Dive more, Experience More
12 Days / 11 Nights
The above rates are per person per trip and subject to change. Please note these fees are in line with third party supplier costs.
The remote areas of Bangka, Lembeh and Halmahera are relatively unvisited. So, how do you get there? Your journey begins with an international flight into Indonesia, followed by a domestic flight to Sam Ratulangi International Airport (MDC) on the Sulawesi Island. As the capital of Northern Sulawesi, Manado serves as the main gateway for liveaboard dive boats. Though getting to these dive spots requires a bit of extra time and preparation, the rewards are well worth the effort. Indonesia offers multiple international airports throughout its archipelago. Most international visitors typically arrive via Jakarta or Bali, as both airports provide direct domestic flights to Manado.
Upon arrival in Indonesia, passengers are required to go through customs and immigration with all the required documents, including a visa, before proceeding to baggage claim to retrieve their belongings. Most domestic airlines in Indonesia do not have baggage transfer agreements with major international carriers, meaning travelers must collect their luggage and check in for onward domestic flights.
Welcome to La Galigo!
A representative from La Galigo will meet you at your Manado hotel at 7:00 am for the 1-hour transfer to Bitung. After a safety briefing and time to settle into your cabin, we will sail to our first dive site.
We start the day with a check-dive in the world’s top macro location, the Lembeh Strait. We pick a calm and colorful spot to start, ideal for easing into the water. Divers can explore vibrant coral gardens while spotting turtles, reef fish, and smaller critters like nudibranchs.
After a short break and some refreshments on board, we head for the second dive. Today we will also include a night dive. As the day turns to night and we set off for our night dive, expect to spot octopuses, cuttlefish, and tiny, glowing bioluminescent life. Afterward, we return to the boat for a relaxing night in the calm waters of the Strait.
Wake up to the beauty of Bangka Island, where we start the day with a dive in calm, crystal-clear waters. These colourful coral gardens are home to reef fish, turtles, and the occasional blacktip reef shark — a gentle and scenic start to the day.
After breakfast, we continue exploring Bangka’s stunning underwater terrain. The island is known for its soft coral slopes and towering pinnacles, often surrounded by schooling fusiliers and snappers. These dynamic sites are ideal for wide-angle photography and offer something for every diver.
In the afternoon, we visit rockier sites adorned with sea fans and home to larger marine life like moray eels, as well as smaller critters hidden among the corals.
As night falls, we gear up for another spectacular dive — a chance to witness Bangka’s reefs come alive with nocturnal creatures in a completely different light.
We start the day waking up in Bangka and diving in some calm waters and coral gardens, a nice easy start to the day with a briefing around 7am. Watch for turtles, reef fish, and the occasional blacktip reef shark.
After a relaxing breakfast, we head for a mid-morning dive at 10:30. For the rest of the day you can expect sites with soft corals and towering underwater pinnacles, schooling fish, like fusiliers and snappers, often surround the area, making it a great spot for wide-angle photography.
We will also visit some more rocky sites with beautiful sea fans and a mix of larger marine life, like moray eels, and smaller critters hidden in the coral. After some downtime, we will end the day with another spectacular night dive.
Wake up in the remote and rarely visited Biaro Island, the gateway to the Sangihe Archipelago. Situated off North Sulawesi, this off-the-beaten-path region is known for its crystal-clear waters, rainforest-cloaked islands, volcanic peaks, and iconic white church spires rising above the jungle canopy.
We begin the day exploring coral-covered overhangs and swim-throughs, where reef sharks, fusiliers, and colourful anthias thrive. After breakfast, we continue north to dive coral slopes bustling with sweetlips and snappers — ideal for wide-angle photography.
Biaro’s sites also feature large underwater boulders and a mix of marine life, from turtles to tiny nudibranchs. In the afternoon, we visit one of the island’s serene beaches before ending the day with a night dive in search of cuttlefish, decorator crabs, and other nocturnal creatures.
Wake up at remote Makalehi Island, renowned for its dramatic coral pinnacles and massive schools of barracuda. Dives here reveal vibrant marine life, including moray eels, giant clams, and swirling clouds of colourful reef fish.
Explore rocky outcrops and lush coral gardens filled with wrasse, clownfish, and more. Between dives, enjoy a visit to a hidden cove with natural hot springs.
Later, we cruise toward the smoking Karangetang volcano on Siau Island. Diving beneath its looming presence offers a rare thrill — hearing distant volcanic rumbles while surrounded by marine life.
As the sun sets, La Galigo sails north through the heart of the Sangihe Archipelago. No night dive tonight, as we make our way to peaceful Kahakitang Island, where we’ll anchor by morning.
Today we have reached the northern most point in our itinerary, Sangihe island. Known for its coral gardens and abundant marine life including turtles, reef fish, and amazing visibility in water as warm as a bath. Our other morning dive in this area is perfect for those looking for adventure with its strong currents and the chance to see large fish like barracudas and trevallies. It’s an exciting area to dive that offers a great mix of challenge and underwater beauty.
In the afternoon we take you to one of the highlight sites of the Sangihe Archipelago, Banua Wuhu aka Mahengetang – an underwater volcano, famous for its dramatic underwater features with hard corals, large clams, sponges, and the possibility of spotting pelagic sharks, including the Mako and other powerful marine predators.
The safety stop at the end of this dive even ends with a pause at the eerie yellow sulfur covered rocks where you can see the thermocline and even gas bubbles rising from the active volcano below you, the only place in the world where you can dive like this recreationally. The day ends with a night dive at Kahakitang Island Bay, where the water comes alive with nocturnal creatures like octopuses, crabs, nudibranchs, and other invertebrates.
We spend another full day exploring various dive sites around the reefs of the highlight island Mahengetang – including another dive under different conditions on the underwater volcano. This is such a magical part of the diving world and really does deserve a few days to explore all the surreal reefs. This area has a variety of dive sites from rows of pinnacles rising from the ocean floor to great sloping reefs and seamounts.
The variety of both reef fish and pelagics in this area is astonishing, and the colors of soft corals mesmerizing. Strong currents around this area can bring in some visually stunning feeding displays on the reef, so we will time our dives just right to jump in the water and witness the spectacle. The day ends with a night dive at beautiful Para island, get ready to critter hunt as we hit up a great little night dive spot.
This morning we begin cruising south again, starting with the remote island of Bowondeke — a tiny oceanic gem just south of Para. Known for its powerful currents and crystal-clear visibility (often exceeding 40 metres), this site attracts massive schools of jacks and barracuda. The diving here is exhilarating, set against a backdrop of vibrant reefs and open blue water.
Later in the day, we journey to the east coast of Siau Island to dive near scenic Mahoro Island. Here, coral-covered slopes teem with marine life, and we often take time to enjoy a break at volcanic hot springs — natural pools right on the beach, framed by stunning coastal views.
Our afternoon dive at Mahoro reveals striking underwater rock formations and more schooling barracuda. Afterward, we’ll visit a local beach famously ranked among the top three in all of Indonesia — a well-deserved treat with soft sand and turquoise waters, perfect for a bit of relaxation.
To finish the day, we head to Ulu Bay for a night dive known for incredible macro life. With a bit of luck, surfacing divers may witness a truly rare spectacle — the glowing red lava flow of Karangetang volcano lighting up the night sky.
Today we revisit two favourites from earlier in the trip, beginning with a morning dive at Biaro Island. Calm waters, vibrant coral gardens, and busy reef life make for a perfect start to the day. Keep an eye out for turtles, schools of fish, and the occasional passing pelagic.
After breakfast, we continue diving at a site known for dramatic underwater pinnacles — sloping on one side and dropping off steeply on the other. These formations are typically teeming with marine life, including large schools of snappers and fusiliers.
In the afternoon, we sail south to Bangka Island for more stunning diving. Sloping reefs here are home to reef sharks, rays, and a kaleidoscope of reef fish. For our night dive, we visit a site rich with coral growth, colourful gorgonians, and giant sponges. With luck, you may even spot the elusive Halimeda ghost pipefish camouflaged in the seagrass.
We begin our final full day in Bangka with a dive at a truly unique site — a sunken aircraft now transformed into a thriving artificial reef, blanketed in vibrant corals and buzzing with marine life. From there, we explore dramatic underwater pinnacles, where the mix of structure and schooling fish creates a thrilling dive experience.
After a relaxing break onboard, we cruise to a special site known for its colourful sponges, scenic reefscape, and, with a bit of luck, the chance to encounter one of the ocean’s most elusive residents — the dugong.
As the sun begins to set, we gear up for the final night dive of the trip at Lihaga Island. This dive takes place slightly earlier than usual, giving us the best opportunity to witness the mesmerising courtship dance of the Mandarin fish — a rare and unforgettable sight, and the perfect finale to an epic journey beneath the surface.
Our last diving day of the trip, and we will just do 2 morning dives today, to give you a chance to fully gas off before your flight home tomorrow. This morning’s dive areas have steep walls with lots of cracks, overhangs, and swim-throughs to explore. The wall is nicely covered in both hard and soft corals, large Napoleon wrasses and lots of marine life make this their home.
The dive ends on a sandy reef flat with some rubble, perfect to rise up to for a safety stop. Our final dive for the trip will be a nice, relaxed site under a jetty, where you’ll discover vibrant corals and lots of critters hiding such as frogfish, scorpionfish, and moray eels.
This afternoon we head ashore to enjoy a land tour to Tangkoko National Park. This park is full of amazing wildlife such as tiny Tarsiers (The world’s smallest primate, and the most endangered species of monkey in Sulawesi), endemic Sulawesi crested black macaque, and colorful hornbill birds, giving you a chance to see a different side of Sulawesi from above the ocean.
We wrap up your day with a farewell party on board, sharing stories and laughter with your fellow divers as you celebrate an unforgettable adventure.
As our incredible journey comes to an end as we arrive at Bitung Harbour around 5:00 am. Guests are welcome to stay onboard until 11:00 am and our crew will be on hand to assist you with transportation to Manado.
After breakfast, feel free to take some time to exchange photos and swap contact details, ensuring you stay connected with your new friends and dive buddies. Safe travels, and we look forward to welcoming you aboard again!
La Galigo does not guarantee this outlined itinerary, and it is to be considered as a rough guideline. Information compiled here is based on past trips conducted, and includes common dive sites and routes we visit. All areas visited, dive sites and land tours vary from trip to trip depending on conditions. Weather and sea conditions in the area can be unpredictable, and La Galigo retains the right to alter an itinerary from advice of the ships captain, cruise director, or owner for the safety of the vessel, its passenger and crew.
