Getting There
Diving in Lembeh - What You Will See
Getting There
To get to Lembeh Island:
1) fly to Manado
2) 1.5-2 hour drive to Bitung (but 55 mins if the driver has one hand on the horn, one hand on the wheel... and one foot permanently on the accelerator. Seriously, we timed it on the way back)
3) If your resort is on Lembeh Island, it's just a 10-minute ferry ride to the island
If you live in Singapore, it's not as complicated as it sounds and you can get there in a matter of hours.
Tips
Go to the toilet at Changi Airport, on the plane and at the Manado airport - but only in the toilet next to the luggage belt before you come out. (The toilet outside can sometimes get a bit wet and smelly). Then hold it in till you reach the resort.
There are no toilet breaks during the drive, no public toilets at the harbour or Police Pier, and no toilets on the ferry.
If you're staying on Lembeh Island, wear something knee-length and rubber flip flops. There might not be a jetty at the resort, so you might have to hop off the boat into knee-high water.
Singapore - Manado
Silkair flies direct to Manado four times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. The flight time is about 3.5 hours.
Toilets in Changi Airport and Silkair planes: excellent
Toilets in Manado International Airport (Sam Ratulangi): generally clean but wet, and sometimes no hand soap. You will need to bring your own toilet paper. Important tip: the nicer toilet in the airport is inside the arrival hall, next to the luggage belt and before you come out of the glass doors. It's cleaner than the public toilet outside where you wait for your vehicle (see first two tips in the green box on the right). When you're leaving Manado, the toilets in the departure area after immigration are so-so. I try to avoid them.
Manado - Bitung
Your resort should pick you up from the airport and drive you to Bitung. The drive takes about 1.5-2 hours, and depending on your guide, you may go straight there without stopping, or the drive may include a stopover to buy rambutans from the roadside, another stopover at the local supermarket (have Rupiah handy if you want to stock up on biscuits or toiletries), and even a stopover at a little bookshop!
Chivalry Meter: Good (the driver will help load your luggage and even slow down when you're trying to take a picture of the scenery outside)
Only the highways have smooth asphalt roads. Everywhere else the roads are a little bumpy or with potholes.
At Bitung, you will be driven straight to your resort if staying on the mainland (about another 20-30 minutes), or if you're staying on Lembeh Island, you will be brought to either the Bitung Harbour port or to Police Pier to board the boat. If you're going via Police Pier, there is one moment towards the end of the drive, on a windy road on the hill summit, somewhere after a tuna fish sign, where you turn a corner and you're greeted with a spectacular view of the green mountains, a blue sky, and sparkling waters of the bay below. Designed to make you go 'wow', especially on a sunny day. It reminded me of Darrell Rivers' drive to Malory Towers (Enid Blyton).
Bitung - Lembeh
Upon arrival at either Bitung harbour or Police Pier, you will transfer to a boat which will bring you to Lembeh Island.
Chivalry Meter: Good
The ferry ride to Lembeh Island is all of 10-15 minutes and includes some really cool scenery.
