How to get to Sorong from Bali

Ok, my dive buddy has been pushing for Raja Ampat (I offered as an option Komodo some time ago - much easier to get to) but he said he'd like to do Raja. Okayyyy...

How do you guys fly from Bali to Sorong? Seems awfully complicated arranging for air transport from Bali to Sorong(I am reading we have to fly to Makassar, change airline(??) to arrive in Sorong.

What are the best options? We're looking to fly there, do a 8-10 day liveaboard, due to time restraints, and fly back.

Also, will we missing out if we skip Misool? The itenerary I was looking at for i.e. Temukira shows they do Waigeo/Kri and north of that.

We're in the process of collecting info on this, so any info would much be appreciated it.

Thanks.

If you fly Singapore Air you can connect with Silk Air (domestic SA) to Manado then connect to Sorong. May have to overnight in Manado. Or fly into Denpasar, connect to Makassar then to Sorong. May have to overnight in Kuta. If you change airlines on domestic flights you need to claim bags & recheck with other airline. Not able to check thru to final destination. Check schedules for Lion Air or Wings (same company) which may get you to Sorong on same airline from Bali. Domestic checked baggage allowance is 20 kg total then charges apply. Singapore Air + Silk will get you from US to Manado on international ticket, so bags check thru & you don't get hit with domestic overweight charges until Manado. Great diving in all of Raja Ampat but Misool has some super wide angle sites. Misool Eco Resort opened there recently.

You'll have to change a few airports and airlines in your want to go to SOQ from DPS. The big hub of UPG (Ujung Pandang) has 2 daily direct flights to SOQ by Merpati and Express Air (I'd avoid this one!). There's another by Merpati that happens several times a week and it's designed to connect from

The non overnight options:

JKT-UPG-SOQ. Lion Air then Merpati or Expres Air all the way.

OR

JKT-UPG-AMQ-SOQ all by Lion/Wings.

The overnight options:

Jcclink has already named a few options. I suggest you get Grand Komodo office to give you all the options available.

Misool is great wideangle destination in the south and of course the blue water mangroves in the northwest. For a good idea of what type of sites are available, look for the book "Diving in Raja Ampat(Empat)" by Burt Jones and Maureen Shimlock. It gives nice overviews of the sites. Obviously, each operator has their own little "secret" sites they cling to as well.

Thanks Drew/Jcc..

Anyone heard of this liveaboard?

http://www.divingseasafari.com/diving-itin...il.php?diving=8

They will start going to Raja in 2010.

Their itinerary is Misool, Kri, Penemu/Jerrief/Yangello Island but no Waigeo(will we be missing anything there?). I'm not familiar with these islands, except from what I've seen on line. Will diving in these areas cover what most of Raja Ampat is about? I know it's a huge area, but for 21 dives at least they do Misool/Kri.

Did a Komodo trip on board Mermaid I last month. The cruise director told me there would be 46 boats diving Raja Ampat this next season. Where are they all coming from????????

Did a Komodo trip on board Mermaid I last month. The cruise director told me there would be 46 boats diving Raja Ampat this next season. Where are they all coming from????????

Probably from Bali?

How is diving in Komodo compared to Raja Ampat? Is there such a great difference in terms of sea life/coral? I personally can take lower temps(i.e. in Komodo) and would've liked to see Cannibal Rock.

Did Komodo last Easter and heading to RA next ...our dive guide reckoned Komodo was better... we shall see... Crystal Rock and Shotgun were brilliant div sites as was Cannibal Rock ... loads of small stuff seen but also some pelagics. Temp in Komodo were 2/3 degrees lower in south around 25/26 - this was Easter but above scenery was stunning although cannot say I rated the dragons!!!

As for the trip out if you go via Manado you will need 2 nights there adsn a night in Sorong if flying from London. On way back we leave RA early morning and come back via Jakarta - adds to the cost but will be back in the UK by the following morning.

Did Komodo last Easter and heading to RA next ...our dive guide reckoned Komodo was better... we shall see... Crystal Rock and Shotgun were brilliant div sites as was Cannibal Rock ... loads of small stuff seen but also some pelagics. Temp in Komodo were 2/3 degrees lower in south around 25/26 - this was Easter but above scenery was stunning although cannot say I rated the dragons!!!

 

As for the trip out if you go via Manado you will need 2 nights there adsn a night in Sorong if flying from London. On way back we leave RA early morning and come back via Jakarta - adds to the cost but will be back in the UK by the following morning.

Komodo seems a lot easier to get to. Even though the hype is on RA, it looks like liveaboards are over priced and all have lengthy iteneraries. From what I've read online, I still don't know if RA has more to offer than Komodo. I.e. a report listed Komodo as being No 1 in biodiversity and RA No 3(???) Isn't all of this purely subjective though?

I'd like to dive RA, but I can't justify the cost, plus 4 days of travelling(round trip). My dive buddy insists we can do an 8 day liv. and still make it back in 2 weeks. Problem is, there aren't many liveboards that offer 8 day trips out there(only GrandKomodo - Putri Papua/Temukira etc.. and Sea Safari 8, a company that I have not heard before(supposedly owned by Kararu). If you know of any, please let us know.

How's the muck diving in Komodo?

Thanks.

What most people don't seem to realize is that there are excellent land-based resorts available with some of the best sites in the Raja Ampat on their doorsteps. The costs are similar to the live-aboards, and you have SPACE for your cameras and yourself. Walks on the beach, magnificent bird-life, beautiful vistas, and the same amount of diving you will find on a live-aboard. PLUS the added advantage of dive-guides that really know their dive-sites; when to dive them, and what to find on them, because they dive them every day, all year round.

Most of the live-aboards go to Raja Ampat only between October and January, and have to dive certain sites as their itinerary dictates. That means they have to dive the site whether it is optimal or not, with a dive-guide that doesn't have enough exposure of the particular area, and we all know the feeling of disappointment when you dive a world-famous dive-site, and it turns out to be a damp squid...

A note on the flights:

Ujung Pandang aka Makassar (UPG) is right in the centre of Indonesia, which makes it a convenient hub. There are 3 flights a day from UPG to Sorong and back. AirAsia.com connects to UPG from Kuala Lumpur, 3 or 4 times a week. Whether you come from Jakarta, or Bali, you have to go through UPG, and if you want to fly from Manado to Sorong on a Sunday, you will have to go through UPG as well. Direct flights only Mondays to Saturdays.

Raja Ampat is special; to travel 4 days is worth every minute, and every dollar. It should be on every diver's bucket list!

Leon

I'm only aware of 2 daily direct flights for UPG-SOQ. The ones by Merpati and Expres Air. Which is the 3rd? Are you referring to the UPG-AMQ-SOQ by Wings? Isn't that just 3 times a week?

I'll give whomever is interested some of the rehash of liveaboards vs land base in Raja Empat:

http://wetpixel.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=25358

Blueline

The Sea Safari boats were leased by Kararu from the Sea Safari Group, which is Indonesian owned. The Kararu ops operates the Cheng Ho now.

Of the budget choices that I've used (and there are many that I've seen but never used so I won't comment), I'll mention a couple:

The Temu Kira is part of the Grand Komodo Group and the ONLY Phinisi boat with dive deck out the back. It's a basic liveaboard and only has single engine small skiffs. I've used them once and it was ok. The crew are good and generally safe.

Another choice is the Shakti with Dave Pagliari, Shared heads and improvements made from customer input has made this boat a nice budget alternative. Since they've been out in R4 for awhile, they know the area well.

I suggest you buy Diving in Raja Ampat by Burt Jones and Maureen Shimlock. They have a good site breakdown of the areas so you'll know where you want to go. Misool to me is a not to be missed part of any trip to R4. But with 8 days, it's not practical to include it.

Fly to Manado and do a side trip to Lembeh.

and having your liveaboard people arranging your air makes things a hell of a lot easier as well.

Batavia flies to Sorong from Jakarta daily, with a stop in UPG, and back. There are rumors that Garuda will start flying to Sorong soon, and that Merpati might cancel that route. BUT these are rumors only.