Brisbane to Sorong - best route?
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Tippytoes12
Contributor
Hi there
My hubby and I did a RA liveaboard as part of a much longer trip in December....organising the transport felt like having a second job....it was terrible....but RA was totally worth it.
From our discussions with fellow inmates on the boat , it would seem that going through Jakarta would seem to be the least painful, but depends of course on what your plans before and after the trip are...unlikely to include Jakarta , but hey.
If you go via Jakarta you are likely to need to spend a night in Makassar in Southern Sulawesi and then catch a flight to Spring the following morning. Getting back seemed easier for everybody.
We went on Black Manta, which were fantastic. The manager put us in touch with an I do an Indonesia travel agent who booked the flights for us.Even so it was still a nightmare , some airlines don't take bookings till a month before the trip and none take foreign credit cards. I honestly cannot see how you could do it yourself. So I would recommend that you use a travel agent.
Also please make sure that you allow a margin for flights being delayed, or leaving before or after the time on your ticket. A couple on our trip did so and missed the Makassar to Sorong bit. The rest of us were hanging around for longer , we also seemed to have missed on the some bits....not a deal breaker...they missed a day and ended up getting a ferry to catch up.
Having said that RA was amazing , the boat , fellow passengers , food were fantastic...RA is superb for diving.
Have a wonderful trip
My hubby and I did a RA liveaboard as part of a much longer trip in December....organising the transport felt like having a second job....it was terrible....but RA was totally worth it.
From our discussions with fellow inmates on the boat , it would seem that going through Jakarta would seem to be the least painful, but depends of course on what your plans before and after the trip are...unlikely to include Jakarta , but hey.
If you go via Jakarta you are likely to need to spend a night in Makassar in Southern Sulawesi and then catch a flight to Spring the following morning. Getting back seemed easier for everybody.
We went on Black Manta, which were fantastic. The manager put us in touch with an I do an Indonesia travel agent who booked the flights for us.Even so it was still a nightmare , some airlines don't take bookings till a month before the trip and none take foreign credit cards. I honestly cannot see how you could do it yourself. So I would recommend that you use a travel agent.
Also please make sure that you allow a margin for flights being delayed, or leaving before or after the time on your ticket. A couple on our trip did so and missed the Makassar to Sorong bit. The rest of us were hanging around for longer , we also seemed to have missed on the some bits....not a deal breaker...they missed a day and ended up getting a ferry to catch up.
Having said that RA was amazing , the boat , fellow passengers , food were fantastic...RA is superb for diving.
Have a wonderful trip
Express air out of Jakarta has direct flights to and from Sorong. I believe this is also the case with Garuda Air. These two airlines seem to be the most dependable. That said, it wouldn't take much to be more dependable than their ever less do competition.
If you do end up having to hang around an airport for any length of time then Makassar would be my preference. The Sorong Airport is really unpleasant, though if you are willing to pay it's better in the lounge. Next time I'll pay!!
All that said, next time to Raja, I'll do whatever is in my power to get one direct flight no stops each way.
If you do end up having to hang around an airport for any length of time then Makassar would be my preference. The Sorong Airport is really unpleasant, though if you are willing to pay it's better in the lounge. Next time I'll pay!!
All that said, next time to Raja, I'll do whatever is in my power to get one direct flight no stops each way.
ThunderMamma
Registered
If you need to book via local travel agent, I can highly recommend Cakrawala Travel in Jakarta. Contact Mr. Hermanto Setiawan at cakrawala_hermanto@yahoo.com
Sent from my GT-I9305T using Tapatalk
Sent from my GT-I9305T using Tapatalk
It also occurs to me to ask if you have direct flights from home to Bali? It might be more difficult to get direct flights from Bali to Sorong but if you'd have had to overnight in Jakarta, wouldn't you much prefer to do that in Bali instead? Just thinking if you can easily cut Jakarta out of the travel plan all together, could make the trip just a bit more enjoyable on either end.
Tippytoes12
Contributor
We got back to Bali in one very long day.....our 16th wedding anniversary...so romantic. But on the way to Sorong it would seem that you need to stay in Makassar. The new airport is being built which will be fab.
ukdave0
Contributor
Perhaps Singapore Air (red eye) to Manado, then Lion Air to Sorong. Minimizes the connections in Indonesian Airports.
Yes - we can fly direct to Bali from Brisbane. I think we then fly to sorong via somewhere else ....
---------- Post added March 23rd, 2014 at 07:41 AM ----------
Trying to avoid Lion air if possible. I never thought I'd utter the words ' I'd rather fly with Garuda" , but there you go....
---------- Post added March 23rd, 2014 at 07:45 AM ----------
Lol! Bad timing eh? Yes - it seems we have to overnight in Makassar. I was hoping for a direct flight from Bali but it seems that it can't be done.
mrrworld
Contributor
You can go Bali-Makassar-Sorong with a few airlines or Jakarta-Makassar-Sorong with Garuda or Sriwijaya, maybe Lion Air too. Express Air goes direct to Sorong from Jakarta, Garuda currently does not. Going to Sorong is not great as most of the flights depart late in the evening, arrive Makassar at some very early morning time with a few hour layover, and arriving in Sorong in time for an early breakfast. Even the express air flight departs Jakarta around midnight or 1 am. Coming back is better as there are afternoon flights so you can squeeze in a few dives the previous day. Stay away from Merpati as it is bankrupt.
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