This is more in hope than expectation.
We really want to travel from Davao, Mindanao to Manado, Sulawesi but it seems nobody is flying this route anymore. Does anyone know any different?
Our only other options are either a flight back to KL from Manila and from there to Makassar. Or to KK in Borneo then overland to Kilamantan and a boat from there. Or, perhaps, a cargo boat from General Santos to Bitung. Anyone know best way to organise/research said cargo boat?
Thing is, we prob only gonna have 2 month in Indonesia and the ideal route for us would have been Sulawesi, ferry to Java then Sumatra, then flight/ferry Malaysia. Any other option is gonna involve backtracking, especially in Sulawesi.
Also, anyone know if I can still get a two month visa in advance for Indonesia and where out of KL or Manila would be best. If not, is an East Timor visa run the best option or can you extend once in the country (I've heard you can do this in Bali)?
Any help would be really appreciated!
Reply to this Can't help you on the flight route we're afraid but the KK overland route is a good one, we did the same but in reverse but it will take a bit of time to do it if you travel through Kilamantan at all. If you want the public ferry route check out
Pelni as they are the main ferry company between the islands. The only problem we found with them is that the info on their website is different to what they will tell you in the offices but both are correct so check both as the times & dates will be different and one may suit you better than the other. From memory there was a ferry which went from Nunukan to Bitung but the website is playing up the at moment so I'm not 100%!s(MISSING)ure. With regard to the cargo boat I would guess that the best and probably only way would be to go to the port and ask around, not sure how good an idea this is though?
We got our 2 month Indonesian visa in KL and it was an easy process, make sure you both wear shoes (not flip flops), long sleeved tops & cover your knees when you go to the embassy otherwise you won't be let in. You will need copies of your passports, photos and evidence of either an onward flight or that you have enough money in your bank for your stay. It takes a day to process. I did just read the below though on the KL embassy site which may help too. If you do do the KK overland to Kilamantan route this probably won't work as they don't issue visa on arrival at Tarakan.
Jakarta Post, 25/01/2010
Foreign tourists visiting Indonesia can now extend their visas-on-arrival for another 30 days, as of Jan. 26, the Indonesian immigration office announced Monday.
Prior to this, foreign tourists were not allowed to extend their visas-on-arrival. They had to leave the country to get a new visa.
In the new ruling, the immigration office has decided to scrap the seven-day visa-on-arrival. The office will now only issue visas for 30-day stay at the rate US$25, extendable for another 30 days.
Reply to this Thanks as always for your detailed response!
Yeah, read your blog re overlanding into Kalimantan. Looks interesting but time consuming and as we've already done Malaysian Borneo this would prob be a last resort! Flights air asia back to KK from Philippines and on to Sumatra so cheap as to be laughable, just a shame to have to take two where one would have sufficed.
I've previously had a look at the pelni website, but bugger me if I can get the thing to work! Tried inputting so many different routes, often the most popular between major destinations, just to try and get a reult but it always comes up with no routes available!! Funny that if you can bet it working then you get different options to those the pelni offices would give you and that, if I understand you correctly, they are both valid! The joy of travel eh?
Hadn't heard about the new rule re. extending Indonesian visa. That is great news and willl certainly help. Thank you!!
Reply to this yes the Pelni website is a bit hit & miss which is hugely frustrating when you want to know times.
Sorry yes what I wrote was a bit confusing! The info you will get from a Pelni office will probably have different dates/times and routes to the website but we found both were right! Makes it all the more fun!
I only found out about that Indonesia thing when I checked their embassy site but seems like a good option if you are struggling to get to an embassy to get a 2 month visa.. may work out quite pricey though.
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