Lembeh unless....

[GirlonFire]

I am sensing Lembeh/Bangka is preferable over Ambon.
If I skip Ambon altogether, Ill have even more time for Lembeh/Bangka.

Has anyone any experience with the fairly new Mukula Resort and Spa/Dive not Ambon?
I've read mixed reviews of the hotel/food but good ones for the dive op.

At the moment, I am thinking
CGK>AMQ Ambon for 5 nights
AMQ>SOQ Liveaboard 10 nights
SOQ>MDC Lembeh/Bangka 10-14 nights

 

[dirtfarmer]

The macro in Ambon is fantastic, I don't think I've seen such critter density anywhere else. The past few years the psychedelic frog fish has been making an annual appearance from nov-april so there's that.

 

[GirlonFire]

I am rethinking my itinerary due to the recent earthquake in Ambon.
I may spend the first 11 nights in Lembeh/Bangka, the LOB and then relax in Bali for a few days before I depart.

There are 2 flight to Sorong from MDC that depart at 5:40am and 8:05am. The afternoon flights are 3-4x more costly.
Is it too risky to fly in on the same day of embarkation and if so, should I overnight in Manado versus leaving very early from a resort? Would it matter which order to place Lembeh and Bangka?

Thanks again.

 

[dirtfarmer]

I am rethinking my itinerary due to the recent earthquake in Ambon.
I may spend the first 11 nights in Lembeh/Bangka, the LOB and then relax in Bali for a few days before I depart.

There are 2 flight to Sorong from MDC that depart at 5:40am and 8:05am. The afternoon flights are 3-4x more costly.
Is it too risky to fly in on the same day of embarkation and if so, should I overnight in Manado versus leaving very early from a resort? Would it matter which order to place Lembeh and Bangka?

Thanks again.

Morning flights are less likely to be delayed than ones later in the day. I'd overnight in Manado as your resort in Lembeh or Bangka most likely won't do and early transfer and it's about 3 hours from Lembeh.

 

[Dan]

Say hi to these lovely couple when you are in Sahaung 1.

 

[outofofficebrb]

I am rethinking my itinerary due to the recent earthquake in Ambon.
I may spend the first 11 nights in Lembeh/Bangka, the LOB and then relax in Bali for a few days before I depart.

There are 2 flight to Sorong from MDC that depart at 5:40am and 8:05am. The afternoon flights are 3-4x more costly.
Is it too risky to fly in on the same day of embarkation and if so, should I overnight in Manado versus leaving very early from a resort? Would it matter which order to place Lembeh and Bangka?

Thanks again.

I am in Ambon and in Maluku Resort diving with Dive Into Ambon now. I arrived yesterday morning and have had 1 day’s diving. I will wait to give you my thoughts as I’m here until the morning of Oct 4. If you’re changing your itinerary because you think there’s devastation, the airport is open and running, the roads are clear, and you wouldn’t know that there was one driving around. We drove 30-35 minutes from the airport and I was looking for signs of the effects of a large earthquake and couldn’t see them. The only thing was we came upon a hill that had people camping out in their cars and under tarps on the median worried about another or a tsunami. There have been aftershocks but they are tiny.

There is some damage to the resort, but nothing major that you would link to a large earthquake like that. With that said, if you are worried about earthquakes in general, they are also known to hit Sulawesi as well. Earthquakes in Indo are difficult to avoid; it’s just a matter of timing.

 

[Tippytoes12]

There is no reason to not go to Ambon because of the earthquake there. I saw on FB that the resort I stayed in in February ( Dive into Ambon) is open and that there was only minor damage to the compressor room, now fixed. Earthquakes are not uncommon in Indonesia , just as typhoons are not uncommon in the Philippines. The diving industry is often one of the few industries in parts of these countries and visiting divers greatly help protect the marine life.

 

[pelan-pelan]

I love Lembeh. Some of the resorts have pools where you can relax. It is not all muck diving. You have the opportunity to go to Tangkoko Nature Reserve and the highlands which are really un-touristy. You can waste a lot of time on travelling and multiple flights, what about no-fly/no-dive time. Take relaxation in Lembeh, choose a resort with a pool, take a trip or two. You will see N Sulawesi - no stress regarding flights, delays, lost luggage, wet gear etc. You don't need to go to Bali to relax. Consider, wherever you choose to go, not putting in too many flights/changes. There are lots of recent recommendations on this website for resorts in Lembeh. If you are cutting out flights, then your budget will stretch further.

 

[Frogfishman]

Firstly, thanks for the recommendation Tippytoes12.

In Lembeh, if you are not staying on the island, early morning transfers to the airport by car should be no problem. Many guests do RA along with Lembeh and from Black Sand, guests leave ~4:30 am and take 1 hr 15 -30 minutes to get to the airport. Once the Manado-Bitung toll road opens, the driving times should be cut in half (it was supposed to open last month, but this is Indo). Getting to the airport one hour ahead of takeoff is fine in these parts. The roads are clear in the morning and the early flights tend to take off on time. Flights tend to be delayed more as it gets later in the day. If you are intent on staying near the airport we recommend the Novotel, which is ~15 minutes from the airport and you thus avoid the bad Manado traffic.

February is technically in the rainy season, but for the past two years it has been quite dry in February. Even if it rains, there's little runoff into the strait, so visibility is not affected much at all. Between early December and May, storms can come through, stirring up the waves for up to a week at a time in Bangka and Bunaken, but storms don't affect Lembeh. I'd recommend splitting your time between Bangka and Lembeh simply for more variety and as insurance if the weather turns on you.

February is technically the Low Season in North Sulawesi, so it should not be crowded. One thing to take into account, wherever you stay: How many people are on a diving boat? Folks travel a long way to get here and most resorts have 8, 12 or even more divers on one boat.The bigger the group, the higher the chances that you'll be swimming around in a cloud of sand kicked up by others. Guides try to keep diving groups apart, but on popular critters there can be a lineup if you are in a larger group. That's why we limit our boats to four guests per group with one or two guides.

Hope this helps.

 

[GirlonFire]

Hope this helps.

Very much.
The flight I am looking at is at 5:40 in the morning. If the road opens up, that’d be great. Otherwise Manado might be better. It is a Sriwijaya flight. I think I’d prefer that to the Lion Air flight at 8:05.
I’ve had good experiences with Sriwijaya.
I m leaning towards 4 nights Bangka and 7 Lembeh, but may do 5/6.