New Philippines - Indonesian route through Celebes Sea islands

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wwd
wwd

Dear fellow travellers,

A brand new route to travel from the Philippines to Indonesia (Sarangani, Mindanao to Manado, North Sulawesi) via the Celebes Islands of the Talaud and Sangihe group is being opened for the first time.

The route will be via a proposed new ferry service to operate between Glan, Sarangani (Mindanao) and Tahuna, Sangihe Island (gateway to Manado, North Sulawesi).

I am involved in working with the various agencies on the Philippine/Indonesian sides to develop this.

I am just wondering how many people on this forum planning to travel in South East Asia might be interested in making this journey - rather than taking the 2 or 3 flights from Manila to get to North Sulawesi from the PI's? For sure, there is no good link to Indonesia from the Philippines at the moment to allow people like us to make the journey - without this costing a fortune and spending most of the time in the air/in airports/on a bus!!!

The Celebes Sea is one of the most important seas in the World for marine biodiversity and is in the heart of Wallacia - where separate 'plates' of bio-diversity (or zones) clash. This area is regarded as one of the most remote and undiscovered areas on Earth and this new route will open up tourism and trade between local people in this region. The islands and people are way off any beaten track and unique in many ways for scenery, marine and land life: much of the flora and fauna found here is totally unique in the World.

I have met several tourists already over the past few years who were looking to make this journey - but could not!!! Now this is becoming possible and I need your help to prove to the local Regencies of Indonesia and Municipalities of the Philippines that foreign travellers are interested/would make this journey.

If you are interested, then please PM me/post here. We are planning to make the first journey by foreigners in May of this year (2010). I would be particularly interested if you would like to join us on the maiden voyage. I can arrange travel and help with visa advice. Also with logistics in the region - places to stay, transport, inter island travel, etc. Note that this is not for profit - purely at cost in order to develop the route for the future.

Very kind regards

Andrew Macdonald

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joeydaninja
joeydaninja

I'm interested.

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vlong
vlong

I'm also interested. Pls provide more details.

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pan
pan

if they can not get people to fly on a plane one time a week from davao to Manado how will they make the boat
work.

3 airlines have been on and off on the davao to manado in the last 5 years.

bouraq. sriwijaya. wings.

none could fill a plane and thats only flying one time a week.

pelni shipping lines also had a go from the port of Bitung to General santos.

its the same for the plane from zamboanga to sandakan. zest air did for one month.

the only way it can work is if they let Airasia fly from davao to Kota kinabalu.

or Zamboanga to Kota kinabalu.

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pan
pan

also the price of the air ticket from davao to manado was to high at 250/300 us dollars one way.

you can fly with cebu pacific davao to Jakarta via manila for 150 us dollars. 6 hours.

and it only takes (one hour 30 mins) to fly davao to manado.

zest air were flying from zamboanga to Sandakan for less than 50 us dollars one way but could not fill the plane.

but the boats still go from zamboanga to sandakan for 65 us dollars one way. but take 17 hours.

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bassman1
bassman1

I'd love to do it. And every now and then someone posts on here wanting to do it. Hope there's enough people to keep it going.

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xexpat
xexpat

i'll definitely go, i hate Luzon and love mindanao and visayas. Also i always wanted to check out manado but even Air Asia cancelled their KL-manado flights.
In short, i doubt it will happen.
but if so i will start making plans....
count me in

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Laszlo
Laszlo

Sure, a number of travelers will claim to be Interested, but most of them will either never go or go only once.

I agree with Pan, if the direct routes by air and sea between the busy cities of Manado/Bitung and Davao/Gensan could not get enough passengers to make them worthwhile in the long term, how would a connection between such obscure places do.

My info & thoughts:
on East-Indonesia.info: Indonesia, Maluku, West Papua, Raja Ampat & Indonesian Visas
on Thorn Tree: Seeing Orangutans, Kalimantan, Kiribati & Tuvalu
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zetmlypg
zetmlypg

I love North Sulawesi and I want to go to Mindanao. I wish there is a direct flight from Davaos(Minadanao, Phillipines) to Kota Kinabalu (Sabah, Malaysia). Thus i support the plan to have a flight from Davaos to Kota Kinabalu and from Kota Kinabalu to Manado (North Sulawesi, Indonesia).

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Laszlo
Laszlo

KK to Manado was tried by Malaysian in the past, then dropped as it was not profitable enough. Even Air Asia could not make its KL-Manado route work in the long term.

My info & thoughts:
on East-Indonesia.info: Indonesia, Maluku, West Papua, Raja Ampat & Indonesian Visas
on Thorn Tree: Seeing Orangutans, Kalimantan, Kiribati & Tuvalu
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