Passport to Paradise

North Sulawesi, Indonesia:  Lembeh, Banka and Bunaken/Manado -
24 March through 7 April 2025

NOTE:  STANDARD PACKAGES HAVE SOLD OUT,
ONLY PREMIUM PACKAGES REMAIN.

Passport to Paradise is a unique diving experience which allows you to explore three distinct diving destinations in one trip. You’ll have just over 150 dive sites to choose from and with seamless boat diving transfers from resort to resort there’s no gear packing, no wasted transfer days, just relax, enjoy and dive, dive, dive.

This 14 night package will include diving in the muck diving capital of the world, the Lembeh Strait, as well as the incredible walls of Bangka and turtles, turtles, turtles (and, walls, walls, walls) of Bunaken.

Various North Sulawesi land tour options will also be available (not included in this package price) for those who would like to immerse themselves in the culture of North Sulawesi.

Accommodations are available in Standard and Premium packages.

Immerse yourselves in friendly-luxury service and have a fun, flexible, and relaxing stay.

This is an all-inclusive trip (see below, as certain exceptions apply) that includes breakfast, lunch, dinner and unlimited coffee, tea and drinking water, as well as airport transfers and boat transfers from Lembeh to Bangka and from Bangka to Manado.

Here is the projected itinerary:

Day 1, Arrival Day:  Monday, 24 March 2025
(Note:  we will be researching flights and will let everyone know by what time you'll need to be at Manado International Airport for the transfer to the first stop, Lembeh!)

Resort staff will welcome us at Manado
International Airport and escort us to Lembeh
Resort Jetty where a boat will standby to
bring us to the resort. Upon arrival at
Lembeh Resort we’ll be greeted and
brought our rooms where welcome
drinks will be waiting for us. Once we check in
to the dive center and the quick briefing,
dinner will be served at 7pm.

Day 2 | First Day of Diving:  Tuesday, 25 March 2025

Enjoy 2 muck dives in the Lembeh Strait with
surface interval at the resort’s pool deck with
snacks, tea and coffee. During the dives, you
will have the chance to see some of the
rarest critters on the planet including hairy
frogfish, flamboyant cuttlefish and blue ring
octopus. We return to the resort for lunch.
Alternatively, make a 3 dive trip further
afield, with lunch served on the boat. This is
a great way to combine Lembeh Strait muck
diving with reef diving.

Optional afternoon, night, blackwater or
bonfire dives are also available.

Day 3-5 | Diving Days:  Wednesday - Friday, 26-28 March 2025

Enjoy another 2 morning muck dives with
more of the weirdest critters on the planet
including hairy Shrimp, Mimic Octopus - and
the list goes on! Lunch is served in the
restaurant at Lembeh Resort.

Optional afternoon, night, blackwater or
bonfire dives are also available.

Day 6 | Lembeh to Bangka:  Saturday, 29 March 2025

This morning you’ll make your first Passport
to Paradise boat transfer from Lembeh
Strait to Murex Bangka Resort. During the
boat transfer you’ll make 2 dives along the
way. The dive sites are between both
locations and are not often accessed by
other resorts.

Day 7 | First Day Diving Bangka:  Sunday, 30 March 2025

Boats depart at 8.15 AM and we’ll make two
reef dives around Bangka Island. Lunch is
served at the resort.

Optional afternoon, night, blackwater or 
bonfire dives are also available.

Alternatively you can choose to simply relax
in a hammock and enjoy the white sand
beach. Or you may prefer kayaking through
the mangroves which is extremely peaceful.  Kayaks
provided at no additional charge.

Day 8-10 | Diving at Bangka:  Saturday - Monday, 31 March - 2 April 2025

We plan 2 morning dives and return to the
resort for lunch. Optional afternoon, night,
blackwater or bonfire dives are also
available. Or you can take our popular
guided trek to our local village of Lihunu
which showcases the local way of life and
cultural aspects of North Sulawesi.
(Lihunu tour is an additional charge.)

Day 11 | Bangka to Manado:  Tuesday, 3 April 2025

Your second Passport to Paradise boat
transfer from Murex Bangka to Murex Manado.
Once again you’ll make 2 dives at
remote dive sites along the way.

Day 12 - 13 | Diving Bunaken:  Wednesday & Thursday, 4-5 April 2025

Coffee is available starting from 6:00 AM
and breakfast is served from 7 AM. To give
everyone plenty of time to get ready, we
suggest the boat departs at 8.15 AM for 2
dives in the Bunaken National Park. Explore
the diverse marine life along the great walls
and home to our resident sea turtles. Light
refreshments are served on the boat in
between dives and we return to the resort for
lunch.

Optional afternoon, night, blackwater
or bonfire dives are also available. 

Day 14 | Final Dive Day:  Friday, 6 April 2025
The boat departs at 8.15 AM for 2 dives at
Bunaken National Park. Enjoy another set of
breathtaking wall dives. We return to the
resort for lunch.

The afternoon is ‘free time’
so you can chose to relax at the pool, take a
city tour of Manado, or opt for one of our
other tours and activities.  (See below)

Optional afternoon, night, blackwater or
bonfire dives are also available.

Day 15 | Farewell:  Saturday, 7 April 2025

You may want to complete your stay with a
relaxing full body massage before you pack
to go home. According to our flight time,
we’ll be transferred back to the airport.

Optional Tours and Activities:


Minahasa Highland Tour:  $96.00
Tangkoko National Park:  $124.00
Paragliding Tour:  $144.00
Whitewater Rafting:  $122.00
Manado City Tour:  $55.00

General Diving Information about the Diving

Lembeh Resort
The Critter Capital of the World, a Muck
Diving Mecca and the Twilight Zone are
just a few of the names that have been
given to Lembeh Strait over the years due
to the high density, and diversity, of rare
and unusual marine life. Diving in Lembeh
is unlike diving anywhere else as every dive
reveals countless species of critters which
have made their homes here. Lembeh isn’t
just home to frogfish, it’s home to 8 different
species of frogfish, 12 species of octopus, 3
species of pygmy seahorse.

Murex Bangka
Bangka dive sites are a sensory overload
where the pristine reefs are teeming with life.
Pelagics and critters, Bangka has it all!
Unique species include dugongs, dolphins and
pilot whales, several species of pygmy
seahorse, harlequin and tiger shrimps, blue
ring, mimic, reef and wonderpus octopus,
ghost pipefish, Ambon scorpionfish, frogfish,
turtles, reef sharks, eagle rays, tuna, great
barracuda, schooling fish including snappers,
fusiliers, cardinals and mackerel.

Murex Manado / Bunaken
Stunning walls and hard corals. Lose count of
the number of turtles in a single dive. Look
out for reef sharks, schooling fish, sea snakes,
passing eagle rays, sting rays, abundant
critters and macro life, and resident dolphin
and pilot whale pods alongside the boat.

What's Included:

5 Nights at Lembeh Resort
5 Nights at Murex Bangka
4 Nights at Murex Manado

22 Guided Resort Boat Dives + 4 Boat Transfer Dives.  Nitrox included.

Unlimited Complimentary House Reef Dives

Escorted Airport Transfers

All meals and snacks with unlimited drinking water, coffee and tea.

WiFi

What's Not Included (available at additional charge):

Travel to/from Manado International Airport

Gear Rental

Additional boat dives

Night, Bonfire and Blackwater dives

Soft drinks and alcoholic beverages, additional snacks and specialty coffees

Bunaken National Park Entrance Fee (IDR 150,000 = roughly $10.00 U.S.)

Bangka Conservation Fund Donation

Land Tours

Spa Treatments

Pricing

Standard Room Package:  $3644.00 per diver
Premium Room Package:  $4444.00 per diver
(Contact us for full information on the difference.  These resorts are first-class and the premium rooms offer better views and more space.)

$500.00 for deposit

50% of total due by 24 Sept 2024

Balance due by 24 Jan 2025

Due to the nature of this trip, deposits are non-refundable after 23 Sept 2024, though we will make every attempt to help you to find another diver to fill your spot should you have to cancel.  Other payments are non-refundable once paid, but, again, we will do our best to help you find a replacement diver.

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

PLEASE DO NOT USE SHOP PAY FOR ANY TRIP PAYMENTS.  SHOP PAY CHARGES THE INCURRED INTEREST TO US AND WITH TRIPS BEING LOW MARGIN ITEMS, THE INTEREST PAYMENTS CREATE FINANCIAL DIFFICULTIES. 

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO USE A PAYMENT PLAN TO MAKE DEPOSITS AND/OR FOLLOW-UP PAYMENTS, PLEASE REACH OUT DIRECTLY TO BEN OR STEVE AT BEN@PARAGONDIVE.COM OR STEVE@PARAGONDIVE.COM.  WE WILL WORK WITH YOU TO CREATE A PAYMENT PLAN THAT FITS INTO YOUR BUDGET WHILE MAKING SURE YOU HIT THE PAYMENT MILESTONES REQUIRED OF THE TRIP. 

PLEASE NOTE THAT IF YOU DO USE SHOP PAY, WE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO ACCEPT THE ORDER. 

FEEL FREE TO CONTACT US WITH ANY QUESTIONS.