combine Raja Ampat with land based location?

[fantarara]

What is exactly beautiful about Manado?

I guess it's all relative but a medium-sized city with no sectarian violence, relatively well educated, respect for women, booze, and pork, great location, half an hour to snorkeling, under an hour to the hills, great food and local produce, good looking men and women, good infrastructure, great weather, beautiful bay, good university.....
Not everyone can make a living in the forest but you can definitely do much worse in Indo than Manado.

 

[Indah]

I guess it's all relative but a medium-sized city with no sectarian violence, relatively well educated, respect for women, booze, and pork, great location, half an hour to snorkeling, under an hour to the hills, great food and local produce, good looking men and women, good infrastructure, great weather, beautiful bay, good university.....
Not everyone can make a living in the forest but you can definitely do much worse in Indo than Manado.

Yes, the sunset over the bay is beautiful. But I would not call the city that. Highlights of the city? ....the sunset...For the rest I agree with you, although I could not care less for the booze and pork.

 

[NootFish]

I'm hoping to do 16 day LOB in October (if it's going to run) then some amount of time diving in Alor after.

 

[NootFish]

I'm seeing this advice a lot, and I am confused. Coming from the USA (or probably anywhere far away) you are going to fly into Jakarta either way. Then if you want Komodo, you are going to Labuan Bajo - most likely by domestic flight. If you want Raja, you are going to Sorong, again by domestic flight.

I agree that getting to Flores without a domestic flight is much easier than Sorong, and a domestic flight to Labuan Bajo is quicker and cheaper than to Sorong. But coming from the USA, we are over $1000 and 48 hours travel time just to Jakarta - it seems like the final leg is just splitting hairs.

I've never been to Indonesia, what am I missing?

Indonesia is my favoritest place to dive because of the colors and the multitudes of fish, warm water (mostly, Alor has some nippy thermoclines), and the amazing biodiversity. After having discovered it, I try to spend at least 3 weeks there every year because I just can't get enough. I haven't yet dove Lembeh, nor muck dove in Ambon, and I really want to dive Komodo... but Raja and forgotten islands is amazing and I'm totally in love.

 

[Shasta_man]

I noticed the comment about flights to Bali being rerouted to Jakarta. I see some articles saying that is about to change but will still require quarantine for 5-7 days.

I was looking at the "easy" trip to Bali for liveaboard to Komodo as I see they are available this summer but that apparently will require spending a week quarantining in a hotel room regardless of vaccination status.

Question: Does Jakarta require quarantine? Can an international traveler get through to Sorong?

There are few places in the world with the quality and ease of diving in Indonesia. There are few alternatives that I see.

 

[Dan]

There are few places in the world with the quality and ease of diving in Indonesia. There are few alternatives that I see.

Maldives & Palau are pretty good. I was there last March & December, respectively. I’ll be in Thailand too for a month, flying out today.

 

[Indah]

I noticed the comment about flights to Bali being rerouted to Jakarta. I see some articles saying that is about to change but will still require quarantine for 5-7 days.

I was looking at the "easy" trip to Bali for liveaboard to Komodo as I see they are available this summer but that apparently will require spending a week quarantining in a hotel room regardless of vaccination status.

Question: Does Jakarta require quarantine? Can an international traveler get through to Sorong?

There are few places in the world with the quality and ease of diving in Indonesia. There are few alternatives that I see.

Situation and rules are changing very often. But at the moment you still have to quarantine 5 days. However, if you have the bad luck of being tested positive during your quarantine you would have to stay in a designated hotel or hospital until your re negative again. This actually happened more than once. The Omicron wave just is starting in Indonesia. It will be very difficult not to become infected the coming 2 months here. This could make you trip home complicated as well. We can expect that this all we much better within 4 months from now (June). Or worse.....

 

[Centrals]

I noticed the comment about flights to Bali being rerouted to Jakarta. I see some articles saying that is about to change but will still require quarantine for 5-7 days.

I was looking at the "easy" trip to Bali for liveaboard to Komodo as I see they are available this summer but that apparently will require spending a week quarantining in a hotel room regardless of vaccination status.

Question: Does Jakarta require quarantine? Can an international traveler get through to Sorong?

There are few places in the world with the quality and ease of diving in Indonesia. There are few alternatives that I see.

Flight Status – Arrivals – Bali Airport Guide

www.baliairport.com

GA811 arrived from Tokyo at 16:39.
Summer(from May onward) is still few months away and anything can happen.
Still have to apply for your visa, there is NO visa on arrival yet.
Quarantine of 5 days is still required.
From my own experience, only Tubbataha in Philippines can rival Indonesia in SE Asia. Probably too late to book anything this yr as the season starts from mid Mar to mid June.

 

[Robert Geist]

Hello,
I am in the beginning stages of planning a trip to Raja Ampat for Dec 2022-Jan 2023. We are considering a liveaboard around the area. However, we didn't want to travel all that way (we are coming from the US) for just a liveaboard so wanted to combine it with a land based operation somewhere. Do you have any suggestions on locations? The number of liveaboards to choose from in RA is overwhelming, and as far as itineraries it looks like most just say "Best of Raja Ampat". I realize that a number of factors can influence the actual dive sites visited. If we plan to go early, do you recommend a specific island in Raja Ampat that is typically not visited by liveaboards? Or should be go somewhere different like Komodo? We didn't want to stay at the same place commonly visited by the liveaboards.

Just Fly into Jakarta via Singapore from the west coast then catch a flight to Sorong for Raja Ampat. You may need to overnight in JAK and be sure to arrive a day early to Sorong so you don't miss the boat. (use a liveaboard} Its super cheap and low stress unless you have a limited amount of time. This of course there are no quarantine restrictions by then.

 

[Blackcrusader]

Hello,
I am in the beginning stages of planning a trip to Raja Ampat for Dec 2022-Jan 2023. We are considering a liveaboard around the area. However, we didn't want to travel all that way (we are coming from the US) for just a liveaboard so wanted to combine it with a land based operation somewhere. Do you have any suggestions on locations?

Myself and two other divers are planning on Raja Amat on shore diving and 14 diving days with around 45 dives last week of September and first 2 weeks of October 2022. We can do some longer day trips for some far away areas but plan that after arrival. Night dives can be done on the house reef and no need for a guide.

I am flying in the morning from Taiwan to Jakarta arriving in the afternoon and taking the same night flight to Sorong which arrives early morning. There are ferries ( around 2 hours ) from Sorong to the island at 9am and 2pm where I am staying and will be diving with Soul Divers. My 2 buddies fly out from London and we all meet up in the airport in Jakarta. Air Asia to Sorong and back to Jakarta.

So our last diving day would be 36 hours before we fly back to Jakarta where we will stay a night and relax before flying home so our total trip time is around 17 days. We decided not to do a LOB and also not to dive other areas as we all like to not travel too much once we arrive in country.

If you are planning a trip that routes through Taiwan you need to be aware that tourists cannot enter Taiwan atm and I am not sure if you can transit here as well I will check on that but things will surely change later this year.
Currently rules are when I return to Taiwan I face a 10 day home isolation if I don't have active Covid.