Spend 16 Days Exploring the Abundant Reefs of Two Outstanding North Indonesia Destinations
September 5-20, 2027
This Bangka Island and Halmahera snorkeling trip will be an amazing adventure for 16 lucky snorkelers! Explore stunning reefs full of colorful marine life from two fantastic boutique resorts in north Indonesia. Your first destination will be Bangka Island off the northern tip of Sulawesi, and you will stay at the newly renovated Coral Eye Resort. Your second stop will be in southern Halmahera where you will stay at the beautiful beachfront Kusu Island Resort.
Your first stop on this tour is the small island of Bangka off the northern coast of Sulawesi. This area’s gorgeous reefs slope away from the islands and are a mixture of hard and soft corals, sea fans and beautiful sponges. You will be delighted by the diverse population of fish and sea creatures that greets you here, with good chances of coming across different critters, like cuttlefish, octopus, razorfish, schooling juvenile barracuda, nudibranchs, and lots more. The Coral Eye Resort has a wonderful house reef. In fact there is the possibility of coming across the resident dugong there.
Your second destination is the small island of Kusu in southern Halmahera. This area was only recently opened to tourism by a new airport opening nearby. You will explore gorgeous healthy coral reefs, filled with clouds of colorful fish, and high chances of seeing turtles, reef sharks, rays, octopus, and many other cool creatures. Kusu Island Resort’s house reef is truly amazing, as are the many nearby reefs you reach by boat.
This 16 day remote small group adventure is exclusively for snorkelers. It 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.
The Bangka Island and Halmahera Snorkeling Trip Map and Itinerary
Within the abundant Coral Triangle, the islands of Bangka (off North Sulawesi) and Kusu (in southern Halmahera) are in north Indonesia.
After your international flight into Jakarta International Airport (CGK), you will check into a comfortable hotel to relax and recover from your long journey. There will be a group dinner to welcome and introduce everyone.
The next morning you will meet your group for breakfast, then check out and take your group flight to Manado in North Sulawesi.
You will be met at the Manado airport by staff from the Coral Eye Resort, and transferred by car and boat to the resort. You will spend six nights there. At the end of your stay you will be transferred back to Manado where you will spend one more night in a comfortable airport hotel.
The next morning, after breakfast, your group will be transferred to the airport for your flight to Labhua in Halmahera. You will be met at the airport by staff from the Kusu Island Resort and transferred by car and boat to the resort. You will spend seven nights there. At the end of your stay you will be transferred back to Labuha for your flight back to Jakarta, where the tour ends.
Snorkeling Around Bangka Island
For the first section of your trip you will be staying at the Coral Eye Resort on Bangka Island, which is off the north shores of Sulawesi. You will have a chance to explore the reefs around the island of Bangka and other islands in the small archipelago. You will find several different habitats from beautiful pristine coral reef slopes, to sandy slopes, mangroves, and walls. These areas support a diverse population of fish and creatures. You will have five days of two snorkel boat sessions per day.
Expect to see coral covered rocks over black volcanic sand, inhabited by many fascinating invertebrates and fish. Hard and soft coral reefs that fringe these islands provide a home for a high diversity of fish and creatures. You may explore the roots of the mangroves that are home to sponges, flatworms, snails and small fish. And offshore the mangroves are seagrass beds that attract feeding dugongs.
You will have one day snorkeling in nearby Bunaken National Park, famous for its abundance of sea turtles. There will be two morning snorkels, then lunch at Siladen Resort, then another afternoon snorkel before making your way back to Coral Eye.
Coral Eye Resort has a wonderful house reef that is lit perfectly by the late afternoon sun. It can be accessed at any tide either from the beach or the end of the jetty. You can snorkel the house reef to your heart’s content. While it is rare to be able to snorkel with dugongs, there is a resident one that inhabits the shallow waters surrounding the resort, so chances are a bit higher here for checking this sighting off your bucket list.
Your daily snorkel boat from Coral Eye Resort will be a large wooden boat built in the local style with plenty of space to gear up and to store items that need to stay dry. Each boat has a wooden top for sun protection. The boats are equipped with a marine toilet as well as a ladder to exit the water.
What Is Coral Eye Resort Like?
The Coral Eye Resort started life as a marine outpost. It has been retrofitted to be a unique boutique resort. The main building houses some guest rooms along with the lounge and dining area, a bar, a small library, a souvenir shop, and other functional rooms. There is a large terrace on the second level that overlooks the ocean, which is a nice place to relax after a long day of snorkeling.
You will have six nights at Coral Eye Resort. Your group will be occupying the separate Beach View and Garden View Villas. The interior of these villas are the same. All villas have an open-air en-suite bathroom with a hot shower, air-conditioning, ceiling fan, high-quality mattresses and cotton linen, and mosquito nets on the windows. The villas have a water dispenser and coffee and tea facilities as well as a mini bar. There is 24-hour electricity and free internet connection.
The Garden View Villas sit behind the Beach View Villas, but have all the same amenities, except the view of the beach.
Coral Eye’s restaurant offers a selection of seasonal dishes combining cuisines of Indonesia and the Mediterranean. Meals are eaten communally at the central table in the main building, encouraging socializing with your fellow guests. They can cater to most dietary limitations with prior notice.
Snorkeling in Halmahera
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 six days to two sites in the morning, and another after lunch. Plus the house reef at the resort also offers exceptional snorkeling. Night snorkeling opportunities will also be available.
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.
What Is Kusu Island Resort Like?
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 seven 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.
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 and Prices:
September 5-20, 2027 – Available.
$9650 US per person (Twin/Double Share) Garden View Villa at Coral Eye, Deluxe Villa at Kusu
$9950 US per person (Twin/Double Share) Beach View Villa at Coral Eye, Deluxe Villa at Kusu
Single Person Supplement: $3000 US
The initial deposit for this trip is $800 US per person. At twelve 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 flights, transfers and connections, includes 44lbs (20kg) luggage allowance on flights – Jakarta – Manado – Coral Eye – Labuha – Kusu – Jakarta
- 6 nights Coral Eye Resort in a Garden View or Beach View Villa, Double Occupancy, with full board
- 10 boat snorkel sessions over 5 days in Bangka
- Unlimited house reef snorkeling from Coral Eye
- 1 night at a Manado Hotel with dinner and breakfast
- 7 nights Kusu Island Resort in Ocean Villa, Double Occupancy, with full board (all meals)
- 18 boat snorkel sessions over 6 days in Halmahera
- Unlimited house reef snorkeling at Kusu
- Local snorkel guides
- Services of guide from Ben’s team and local snorkel guides throughout
Exclusions:
- International flights and visas
- Snorkeling equipment rental
- Gratuities
- Travel insurance (recommended)
- Health insurance (compulsory)
- Soft drink and alcoholic beverages, laundry and general sundries
- Spa 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.