Day 1
Arrival and transfer
MDC to Manado or Bunaken
ABLand at Manado airport. Continue 30–45 minutes by road to a Manado pier, then 30–60 minutes by boat if staying on Bunaken. Late arrivals should sleep in Manado.
North Sulawesi · multi-stop dive trip
Bunaken, Bangka and Lembeh
Walls and turtles in Bunaken, soft-coral pinnacles around Bangka, then black-sand macro diving in Lembeh. Fly in and out of Manado.
- Recommended
- 13 days · 12 nights · 10 dive days
- Bases
- Bunaken, Bangka and Lembeh
- Experience
- Open Water; good buoyancy
- Airports
- Manado (MDC) in and out
- Best overlap
- July–October
- Principal risk
- Weather-dependent transfers
Loading route map…
- A · MDC → Manado pier
- Road · 30–45 min
- B · Manado → Bunaken
- Boat · 30–60 min
- C · Bunaken → Bangka
- Boat · about 1–1½ hr
- D · Bangka → Lembeh
- Boat · about 45–60 min
- E · Lembeh → Bitung
- Boat · 15–30 min
- F · Bitung → MDC
- Road · 1–1½ hr
Direct dive-transfer boats require participating resorts and suitable weather. Mainland transfers are the fallback.
Photo: Sebastian Pena Lambarri / Unsplash
Loading route map…
- A · MDC → Manado pier
- Road · 30–45 min
- B · Manado → Bunaken
- Boat · 30–60 min
- C · Bunaken → Bangka
- Boat · about 1–1½ hr
- D · Bangka → Lembeh
- Boat · about 45–60 min
- E · Lembeh → Bitung
- Boat · 15–30 min
- F · Bitung → MDC
- Road · 1–1½ hr
Direct dive-transfer boats require participating resorts and suitable weather. Mainland transfers are the fallback.
Transport decision
Book the transfers before separate resorts
Some resort groups run dive boats between all three bases, with two dives during each transfer. Other combinations require a boat back to the mainland, a road journey and another short boat. Confirm the exact arrangement before making non-refundable bookings.
When to go
July to October is the cleanest overlap
All three areas operate year-round. Bunaken’s broader good season runs April to October, Bangka’s from May to October, and Lembeh’s cooler macro-focused period is strongest from July to October. Conditions still vary between the two coasts.
Experience check
Certification is not the main constraint
Open Water divers can do this route. Current management matters at Bunaken and Bangka; precise buoyancy matters in Lembeh because fins can disturb the sand and the animals being observed.
Choose the length
Ten, thirteen or sixteen days
Your itinerary
The 13-day plan
10 dive days
This gives each diving style enough time and keeps a surface interval before departure. Dive transfers are optional, not assumed.
Bunaken
Days 1–4 · 4 nights
Day 2
Two or three dives
Bunaken
Begin with a sheltered wall chosen for the current. Expect steep reef topography; the guide should set depth and entry point for the group.
Day 3
Two or three dives
Bunaken
Use a full boat day for another side of the marine park. Turtle sightings are frequent, but currents and visibility vary by wall.
Day 4
Two or three dives
Bunaken or Manado Bay
Choose more wall diving or switch to Manado Bay for sand, rubble and smaller subjects. This gives the trip its first change in diving style.
Bangka Island
Days 5–7 · 3 nights
Day 5
Dive-transfer day
Bunaken to Bangka
CA participating resort can transfer by boat with two dives en route. Published routes from the Bunaken side take roughly 1–1½ hours before dive and surface-interval time. Otherwise return to the mainland and use a road-and-boat transfer.
Day 6
Two or three dives
Bangka Island
Dive soft-coral pinnacles and reef slopes. Exposed sites can carry current, so exact sites depend on wind and sea state.
Day 7
Two or three dives
Bangka Island
Use the second day for a different coast or nearby mainland sites. Bangka-specific seasonal evidence is limited; do not plan around a promised animal encounter.
Lembeh Strait
Days 8–13 · 5 nights
Day 8
Dive-transfer day
Bangka to Lembeh
DParticipating resorts may run a 45–60 minute boat transfer with dives en route. The route rounds North Sulawesi’s tip and remains weather-dependent; a mainland transfer is the fallback.
Day 9
Two or three dives
Lembeh Strait
Start with classic black-sand macro sites. Good buoyancy matters because the bottom is easily disturbed and many subjects are small.
Day 10
Two or three dives
Lembeh Strait
Ask for a different mix of sand, rubble or reef-edge sites rather than repeating a checklist. Sightings remain probabilistic.
Day 11
Two or three dives
Lembeh Strait
Keep the final dive day flexible for sites missed earlier, a house-reef dive or a night dive if the following flight interval permits.
Day 12
No diving · land day
Tangkoko or Bitung
EKeep a full surface interval before flying. A guided Tangkoko visit can fit here; wildlife walks are normally timed for early morning or late afternoon. Stay near Bitung or the airport for an early departure.
Day 13
Departure
Bitung to MDC
EFTravel from Lembeh to Bitung by short boat, then allow roughly 1–1½ hours by road to Manado airport. Resort transfers can take longer when shared.
Cost guide · 13 days
What to budget for
- Comparable package
- A published 12-night, 22-dive package starts at $3,447 per person sharing; premium rooms cost more.
- Independent diving
- One 2026 operator lists €55 per guided boat dive. Compare this with full-board packages before booking separately.
- Transfers
- Three-resort transfers are commonly packaged. Published examples vary by boat, mainland routing and group size.
- Excluded costs
- Allow for flights, equipment rental, nitrox surcharges and the IDR 150,000 Bunaken visitor tag.
International flights, equipment rental and optional private transfers are not included.
Add more time
Useful extensions
Tangkoko Nature Reserve
Add a guided dawn or late-afternoon wildlife walk from the Bitung side. Keep it on a no-dive or post-diving day.
Minahasa Highlands
Add one day for Tomohon and Lake Linow. A separate night is better if the international flight arrives late.
Raja Ampat
Fly from Manado to Sorong, normally with a connection depending on the schedule. Add at least seven nights and another transfer buffer.
Raja Ampat guideSangihe or Halmahera
These require additional flights or boat logistics. Treat either as a separate trip segment rather than an extra day.
Keep the final full day clear of diving
Each version includes a no-dive day. Move to Bitung or Manado that day when the departure flight is early.
Sources & last checked
Checked September 2026
Research is source-backed, but conditions and fees should still be confirmed locally.
View 5 sources and checking notes
- Murex diving rates 2026–2027, Murex Resorts
- Lembeh Resort fact sheet and transfer information, Lembeh Resort
- Boat transfer from Siladen to Lembeh, Siladen Resort
- North Sulawesi resort, diving and transfer rates 2026, Bastianos Dive Resorts
- Bunaken transfer and diving FAQ, Bunaken Oasis
Note on the data: Direct resort-to-resort dive transfers are weather-dependent and not offered by every property. Confirm the route, minimum passenger requirement and included dives before booking separate resorts.