Kungkungan Bay Resort

Overview

Kungkungan Bay Resort is an impressive and spacious resort occupying an enviable position overlooking the quiet and unique Lembeh Strait. KBR, as the resort is known locally, is a favourite with divers from around the world and is revisited by many of them year after year, retaining its unique local atmosphere and character.

The public areas are set out in an attractive open plan layout, with panoramic views over the water and a visit to KBR's Spa is not to be missed.

Clients on the all inclusive dive package can enjoy unlimited access to the resort's house reef during daylight hours from its on site dive centre and jetty.

Accommodation

Regaldive are able to offer Garden and Beachfront Cabins, which are very cost effective. Prices indicated are based on this room type, which is smaller than the other rooms, but comfortable.

The Cabin rooms have a maximum occupancy of two and feature en-suite bathroom and air-conditioning. They share a large verandah facing the Lembeh Strait. The special menu is focused on Indonesian and Asian fare offering a culinary tour of the region. Food can be ordered from the full menu for extra charge. Transfers can be arranged for an extra charge. Additional diving and upgrades can be purchased locally.  

In addition, the resort has 17 spacious and attractive en-suite rooms, within 4 categories. All have partial or direct sea view, with ceiling fan and air-conditioning as well as a mini bar, tea/coffee facilities, and hairdryer. 

• 8  Beachfront Cottage Suites have a queen or queen twin beds, sitting room area, verandah, large shower room (one or two also have a bath tub) and TV. A couple of the cottage suites can take extra beds for 3 & 4 person occupancy.
• 3 Traditional Houses have mainly two queen sized beds (one has a queen and two singles) and shower room and TV.
• 4 Beachfront Villas and 1 Hillside Villa offer a king-size bed, open plan living area, spacious verandah and large bath/shower room.
• The Owner's Suite is built on stilts and centrally located. Fully furnished the master room features a king bed and the second bedroom, twin beds. En-suite bathroom and lounge with TV.

The resort operates a no smoking policy in all room types.

Other Facilities

There is an attractive restaurant with lovely views offering local and international choices (full menu), built over the water. The upper floor offers a bar, and there is an attractive pool with swim up bar. The resort also offers traditional Indonesian massage and treatments in their lovely spa. Free WiFi internet access is available.

Location

North East coast of North Sulawesi is 1½ hour drive from Manado and the airport. The dive centre and jetty is on site

Dive info

Volcanic and Dramatic

The dominating volcanic landscape creates a dramatic backdrop to the world class diving available in North Sulawesi. Conditions are generally calm all year round, and the deep waters afford excellent visibility averaging 25m. The seas are home to many unusual species, ranging from the prehistoric ‘coelacanth’ fish through to reef shark, green turtles, napoleon wrasse and dugongs. The majority of sites are easily accessible and they are rarely crowded. Manado is extremely popular with photographers, who relish the fascinating marine life, excellent conditions and facilities.

Diving in the region is concentrated over two areas: Bunaken National Marine Park and the Lembeh Strait.

Dive Bunaken National Marine Park

The Bunaken National Marine Park has won numerous international conservation awards and is home to the majority of the dive sites that are accessible from Tasik Ria, Mercure Manado Tateli and Siladen Resort & Spa.

Most of the reefs of the Bunaken National Marine Park are rich and unspoilt, offering pristine and abundant soft coral and fish life in huge concentrations. The night diving in the park is spectacular, providing frequent encounters with rare nocturnal creatures. For a change of scenery, the Molas wreck is remarkably intact for a WWII ship, the bow resting at 25m and the propeller at 40m.

The Bunaken National Marine Park consists of five islands: Bunaken, Manado Tua, Nain, Montehage, and Siladen, as well as a part of the North Sulawesi mainland. Diving in and around Bunaken is predominantly wall diving and drift diving. There are also numerous beautiful coral slopes that are suitable for novice divers. There are 22 official dive sites within the park. The variety of both fish and soft coral is outstanding, and marks out this area as one of the most bio diverse marine environments in the world. With visibility around 25m and water temperature 26-30°C, this is an excellent destination for underwater photographers and naturalists alike.

Schools of barracuda and jacks, green turtles and reef sharks, sea snakes and Napoleon wrasse are among the resident inhabitants of these steep coral walls fringing Bunaken Island.

View Bunaken National Marine Park dive sites

Dive Lembeh Strait

The Lembeh Strait is world famous for its macro life. This is arguably one of the finest destinations in the world for macro and photography enthusiasts.

Lembeh plays host to a cornucopia of weird and wonderful creatures that are found here and here alone. Diving is over shallow black sandy slopes where seahorses and nudibranches are found in abundance. Many of the species that are encountered are simply not found elsewhere. Inimicus devilfish, dwarf lionfish, scorpion fish, puffer fish, mimic octopus, pegasus sea moths, frogfish, ribbon eels and flying gurnards to name but a few.

The Lembeh Strait is a unique dive destination and a haven for experienced divers who are looking for species that are unusual and rarely seen. The dive guides and instructors are extremely experienced in locating and identifying the many unusual species that are encountered in the Lembeh Strait.

View Lembeh Strait dive sites

twin centre Accommodation Options

Divers can easily combine stays between the resorts of Tasik Ria, Mercure Manado Tateli Beach Resort and Siladen Island on the Bunaken side, with Dive Into Lembeh, Eco Divers Resort Lembeh and Kungkungan Bay Resort on the Lembeh side.

Many guests also opt to combine a liveabaord in Indonesia with a land based option in Manado. Please ask a member of the Regaldive team for more information.

Dive prices

Diving at Tasik Ria is with Tasik Ria Divers

Diving at Kungkungan Bay (KBR) is with Kungkungan Bay

Diving at Siladen Resort & Spa is with Siladen Resort & Spa

Diving at Mercure Manado Tateli Beach Resort is with Eco Divers Manado

Diving at Eco Divers Resort is with Eco Divers Lembeh

Diving at Dive into Lembeh Resort  is with Dive into Lembeh 

As there are a finite number of dive spaces available at these resorts, divers are highly recommended to prebook their diving, particularly if you require any courses or speciality dives. Please ask us about 'All-Inclusive' dive packs available with accommodation. 

Photography at Tasik Ria and KBR

These centres have a worldwide reputation for the quality of their photographic training and services. The dedicated facilities are staffed by qualified photography instructors and technicians, providing guests with some of the best underwater photographic support to be found anywhere.

The centres provides slide film and digital processing, along with both rental and sale of cameras, lens and strobes. PADI photography speciality courses are available and photo seminars with guest lecturers are held regularly through the year. The local crew are experienced in handling cameras and carrying out maintenance and repairs. Slide scanning and saving to CD services are also provided.

If you want to hone your buoyancy & photographic skills, especially macro photography, this is an excellent place to do it.

Tasik Ria Divers

The dive centre at Tasik Ria is managed by the highly experienced team, the '2 'Daniels', part of the original Eco Divers team. The dive centre is a PADI 5 Star IDC resort offering fully guided diving from their three purpose built day boats, in addition to two large speedboats and a local style wooden boat.

Day trips are offered to Bunaken Marine Park giving divers a variety of wall, macro and muck diving opportunities. The centre also offer a range of courses taught in various languages by their highly qualified team of PADI and in-house trained NAUI instructors.

The 3 purpose built 16m dive boats have a large dive platform plus full safety and navigation equipment. Each boat has a covered dining area, large sun deck, WC and can take 15 guests comfortably.

The centre offers a diver / guide ratio of 4:1 whenever possible, giving great personal service across all dive experience levels and abilities. It can also organise special day trips to dive the Lembeh Strait's fabulous muck diving sites. For learner divers looking to take their first steps or gain more experience in a more far flung corner of the work, Tasik Ria offers this chance.

Click here to view a map of Bunaken and Manado dive sites

Snorkellers / Non Divers

Full day's boat trip: £31
Includes lunch, refreshments and local 11% tax

Children on Boat

Under supervision of their parent/guardian at all times:
0 - 2 years: Not permitted
3 - 10 years: $20 (subject to change)
11+ yrs: As adult price

Dive Packs

Options available at Tasik Ria Divers include 4, 5, 6 and 7 days boat diving packages, all of which include up to 3 guided boat dives per day. Please discuss your requirements with the Regaldive team, who will prepare a quotation suited to your needs.

Dive Courses

A range of diving courses is available for those looking to learn to dive. Please enquire for details.

Extras in Resort

• Night dive: $45
• Snorkeller/Non-diver full day boat trip including lunch:  $39
• Bunaken Marine Park fee:
  Per visit: IDR 50,000 or $6
  Per calendar year: IDR 150,000 or $18
• Lembeh Strait: On prepaid diving day $45 approx + Lembeh Strait fee Rp. 50,000 ($6)

Equipment Rental - pay locally:

• Full equipment: $30 per day
• Regulator: $10 per day
• BCD: $8 per day
• Wetsuits: $6 per day
• Masks, fins, boots: $5 each
• Computer: $5 per day
• Torch: $8 per day

Local sales tax payable in resort:
Sales tax:  11%

Note: All local prices listed above are an indication only, and are subject to change.

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Kungkungan Bay Resort Divers

The expertly run PADI dive centre at “KBR” is based around 'muck' diving and the area's extraordinary variety of macro life, hiding in the black sandy slopes and stunning coral heads.

A maximum group size of just 4 guests per guide is provided, to allow plenty of space for photographers and a gentle pace of diving. The dive centre have a fleet of fast speedboats allowing access to all 56 dive sites from the resort's own jetty, all within a 15 minutes radius.

The resorts guides have finely tuned vision to spot a dive site's rare critters, finding camouflaged and elusive creatures where you swear there are none! The dedicated dive team will look after your equipment, rinse it down after a days diving and store it for you in a security watched area. At the end of the week the centre will wash and dry your equipment ready to take home. 

Dive Packs

Options available at Kungkungan Bay Resort Divers include 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 boat dives packages, plus 4 and 6 house reef options.   Please discuss your requirements with the Regaldive team, who will prepare a quotation suited to your needs.

Dive Courses

A range of diving courses is available for those looking to learn to dive. Please enquire for details.

Extras in Resort

• Night Dive: $50
• Lembeh Strait fee: Rp. 50,000 (approx.$6)

Equipment Rental - paid locally per day:

• Full equipment: $46 per day
• Regulator: $17 per day
• Computer: $17
• BCD: $12 per day
• Wetsuits: $12
• Mask: $8
• Fins: $8
• Boots: $8
• Torch: $12

Note: All local prices listed above are an indication only, and subject to change.

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Siladen Resort & Spa Dive Centre

Siladen Resort & Spa's PADI 5 Star resort operates exclusively to guests staying at Siladen Resort and Spa. Running a professional and small, friendly outfit, they place high emphasis on protection of the national marine park and its environment.

The multi-lingual dive centre operates with a maximum of 4 divers to each guide and offers an intro dive to non-divers free of charge if staying 7 nights or more. It has access to 50 excellent dive sites and special trips on request to Lembeh, Bangka & Popo. Night dives are offered every night.

There are no shore dive sites available; the diving is operated from 4 traditional Indonesian style vessels with a maximum of 8 to 12 guests per boat.

It is compulsory to dive with a dive computer in resort. Each diver must have their own computer.

Diving with knives and gloves is not permitted in the Bunaken National Marine Park.

Dive Packs

We recommend you pre-book your dive packs with Regaldive prior to departure in order to secure your diving benefit from slightly lower rates than you will pay in resort. Options available include 6, 11, 15, 20 and 25 boat dives packages (Air or Nitrox). Please discuss your requirements with the Regaldive team, who will prepare a quotation suited to your needs.

Dive Courses

A range of diving courses is available for those looking to learn to dive. Please enquire for details.

Extras in Resort

• Nitrox: €6 per fill
• Special trips to Lembeh, Bangka and Popo on request

Equipment Rental:

The resort carries 100 x 12 litre aluminium tanks with INT and DIN valves along with smaller tanks for children. DIN Adapters are also available.

Equipment Rental Prices per dive:

• Full diving equipment (6 dives or more per day): €16
• Fins, Mask, Snorkel: €5
• Boots: €5
• BCD: €5
• Regulator: €5
• Wetsuit: €5
• Computer: €3.50
• Torch: €5

Note: All local prices listed above are an indication only, and subject to change.

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Eco Divers Manado

Based at the beautiful Mercure Manado Tateli Beach Resort, Eco Divers offers its renowned personal diving and snorkelling services. A maximum group size of just 4 guests per guide is attained whenever possible, to allow plenty of space for photographers and a gentle pace of diving and the dive centre is kitted out with a dedicated camera room and well-designed jetty.

Eco Divers Manado have purpose built dive boats with modern facilities in traditional style, equipped with toilet, rinse tanks and sundecks. Small groups of 8 divers are taken out for 2 morning dives and a leisurely afternoon dive if you have booked that option. A variety of speciality and further dive education courses are also available in addition to those listed below.

Dive Packs

We recommend you pre-book your dive packs with Regaldive prior to departure in order to secure your diving benefit from slightly lower rates than you will pay in resort.  Eco Divers Manado offers options for 2 morning boat dives or a full day dive trip (up to 3 guided boat dives).   Please discuss your requirements with the Regaldive team, who will prepare a quotation suited to your needs.

Extras in Resort

• Bunaken Marine Park fee:
  Per visit: IDR 50,000
  Per calendar year: IDR 150,000

Equipment Rental guideline prices - EURO per dive - paid locally:

• Full equipment (Regulator, BCD, Wetsuit, Mask and Fins): €9 for 1 dive, €27 for 24 hours.
• Regulator: €7
• Computer: €5
• BCD: €5
• Wetsuit: €5
• Mask: €4
• Fins (and boots as required): €4
• Torch: €5

Note: All local prices listed above are an indication only, and subject to change.

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Eco Divers Resort Lembeh

Well established in Manado, Sulawesi, Eco Divers Resort Lembeh offers a small, professionally run dive experience. Divers join the boat Nautica, 15 minutes drive from the Eco Divers Resort. Nautica is your floating base during the day, taking you from site to site. Nautica offers a shaded salon, two toilets, shower, tea and coffee facilities and a large sundeck. A hot buffet lunch is served on-board each day.

Dives are conducted from 2 speedboats, with jump gate for ease of entry / exit and steel ladder. Each boat takes 8 divers and has tank racks and a seated dive deck. Wherever possible, a ratio of 4:1 divers: guide ratio is aimed for. Guests may charge their cameras or bring their laptop onto the boat as an onboard generator is available.

Dive Packs

Options available at Eco Divers Resort Lembeh included 3, 6, 10 and 15 days diving packages.  Please discuss your requirements with the Regaldive team, who will prepare a quotation suited to your needs.

Dive Courses

A range of diving courses is available for those looking to learn to dive. Please enquire for details.

Extras in Resort (pay locally)

Nitrox fill: €5 per fill
Night Dive: €45 per dive
Snorkeller: €35 per trip

Equipment Rental guideline prices - EURO per dive - paid locally:

• Full equipment (Regulator, BCD, Wetsuit, Mask and Fins): €8 for 1 dive, €30 for 24 hours.
• Regulator: €8
• Computer: €6
• BCD: €6
• Wetsuit: €6
• Mask: €4
• Fins (and boots as required): €4
• Torch: €4

 Note: All local prices listed above are an indication only, and subject to change.

 

Dive into Lembeh

The Lembeh Strait has long been established as one of the best macro diving spots on the planet. Although famous for its “muck diving “ on black volcanic slopes the area also boasts some wonderful coral dive sites, including the housereef at Lembeh Resprt.  

Dive into Lembeh schedule 3 day dives per day on twin engine fiberglass dive boats to a choice of more than 60 dive spots in the Lembeh Strait. After every dive the boats return back to the resort so you can enjoy your surface interval by the swimming pool or make any adjustments to your camera before your next dive.

A night dive by boat is available daily, providing there is a a minimum of two people. 

If you have booked a diving package (starting from four nights with three days diving), then there is FREE access to the two world famous house reef dive sites (“Hairball” and “Aw Shucks”) from 07:30 AM – 18.00 PM.

The fully equipped dive centre has a spacious camera room and dedicated camera rinse tanks. There is also a guest dive gear locker room, with gear rinse tanks and showers for after the dive. The dive guides are trained in camera handling and are specialised in working in Lembeh’s unique underwater environment.

Extras in Resort (pay locally)

• Nitrox fill: $7 per tank, $20 per day
• Night Dive: $45 per dive

Equipment Rental guideline prices - paid locally:

• Full equipment (Regulator, BCD, Wetsuit, Mask and Fins): $15 per dive, $30 per day
• Regulator: $8
• Computer: $6
• BCD: $7
• Wetsuit: $7
• Mask and Snorkel: $4
• Fins (full foot only): $4
• Torch: $10

Note: All local prices listed above are an indication only, and subject to change.

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Resort info

Manado is easily reached via Singapore with a connection flight time of around 3.5 hours, into Manado International airport. There are 4 connections per week to/from Singapore - Manado and daily flights to Singapore from the UK.

Flights may also be available with Etihad, Emirates and Gulf Air, with separate ticket Jakarta - Manado with LionAir.

Getting Around

Anyone booking the full package through Regaldive will receive local supplier assistance from the moment they exit customs at the airport, and all our packages include land and boat transfer where applicable, unless otherwise requested.

Taxis are readily available, but it is recommended that you seek assistance from reception at your local place of stay for any additional travel and excursion arrangements you may wish to make in situ.

Climate

You can enjoy fine diving year round in Manado.  Located just above the equator, temperatures remain constant throughout the year with highs near 33°C and lows that rarely fall below 27°C.  Humidity may be high during the rainy season.  The water temperature ranges between 27°C and 29°C.

The sunniest season is from April to November.  It does rain through out the year, with rainfall rising between December and March. Showers tend to be brief and heavy.

If you are looking to enjoy some rainforest walks or white water rafting, it is better to travel in the rainy season (but again it is year-round) because that is when the forest and highlands are watered and are at their most lush.

In Water Protection

We suggest a 3mm or 5mm full suit (or dive-skin for those who do not feel the cold) for divers and snorkellers, to protect against any stinging hydroids.

Land Clothing

It is normally shorts and t-shirts by day (even if it rains, because it is warm tropical rain) in resort.  The night time dress code is light and casual.  If you are venturing any further, we recommend more modest dress with loose fitting clothing.

Time

Manado is +7-8 hours ahead of GMT depending on summer/winter time in UK.

Languages

The official language spoken is Indonesian.  English is widely spoken.

Currency

Indonesian Rupiah (IDR). Approximate rates:
£1 = 18,918 IDR
€1 = 16,750 IDR
$1 = 13,653 IDR

All items must be paid in local currency (Rupiah) due to laws and regulations in Indonesia. Visa and Mastercard are accepted in all the resorts but may incur a local bank charge and card transactions are billed in Rupiah.  British Pounds are not accepted in Manado.

The most useful currency to take is the US Dollar. Exchange rates are usually published every day at the reception and some are able to exchange a small amount in resort.

You can withdraw cash in Rupiah from the ATMs at the local banks, provided you have your PIN number with you.  Also, if you make it to town before 2pm, you can draw up to Rp 3,000,000 on a Visa card or Mastercard inside the banks (you must present your passport with your credit card).

It is not possible to use travellers' cheques in local shops, dive centres and resorts. Travellers' cheques can only be cashed in the bank by the owner of the cheque, with a form of photo I.D.

Tipping

Although entirely voluntary, tipping is a recognised part of life in this region of the world.  Some local staff look to guests for personal recognition of particular services offered.

Electricity

220 volt electricity with standard European round pin electricity plugs.

Activities

Manado is the regional capital of North Sulawesi and serves as an ideal base to explore this area of outstanding natural beauty. Trek to the Kali Waterfall and the 'Tangkoko' rainforest where the world's smallest primate, the Tarsier monkey, lives. You can climb a volcano or take to white-water rafting. Then there's the geography of the area including paddy fields, spice plantations and markets. Excursions are available from all the resorts.

Night Life in Manado

Should you wish to try the local cuisine in town one night, you can reach Manado town from Tasik Ria Resort in around 30 minutes by taxi. These can be easily ordered through the hotel reception and cost about US$6 each way. Manado's 'Warung' restaurants offer excellent seafood, Asian and (some) western food cuisine. Eating out is extremely cheap, with most meals costing only around US$5. After dining, there is a reasonable but limited nightlife - a few good bars with live bands playing most nights; you can also shop at night for clothes and snacks.

Guests at both Siladen Resort & Spa and KBR are more limited in outside evening activities due to their location. Guests staying in Eco Divers Resort Lembeh are based in Bitung town.

Travel info

Flight Information

Flights with Singapore are with Singapore Airlines, via Singapore into Manado International airport. There are currently 4 connections per week to and from Singapore to Manado. Flights from London Heathrow to Singapore are daily and twice weekly from Manchester.

Flights may also be available with Etihad, Emirates and Garuda Airlines with an onward flight to Manado with LionAir.

Flight duration:
London - Singapore 12 hours and 40 minutes.
Singapore - Manado 3 hours and 35 minutes.

Passports

Passengers travelling to Manado should have minimum six months valid on their passport from the date of return to the UK, plus one full page free. Hotel receptions may be required to take a photocopy of your passport for registration purposes.

Visas

British nationals travelling to Indonesia can enter the country without a visa for up to 30 days at certain airports' Immigration Check Points: Soekarno-Hatta Jakarta ( CGK ), Ngurah Rai - Bali (DPS), Kualanamu, Medan (KNO), Juanda - Surabaya (SUB), Hang Nadim - Batam (BTH).

You won’t be able to extend your stay beyond 30 days if you enter under this visa waiver scheme. Entry via Manado and certain other entry points is still subject to a visa on arrival at a cost of $35 (30 day visa) and $15 (7 day visa). Please note that visitors must purchase a visa if their ultimate destination is not one of those listed above e.g. guests going to Manado.

For further information about entry requirements, visit the website of the Indonesian Embassy in London or your nearest Indonesian embassy.

Vaccinations

There are no compulsory vaccinations for travel to Manado, although we recommend protection against typhoid, tetanus, hepatitis A and polio. Vaccination requirements are subject to change and should be confirmed before departure with your GP or local travel clinic. There are plenty of chemists and dentists in Manado and the general hospital has a good recompression chamber. Further information on vaccinations for travel to this country can be found at www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk and from your local healthcare provider.

Prices

At Regaldive, we offer tailor-made scuba diving holidays to Indonesia, including flights from the UK, transfers, accommodation and your scuba diving activities.

The price panel above provides an indication of a lead-in price for your holiday, based on the cheapest time to travel. Prices shown are per person, and based on two persons sharing. 

Our friendly and experienced team can arrange holidays of varying durations for singles, couples, friends and dive clubs. We can also advise you on the best time of year to travel to maximise your scuba diving experience, and receive the best value for money. Flights from regional UK airports may be available, depending on your destination and date of travel.

We can also arrange extensions to your diving or snorkelling holiday, including cultural tours, nature and wildlife-focused activities, plus city breaks.

Please call 01353 659999 or e-mail Regaldive, using the link below, for a quotation.

Our Price Promise

At Regaldive we are committed to offering you the best possible value for money on all our diving holidays. That's why we offer you a price match promise. Learn more about our promise to you.

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