Bali/N Sulawesi itinerary help

[Bunaken]

Paula
Cannot comment on the Bali part of your trip but certainly can on the Bunaken part.
In a nut shell, you are trying to do too much, Bunaken has over 100 dive sites, with a mixture of walls, slopes, wreck, muck etc.
Seems that you are trying to do three vacations in one. I know its a long distance to travel and that it can be quite expensive.
Personally I would stick with Bunaken area and enjoy its amazing dive sites, then next time you can organize a trip to Raja Empat and do a week around Lembeh and Bangka.
(A reason to come back).
Hotel Santika is almost 60 minutes outside Manado (depending on traffic)
Why not stay on the islands?? Resorts are more quant, small, relaxing, they are definitely
less Hotel style and closer to the dive sites too.

 

[Kevster]

I think that’s a lot to do for 2 weeks.
I have dived Bali & been to Manado a few times.

Bali is a great place to dive. I am heading back sometime this year. You could easily spend two weeks diving Bali + top side stuff.
Secret bay for muck, Amed for wall, Tulamben for wreck & great coral garden, then onto crystal bay/manta point … & various other top side attractions.

However Lembeh is special.. Especially for photographers…However some of the divers in my group did not enjoy Lembeh at all. Some left after 2 days. When I was there in Sept viss was about 5-10m. On many of the sites close to the villages there is a lot of garbage. For divers with cameras Lembeh is great, I am unsure if it holds that much appeal for others.?.the 10 or so divers in my group were split 50/50. Some preferred the nice reefs of Bangka while the other thought Lembeh was brilliant (these were the divers with cameras).
I have never been to Bangka.
Stayed on Bunaken Is 3 times, not sure I would go back. Would definitely return to Lembeh.

You could do 4 days Bunaken/4 days Bangka/4 days Lembeh. There is some nice topside attractions near Manado. Volcano & the highlands are nice.

If you have a long journey to get to Indonesia I would suggest you choose to do Bali OR N. Sulawesi , not both.

There are a lot of similar posts on the Bali V Manado subject.

Of course the ideal solution is to take 3 weeks holiday!!!

 

[AlanWald]

Most people do the national park/highlands to see the Tarsier and birds on the day before they fly out of Manado (don't forget your international departure tax payable in Indonesian rupiah cash after check in - ask what the current rate is upon arrival, last year it was 75,000 rupiah, about US $8 )

Your dive operator can arrange a homestay for you with families just outside the park entrance (cheaper than the accommodation in the park) and a forest guide.

If you have limited time, it's best to keep your trip simple. Bali or N. Sulawesi. Domestic flights are not very reliable as far as being on time.

I love night diving in Lembeh. Dive at night as much as you can.

 

[pjlinva]

Everyone, thanks for your advice. I just knew I was trying to do too much! It looks like I need to rethink my plan and do either Bali or N Salawesi, or wait til next year when I have more vacation to use. If I go this year, not sure which place to pick. If you're not a photographer, prefer reef diving over wall, and have never been to either place, which would you pick? Bali seems to have more topside things to do, but I read that a couple posts that suggested Manjangen's reef may be suffering, and there just seems be alot trash on the island. Is Bunaken and Bangka all wall or a mix of reef and wall, and is the coral generally healthier there than sites on Bali?

 

[TSandM]

Bunaken, or at least the dives we did, is mostly walls. You descend to your target depth, and then work your way up the wall. For me, some of the best diving was the last part of each dive, up on top of the reef in the shallows. The sunlight was bright and strong and the reef was fabulously colored and densely packed with fish. There were gold and deep red crinoids that I had never seen anywhere else. There could also be some fierce current!

What I read about why the walls are there is that there is basically no continental shelf in Indonesia, so you have the islands and then the walls fall off to the deep sea floor. So there aren't extensive shallow reefs like you see in the Caribbean.

 

[pjlinva]

I've spent more time reading posts and based on everyone's advice, am looking at spending the two weeks split between Bunaken and Bangka. As far as a place to stay, I think that we'd prefer one with AC, and I know that will be more expensive. For the Bunaken week, I like Tasik Ria or Lumbalumba resport (I checked out Two Fish Divers and Froggies on Bunaken, but looks like they don't have AC). Having more trouble finding options closer to Bangka for the other week. The Gangka Island Resort looks great but is VERY pricey. The Murex/Bangka Bungalows on Bangka don't have AC. Are there any other options near Bangka? Thanks again for all your help.
Paula

 

[littlce]

What I read about why the walls are there is that there is basically no continental shelf in Indonesia, so you have the islands and then the walls fall off to the deep sea floor. So there aren't extensive shallow reefs like you see in the Caribbean.

Exactly right... the islands are formed by volcanic activity and as such do not have continental shelves. Since the shelves don't exist, the ocean currents from every ocean around them flow right through bringing with them the widest biodiversity on the planet... and they are still finding thousands of new species that were previously unclassified. It's an incredible and amazing land. From the people, history and culture down to the richness of the ecology. I fell in love as soon as I saw her. They should make the whole area a world heritage site.

BTW, the jewel of the whole area is Bali. If you don't make it this time, you should go next time.

 

[AlanWald]

If you want hot water and Air con, be prepared to pay a lot more.

I find a fan is sufficient. But I am much more tolerant to heat than most having been raised in Southern California.

Resorts on the water the water tend to be a lot cooler than Manado City.

Some Lembeh Island resorts enjoy a regular breeze during the daytime.

Also choose you dive resort by dive policies. What is the ratio of divers to guide? Guides are very helpful in finding elusive and tiny critters. Also, is there a strict time limit on dives? Ask these questions.

 

[Bunaken]

As from this year Bunaken Cha Cha Nature Resort (based on Bunaken) has 3 Superior Cottages with A/C and hot water showers.
The A/C may not be necessary due to the onshore winds.
There are about 20 nights per year that the night temp is a bit oppressive, but it does
depend on what you are used to.

 

[JenM]

Absolutely, don't try to do Bali and N. Sulawesi in one trip. They are each destinations in their own right and you'll spend way too much time schlepping your gear to enjoy yourself if you try to do both.

Have you thought about doing a liveaboard to Komodo in conjunction with an additional week on Bali? For what it sounds like you are after, Komodo would be perfect and would satisfy your diving needs, while a week in Bali would then give you a chance to do some more diving along with topside touring. Komodo is just spectacular and is a great all around trip. Viz is not that great (usually around 30-50 ft), and if you go to the southern end of the park the water is cold (expect 70-74 degrees), but the diving, both on the way and in the park itself gives you the exposure both to beautiful coral gardens as well as some muck sites. On a seven day trip, you only spend 2.5 days in the cold water, and the rest is tropical diving.

N. Sulawesi is great, but it's the muck diving in Lembeh that makes it our favorite destination. Bunaken/Bangka are very nice dive areas and make a great add-on to a Lembeh trip, but having been to both, I'd say that if you aren't into muck, you really should consider going to Komodo/Bali first.

If you do decide to go to Sulawesi and want to stay in the Bangka area, you need to decide whether you can tolerate the heat. If you can't, bite the bullet and stay at Gangga Resort. People who don't mind heat think it is okay without a/c, but don't let them fool you into thinking that it isn't that hot. Sea breezes don't cool you down that much! I wish I could do without a/c, but for me, it is just horribly unpleasant without it (and yes, I lived in Florida without a/c for 10 years, so it isn't like I haven't been exposed to it before).

Anyway, the bottom line is that you are choosing from two great options, so you will have a great trip no matter what you do. Just don't try to do both in a two week trip. Now if you had four weeks.......