The Coral Triangle is the indisputable crown jewel of scuba diving worldwide. It's also undeniable that the majority of it is a pain to get to, most of the region is less than sparsely developed. While a quick trip to this region from anywhere in the world usually fails at being quick, if one could ever set aside some time to fully experience the Coral Triangle, it can actually be done pretty easily and cheaply.
I developed the following itinerary as the main diving portion of my longer round the world trip. It includes the best diving spots around the Coral Triangle that are both easy to get to and doesn't annihilate your bank account (you want it to last you this months-long diving marathon). Almost all transfers are either overland/ferry or direct flights, only a couple flights with one connection, no flights with two connections or more (a true miracle for this region). I'm fairly confident this list covers almost everything you'd want to see in the Coral Triangle, minus the ones costing way too much (Tubbataha, Triton Bay, Palau, etc) or difficult to get to (Malapascua etc) or both (Chuuk etc).
This itinerary can be used as is, which would probably take about five action-packed months at a moderate pace. You can also pick a portion or omit certain stops. Malaysian Borneo in particular is not difficult to shuffle around. I'm not doing this whole plan at once. Certain parts I have to move around to match with my other travel plan. But this itinerary is the most optimal for the Coral Triangle for the cheap and lazy, IMO. The diving is complimented by diverse "dry" travel activities including nature conservation, indigenous cultures, and some of the very best food scenes in the world. Let me know if you spot anything I can improve with this itinerary!
Looks like this on a map: Coral Triangle – Google My Maps
(diving spots are bolded)
(fly to HKT - direct or one stop from most major locations in the world)
THAILAND
1. Similan (bus to Bangkok immediately after LOB, BKK-MNL)
PHILIPPINES
2. Anilao (ferry from Batangas)
3. Puerto Galera (ferry from San Jose)
4. Coron (ferry, MNL-Brunei)
BORNEO
5. Brunei (bus)
6. Miri (Miri-Mulu)
7. Mulu (Mulu-KCH)
8. Kuching (KCH-BKI)
9. Kota Belud (bus)
10. Kudat (Kudat-SDK)
11. Sepilok (bus)
12. Kinabatangan River (bus)
13. Lahad Datu (bus)
14. Sipadan (ferry)
INDONESIA
15. Sangalaki (TRK-LBJ one stop)
16. Komodo (LBJ-SOQ one stop)
17. Raja Ampat (SOQ-MDC)
18. Bangka (overland)
19. Lembeh (MDC-DPS)
20. Bali (DPS fly to most major airports in the world either direct or one stop)
(LOBs going from one location to another - eg. Raja - Maumere - Komodo - look very cool, but all seem quite expensive. not sure if it's worth it to splurge on one since you can also just do more R4/Komodo)
Bonus:
AUSTRALIA
(DPS-Cairns direct)
21. Great Barrier Reef (Cairns to Townsville direct, or bus/train)
22. S/S Yongala (from here you can fly direct to any major Australian airport like Brisbane, Melbourne, and Darwin, from which you can fly home. or take the bus/train to Cairns and fly from there)
I developed the following itinerary as the main diving portion of my longer round the world trip. It includes the best diving spots around the Coral Triangle that are both easy to get to and doesn't annihilate your bank account (you want it to last you this months-long diving marathon). Almost all transfers are either overland/ferry or direct flights, only a couple flights with one connection, no flights with two connections or more (a true miracle for this region). I'm fairly confident this list covers almost everything you'd want to see in the Coral Triangle, minus the ones costing way too much (Tubbataha, Triton Bay, Palau, etc) or difficult to get to (Malapascua etc) or both (Chuuk etc).
This itinerary can be used as is, which would probably take about five action-packed months at a moderate pace. You can also pick a portion or omit certain stops. Malaysian Borneo in particular is not difficult to shuffle around. I'm not doing this whole plan at once. Certain parts I have to move around to match with my other travel plan. But this itinerary is the most optimal for the Coral Triangle for the cheap and lazy, IMO. The diving is complimented by diverse "dry" travel activities including nature conservation, indigenous cultures, and some of the very best food scenes in the world. Let me know if you spot anything I can improve with this itinerary!
Looks like this on a map: Coral Triangle – Google My Maps
(diving spots are bolded)
(fly to HKT - direct or one stop from most major locations in the world)
THAILAND
1. Similan (bus to Bangkok immediately after LOB, BKK-MNL)
PHILIPPINES
2. Anilao (ferry from Batangas)
3. Puerto Galera (ferry from San Jose)
4. Coron (ferry, MNL-Brunei)
BORNEO
5. Brunei (bus)
6. Miri (Miri-Mulu)
7. Mulu (Mulu-KCH)
8. Kuching (KCH-BKI)
9. Kota Belud (bus)
10. Kudat (Kudat-SDK)
11. Sepilok (bus)
12. Kinabatangan River (bus)
13. Lahad Datu (bus)
14. Sipadan (ferry)
INDONESIA
15. Sangalaki (TRK-LBJ one stop)
16. Komodo (LBJ-SOQ one stop)
17. Raja Ampat (SOQ-MDC)
18. Bangka (overland)
19. Lembeh (MDC-DPS)
20. Bali (DPS fly to most major airports in the world either direct or one stop)
(LOBs going from one location to another - eg. Raja - Maumere - Komodo - look very cool, but all seem quite expensive. not sure if it's worth it to splurge on one since you can also just do more R4/Komodo)
Bonus:
AUSTRALIA
(DPS-Cairns direct)
21. Great Barrier Reef (Cairns to Townsville direct, or bus/train)
22. S/S Yongala (from here you can fly direct to any major Australian airport like Brisbane, Melbourne, and Darwin, from which you can fly home. or take the bus/train to Cairns and fly from there)