Lumbalumba diving and Bunaken National Marine Park
Lumbalumba (meaning Dolphin) diving with the slogan “the diving with a difference” is a small and exclusive dive resort in the capital city Manado, of North Sulawesi in Indonesia. They have daily dive trips to Bunaken Marine Park. Indonesia is one destination for diving pleasure. Lumbalumba diving is a complete resort with accommodation, food and the most important all diving facilities. It has spacious diving catamarans. It is located on a mountain slope and overlooks the famous Bunaken Marine Park.
The resort has four luxurious chalets for maximum two guests each and one family chalet for a maximum 4 guests. All of them are situated on the hill side. Delicious meals are served by the chef, may it be western, oriental, seafood or barbecue. The resort does not only provide diving facilities but also active volcano hikes, cultural land tours, rain forest trips, white water rafting, horseback riding.
Bunaken National Marine Park is divided into two parts, the Northern and Southern sections. The total area is 79056 hectares of land and marine area. The Southern section consists entirely of coastal area. The Northern section has five islands in its boundaries. They are Bunaken, Siladen, Manado, Tua, Mantehage and Nain. It is divided into 30 villages. The main occupation of the people living here is fishing and farming. With the introduction an entrance fee the National park became a role model for other marine reserves. It has won many national awards as well.
It is one of the best diving water in the world with the water being cool blue and warm. You can find a variety of coral there. The marine life too can be seen in abundance like whales and dolphins. It is the place to be for beginners and experienced divers. Photographers can feast their eyes to the world’s most scenic area. Some areas are good for snorkelling as well. There are about 30 diving sites and they are still discovering new ones.
I visited Bunaken National Marine Park a couple of months ago for the third time. It is definitely a great place for diving, although I have the feeling that the area is not protected enough. Too much rubbish and plastic around, which inevitably travels around pushed by the currents.
Lumbalumba resort looks like a nice place, but I prefer staying in smaller islands and usually stay at Siladen Resort, where I can enjoy awsome sunsets with the view on Manado Tua volcan.