Bali / Sulawesi Combo

[cjames]

My wife and I are going to Bali and Sulawesi next year. The current itinerary is:

Tulamben - Mimpi Tulamben
Menjangan - Matahari Resort

then on Sulawesi
Siladen and Lembeh Resort

4 days at each spot.

Any comments / suggestions?

 

[Nemo]

Your post doesn't mention what time of year your going! Tulamben is a good spot, Menjangan so/so depending on the time of year. Sulawesi can be great, depending on the time of year (can be pretty windy Dec - Feb)! Bottom line - be more specific!!! And, coming from a person whose travelled a LOT, you've got to be flexible and if travelling in the wrong season, be prepared for bad weather and operations that have changed management, boats, guides, etc.! That said, I guess chosing 4 sites, you should have a good time in at least 2 of them!
Sorry to sound a bit negative, but if you have got a specific intenerary, you have to be prepared to for what you get, and sometimes it will be great, but be prepared for whatever and enjoy!

 

[Rickg]

Corby,

I can only comment on the Lembeh Resort if it is the same place as advertised here:

http://www.lembehresort.com/

Two weeks ago we took a tour of the resort when the MUREX liveaboard M/V Serenade stopped near there during our liveaboard trip. It is an absolutely fabulous resort that has only been open for 1.5 years or so. The resort grounds are beautiful and so are the rooms and dining area. It was a bit pricey for my tastes but would be a fabulous place for a 1st or 2nd honeymoon.

MUREX is the dive operator for the resort and they were great on our liveaboard. In fact, one of the MUREX DMs that works at the Lembeh resort was on our 6-day liveaboard trip. His name is Roland and he has a great set of "eyes" when it comes to finding all the wonderful, strange critters in Lembeh. If he is still there when you get there please tell him hello from Rick and Namiko.

Lembeh is Strait is a pretty sheltered area so you should be able to have pretty good diving any time of the year. We (my wife is Japanese) spoke with several Japanese divers while we toured the resort. We later met them at the Manado Airport while waiting to fly to Singapore. The said the boat diving was great and that the house reef was also a dive location that they never got tired of diving. Please be advised that that Lembeh is cold compared to what I am used to in Malaysia/Indonesia. The temperature was 81 deg F (27 deg C) and by dive 3 or 4 we were getting quite cold in our 3/2 mm fullsuits. Lembeh was about 4 deg F (2 deg C) colder than Bankga Islands or Bunaken was.

Hope you have a great trip.

Rick and Namiko

 

[cjames]

Your post doesn't mention what time of year your going! Tulamben is a good spot, Menjangan so/so depending on the time of year. Sulawesi can be great, depending on the time of year (can be pretty windy Dec - Feb)! Bottom line - be more specific!!! And, coming from a person whose travelled a LOT, you've got to be flexible and if travelling in the wrong season, be prepared for bad weather and operations that have changed management, boats, guides, etc.! That said, I guess chosing 4 sites, you should have a good time in at least 2 of them!
Sorry to sound a bit negative, but if you have got a specific intenerary, you have to be prepared to for what you get, and sometimes it will be great, but be prepared for whatever and enjoy!

looking to go in june/july timeframe. i should also mention that i'm shooting video and possibly stills (depends on if i decide to bite the bullet for a housing for my eos-300). one worry i have is over the amount of time it takes to get around say from Tulamben to Menjangan then back down to the airport for the flight to sulawesi. Anybody have an idea?

 

[pazz]

I have enjoyed the culture and diving of both Bali, including Tulamben, and N. Sulawesi. The Mimpi at Tulamben was very nice and you'll enjoy the diving there. Wait till you see how they carry your BC and tanks. For my comments about traveling from Bali to N. Sulawesi and the Lembeh Resort, please see the attached link to a trip report about it.

http://dive.scubadiving.com/members/tripreports.php?s=2301