Travel - 8/7-23, 2027 - North Sulawesi, Indonesia: Lembeh, Banka and Bunaken/Manado

Travel – North Sulawesi, Indonesia – August 2027

Passport to Paradise: Bunaken, Bangka and Lembeh Strait

August 7–23, 2027

Experience a world-class diving adventure across three of North Sulawesi’s most remarkable destinations.

Passport to Paradise takes you from Manado and Bunaken to Bangka Island and Lembeh Strait. You’ll explore more than 150 potential dive sites, with seamless resort-to-resort boat transfers that eliminate the need to repack your dive gear.

Walls, reefs and muck diving. This trip brings them all together with comfortable accommodations, personalized service and flexible diving.

Are you ready to dive into paradise?

Trip Itinerary

August 7 – Arrival in Manado

Our team will meet you at the airport and escort you to Murex Manado. The drive takes approximately 45 minutes to one hour.

When you arrive, you’ll receive a welcome drink and snack before settling into your room. We’ll hold a welcome briefing before dinner, which begins at 6:30 PM.

August 8 – First Day of Diving

Coffee will be available beginning at 6:30 AM, followed by breakfast at 7:00 AM.

We’ll depart at approximately 8:00 AM for two dives in Bunaken National Park. Prepare to explore dramatic walls, colorful reefs and areas known for large populations of sea turtles.

Light refreshments will be served between dives, and we’ll return to the resort for lunch. Optional afternoon, night and blackwater dives will also be available.

August 9–10 – Diving Bunaken

The boats will depart at 8:00 AM for two morning dives around Bunaken National Park.

After returning to the resort for lunch, you may add an afternoon dive, night dive, blackwater dive or bonfire dive.

August 11 – Non-Diving Day

No dives are scheduled, although additional diving may be arranged at your discretion.

Relax by the pool, explore Manado on a city tour or select one of the additional tours and activities described below. Breakfast, lunch and dinner will be served at their usual times.

August 12 – Manado to Bangka

We’ll make our first Passport to Paradise boat transfer from Murex Manado to Murex Bangka Resort.

During the transfer, you’ll complete two dives at remote sites that other resorts rarely visit.

August 13 – First Day of Diving Bangka

The boats will depart at approximately 8:15 AM for two reef dives around Bangka Island.

After lunch at the resort, you may add an afternoon, night or blackwater dive. You can also relax on the white-sand beach or kayak through the mangroves.

August 14–16 – Diving Bangka

Each morning, we’ll complete two dives before returning to the resort for lunch.

Optional afternoon, night and blackwater dives will be available. You may also join a guided trek to the village of Lihunu to experience the culture and daily life of North Sulawesi.

The Lihunu tour costs extra. Kayaking is included.

August 17 – Non-Diving Day

No dives are scheduled, although additional diving may be arranged.

Spend the day relaxing by the pool or choose from the resort’s available tours and activities. Breakfast, lunch and dinner will be served at their usual times.

August 18 – Bangka to Lembeh

We’ll make our second Passport to Paradise boat transfer, traveling from Murex Bangka to Lembeh Resort.

You’ll complete two dives at remote sites during the journey.

August 19–22 – Diving Lembeh Strait

Breakfast begins at 7:00 AM, and the boat will depart at 8:00 AM for the first dive.

After returning to the resort for coffee and snacks, we’ll depart again at approximately 10:45 AM for the second morning dive.

Lembeh’s legendary muck-diving sites reveal an extraordinary collection of marine life, including hairy frogfish, flamboyant cuttlefish, blue-ringed octopuses, hairy shrimp, mimic octopuses and other unusual critters.

Following lunch, you may join an afternoon dive or late-afternoon Mandarin fish dive. Optional blackwater and bonfire dives will also be available.

August 23 – Departure

Complete your stay with an optional full-body massage before packing for your trip home.

Your airport transfer will be scheduled according to your departure flight.

Diving North Sulawesi

— Murex Manado and Bunaken

Explore dramatic walls and healthy hard-coral reefs filled with marine life.

Bunaken is known for its remarkable sea turtle population. Our previous groups counted 33 turtles during one dive and 30 during another.

You may also encounter reef sharks, schooling fish, sea snakes, eagle rays, stingrays, dolphins, pilot whales and abundant macro life.

— Murex Bangka

Bangka combines pristine reefs, colorful soft corals, pelagic life and sought-after macro subjects.

Possible encounters include dolphins, pilot whales, pygmy seahorses, harlequin and tiger shrimp, blue-ringed octopuses, mimic octopuses, reef octopuses, wonderpus, ghost pipefish, Ambon scorpionfish, frogfish, turtles, reef sharks, eagle rays, tuna, barracuda and large schools of fish.

— Lembeh Strait

Known as the Critter Capital of the World, Lembeh Strait offers a style of diving unlike anywhere else. It's the Muck Diving Mecca globally. 

Its diverse habitats support rare and unusual marine life, including eight species of frogfish, 12 species of octopus and three species of pygmy seahorse.

Additional Activities

The following activities cost extra and are not included in the package price.

Minahasa Highland Tour

Explore the culture, history and landscapes of the Minahasa Highlands. The tour can be tailored around the places that interest your group most.

Potential highlights include:

• Tomohon Traditional Market
• Lake Linow
• Mahawu Volcano
• Lake Tondano
• Local villages, farms and cultural sites

Tangkoko National Park

This tour is an excellent option for wildlife lovers and photographers.

Walk through the hills and valleys near Dua Saudara Mountain in search of black-crested macaques, tarsiers, hornbills, cuscus bears and Maleo birds.

Paragliding

Experience aerial views of the Manado coastline and the islands of Bunaken National Marine Park.

Paragliding depends on weather conditions and availability.

Whitewater Rafting

Travel through the rainforest on a guided whitewater rafting adventure.

Calmer portions of the river provide opportunities to watch for wildlife and enjoy the surrounding scenery.

Manado City Tour

Explore Manado’s Chinese temples, churches, local markets and cultural attractions.

Package Options

All package pricing is based on double occupancy.

▪️Standard Room Package – $4,283 per Diver

• Deluxe Cottage at Murex Manado
• Premium Hillside Villa at Murex Bangka
• Premium Luxury accommodations at Lembeh Resort

▪️Premium Room Package – $5,256 per Diver

• Premium Deluxe Cottage at Murex Manado
• Premium Oceanfront Villa at Murex Bangka
• Premium Luxury accommodations at Lembeh Resort

Please contact us for single-occupancy pricing.

What’s Included

• Five nights at Murex Manado
• Six nights at Murex Bangka Resort
• Five nights at Lembeh Resort
• Escorted airport transfers
• All meals and snacks
• Unlimited drinking water, coffee and tea
• 22 guided boat dives
• Two Passport to Paradise boat transfers, each with two dives
• Unlimited complimentary self-guided house-reef diving
• One guided introductory house-reef dive at each resort
• Nitrox

The two dives included with each Passport to Paradise transfer form part of the scheduled transfer. Unused transfer dives cannot be rescheduled or carried over.

Not Included

• Airfare
• Hotels required while in transit
• Rental equipment
• Additional boat dives
• Surcharges for night, bonfire and blackwater dives
• Soft drinks and alcoholic beverages
• Additional snacks and specialty coffees
• Private guide services
• Bunaken National Park entrance fee of IDR 150,000, approximately US$10
• Optional Bangka Conservation Fund donation
• Optional Lembeh Foundation donation
• Additional tours and activities
• Spa treatments
• Single-occupancy supplement

Payment Schedule

A $500 deposit is required to hold your spot.

• 50% of the remaining balance is due by January 7, 2027
• The final balance is due by April 7, 2027

Cancellation Policy

Deposits become nonrefundable after November 7, 2026.

Additional payments become nonrefundable once paid. If you need to cancel, we’ll make every reasonable effort to help you find another diver to take your spot.

At our sole discretion, we may provide a full or partial store credit depending on the circumstances.

Important Payment Notice

Please do not use Shop Pay for trip payments.

Due to the financing fees associated with Shop Pay, we cannot accept trip bookings completed through that payment method.

If you would like to arrange a payment plan, please contact:

• Ben – ben@paragondive.com

We’re happy to create a payment schedule that fits your budget while ensuring you meet the trip’s required payment deadlines.

Questions?

Feel free to contact us with questions about the itinerary, diving conditions, room options, equipment, travel logistics or payment arrangements.