Asia - Long Trip - Backpackers Budget - best accessible diving?

[Scuba Scotty]

All,

My girlfriend is graduating college this spring and the plan is to work hard this summer and then head to Asia until the money runs out. That puts us there starting Sept or Oct until we are forced to go home due to budget constraints. Besides a flight in and back our budget will be about $6,000.00 US.

I'd like to tail end at the Great Barrier Reef, if possible. The most likely starting point is Bangkok (but I'm open to other suggestions). Land interests include mountain and rock climbing, ruins, caving, nature tours, etc.

We're $50US maximum per night hotel kind of people and generally stay in places in the $10 - $30 range, for us it's a place to bath and sleep, if it's halfway clean we're happy. Per 2 tanks and rental equipment we're used to the $50 - $150 range.

On this type of budget, and wanting to do the best diving possible, what spots should we check out?

Thank you!

-Scotty

 

[broadreach]

I understand that diving is not your main goal for this trip. There are many places with great diving that have other activities nearby. When you research specific locations, bear in mind that often there is a cheap way and an expensive way to dive. Most of the reviews you find on this board are more of the expensive kind, reflecting the fact that most divers on this board have higher budgets for dive trips.

For best diving and best value for money, I would consider the following three countries:
1. Philippines - many many great dive destinations offering good value for money. Look at the PPD forum for specific spots.

2. Indonesia - again many good spots, although one could argue that the BEST dive destinations in Indonesia are served only by expensive liveaboard (not within backpacker budget). Places to consider - Pulau Weh, North Sulawesi, Bali and further east if your budget allows. Look in the Indonesia forum for more info.

3. Malaysia - you can dive Mabul/Sipadan area off east Borneo on a small budget if staying in Semporna and taking a boat out every day- but book in advance to guarantee Sipadan permit. You can find lots of info in the Malaysia/Singapore forum


Of course there's plenty of diving in Thailand as well, but September/October are not good months on the Andaman coast. You could try Koh Tao instead. Look at the Thailand forum for info.

 

[Scuba Scotty]

To be clear our priorities would be:

1. Go to a bunch of places (countries)
2. Diving
3. Ruins
4. Land based nature adventures
5. Climbing (I climb, she doesn't, so this is a throw in)

-Scotty

 

[red_barbarian]

Thailand - go south by train to Surat Thani, from there you can go to the gulf Islands and to the Indian Ocean towns. Head back up by train to BKK, get a Laos visa. Head up to Chang Mai do a trek, hang out. Now it's time to start saving money, take the bus to Nong Kai, cross the freinship bridge into Laos. See Luang Prambang (sp) make your way down thru Laos into Cambodia. Cross into Cambodia, head to Siem Riep spend a week seeing Ankor (expensive), and then make your way down to Sihanoukville. Do a few dives relax on the beach until your bored. Head back up to Phnom Penh get your visa for Vietnam and take the bus to Saigon. Saigon is expensive get out of town the next day on the bus up the coast. Hang out at Mui Ne, then go up to Nha Trang do a few dives, then up the rest of the coast by bus stopping at Hoi An and Hue. From Hue take the train to Hanoi. Assuming you have $3K each wehn you land in BKK you should be able to get by anywhere from 3-6 months depending on how you travel, I would say I average less than $150 a week in SE Asia except for Thailand and not including dive costs and bus fares. Eat street food, stay in budget Lonely Planet guesthouses, take the bus, and carry very little with you. Take your time learn some local phrases and you will travel quite cheaply. Philippines are a little more expensive, Indonesia can be quite cheap depending on where you go. Malaysia is also a little more expensive. Burma can be nice, but you have to make the moral choice of is it better to go or stay away. The Indian subcontinent is very different from SE Asia, much more gritty and in my opinion more hard core for traveling in plus it's going to get expensive to get back to Oz for the end of your trip. PM me if you want in depth detail about traveling in SE Asia I'm over there every month or so.

 

[technobro]

nice plan trip red

 

[drbill]

I did a trip in 2001 after leaving a job but it extended beyond Asia into the South Pacific. For a grand total of $4,500 including all airfare, diving, accommodations, food, gifts, etc., I went from Lost Angeles to Taiwan, Hong Kong, Thailand (Bangkok, Koh Tao, Krabi, Koh Lanta, Koh Phi Phi), Kuala Lumpur, Australia (Darwin, Goa, Cairns, Sydney), New Zealand (Auckland, Bay of Islands), Fiji, Cook Islands and Tahiti.

I used AirCourier.org | Air Courier | Courier Flights | Cheap Airfare | Air Courier (I think that's the website) for all my air except the domestic Australian trips. They package some great routes.

It was a trip I'll never forget... and hope to duplicate something like that in other parts of the world.

 

[technobro]

Wow bill its crazy , do u mind explaining a little monre .... i spend this in ph in a month and i tough i was carefull

Edit: i dont think its the right website,

how long u stay in asia ?

 

[drbill]

My connection to SB had ended when I tried to post a reply last night... fortunately part of it was still on my clipboard this morning so...


Ah, wrong URL. It is Around the World Ticket: Air Brokers International, Inc..

My lodging rarely exceeded $10 per night. The only exceptions I remember were a hotel for $20 in Kuala Lumpur, $25/night in Hong Kong and the hostels in Australia may have been more expensive than $10. However in Thailand I had a beachfront single room with private toilet for about $3/night. About $900 of the total was for diving. I eat strictly local. Dinners in Thailand were as low as $1 but generally closer to $2 (especially if I had a beer). I didn't drink much (a beer every so often) since I was diving a lot. I did stay with friends in Sydney and Auckland but that was a small portion of the overall trip.

If I had spent the entire time in Asia (I was there about half the time) my expenses would have been much lower. The daily costs were lower for accommodations, food and diving. I could have cut almost $1,000 off the airfare by just staying in Asia. And if I had been traveling with a lovely lady, the expemses could have been reduced even more since we'd be sharing rooms.

Not saying this kind of trip is for everyone. All I ask for at night is a safe, clean place to lay my head and a toilet within reasonable distance (shared is fine with me). It was a GREAT trip.

 

[technobro]

Hi Doc ,

Thanks for the explaination i am planning somthing very similar ,

thanks for sharing . I am amaze how thailand is cheap ...

concerning the booking agency , how does it work you always ask a quote and they get back to you via email ???

 

[marinediva]

Currently Air Fares from Cairns or Brisbane to PNG (port Moresby) cost less than $500 AUs return.
Accomodation in PNG can be arranged for 50US per night not a problem, the diving side is expensive for liveaboard, but if you stay at a resort in a place like Milne Bay, Alotona, or Madang
it is just less than diving on the the GBR in Cairns.

Just as a note, flying from anywhere else into PNG other than Australia is very expensive.