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MANADO, SULAWESI Year:2005 Spectacular diving from Indonesia's 'starfish island' Season: Year-round diving Visibility: 12-30 metres Water temperature: 27-30°C
Set in the middle of the Indonesian archipelago, and astride the equator, the starfish-shaped island of Sulawesi hosts a rich marine environment. Something like 3,000 species of fish populate the Indonesian islands and seemingly a high proportion of them live in the waters that surround Sulawesi! Close to the northern tip of the island is the bustling town of Manado, easily reached by direct flight from Singapore. Only a few miles away, within an easy boat ride, is the Bunaken-Manado Tua Marine Park, an area of great underwater beauty. Here you may see varieties of fish species and invertebrates that have rarely been encountered before the local dive guides frequently spot new species for the area or even sometimes undescribed species. Schooling species and colourful reef fish are all to be found in abundance, and with luck you may encounter a pod of Short-finned Pilot Whales or dolphins whilst travelling to the dive sites. The Bunaken-Manado Tua Marine Park boasts one of the richest varieties of marine life in the world. Coral reefs surround each of the five islands within the reserve, beginning with a flat reef crest at about 3 metres and then sloping down steeply or dropping off vertically for hundreds of metres. The walls are crowded with hard and soft corals, barrel sponges, sea fans, whip corals and red and orange encrusting sponges. Amidst all this is an abundance of brightly coloured tunicates and a profusion of colourful feather stars perched on upstanding corals and sea fans. Vast schools of smartly coloured Pyramid Butterflyfish and masses of anthias dance around the reef edge and the upper part of the wall. Banded Sea Snakes are frequently seen winding their way through the crevices in the reef. White-tip Reef Sharks, Napoleon Wrasse, Spotted Eagle Rays and Bumphead Parrotfish are but a few of the larger fish regularly seen. Leaf Scorpionfish, the weird Giant Frogfish, blennies and gobies, and Blue Ribbon Eels (including the yellow female and black and yellow juvenile forms) are less easy to spot but are not uncommon. There are at least 20 recognized dive sites, mostly concentrated off the south and west coasts of Bunaken Island. Most dives are slow drifts along the reef wall but some sites have an occasional stronger current offering a more exciting drift, while others are interesting muck dives' on areas of silty sand or coral rubble. What better dive site to start with than Mandolin Point on the western side of Bunaken? A wide flat reef top only a metre or so deep is bounded by a steep drop-off where you can explore at your own chosen depth. Luxuriant coral growth on the wall provides a suitable background for an abundance of purple, yellow and white tunicates that sit like ceramic ornaments on the ledges and encrusting sponges. White-tip Reef Sharks, barracudas, sea snakes and turtles are often spotted here. At Fukui Point the stepped profile of the reef is encrusted with an amazing field' of stony corals, including table, elkhorn, staghorn, lace, brain and cabbage, covering the gently sloping hillside'. Carefully search amongst the arms' of the colourful crinoids and you are may be rewarded with a sight of an Ornate Ghost Pipefish. These remarkably camouflaged small fish (well-beloved of the underwater photographer) float head down within or close to the arms of the crinoid and at first glance may appear like a detached piece of the crinoid's arms'. The dive guides will be sure to point out to you the giant clams. Four giant clams with iridescent blue, green, purple, brown and black mantles lie in a regimented formation. Their slowly opening and closing siphons offer an amazing opportunity to gaze right inside the animal! The sloping reef gradually gives way to the deeps and at this point large schools of Teira Batfish glint and shimmer silver and gold in the sunlight while barracuda and schools of Midnight and Black Snappers drift over the reef. A curious Napoleon Wrasse is often attracted to the boat anchorage to gaze warily at the strangers from beyond his realm. At the marvellous Engine Point (named because a brand-new boat engine was lost overboard just off here in 100 metres!) the entire dive can be completed within the top 12 metres. A pair of Blue Ribbon Eels live in adjacent holes, but occasionally pose for visitors by snarling' and gaping out of the same hole. Goldspeck Jawfish (fascinating fish who incubate their young within their mouths) can be seen warily peeping from their borrow and Mantis Shrimps, either hiding in crevices or scuttling frantically around before zooming under a rock, are a common sight here. Beautiful and brightly-coloured nudibranchs can be found in abundance and the sharp-eyed dive guides may be able to find you a strange and almost perfectly camouflaged Robust Ghost Pipefish floating like a fragment of dead turtle grass. A night dive at Black Rock will certainly rate as spectacular, even by those who normally shun the idea of night diving! Coral bommies litter this shallow sandy shelf and the jewels of the ocean are certainly here to see. Slowly wandering sea urchins with their small families' of fish and shrimps walk' over the sand in a glow of red and black when spotlighted. Perhaps a hermit crab whose shell is decorated with swaying anemones may crawl past. Deep crimson sea hares', stroll along the sand. Peep into a crevice or under a rocky shelf to find the small elegant Banded Pipefish or perhaps a surprise if a Black-edged Conger Eel is hunting there! Why not use the safety stop to wriggle around and produce your own light show from the luminescent micro-organisms?! For those staying at the Santika Manado Hotel, trips can be arranged to the wonderful and remote Bangka Island with Thalassa Dive Centre. The journey takes about one hour by Thalassa's swift speedboat and is well-worth taking! Sahaung Island has most extensive soft coral gardens of a type rarely seen in this area. Descend to about 20 metres and look up at the glowing flowers' of orange, yellow, white, pink and blue corals festooning the low walls. To add to this enchanting Technicolor display one may also witness black coral polyps feeding, along with the gorgeous citrus yellow polyps of the Tubastrea corals. Further to the north, and only accessible by liveaboard, lies a chain of volcanic islands called the Sangihe-Talaud Archipelago : dozens of islands, some of which are over 1500 meters high and densely covered by coconut palms and forest. This area has some of the deepest and clearest water on the planet and offers the chance of encounters with large pelagics or even whales. In this area semi-active underwater volcanoes are still releasing gas bubbles into the sea, forming shower curtains' of tiny silver bubbles. For those wishing to take a break from diving, Northeast Sulawesi offers some fascinating attractions. A short car drive away is the volcano Mahawu. A trek up a well trodden path through lush thick vegetation brings you to the top of the crater. Walk around the perimeter and look down on the seething turquoise cauldron. Drive alongside rich green rice fields by Lake Tondano where local fish farmers and their families live on the water in timber shacks balanced on stilts, or make a trip through small villages alive with local life. Enjoy the spectacular mountain scenery or explore the tropical rain forest at Tangkoko in search of the Spectral Tarsier, the smallest carnivorous monkey in the world, Black Macaques (four tribes of these wonderful primates live in the forest here and are easily seen) numerous bird species that are only to be found on Sulawesi and huge iridescent butterflies.
SANTIKA MANADO HOTEL Built on a low hill above the shoreline, the attractive Santika Manado Hotel looks out across the sea to the offshore islands, including Bunaken and the conical Manado Tua. There are 101 very well-appointed guest rooms with en-suite facilities and air-conditioning. Most rooms are situated in the main hotel, but there are also 28 cottages scattered about the grounds. Superior and Deluxe rooms have a large double bed or twin beds, en suite bathroom (with shower only in Superior Rooms) and balcony. Deluxe Rooms have a more scenic view across the sea to Manado Tua. The Deluxe Cottages offer especially spacious and well-equipped accommodation with a king-sized bed or large twin beds. They have a spacious, well-equipped bathroom. Separated by a screen from the main bedroom area is a small living area' with sofa and low table. A small private terrace with chairs offers the opportunity to sit outside. The hotel has a lovely swimming pool with pool-side bar. The impressive public areas are especially pleasant, being built in local style and open to any breezes blowing in from the sea. The restaurant serves local Indonesian and International cuisine. A very pleasant bar area serves an excellent variety of cocktails! If you want high quality accommodation while diving at Manado, this is now the obvious choice. Non-diving partners will certainly appreciate the comfortable facilities. The Thalassa Dive Centre at the hotel is a PADI 5 star centre and is run by Simone Gerittson, an enthusiastic Dutch expatriate. Thalassa has all the latest equipment and their fast aluminium dive boats or powerfully driven wooden boats will whisk you out to dive sites at Bunaken in a mere 10-20 minutes! Situated close to the hotel's swimming pool, the dive centre is connected by a long walk-way to the boat pier and your dive gear will be taken to and from the boats for you. At the end of the day you can take a hot shower at the dive centre and enjoy complimentary coffee and snacks in the pleasant reception area. On some evenings lively entertainment is provided in Thalassa's bar. Thalassa's diving programme includes two dives at different sites and a picnic lunch taken either on the boat or on a beach. Those opting for three dives per day leave the dock earlier and take two dives in the morning and one in the afternoon. Thalassa is used to catering for keen underwater photographers and the dive guides here are remarkably skilful at finding rare or unusual marine critters' to fascinate and excite their clients. Trips to Bangka Island and also to Lembeh Strait can be arranged locally for an additional charge (currently US$15 per person for the former, US$20 for the latter). Night dives can also be arranged locally.
Superior Room £254 (non-divers: £151) for 5 nights £311 (non-divers: £178) for 6 nights £368 (non-divers: £205) for 7 nights
Deluxe Room £274 (non-divers: £171) for 5 nights £335 (non-divers: £202) for 6 nights £396 (non-divers: £233) for 7 nights
Deluxe Cottage £299 (non-divers: £191) for 5 nights £365 (non-divers: £226) for 6 nights £431 (non-divers: £261) for 7 nights Includes: " Airport transfers. " 5, 6 or 7 nights room and breakfast accommodation on a twin/share basis at Santika Manado Hotel. " 8, 10 or 12 boat dives (including lunches on days when 2 or 3 dives taken), dive guide, cylinders and weights. Supplement for extra boat dives (up to 3 per day are available): £18 per dive
Additional Nights: Superior Room: £57 (without diving £27) Deluxe Room: £61 (without diving £31) Deluxe Cottage : £66 (without diving £35) Single Occupancy Supplement: £16 per night in a Superior Room, £21 per night in a Deluxe Room, £24 per night in a Deluxe Cottage. Deposit: £100
MINAHASA LAGOON Opened in August 2003, the luxurious and elegant Minahasa Lagoon is situated in extensive grounds just a 45-minute drive away from Manado Airport. Thirteen cottages, hand-built from wood imported from the Moluccas, are built in traditional architectural style. Each spacious cottage is fully air-conditioned with a view of the sea from the privates balcony. All rooms feature en-suite bathrooms. Most cottages have one large bed and two twin beds located within a smaller room off the main bedroom. The resort has two restaurants: the Beach Restaurant and the Jungle Restaurant. The Beach Restaurant and Bar serves Italian food. The Jungle Restaurant, situated higher up the hill and amidst the rainforest, has lovely views across the lagoon and serves Indonesian food. The owners of the resort have worked hard to make sure that the resort has as little impact on the environment as possible, whilst offering uniquely comfortable and luxurious accommodation with modern facilities. Telephone and internet services are available in each cottage. The well-equipped dive centre has 2 comfortable dive boats and can arrange special trips to Lembeh Straits and Bangka Island on request. 2 boat dives are offered as standard daily, plus night dives on some nights. A third daily boat dive may be arranged locally for an extra charge of €10 per dive (around £7), as can shore diving on Ti Toi, the house reef. The liveaboard Ocean Rover operates a series of 10 night cruises out of Minahasa Lagoon from June to August. £588 (non-divers £413) between 1 January-30 April and 1 November-15 December £735 (non-divers £560) between 1 May-30 June and 1 September-31 October £833 (non-divers £658) between 1 July-31 August and 16-31 December Includes: " Airport transfers. " 7 nights full board accommodation (breakfast, lunch and dinner) on a twin/share basis at Minahasa Lagoon. " 5 days diving (2 boat dives daily, plus 1 night dive), dive guide, cylinders and weights. Supplement for 6 days of diving: £35. Additional Nights: £94 (without diving: £59) between 1 January-30 April and 1 November-15 December; £115 (non-divers £80) between 1 May-30 June and 1 September-31 October; £129 (non-divers £94) between 1 July-31 August and 16-31 December. Single Occupancy Supplement: £24 between 1 January-30 April and 1 November-15 December; £35 between 1 May-30 June and 1 September-31 October; £45 between 1 July-31 August and 16-31 December. Important: those making short stays at Minahasa Lagoon in connection with Ocean Rover cruises who wish to dive will be charged £4 per night over and above the additional night rate for divers. Deposit: £100
MIMPI Mimpi , which means 'dream' in the local language, is a lovely small, wooden, two-masted, motor sailing boat operated by the well-run Thalassa Dive Centre at Santika Manado Hotel. The boat is perfect for individual divers or small groups and offers simple but comfortable accommodation for up to 8 guests in two Double Cabins and two Twin Cabins, which are all on the lower deck. Double Cabins have a queen-sized bed, air-conditioning and private bathroom with shower (tropical temperature' water supplies only). The Twin Cabins each have one larger lower bed and one single upper bed and also have air-conditioning and private bathrooms. There is an air-conditioned dining/living area on the upper deck, equipped with stereo, television and a small library, with a direct connection to the dive deck. The upper deck also has a large area for relaxing (sun deck mattresses are provided, if you want to top up your sun tan). Five local crew are available to look after you during your stay. The chef serves a generous breakfast, tasty lunches and both delicately-spiced Indonesian dishes or international dishes at dinner. Dinner will be served on the top deck whenever possible. Although alcohol is not included in the price, it is possible to enjoy a beer or wine with meals and also after dinner drinks, as these can be purchased on board. On-board navigation is taken care of using GPS, radio and cellular phone. There are 20 cylinders filled from 2 compressors, so full air tanks are always available. The boat has 220-volt charging facilities for photographers. Safety is of fundamental importance and each trip is accompanied by an expert Divemaster who is trained in diving first aid. Oxygen is available in the event of an incident and there is a full first aid kit on the boat. Most dives will be taken from a tender boat which can nip you back to Mimpi as quickly as possible after your dive. From March to December, Mimpi operates 5 nights trips to the six island of the Bangka Archipelago and the Lembeh Straits. When the boat anchors for the night near Tangkoko National Park it should be possible to see the Black Macaque monkeys which play and feed in the trees growing from the black sand beaches. It is, of course, possible to link two trips and make a 10 nights cruise. If the weather allows, the boat will also visit the Sangihe-Talaud Archipelago. Pods of pilot whales and dolphins are often sighted from the boat whilst under sail. Mimpi sails at 0900 on the day of departure and returns in time for lunch on the last day. Contact us for cruise dates. £509 Includes: " 5 nights cruise on Mimpi on a twin /share basis with full board. " 4 full days of diving (up to 4 dives per day) plus one or two dives on the last day, cylinders and weights. Single Occupancy Supplement: If you are travelling alone and are willing to share a twin cabin with a fellow passenger of the same sex you can avoid paying any supplement. If you prefer to have a cabin to yourself a 75% supplement applies. Deposit: £150 Small Group Charters: Mimpi is small enough to appeal to small groups of friends or families wanting a whole boat charter to themselves. The cost for a 5 nights charter is £3565. Deposit: £1000.
OCEAN ROVER Ocean Rover is a 30 metre x 8 metre steel-hulled motor vessel with three Hino V-10 engines. The boat sleeps up to 16 guests in 8 air-conditioned cabins. Four cabins are situated on the upper deck and four are situated on the main deck. Each cabin has a private bathroom, individually controlled air-conditioning and internet connections for laptop computers. The four upper deck and two of the main deck cabins are designed with a lower queen-sized bed and an upper single bed. They also have panoramic window views. The two forward main deck cabins have two single beds, one upper and one lower, and the cabins have porthole views. Also on the main deck is a comfortable air-conditioned salon with a dining area, entertainment centre with video facilities, a camera charging table and a library of marine life reference books. The aft part of the upper deck is partly shaded with lounge chairs and hammocks for relaxing between dives. A mix of Thai and Western food, with the emphasis particularly on seafood, is served buffet-style in the salon. Chef Somnuck takes great pride in the selection of the foods on offer, so there will be something for every palate. Special diets do not present a problem. Many passengers on Ocean Rover consider the food to be amongst the best ever sampled on a liveaboard boat! The huge whale deck' slopes down to the waterline making diver entry as easy as it can possibly be. This is a boat which prides itself on its facilities for the underwater photographer and the whale deck' offers plenty of space to park cameras right before and right after the dive. Ocean Rover has several large fresh-water rinse tanks, large camera worktables (set at two different heights to accommodate tall as well as short photographers!), E-6 slide processing, light tables, a battery charging station, camera equipment rental and photo-tuition, along with a crew dedicated to helping you get those superb images! A newly-built, dedicated camera workshop provides a safe haven for underwater photographers. A colour TV/monitor is available for those with an interest in video. Both 220 and 110 volt current is provided for recharging strobes and batteries. From June to August, Ocean Rover operates a series of 10 nights cruises departing from Minahasa Resort, Manado and will visit three main areas: Bunaken and Bangka Islands with their rich reefs of hard corals and walls of softly swaying, beautiful and colourful soft corals, Lembeh Strait with its stunning variety of weird marine life and the Sangihe Archipelago with its near-quiescent volcanoes. The boat will spend roughly one third of the cruise in each area but will always remain flexible to take advantage of favourable weather conditions, special marine life encounters and customer preference. 2005 Cruise Schedule: 10-20 June, 24 June-4 July, 8-18 July, 22 Juy-1 August, 5-15 August. £1944 Includes: " Transfers from the airport to Minahasa Lagoon Resort (or to another hotel if preferred) on arrival and from the Minahasa Lagoon Resort to the airport (or another hotel) following disembarkation. (Additional transfers can be arranged at an extra charge.) " 10 nights cruise on Ocean Rover on a twin/share basis with full board (but excluding dinner on the evening of embarkation). " 9 days diving (up to 4 or 5 dives per day including night dives where the location is suitable), cylinders and weights. Note: Embarkation is from 1800, with departure of the boat from the dock at 2000. Make sure that you have eaten already, as dinner is not served on board on the first night. Ocean Rover cruises end at 0700 on the last day of the cruise. Please note : A port/national park fee, payable in US$ cash only, will be collected on the day the cruise departs. The fee is currently US$100. Due to the difficulty in obtaining US$ cash locally it is important to bring the correct amount from home. Additional Cruise: A 10% discount applies. Single Occupancy Supplement: If you are travelling alone and are willing to share a twin cabin with a fellow passenger of the same sex you can avoid paying any supplement. If you prefer to have a cabin to yourself a 100% supplement applies. Deposit: £600
FLIGHTS The airfares shown are the least expensive fare category available at the time of going to press. We will quote you the airfare applicable, based on current fare levels and booking class availability, at the time of booking. The usual airfare deposit is £100.
SINGAPORE AIRLINES Depart by Singapore Airlines on Sunday, Tuesday or Friday morning from London (Heathrow) bound for Singapore, arriving the following morning and connecting with a Silk Air flight arriving in Manado in the early afternoon. Return flights leave Manado on Monday, Wednesday or Saturday afternoons, connecting with a Singapore Airlines late evening departure from Singapore that arrives at London (Heathrow) the next morning. Sunday, Tuesday and Friday flights are also available from Manchester at no extra charge. £648 for departures 1 January-30 June (excluding Easter) £691 for departures 16 August-9 December £754 for departures at Easter, 24-31 December £816 for departures at 1 July-15 August £898 for departures 10-23 December Includes: " Scheduled flights London (Heathrow)/Singapore/London (Heathrow) by Singapore Airlines. " Scheduled flights Singapore/Manado/Singapore by Silk Air.
SINGAPORE STOP-OVERS Why not take the opportunity to explore Singapore as part of your holiday? Singapore Airlines fly between London and Singapore daily and stop-overs are available at no additional airfare. We can arrange your hotel accommodation: for details please see the Southern Thailand entry in this brochure.
COMBINING MANADO AND KUNGKUNGAN BAY Why not combine an exploration of the Manado region with a stay at the fabulous Kungkungan Bay Resort, situated on the south side of the northern starfish arm' of Sulawesi and world famous for its unusual creatures and especially its macro life'. The cost of staying at Kungkungan Bay Resort can be found in the Kungkungan Bay brochure entry. Reports from previous trips to MANADO, SULAWESI: (1) (2) |