. and then back to BKK via Medan/KL .

If you can get tourist visa from Indonesian embassy at Bangkok, you may choose the following route:
bangkok - KL - Banda Aceh - Jakarta - manado - bali - KK - tawau - sipadan - KK - KL - Bangkok.
with airasia except for banda aceh - Jakarta - manado - bali route,

There are no longer direct flights between KK and Manado, so you'll have to look into traveling via either Balikpapan or Singapore.

Also, in my opinion, your trip looks a bit rushed - I would keep at least one of the places for an other trip if I were you.

You might have a point frogfish which is why we are just having a re-think.

Maybe we should leave Bunaken and Lambeh for another trip?

An alternative would be go to Sipadan first, then maybe Layang Layang? Down to Denpasar for dives at Tulamben and Nusa Lembongan before our last destination of Pulau Weh.

Does anybody know the VOA situation in Denpasar? Will we need to have flights already booked showing us leaving Indonesia or is it hit and miss?

Thanks to everybody that has offered some advice so far!

Spoons13:

Hi people!
thinking a couple of days Nusa Lembongan and a dive at Liberty but we are open to suggestions.

Click to expand...

I agree with Frogfish that the schedule would be rushed. A point to remember, based on my experience, is the ever-present possibility (anywhere, but perhaps more so in less-well-serviced areas) of your luggage not following you onto the airplane; that happened to me and a number of others on a flight from Bima to Denpassar, and caused all sorts of trouble, since the luggage did not arrive until 24 hours later, on the next daily flight, and I'd already left for the US. Merpati was not helpful, and it cost me about $150 to get the bag shipped home.

We have found a liveaboard called MY Aurora which will help keep the cost down but I haven't found any posts from people that know this boat.

Click to expand...

If the Aurora is still in service, I'd appreciate your sending me any contact info and other details.

Have a great trip.

Spoons13:

You might have a point frogfish which is why we are just having a re-think.

Maybe we should leave Bunaken and Lambeh for another trip?

An alternative would be go to Sipadan first, then maybe Layang Layang? Down to Denpasar for dives at Tulamben and Nusa Lembongan before our last destination of Pulau Weh.

Does anybody know the VOA situation in Denpasar? Will we need to have flights already booked showing us leaving Indonesia or is it hit and miss?

Thanks to everybody that has offered some advice so far!

Click to expand...

I don't want to confuse you, but have you thought of Sangalaki ? It is not too far from Sipadan (you should be able to get there by a combination of ferry / speed boat from Tawau), and would be a great start to your trip.

With regards to visa on arrival in Denpasar, it is very smooth - Probably the place in Indonesia where it is the most industrialized, together wit Jakarta