Moluccas and Banda islands

[Luko]

Hi all,

I am starting to plan a trip to Indonesia in august where I could consider including some Molucca or Banda islands (no liveaboard, only landbased diving)... beforehand, I need to gather some information in order to organize myself.


Would you have any tips/reviews (accomodations, dive centre, how to get there) for :
Ambon
Bandaneira and Ai island
Tual/Langgur and the Kei islands
Saparua

Alor is also on my list but i think I have the necessary information and the contacts for.

More questions : weatherwise, is august the right time to go in that area? How would you enter Molucca/Banda from : 1- Sorong (I suppose there could be a flight connecting to Ambon, Bandaneira if any chance? ) or 2- Labuan Bajo (more difficult one I guess)?

Although I don't expect much feedback as it seems the area is not dived very much otherwise than through liveaboards, thanks for any answers.

Luko

 

[Kilili]

Was in Ambon last Sep for 3 weeks or so. If you have money, Cape Paperu [www.capepaperu.com] is very nice place to stay. Euro owned & managed, mostly Euro guests. Excellent diving. Place runs like a nice Swiss clock. Great sushi salad. Few guests, but following month was booked. It's in Saparua, connect with Ambon via speedboat, maybe 90 min and not smooth.

I spent the other half on my time at Blue Rose Divers [www.bluerosedivers.com], Indo managed and operated, and runs on Indo time. Very inexpensive, great fast, boats, good diving & guide. Meals are served family, Indo style, and you eat same as staff. Also small restaurant down the road. One diver raved about it, said dinner was less that $1. Quite rustic in comparison, but rooms also AC. Four of us there, and only two other divers.

Airlines and destinations
Batavia Air (Jakarta, Surabaya)
Garuda Indonesia (Jakarta, Makassar) [resumes 01 July]
Lion Air (Fak Fak, Jakarta, Kaimana, Langgur, Sorong, Surabaya, Makassar)
Wings Air (Makassar, Manado, Surabaya, Langgur)
Merpati Nusantara Airlines (Jakarta, Surabaya)
Sriwijaya Air (Jakarta, Makassar)
Trigana Air Service (Langgur, Sanana, Saumlaki)
Xpressair (Langgur)

As for Bandanaira connections, see this entry:
Bandanaira Transportation - Bandanaira Car, Train, Bus and Taxi Advice - VirtualTourist.com
I tried to go, but couldn't work the connections.

For the rest, start Googling, but info sparse.

 

[Kevster]

august is a little early in the season. You may not be able to dive some of the dive sites. Normally the season is Oct-May.

I was in Ambon last Sept. Dived with Maluku divers. They now have a new resort but it is very expensive.
Best way to fly to Ambon is either via Jakarta, Surabaya or Makassar. Lion air, Batavia are realiable from these cities.

Flight from Sorong has very small baggage allowance & i was told are unrealiable.
Impossible to fly from LB. From LB fly to Bali then Surabaya then Ambon.

 

[Luko]

Thanks very much, kilili, very helpful.
I knew their existence but I was looking for some feedback on Paperu : would you say it's worth their very hefty price on Indo standards (as much as Gangga island resort on a triple basis) and would you reckon the location is fien anough for the girls in my party who do not dive (beach and pool, house reef snorkeling maybe?)?

How was the weather and the sea in September and how interesting was the diving?

 

[Luko]

august is a little early in the season. You may not be able to dive some of the dive sites. Normally the season is Oct-May.

I was in Ambon last Sept. Dived with Maluku divers. They now have a new resort but it is very expensive.
Best way to fly to Ambon is either via Jakarta, Surabaya or Makassar. Lion air, Batavia are realiable from these cities.

Flight from Sorong has very small baggage allowance & i was told are unrealiable.
Impossible to fly from LB. From LB fly to Bali then Surabaya then Ambon.

Thanks Kevster,
I am trying to build up a month itinerary including worthwhile and out of the beaten paths divespots in Indonesia. (but in the meantime i am also trying to spare a week for Sipadan, -my true love :love4: - hence it has shrunk down to 3 weeks)
I shouldn't be looking for too many places, probably three at most and would leave some other places for another time.

I have Reefseekers dive centre at Labuan Bajo on top of my list (have you been on LB?), I was expecting one of the more budget resorts in Raja Ampat and one or two other spots , but maybe I should skip Papua Barat and restrict to Moluccas.
Any other ideas (No Bali or Lombok which I've already dived + I don't want to go with the august crowds around)?

 

[Kilili]

Well, if you have non-divers with you, they wouldn't like Blue Rose much. Nothing to do, but swim in the ocean, and sleep, and no one will ever get excited over dinner.

As for Paperu, the water around the dock is shallow, weedy, no coral, but good to find nudibranch, blue ring octopus and numerous other creatures. If there are good snorkel places, they will surely point them out. Did not look at pool, have a place for massage, beauty treatment, etc. Nice places along beach to hang out and relax. Restaurant/bar sits on hill crest overlooking ocean. Nice place to hang out. Rooms are fantastic. Owner was in construction and entire place is built "Properly", not Indo construction standards.

Weather was great, not hot, little rain, seas smooth. and I found lots of interesting macro stuff to photograph [that's what I do]. It is expensive, but good value, and I stayed twice as long as I intended. Originally I booked entire stay at Blue Rose, to join up with 3 others for the last week or so. One of the divers there was going to Paperu, and talked me into coming along, rather inspired about his experiences there, the food, and so on. Also somewhat influenced by the communal Indo meals, which did not inspire, and my friends would not show up for another 10 days.

I went to Paperu, stayed 10 days, then came back to Blue Rose. I've no issues with Blue Rose, and I think it's a great value for the cost. I just decided 3 weeks there was a bit much. I'd gladly go back to either for a week or so. However, I've done Indonesia for 5 years straight, so next month I'm off to the Philippines.

Oh, if you want Indo contact for trip plans, I used the following, and my friend Jovin on Singapore swears by him:
Zain Gani
DISCOVER INDONESIA
Jalan Asofa Raya 41
Kebun Jeruk - Jakarta Barat
Indonesia
tlp : 62-21 68577050
Mobile : 62 -81315027226
em : discover_indo@indosat.net.id
Scuba - www.Explore-MyIndonesia.com

Hope this helps,
Ken

 

[Kevster]

Thanks Kevster,
I am trying to build up a month itinerary including worthwhile and out of the beaten paths divespots in Indonesia. (but in the meantime i am also trying to spare a week for Sipadan, -my true love :love4: - hence it has shrunk down to 3 weeks)
I shouldn't be looking for too many places, probably three at most and would leave some other places for another time.

I have Reefseekers dive centre at Labuan Bajo on top of my list (have you been on LB?), I was expecting one of the more budget resorts in Raja Ampat and one or two other spots , but maybe I should skip Papua Barat and restrict to Moluccas.
Any other ideas (No Bali or Lombok which I've already dived + I don't want to go with the august crowds around)?

If your friends do not dive i would skip Raja Ampat. It is difficult to get to and is expensive. Yes the diving is fantastic. However it may not be a good choice for your travel companions. The same could be said for Ambon. Great diving but not the best spot in Indo for non-divers. Facilities are either very expensive or basic. Not much in -between.
I have been to Komodo (LB). Once land based (reefseekers), once on a liveaboard.
LB is a decent choice for non-divers. Aug can be windy and it can take 2+hrs to get to some of the dive spots. However LB has budget & 3* accom.

Have you considered other spots in Indo. Palua Weh is definately not as good in terms of diving compared to Ambon,R4. However it would be a good spot for non divers. Its cheap, has a nice beach. Not too many tourists.
Also Bunaken, Bangka would suit your non-diving friends but would also provide you with some good diving.

Alor is also a good option for a nice relaxing beach break ( no pool) for your friends and would also give you great diving. See other posts for details about Alor.

 

[Luko]

Have you considered other spots in Indo. Palua Weh is definately not as good in terms of diving compared to Ambon,R4. However it would be a good spot for non divers. Its cheap, has a nice beach. Not too many tourists.
Also Bunaken, Bangka would suit your non-diving friends but would also provide you with some good diving.

Been twice to northern Sulawesi. Bangka is good but I don't care much about Bunaken, besides that I am looking for something more off the trodden path in eastern Indo (It's probably a non diving island but I would like to stretch it to Kei Kecil).

Weh's also on my list but maybe on a different trip, the reason is that going to Weh, Sipadan and LB on the same trip feels like doing the splits. I'll keep it in the east : yes, Alor could be one of the spots.

Btw did you stay on Angel island, reefseekers new resort in LB?

 

[Magrone]

Hey I had the same question about traveling to the Banda Islands. I'm planning a trip in Indonesia for Jan 2011. I emailed Maluku divers in Ambon and this was the reply:


"Thanks for the email. We are Maluku Divers, the Ambon sister company of
Spice Island Divers, I used to help the Banda guys out by doing their emails
and we were working closely by arranging guided trips to Banda with staff
from Maluku Divers. We're not running trips this year, as we're focusing on
the new resort in Ambon, and the transfers from Ambon to Banda and back were
so unreliable last year that 50% of our groups never even made it out to the
islands. But please let me give you a bit of info to help you out.

To travel to Banda you have to fly in to Ambon, which is serviced by daily
flights from Jakarta or Bali. To travel from Ambon to Banda, a once weekly
flight departs and returns early each Friday morning (if it departs -
weather and scheduling have made it very unreliable for the past year) -
therefore leaving you the option of staying one week in Banda for return
tickets. This 12 seat propeller plane flight takes approximately 1/2 hour.

The other option you have is to use the local ferry - the Pelni, which
departs Ambon (with the current schedule) every other Saturday and returns
every other Thursday. The ferry takes 8 hours and though a big steel ferry,
it is quite 'Indonesian' in style! The ferry schedules can change frequently
as well, so it may be best that you plan a week in Banda to be taken where
possible during a longer break in Maluku.

OK, there are a couple of options for accommodation in Banda, you could stay
at the Maulana hotel or the Laguna Hotel, which are just about the only
hotels on Banda. The Maulana is a larger property, with 50 rooms, currently
the price is around $75 per room per night, including food, $50 ish without,
but this depends on the occupancy at the time of your arrival. Then the
other option is for a homestay of which there are several on the island,
these cost about $20 per room per night.

If you're looking for a summer visit, I wanted to let you know that July and
August aren't so good months for oceanic conditions and rain in Banda and
Ambon. We close our resort for diving in the summer due to the rain in June
and July. It's the opposite season to most of Indonesia. All liveaboards
will avoid the area at this time too, so unfortunately that's not an option
either. In our new bay location in Ambon, we will check this year to see
about conditions ready for opening in August 2011, but that doesn't help you
much for the 2010 summer months. If you would like to visit during optimum
conditions, look towards October and November and then March and April.

Sorry we can't help or give better news."

 

[Luko]

Thanks for sharing your information Magrone,
I have abandoned the Molucca/Banda options for my summer holidays, I will stick to Komodo and won't be heading easter than Maumere ... then I'll top it with a week to Sipadan.

Anyway I'll keep Banda / Pulau Hai or the Kei islands in the back of my head for other times, : beyond the diving, I am intrigued with those derelict dutch forts, the remote beaches and the nutmeg sweets.