Hi,
I recently found an article on Lembeh Straites/Kungkungan Bay written by Ken Knezick.... I found it to be very informative and it kidn of convinced me
not to go to Lembeh
I would go only if I'm into photography (which I'm not). Well, the article is
here and here's a short writeup of how to get there:
On the leeward coast of North Sulawesi, a tiny, crooked road runs northwest of Bitung, shadowing the edge of Lembeh Strait for a few kilometers before coming to a stop at a secluded black sand beach on Kungkungan Bay. A beautifully designed restaurant, glassed on all sides, perches out over the bay. Just offshore are the grassy knolls and chalk cliffs of the Serena Islands, and behind them rises the forested ridge of Lembeh Island. Beneath the calm waters that surround these islands lies one of the richest marine environments in the world.
Diving Lembeh: Rising almost to the surface, rock pinnacles are lush with soft corals and swirling with jacks and massive, vertical schools of barracuda. The bowl of an old lava flow, ringed by jagged black rock, is crowded with delicate coral and the rare, jewel-like mandarin fish. A newly discovered wreck is exquisitely encrusted and alive with fish, octopus, and colorful invertebrates. And an inshore reef, beginning in just inches of water in front of the resort, is filled with unusual scorpionfish, sand eels, cuttlefish, frogfish, nudibranchs, and a seemingly endless array of other treasures. We repeat, KBR is a macro photographer's paradise!
Kungkungan Bay Resort is built on the site of an old coconut plantation, on the quiet side of North Sulawesi, away from the busy city of Manado and the crowds of divers at Bunaken. Because it sits right on the water, the resort is almost always blessed by a cooling breeze, and diving conditions are good all year round. Whether you come for the superb diving, to hike in the nearby nature reserve, or simply to relax, you will find Kungkungan Bay Resort a delightful and enticing holiday retreat.
Getting to Kungkungan Bay Resort - International flights connect from Los Angeles to Singapore or Bali. From there fly Silk Air or Merpati to Manado. Dive package includes transfer from Manado airport to the resort. Contact Island Dreams for more information. And do it now...KBR has quickly become so popular, that it DOES sell out.
Jet service between Singapore and Manado operates Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday on award-winning Singapore Airlines (and its subsidiary Silk Air). You'll enjoy superior jet service (and two checked bags at 66 pounds each) all the way. The KBR program includes lodging and diving as indicated, hotel tax, airport transfers, and 3 meals daily.
Package Pricing - KBR offers a flexible pricing system, allowing you to have 2, 3, or 4 boat dives per day. The Kungkungan program includes round-trip airport transfers from Manado Airport, lodging as indicated, hotel tax, 3 meals daily, and your choice of diving options. Basically the cost is $35 per boat dive, with a maximum of four boat dives per day possible. Unlimited shore diving is provide for every day that you also purchase some boat diving.
I hope this helps.
. You may want to take a look at the magazine before you decide how many days you want to stay. Like Mikimaru said, staying 4 to 5 days............ Hm, for you info, Constantinos spent 5 months at Lembeh Strait!
