bunaken/ lembeh/wakatobi

[ManusiaLaut]

I can echo Calmday's comments on Wakatobi. Excellent Swiss owned and managed resort, things work as would be expected from the Swiss. Resort is in very good condition, meals are extraordinary and food plentiful, but this all comes at a price, a very hefty price indeed. Easily on par w/ a high end live-aboard. As for the diving, I was somewhat let down by the diving, especially as we had an expat guide who had only been in Wakatobi a matter of weeks and her local knowledge and ability to find critters for photo/video reflected her limited time on site. There are better and more reasonably priced locations across Indonesia. As an option, you should consider doing Bunaken and Lembeh.

 

[mjh]

Like others we have dove all three spots, fairly recently. There are trip reports, galleries and Multimedia shows for each at our site, Aquablue Dreams.

Lembeh, loved it will go back.
Bunaken, was ok but we were depressed by how much garbage, plastic bags we saw in the water. Would probably not repeat.
Wakatobi, is fantastic will go back once we start repeating spots. I love healthy, colorful reefs, fish tank type diving and that is Wakatobi.

 

[Calmday]

Trash is not a Bunaken problem. It’s an oceans of the world problem and it just depends on where you are at any given time. This time of the year its Wakatobi that is getting it. Over New Years Wakatobi was full of trash with several guys working all day every day trying to keep the beach clean. I stuffed trash in by BC on every dive.
I have also seen conditions at Bunaken get much much better than what I saw at Wakatobi but of course that also just depends on when you go..

 

[dobie]

Some useful info on this thread. We dived with Two Fish at Bunaken and Lembeh last November and they were excellent for the price. We were recommended to dive at Wakatobi (hence why I read this thread) but it sounds like a bit of a nightmare to get to: expensive and not much better than Bunaken, which was expensive enough to fly to with Lion Air from Bali!

 

[Mossman]

Wakatobi is the opposite of a nightmare to get to. They charter the entire plane to ferry customers, staff, and supplies back and forth. It definitely ain't cheap, but I've never had my hand held as much during the transit portion anywhere else I've traveled. They meet you right where your driver drops you at the Bali airport and you're guided the rest of the way until you finally arrive at your bungalow on the island - they handle your baggage (unlimited allowance), whisk you through security, and walk you to a lounge to wait for your flight to their own private airstrip. I can't believe inter-Indonesia travel could be made any easier than the Wakatobi set up. It only becomes a nightmare if you miss the charter flight and have to get there on your own.

 

[jake11]

We absolutely LOVE diving in Lembeh!! We have been there 2x and are going back this April. We love the service and people at Kungkungan Bay Resort. I think they invented the phrase " service with a smile" here! They have a new dive ops manager named Kaj who is wonderful. The dive ops are very organized and run like a well oiled machine. The food is great and they have an easy ordering system for lunch so that when you finish your second dive the food is ready once you get to the restaurant.
You can eat on an over the water patio as well. Also, their new spa is awesome.
They have all kinds of good deals on massages and scrubs, etc. I am already signed
up for our upcoming visit!! Last but not least, they have excellent shore diving that is included in your package. We watched a couple of cuttle fish giving birth 2 days in a row when we were there. We combined Bunaken with Lembeh and I thought it was a good combo. We had Noldy from Tasik divers for our dive master and he is GREAT!!!
Have a fabulous time! We LOVE diving in Indonesia and are gearing up for our 8th visit!

 

[Midget]

Topside attractions in N. Sulawesi are great.

If you need to spend a day or two before your flight out, I think visiting Tangkoko Natl Park is a must.
Tangkoko Park has tarsiers, black-crested macaques, hornbills, kingfishers, cuscus, and parrots to observe in the forest. Best time to observe wildlife is early morning or late afternoon.

We did 1/2 day of white water rafting which was very good fun and offered beautiful scenery. I've done white water rafting in Costa Rica and Borneo.....N. Sulawesi was my favorite.

We thought a day of touring around the Tomohon Highlands observing rural life was worthwhile also.

Diving? Bunaken and Lembeh together make for an unforgettable scuba holiday. I went with Bastianos for both locations and highly recommend them.

 

[jake11]

I agree with Midget that a visit to see the Tarsier Monkeys is a must! It was a hot and muggy journey when we went but well worth it. Check out the photo of this little one!! :0)

 

[Wisnu]

and when you visit highland, stop at the tomohon lake restaurant for lunch,order this just for 7$ per portion ..

waste of 35$ yummies

 

[RinaW]

Wakatobi has a lot of beautiful soft corals, but not a lot of fish. The resort is nice, but I'd recommend Bunaken over Wakatobi for better diving as well. The wall in Bunaken is gigantic and has a lot of life. Lembeh is always fun for muck diving.