Help with Bali/Komodo trip planning

[Quero]

You should choose your liveaboard first, and then let the operator suggest your flights (if needed) to the jump-off point for the cruise. They often want to get everybody they can on the same flight from Bali to facilitate transfers, and it's most often easiest for the operator to arrange for your domestic Indonesia flights anyway, since international credit cards are often not even accepted.

I agree that if you come into Indonesia early (a good idea in case of delays or misdirected luggage issues), you'd be better off staying on Bali than staying at Labuan Bajo.

As for a good boat, well, there are many, and it depends a lot on your trip length and the kind of boat you like, not to mention your budget. All that anybody can really say, in a forum reply, is that they personally had a great time on (whatever) boat. The boat that will best meet your needs, however, might not even be mentioned!

 

[Lorenzoid]

Timely thread! My wife and I just booked a 5D/4N Komodo liveaboard on the Black Manta for May. I know there are many liveaboards to choose from, but we choose this one based on our desire for a shorter trip, a start date that fit conveniently with our other travel plans (we're traveling a total of six weeks), price, and trip reports we read. The Black Manta people said that if we arrive a day early on Flores (LBJ), we might be able to get a dive in there before the boat departs. I'm guessing that would be a better dive than if we were to stay in Bali. As for Bali, although I'm sure it's nice, the beach scene isn't really our thing. That said, we plan to spend a couple of days there after the liveaboard to check it out. Seems like there are several flight options between Bali (DPS) to LBJ, so we're not concerning ourselves with that just yet. I'm no expert in Komodo liveaboards--this is out first--but I have to agree with those here who replied that your best bet is to first choose a liveaboard that fits your goals and then worry about the flight arrangements.

 

[Warmwater Wank]

Keep in mind that between flying time and the dateline you are using up a few of those 14 days. We've done China Air a couple times now out of SFO and they are fine, better for service and room than US carriers I've flown. One other reason I like them is their schedule. You lv SFO around 1am, 13hrs or so to Taipei during which you should be able to sleep on a normal sleep cycle. Couple hour layover and into Denpassar, Bali around 2:30pm. If you can stay awake until evening you can wake up the next day in-synch. They aren't the only ones flying this schedule. I've found leaving mid-day is not conducive to me getting much sleep.

Take Quero's advice ("Always!"). Decide on your liveaboard and let them help w/ Indo connections. Bear in mind, Indonesia isn't about travel efficiency or reliability. When you are at home planning, it's tempting to schedule doing a lot on your vacation. Over there though, well you did mention "relaxing" and that suggests "less is more" when it comes to trying to get to lots of places in a limited time frame. A few days on Bali before your LOB might be good or a few days after. Depends perhaps on how you deal w/ jet lag etc.

If you want some relaxed diving on Bali head for Tulamben, it is not a "beach scene" kind of place. Very inexpensive at the right resorts (we've stayed w/ Liberty Dive and also Tulamben Wreck Divers) and they will arrange for transport to and from Denpassar (it's maybe a 2hr drive). We dove there for 2 weeks last April and between it and surrounding nearby areas not a hint of boredom, just lots of very wonderful dives.

If a week on your LOB is enough divng, follow earlier advice from HD and head to Ubud for a few days. It's maybe an hour & a half north of DPS and again, you can arrange ground transport w/ whomever you stay with. I'll part w/ a secret gem: http://www.alamsari.com. They are just outside Ubud in the Keliki district. I can say no more, words would not suffice.

A warning. Do NOT go to Indonesia to dive...unless you are ready to be captivated. I'm just sayin' .... // ww

 

[Valwood1]

Echoing prior posts and adding a few things:

1. You're much better off staying in Bali than spending days in LBJ if you want to relax.

2. Note the comments regarding baggage between Indonesian destinations. I've been to Indonesia three times, and had a baggage issue every time because a bag did not arrive with my flight. All bags eventually got to me, but usually the next day. So, tight schedules can create a problem.

3. Consider staying on Lembongan for a couple of days to dive Nusa Penida area. I used World Diving and was very pleased -- but, there's not much to do once you finished the dive day. You won't need reef hooks at Nusa Penida, but the currents can be very treacherous in Crystal Bay and other spots, and caution is needed.

4. I think that the schedule will not be relaxing if you add Hong Kong. You lose two full days getting to-and-from the US, at least one day to recover from the US-Bali flight, another couple of days flying to-and-from Bali and LBJ, and another day flying to Hong Kong. I made the trip that you describe, but had almost three weeks to do it. You'll be fully occupied staying on the liveboard and in Bali.

5. I cannot speak to Singapore Air or the Chinese carriers, but take a look at the Korean Air schedule.

6. Getting to-and-from locations on Bali isn't difficult but it is time-consuming. My recollection is that the drive time from Denpasar to Tulamben is about three hours.

7. Get a prescription for Ambien and try to sleep on the plane. It's a long flight.

I'm sure that you'll enjoy Indonesia. The diving is wonderful, and the Balinese are delightful. Have a great trip.

 

[shotdisc98]

Thank you everyone for all of the responses; there's some very helpful advice in here and it's got me thinking about our trip even more. The pictures, the videos, and the first-hand experience are invaluable! We're thinking now that we may forgo a stay in a connecting Asian city and spend the time in Bali. Here's a brief itinerary that I've been tinkering with:
-Leave early Thursday AM from SFO
-Arrive Friday afternoon in DPS
-Have Friday evening and Saturday in DPS to relax, sleep, jet lag...
-Sunday, fly to LBJ and board a Komodo liveaboard. The Black Manta looks to be about the right price and right duration
-Leave the liveaboard on Thursday, fly back to DPS, then start Bali trip
-Fly back to SFO on following Wednesday
It seems that EVA Air is $400 cheaper than China Airlines and $550 cheaper than Cathay total. I know it's all subjective, and it's a long flight, but would we wish we had anything if we flew EVA?
Should we fly to LBJ a day early and stay the night instead of flying the same day the liveaboard departs? I'm inclined to think we may want to stay in Bali that Saturday to avoid airports and travel for a few hours.
Is booking a dive safari, mixed with dives and day trips, a good way to see Bali?
The more I read about them, it seems the Liberty and the mola mola are can't miss if traveling to that area during that time of year.
I can't thank everyone enough for the responses!

 

[jake11]

Thank you everyone for all of the responses; there's some very helpful advice in here and it's got me thinking about our trip even more. The pictures, the videos, and the first-hand experience are invaluable! We're thinking now that we may forgo a stay in a connecting Asian city and spend the time in Bali. Here's a brief itinerary that I've been tinkering with:
-Leave early Thursday AM from SFO
-Arrive Friday afternoon in DPS
-Have Friday evening and Saturday in DPS to relax, sleep, jet lag...
-Sunday, fly to LBJ and board a Komodo liveaboard. The Black Manta looks to be about the right price and right duration
-Leave the liveaboard on Thursday, fly back to DPS, then start Bali trip
-Fly back to SFO on following Wednesday
It seems that EVA Air is $400 cheaper than China Airlines and $550 cheaper than Cathay total. I know it's all subjective, and it's a long flight, but would we wish we had anything if we flew EVA?
Should we fly to LBJ a day early and stay the night instead of flying the same day the liveaboard departs? I'm inclined to think we may want to stay in Bali that Saturday to avoid airports and travel for a few hours.
Is booking a dive safari, mixed with dives and day trips, a good way to see Bali?
The more I read about them, it seems the Liberty and the mola mola are can't miss if traveling to that area during that time of year.
I can't thank everyone enough for the responses!

We flew EVA to Bali from SFo and it was a great flight from start to finish. The SFO airport was quiet( as opposed to the craziness of LAX) and we checked in very quickly at EVA. We also did the Taipei layover and it was awesome! Don't miss the museum as it was world class! There was so much to do in Taipei that we could have used longer than our 2 nights /3 days. We also did the Tulumben wreck and it was awesome! Loved it! Also, we have flown Cathay a few times and I hate that their seats do not recline.( the bottom of the seat just slides back) They were super uncomfortable and a lot of people were complaining. Singapore airlines has been awesome every time. Also, check out Korean airlines as we have flown them 2x and it was wonderful each time! Have fun!

 

[Warmwater Wank]

SD98--Hey, I'd fly EVA if it were $400. bucks cheaper! Thing is, it's early for booking if you aren't flying until July. Keep an eye out, use Kayak email alerts etc. End of Nov. we booked China Air into Jakarta for $913 out of SFO and DPS was same price back then. When I looked a few wks ago they were over $1,500. My experience has been I find better deals 30-90 days out. Also China Air runs a lot of specials when the rest of the industry isn't talking deals, but keep checking all airlines that are in the running. (Oh, I have found deals on China Air's website that were not showing on Kayak. Might happen with other carriers too.)

We've stayed at the Vira Bali in Denpassar twice now. Very nice hotel at reasonable rates, markets, shops, beach etc. are nearby and it's only a few miles from the airport. As an overnight, to be near the airport, it's great. I don't think you'll hear most folks suggesting, however, to fly on the day your LOB departs. Depends. A real early flight w/ a real late LOB departure, maybe. Arriving a few hours before the boat leaves? Wouldn't risk it. The tales of cancelled or late flights, baggage not making it etc. are many. It's even more the case on short haul, non-jet routes (especially baggage not making it!!). Domestic Indo flights are getting better, especially Garuda and Lion Air, but other carriers can be, mmmmm...casual.

If you plan to dive on Bali I'd suggest staying near where you dive. You waste too much time driving if you are staying in Denpassar, for instance, and diving Tulamben yet many dive ops do it that way. As soon as you get in a vehicle and leave the airport you'll find out about traffic, roads etc.!

Ratz, now I'm in an Indo funk because we aren't going back until March! // ww

 

[shotdisc98]

SD98--Hey, I'd fly EVA if it were $400. bucks cheaper! Thing is, it's early for booking if you aren't flying until July. Keep an eye out, use Kayak email alerts etc. End of Nov. we booked China Air into Jakarta for $913 out of SFO and DPS was same price back then. When I looked a few wks ago they were over $1,500. My experience has been I find better deals 30-90 days out. Also China Air runs a lot of specials when the rest of the industry isn't talking deals, but keep checking all airlines that are in the running. (Oh, I have found deals on China Air's website that were not showing on Kayak. Might happen with other carriers too.)

Cathay sounds great if you can't recline... I'm the tall guy behind the recliner who gets to use his knees as his tray table.
Kayak has become my homepage over the last few days. I'm always concerned that I might be playing chicken with the rates or with availability if I wait too long. It's a long swim from CA!
In looking at the Black Manta's site, they look like they book the domestic flight for the morning and I agree with you, a day early in LBJ would help with lost baggage and canceled flights.
I was looking at the safaris as a means to have someone drive us around from place to place to see more and dive different areas. Anyone have thoughts on them?

 

[Woodiver]

I'd think twice about the Cathay economy seats, although you don't need to worry about the person in front of you reclining into your knees, the seat is very comfortable and Cathay has taken a lot of heat about the design. Regarding the dive safari, do you really want to spend that many hours in a van each day and having to pack and unpack each day? I agree with Warmwater, find a place to stay in Tulamben and have fun. We stayed at Scuba Seraya so we had the option of doing boat dives in addition to the shore dive on their house reef. We had our own dive guide for the two of us which was very nice, we could decide when and where we wanted to dive. An dawn dive on the Liberty so we were the first on the wreck before the bump heads left, no problem.

 

[Quero]

Cathay sounds great if you can't recline... I'm the tall guy behind the recliner who gets to use his knees as his tray table.
Kayak has become my homepage over the last few days. I'm always concerned that I might be playing chicken with the rates or with availability if I wait too long. It's a long swim from CA!
In looking at the Black Manta's site, they look like they book the domestic flight for the morning and I agree with you, a day early in LBJ would help with lost baggage and canceled flights.
I was looking at the safaris as a means to have someone drive us around from place to place to see more and dive different areas. Anyone have thoughts on them?

Honestly, don't go to LBJ a day early--just spend a day on Bali getting past travel fatigue and jetlag. The lost bag issue isn't between DPS and LBJ. That's a flight that's mere minutes long. The issue is all the international connections that your bags may not make due to falling off a conveyor belt, having a damaged baggage tag, missing a tight connection, etc. The liveaboard operators are very practiced in getting their passengers from DPS to LBJ, and if lost bags or lost connections were a problem, they'd be making other arrangements (such as a day early). So just let the operator sort out your Bali-to-boat bookings, and then if anything gets messed up, they will work to get it fixed up--most of your trip-mates will be on the same flight anyway, and the boat won't leave without them! This is the sort of thing you should follow the advice of the dive ops and travel pros on rather than second guessing this advice. DPS isn't a pleasant place to stay, though it's true that you might be able to get some daytrip diving in if you are there early; OTOH, jumping in the water for a dive almost as soon as you arrive from a trip halfway around the world will seem less appealing to you when you're faced with the fatigue you will be feeling than it does now while you're excited about all the possibilities!

I work with a dive safari op out of Sanur that has satellite ops on Lembongan, Tulamben, Menjangan, and Lombok. I like working with them because the arrangements end up being seamless, and again, if anything goes sideways, they are there to adjust forward plans--one point of contact works wonders for a trip like that, and you pay only one invoice rather than making tons of random payments to different hotels, ops, and transfer companies (ferries). So if you do choose the safari alternative, select an operator that will organize it all for you in the way I describe. There's no need to pack and unpack each day for a dive safari. Stay three days in a couple of locations. I typically recommend Lembongan (for the mola-molas) and Tulamben (for the wreck and critter dives), but I recently had one diver do Tulamben and Menjangan and he was very pleased with those choices.

BTW, Warmwater Wank's advice in #13 couldn't have been said better!