North Sulawesi safety and travel questions....

[ewaiea]

I have researched this very heavily but I wanted to ask a couple questions......

First off, I am leaving for a trip to Lembeh Strait in 1 month. I am a US Citizen and I'll be traveling through Seoul, South Korea as well as Singapore before catching a Garuda flight to Manado with a connection in Jakarta.

1. Visa's: I don't think I will need a Visa for Indonesia if I am a US Citizen, that program stopped last year and all I should need is my passport. If a Visa is needed, it can be purchased at the airport. And for transfers through South Korea and Singapore - as long as I'm not leaving the airport I shouldn't even need to get a Visa or clear customs.....so I should be good there.
---Is the above message a true statement?

2. Travel safety.......with all the talk of ISIS and all the dangers of Indonesia I am a little concerned from a safety aspect. I've traveled twice through Papua New Guinea and once for work I even went to Bangladesh - so I've been around some pretty crazy places. But I am going to be staying at Lembeh Resort and there will be an airport transfer by the resort staff. Are there any words of caution or things I should watch out for? I'm not sure how long the ride from the airport is - I was told it's kind of long but I have to look into that. It'll be a ride from Manado Airport to Lembeh Resort.

Any words of advice would be most appreciated.

Eric

 

[Dan]

1. True
2. I've been there twice. No problem what so ever. If my memory is correct, I think it's about 1.5 hour van ride & a 10 minute boat ride to Lembeh Resort. You'll be picked up at the airport. They are very organized crew. You'll enjoy the muck diving there.

 

[LembehR&Critters]

Hi Eric, for the airport transfer, our staff would be waiting for you infront of exit terminal, and they will have guests paging with your name on it. The van ride is about 1.5 hours and continue with 10 minutes boat ride. The airport in Manado is so easy and safe. We look forward to diving with you.

 

[CarcharodonCarcharias]

1) You don't need a visa unless you fly directly into Manado.

2) Manado and the near surrounding (including on your way to Lembeh) has the highest church density in the world. So safety won't be an issue.

 

[cuttlemyfish]

I am planning to go to Lembeh also. Is there any way to fly from Sydney Australia to Manado without going to Jakarta or Singapore?

 

[Manneca]

It looks like Garuda has flights through DPS (Bali). Try kayak.com or another flight search engine (I think google has a flight engine). I just did a really quick search.

 

[Manneca]

I believe that Indonesia has extended the visa free status for US citizens to arrivals/departures in Manado. (Once upon a time you could get visa free in Jakarta and a few more but could leave only through those airports/seaports, none of which was Manado.) You may need to clear immigration in Jakarta. I'd double check there about visa free and leaving through Manado.
Bebas Visa

[I have no idea where the "Bebas Visa" came from and I can't delete it.]

If you go the visa free route, you may not stay longer than 30 days (arrival day IIRC counts as day 1, and the departure day counts also). You can also get a visa on arrival (30 days) for $35 which can be extended.

I've been to Lembeh twice and had absolutely no problems. (I've also been to Bunaken, Jakarta and Bali with no issues.)

Even if you leave the airport, you won't need a visa for Singapore or Korea for short stays.

It is helpful to visit the US State Department website for visa information. There are links to follow that give travel information for countries including visa information.

Are you on one ticket through to Manado? If not, make sure you leave plenty of time for misconnects. If you are on different tickets and you miss a flight on a different ticket, the airline is under no duty to get you to your final destination.

If you like muck, you'll love Lembeh.

 

[dirtfarmer]

Are there any words of caution or things I should watch out for?

Your in more danger from a car accident on getting to and from the airports than from nefarious people.
What should you watch out for?
Amazing critters of all kinds. What is on your critter list?

 

[Dan]

... You may need to clear immigration in Jakarta. I'd double check there about visa free and leaving through Manado.
Bebas Visa

[I have no idea where the "Bebas Visa" came from and I can't delete it.].

Bebas means free. You can get free visa in any international airports in Indonesia, including Manado.

 

[chillyinCanada]

I loved North Sulawesi and can't wait to get back. It's even crossed my mind to stay there for a season. This is still a possibility.