Indonesia
Where can I see your posts on Indonesia?
Click the see articles button on the right sidebar.
When did you travel to Indonesia?
Fletch and I spent three weeks in Indonesia, beginning mid-February, 2019.
Which areas of Indonesia did you visit?
We spent our time in northern Sulawesi. Half of that was on the west coast, just outside the city of Manado, the other half was on the east coast, on Lembeh Island.
Why did you go to Indonesia?
For the scuba diving! Two of our good friends who also work in the dive industry, invited us to go on a diving holiday with them. Lembeh is considered the world capital of muck diving (that is looking for tiny critters hiding in an otherwise un-picturesque landscape), and was a place where none of the four of us had been before.
How did you get to your final destination from the US?
We flew United Airlines domestically to San Francisco (SFO), and then internationally to Singapore (SIN), a journey which took about 26 hours. In Singapore we transferred to Singapore Airlines and flew directly into Manado (MDC), a flight which was just under 4 hours. At the airport, a transfer from our resort picked us up, which we had arranged ahead of time and was included in a package price.
Another option around the Manado area is to take one of the local blue busses. These cost 4000 rupiah (about $0.28 usd) and are more like taxis in that they will take you anywhere you want to go.
What advice do you have for someone visiting Indonesia?
If you are looking to go scuba diving in the Manado and Lembeh area, then make sure you include both if possible! Manado, or more specifically, the nearby Bunaken National Park, is known for beautiful corals and some big pelagics. Lembeh is known for muck diving. The two sceneries are as different as night and day. If you only have time for one location, I would recommend Lembeh. Nowhere else in the world can you find such a vast array of tiny critters. But be warned, diving here requires superior buoyancy skills, and you may not fully appreciate this sort of ecosystem until having logged 100+ dives. If you are traveling with non-divers, know that some spots in Manado/Bunaken are suitable for snorkeling, but not in Lembeh. Lembeh is really a diving destination only; you will be hard pressed to find other activities aside from sunbathing all day.
Many resorts in the area have shops in both locations, and can book your holiday split between both places. This was one of the easier trips I’ve planned as I just let the resort package everything together, from airport transfers to meal plans during our stay. I did my research into which resorts looked like they would best suit our needs, and then sent out emails with all the questions I had, and waited to see who could give us the best offer on a package. Thalassa Dive Resorts is where we ultimately ended up staying, and they were extremely accommodating from beginning to end.
My only other advice is to pick up a local data SIM card for your unlocked phone at the airport. There are kiosks set up just outside the exit. Wifi at both resorts was temperamental, but we never had a problem picking up a cell signal.
Basic Information:
→ Capital: Jakarta
→ Population: 261,115,456
→ Area: 735,358 square miles (1,904,569 square kilometers)
→ Currency: Indonesian rupiah
→ Time Zone: UTC +7 to +9 (various)
→ Official Language: Indonesian
→ Religions: Islam (87.2%), Christianity (9.9%), Hinduism (1.7%), Buddhism (0.7%), Confucianism and others (0.2%)
