Trip to Ampat

[NootFish]

I booked a stay in Raja Ampat at Sorido several weeks ago (for February 2023). I am planning to fly to Singapore and then to Manado for a short stay at Lembeh and Bangka. then I will fly Lion to Sorong and then Garuda from Sorong to Jakarta and then on to Singapore (same ticket). You can fly Lion to Sorong but that is a nightmare. You can usually use an American Express to pay for Lion flights (but not visa or MC). It's not that hard. OTOH, I'm in Bali now and scheduled to fly to Alor next week. Lion has cancelled our flight from Kupang to alor twice now. I've looked at flight aware and it seems unusual (all the Kupang-alor flights have flown this week.) But it's making me nervous. Also, if you aren't already aware of it, the Indonesia visa is really 29 days, not 30. they count the arrival day as day 1 even if you arrive at 11:30 pm. I'd pick Garuda over any other Indonesian carrier. They sometimes have an additional baggage allowance for sporting equipment (this seems to come and go). I'd fly Garuda to Sorong from Jakarta but it's a multistop itinerary that lasts about 24 hours. At least last I noticed. It's nice to have someone to backstop you when something goes wrong, but I generally just do my own booking.

I'm flying the direct Jakarta to on Weds 12:05 AM. They changed the time from 12:30 to 12:05. Garuda is definitely the best, I've flown them several times and they honored the "scuba gear" baggage waiver.

Getting a little nervous re: baggage fees on not-Garuda airlines on the way back, will have 3m IDR with me from previous trips though, so hopefully that will be adequate.

(I got my IDR from ATM in Sorong last time I was there.) (my other preferred way to get money is citibank's neat feature where they will mail you currency.)

 

[theduckguru]

Do the Indonesia boats have Din tanks?

 

[NorCalDM]

Do the Indonesia boats have Din tanks?

The Aggressor boat we were on could accommodate yoke and DIN.

 

[NootFish]

I'm flying the direct Jakarta to on Weds 12:05 AM. They changed the time from 12:30 to 12:05. Garuda is definitely the best, I've flown them several times and they honored the "scuba gear" baggage waiver.

Getting a little nervous re: baggage fees on not-Garuda airlines on the way back, will have 3m IDR with me from previous trips though, so hopefully that will be adequate.

(I got my IDR from ATM in Sorong last time I was there.) (my other preferred way to get money is citibank's neat feature where they will mail you currency.)

BTW, PREPAY YOUR BAGGAGE on Lion/Wings air. I got a IDR 3,000,000+ fee for 21kg over (2 bags total 41 kg). I was able to pay it on my visa card, but frustrated because the baggage cost about the same as the plane ticket. I think the prepay rate is less.
Also, my PM flight was cancelled and I was rebooked on the 0700 Maumere to Kupang flight and I did not receive ANY e-mails about it and would not have known except for a google notification from my calendar/travel app. Ticket booked through Nusatrip. To find out details, I had to use reservation info to log in to the Lion Air website, where I found my updated flight info. It was cancelled with less than 24 hours notice, BTW.
And according to the baggage agent, scuba gear (only surfboards) isn't eligible for free baggage.
But I'm home safe, my baggage arrived intact after 6 flights and a 2 hour delay.

 

[Shadow5868]

This is something that maybe doesn't get enough attention.

In planning a hoped for trip, I was told for the Indonesian domestic flights on Batik Airlines my Blue Water Dive Travel agent Tim Yeo arranged, I get a 25 kg checkin allowance. But he said in his personal experience flying domestically in Indonesia, their excess policies are seldom clear, a lot depends on the person you get at the counter, typically they don't care if you check 1 or 2 bags as the total weight is what matters, and while excess baggage weight charges are usually a lot less than he pays in the U.S., it's charged per kilogram and he's paid anywhere from $1 to $5 per kilogram. He said their credit card machines are often not working, I might have to pay in cash, it'd be better to pay in local IDR but they accept most major currencies like UDS and EUR (albeit with a les than desirable exchange rate).

I literally got that info. this afternoon, then here on ScubaBoard you post that you used Batik Air, they weren't taking credit cards or US dollars, none of the ATMs took your US debit (I assume not debt) or credit cards, and late Sunday night the currency exchange was closed (wonder what their hours are?) so it was a scramble.

Please tell us more about the scramble. What did you do?

Also, those of you who've been to Raja Ampat from the U.S., how important is it to carry IDR on your person, and if so, how much? When and where do you usually get it?

Can you tell me what the restrictions were for your carry on luggage I was told by someone they only allow 7 kg I think what I heard was 1 regular size carry on plus a personal bag with a combined weight of 7 kg. Is this true

 

[drrich2]

Nobody weighed my carry on (a duffle bag) or personal item (a LowePro Mini-Trekker backpack, a medium-sized backpack packed pretty full). Batik Air has a page discussing carry on luggage; it's got some restrictions that didn't seem enforced to me (it's a judgment call, but I'm not convinced some of those other folk's carry on bags were as small as required). Was blessed with a good trip -
Raja Ampat 10-Night Indo-Siren Liveaboard Dec. 2 – 12, 2022 Trip Report - Trip Report - Raja Ampat 10-Night Indo-Siren Liveaboard Dec. 2 – 12, 2022 Trip Report

 

[matts1w]

Can you tell me what the restrictions were for your carry on luggage I was told by someone they only allow 7 kg I think what I heard was 1 regular size carry on plus a personal bag with a combined weight of 7 kg. Is this true

Maybe. Sometimes. Often not. Heck, even most of the time not true...as far as weight restrictions. But sometimes, for whatever reason, carry-on weight restrictions are strictly enforced. I carry on my camera, housing, strobes, Kindle, and laptop. That is it. In the rare-but-does-happen times when they yell about my bag being too heavy, I calmly and with a smile show them precisely what I have. They always let me slide. I suspect if they found a bunch of non-electronics and sturdy stuff, things might be different.