22 Days Exploring the Incredible Reefs and Sea Life of the Coral Triangle From Three Stunning Resorts
October 15 – November 5, 2028
Wow, wow, wow. A lucky group of 16 snorkelers will experience this epic North Indonesia snorkeling trip which visits three stunning areas of the Coral Triangle in Indonesia, from three beautiful resorts.
Your first stop is Bunaken National Marine Park in north Sulawesi, and you will be staying right in the park at the remarkable Siladen Resort. The reefs here are rich with healthy corals, schools of fish in great varieties, and tons of turtles.
Next you will explore Halmahera from the Kusu Island Resort. This is dream snorkeling, with a vibrant house reef, full of life, and many nearby reefs you will visit by boat, and some great night snorkeling opportunities.
Your third destination will be Raja Ampat, from the Papua Explorers Resort. Located near the Dampier Strait, you will see lush soft corals, sea fan forests, and hard coral plateaus. You will have many chances to see manta rays, wobbegong (carpet) sharks and epaulette (walking) sharks, as well as several types of turtles, and a variety of colorful reef fish.
This small group trip is exclusively for snorkelers and is being run by our partner and friend Ben and his team. Based in the U.K., they are experts in the Coral Triangle, run amazing excursions, and have a great appreciation for the underwater world.
Watch the Video Below for a Quick Preview
The North Indonesia Snorkeling Trip Itinerary and Map
You start this North Indonesia snorkeling trip once you arrive at the Jakarta Airport. You will have one night in a comfortable airport hotel. You will meet your guide and group at a welcome dinner that evening. The next morning your group will take a flight to Manado.
At the airport in Manado you will be met by staff from The Siladen Resort, who will transfer you by vehicle and a short boat ride to their island, which is within the Bunaken National Marine Park.
You will have six nights at the Siladen Resort, using it as a home base to explore by boat different snorkel spots close by.
Next you will be taken back to the airport in Manado, for a short flight to Labuha in South Halmahera. The staff from the Kusu Island Resort will then transfer you by vehicle and boat to their resort island.
You will have six nights at the Kusu Island Resort, exploring their amazing house reef, and taking boat rides out to close snorkel reefs.
Next you will be shuttled by boat and vehicle back to Labuha for a quick flight to Manado, where you will spend one night at a comfortable hotel near the airport, enjoy a little down time, and have a group dinner at the hotel’s restaurant.
The next morning, you will fly from Manado to Sorong, where you will be met by the staff of the Papua Explorers Resort. A short vehicle ride, and a 1.5 hour boat ride will bring you to their resort for seven nights, with days filled with extraordinary Raja Ampat snorkeling.
After your stay at Papua Explorers you will be transferred back to Sorong where you will catch your final flight to Jakarta, where the tour ends.
About Snorkeling Bunaken and Siladen Resort
The snorkeling in Bunaken National Marine Park is full of colorful vibrant reefs with high biodiversity. The 343 square miles of marine park boast an astounding variety of hard and soft corals, many sea turtles, giant clams, butterflyfish, triggerfish, and a variety of other fish species. Bubble and carpet anemones with red, orange, and yellow clownfish are everywhere. And watch for the tiny bright spots that are nudibranchs on the reefs.
The island reefs start very shallow near shore, then drop off into steep walls that plunge down into great ocean depths. These depths create ocean currents that bring cooler waters and nutrients, which is one reason why the reefs are so full of life and healthy.
You will have two boat snorkel sessions per day for five days from Siladen.
The Siladen Resort snorkel boats are large wooden boats with shade covered areas for getting on your gear, and also a sun deck. You will also find a toilet and fresh water soak and rinse tanks on board. Exiting the water is via a ladder on the side of the boat.
When it comes to an exclusive island experience Siladen Resort is hard to beat. Siladen Resort and Spa is set around a large pool, with villas dotted around the manicured garden and beachfront, each with ensuite facilities, air-conditioning and private patio. The resort faces west towards the mountain island of Manado Tua and the gorgeous sunsets.
The private, well-appointed Beach View and Garden View Villas are either on or meters from a white sand beach with beautiful views.
The villas have en-suite open-air bathrooms, air-conditioning, a desk, TV, and private patios.
The rooms are air-conditioned. And the restaurant serves an excellent and delicious mix of international and local dishes. They are usually able to accommodate guests with special dietary requirements.
The restaurant is usually set up under the trees on the beach for lunch and dinner and in an open air dining room for breakfast. It serves an excellent and delicious mix of international and local dishes, usually buffet style. They are able to accommodate guests with special dietary requirements with prior notice.
There is a bar next to the pool with access to the beach where you can have a drink after your long day of snorkeling.
The resort has a full service spa where you can choose to pamper yourself with a massage or scrub.
About Snorkeling Halmahera and Kusu Island Resort
For the next section of this trip, you will be staying at Kusu Island Resort, in the waters to the south of Halmahera, between Sulawesi and Raja Ampat. The reefs in Halmahera have astounding biodiversity, and are very healthy. They are shallow and abundant with hard and soft corals, and clouds of reef fish to delight snorkelers. A scientific survey by Dr. Gerry Allen noted over 800 species of fish, second only to Misool in Raja Ampat.
You will venture out by snorkel boat for five full days to two sites in the morning, and another after lunch. Plus the house reef at the resort also offers exceptional snorkeling. And there may be night snorkeling opportunities here also.
Where the reefs are concerned, aside from one very long and very shallow coral-covered sea mound, most are fringing reefs that extend from the shoreline and gradually start to slope away from an island before turning into interesting walls or steep slopes.
When touring through the Halmahera Islands you can expect to see not only a wide variety of corals, but also Black-tip Reef Sharks, large rays, Napoleon Wrasse, the huge Bumphead Parrotfish, tuna, and Giant Trevally.
Most of the snorkel spots are around small islands, with gently sloping reefs in perfect depths for snorkelers. You will see beautiful sea fans, barrel sponges, fields of staghorn coral, and gorgeous colorful soft corals.
You can expect to see large schools of mackerel, spadefish, and unicornfish on most outings. You will also see many turtles, sea snakes, eels, crabs, shrimps, and pipefish. And clouds of pink and purple anthias hover over the shallow reefs, along with huge schools of fusilier. It is not uncommon to see five or more species of each – butterflyfish, parrotfish, triggerfish, anemonefish, and angelfish – on each snorkel site!
The area is also excellent for night snorkeling, where you will likely see lots of cuttlefish, octopus, and squid, moray eels, lobsters, small rays and crocodile flatheads, as well as the Halmahera Epqulette Shark, which is a type of bamboo “walking” shark. You can bring your own snorkel light or rent one from the resort.
Your daily snorkel boat from Kusu Resort will be a large comfortable fiberglass speedboat with a full canopy and plenty of space to gear up. The boat has a large wooden ladder for exiting the water.
Kusu Island Resort occupies the southern portion of the stunningly beautiful Kusu Island, with sandy beaches, mangroves, hiking trails, jungle, and a wonderful open air restaurant.
You will have six nights at Kusu Island Resort. The resort is not only in an ideal location, it is also a joy to relax in when you are not out snorkeling. Your beautiful Ocean Villa is located on the shoreline, either over the water, or slightly back on a sandy beach.
Each villa has a large private deck, sun loungers, a hammock built into the deck, an open air en-suite bathroom, and is backed by a lush jungle. There are fresh water showers on each deck to rinse off after a dip in the ocean.
The Kusu Island Resort’s restaurant is right on the waterfront, with stunning views. There is a lounge area with comfortable seating for enjoying the company of your fellow snorkelers. And the restaurant serves excellent food of Asian and international specialties. Special dietary requirements can normally be met with a little advance notice.
Please note that Kusu Island Resort does not have 24-hour power. The resort turns off the generator that powers the resort at midnight and then back on again at 6am. The rooms do remain cool with the sea breeze throughout the night, particularly with the balcony doors open.
About Snorkeling Raja Ampat and Papua Explorers Resort
You may have heard of the incredible underwater biodiversity of the Coral Triangle area of Indonesia. Well, Raja Ampat is known to have the most species of marine life in all of the Coral Triangle. There are nearly 1,500 species of reef fish, 600 species of hard corals, seven giant clams species, seven species of sea turtles, and 57 species of mantis shrimp. And pelagic life is abundant in the area.
You will have unlimited access to the house reef and six days of three boat snorkel sessions per day. On both the house reef, and the many other reefs close by that you will visit by boat, you can expect to see healthy coral gardens dense with hard and soft corals in perfect snorkeling depths. You will find large volumes and varieties of fish schools, and will have good chances seeing bigger fish such as manta rays, reef sharks, and schools of barracuda and jacks.
Why is there so much life around the Papua Explorers Resort? The resort is located on the edge of the Dampier Strait, in the central region of a marine protected area. The strait pumps nutrient rich waters through the area which supports an abundance of marine life, large and small.
You will experience a great variety of underwater ecosystems, all close to the resort, from shallow fringing reefs to sea mounts, walls, mangroves fringed by reef, and manta cleaning stations.
Beneath the surface swarms of small fish such as damsels, fusiliers, and anthias mill about on the reef flats, while not too far away large schools of tuna, trevally, and mackerel congregate. Spadefish, surgeonfish, and barracuda gather under docks and around reef points, while angelfish and butterflyfish decorate both the reef flats and jagged coral towers. Expect fields of soft corals like you’ve never seen them before, and hard coral reefs are healthy and abundant as well.
Papua Explorers has a large fiberglass speedboat with a full canopy that is used for the daily snorkel excursions. It has plenty of room to store items that need to stay dry, like cameras. The boat has a large wooden ladder, but no toilet on board.
At Papua Explorers Resort your overwater bungalow is built in traditional Papuan style with local materials, but with modern comforts. All bungalows are equipped with a bathroom, including a shower with hot water, a ceiling fan, a mosquito net, a working desk, and a comfortable seating area.
The rooms do not have air-conditioning, but with the rooms being over the water and with the ceiling fans, they are cool. Enjoy sunsets and sunrises on your spacious veranda, with a hammock and comfortable lounge chairs. You also have your own stairs down into the sea. There is satellite based WiFi internet available in the common areas.
The resort restaurant also sits over the water, and is an excellent place to view the stunning surroundings. You will be served traditional Indonesian cuisine as well as international comfort foods and snacks between snorkels. The resort can accommodate most special diets such as vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, and so on. But, it is a remote destination and specific food items may not be available.
Trip Details and How to Sign Up
This is a small group trip and we expect it to fill quickly. Your spot is reserved with your deposit. Contact Ben below for deposit instructions.
Trip Date:
October 15 – November 5, 2028 – Available.
Trip Price:
$11850 US per person (Twin/Double Share) Garden View Villa at Siladen, Ocean Villa at Kusu, and Deluxe Overwater Bungalow at Papua Explorers
$12450 US per person (Twin/Double Share) Beach View Villa at Siladen, Ocean Villa at Kusu, and Deluxe Overwater Bungalow at Papua Explorers
Single Person Supplement: $3000 US
The initial deposit for this trip is $800 US per person. At 12 months before departure there is a $1000 US per person interim deposit. At six months before departure there is a $1000 US per person interim deposit. The final balance will be due three months before departure. A few payment options are available including debit and credit cards.
Individual travelers – Ben will happily find someone of the same sex for you to share a room with to avoid the single person supplement. If he cannot find you someone, no single supplement surcharge will apply.
Inclusions:
- 1 night at a Jakarta hotel with dinner and breakfast
- All domestic flights, transfers and connections, includes 44lbs (20kg) luggage allowance
- 6 nights Siladen Resort in a Garden View or Beach View Villa, Double Occupancy with full board
- 10 boat snorkel sessions over 5 days from Siladen
- Dolphin tour from Siladen
- 6 nights Kusu Island Resort in a Ocean Villa, Double Occupancy with full board
- 15 boat snorkel sessions over 6 days from Kusu
- 1 night Novotel Manado in a Standard Room, Double Occupancy with dinner and breakfast
- 7 nights Papua Explorers Resort in a Deluxe Overwater Bungalow, Double Occupancy with full board
- 18 boat snorkel sessions over 6 days from Papua Explorers
- Unlimited house reef snorkeling at all resorts
- Marine park fees
- Services of snorkel guides throughout
- A guide from Ben’s team
Exclusions:
- International flights and visas
- Snorkeling equipment rental
- Gratuities and general sundries
- Travel insurance (recommended)
- Health insurance (compulsory)
- Alcoholic beverages and premium soft drinks
- Spa and laundry services
Trip Organizers
Ben and his U.K. based team are the organizers and leaders of this trip (more about them below). Galen and Nicole from TropicalSnorkeling.com are promoting this trip, but all signups, trip organization and payments are made to and managed by Ben’s team. TropicalSnorkeling.com does receive a referral fee in exchange for promoting the trip, at no extra cost to attendees.
How to Sign Up or Learn More?
Use the contact form below to contact Ben and his team to request more information about them and express your interest in signing up. They will get back to you shortly with full details.
More About Ben and Our Partnership
Ben (pictured with Nicole) is our friend and snorkeling trips partner. He and his team are based in the U.K. and have over 20 years of experience guiding in Asia and beyond. He has been running his own business since 2010 and is primarily offering guided snorkeling trips, but he started with diving. He began offering snorkeling specific trips because he was aware that snorkelers often get the short end of the stick when thrown in with divers. He and his team love the freedom and low stress of snorkeling, and are very aware of the different needs of snorkelers versus divers, in terms of the reef depth, and calm surface conditions needed.
From our experience going on some of his snorkeling trips we found them very well organized, the guides were fantastic and very helpful, and the underwater experiences were exceptional. Snorkeling groups really get the benefit of all of Ben and his guides’ years of experience in the water, and with different resorts and liveaboards.
All of his trips are small groups of 12-18 guests, or with a similar ratio of snorkelers to guides. These are premium trips including nearly everything you will need, accommodation, meals, transportation, and more.
His company is licensed and insured. Barring extreme circumstances they do not cancel trips.
Learn More About the Resorts
Papua Explorers Resort Website
Completed Trip Dates
September 26 – October 15, 2023
April 3-24, 2024