Transport from Sam Ratulangi airport Manado

[littleiyut]

Hi everyone, we're going to Manado on 10 of Nov. This is the first time for both of us. Just wondering how easy to get transport or taxi from airport to the hotel? And how much roughly the cost is?
We only be there for 4 days any idea of places to visit? Any info is welcome. Thanks

 

[Smallworld]

Although I don't live in Manado I would use uber, grab to check the estimated cost of travel to.. from... Hard to give any estimation if destination is not specified.

 

[littleiyut]

Although I don't live in Manado I would use uber, grab to check the estimated cost of travel to.. from... Hard to give any estimation if destination is not specified.

Thanks Smallworld. We're staying at Aryaduta hotel. I think it's on jalan tendean?

 

[steveandpenny]

No problems catching a cab or go-car at airport. From airport to your hotel in a bluebird will cost you around 85,000 that includes the airport parking. A go car will run you about 45,000.
There is a taxi stand right in front of the departure gate so no problems there. If you want a go car download the go jek app. Always had no problems getting a car there.
About things to do have to ask what you like doing before I can give you advice on that.
Have fun

 

[steveandpenny]

Thanks Smallworld. We're staying at Aryaduta hotel. I think it's on jalan tendean?

Oh you are staying in a nice hotel but I've had problems with there internet. You will be centrally located. Nice pool on the 6th floor. Good breakfast too and great staff. Also right next to golden supermart for snacks and supplies

 

[Smallworld]

Seems S&P answered already your question.

I just had a quick look at UBER website and they said:

UberX will cost you Rp48.954-65.256 for your travel Airport-Hotel.

If you have no UBER app you can check estimations for traveling here:
https://www.uber.com/de/fare-estimate/

 

[waarmstrong]

Related question, sort of. Is the train from CGK to town running yet?

 

[littleiyut]

Thank you s and p, also smallworld. Sorry, been having poorly signal in banten. Seems transport will be easy enough to arrange from airport. I do have a grab taxi app which I have used twice in Jakarta, great if I can use it in Manado too. I'm just not sure if my banten sim card will work in Manado because from experience I bought sim card in Jakarta but when I use it in banten the internet doesn't work very well and vice versa. Quite looking forward to see Manado now.

 

[littleiyut]

Related question, sort of. Is the train from CGK to town running yet?

Last time I heard it hasn't waarmstrong, but will check again when I'm there a week on Friday.

 

[steveandpenny]

Thank you s and p, also smallworld. Sorry, been having poorly signal in banten. Seems transport will be easy enough to arrange from airport. I do have a grab taxi app which I have used twice in Jakarta, great if I can use it in Manado too. I'm just not sure if my banten sim card will work in Manado because from experience I bought sim card in Jakarta but when I use it in banten the internet doesn't work very well and vice versa. Quite looking forward to see Manado now.

You shouldn't have a problem with your Sims card as long as it's with a major carrier such as it Telkom or indosat. I'm not sure if we have grab taxi , I use go jek app . Also if you use it and like the driver get his whatsapp number and you can call him to do any driving you want when in manado. Also I'm sure you are aware the hotel can arrange a car for you but you will pay 2 to 3 times for the same ride.
Can I ask the reason for the visit ? It would help me Gove advice on what to see or do in the short time you are here. Also do you dive or snorkel? Or are you more interested in land things ?

 

[littleiyut]

Hi steveandpenny, going to Manado is one of the places in Indonesia I would love to visit when I was younger. We both just joining the club of 'pensioner', my husband retired the year before and I followed the year after so we kind of starting a new life and we always like traveling. We like most land things historical places, long walk and food , I admit shamelessly we like looking around nice mall it's a fascinating place for a coffee and watching people (sad isn't it?) although we really enjoyed the boat ride for a couple of days when we're traveling to komodo island and snorkeling a bit. Now that we can stay longer here, we're planning to visit at least one place outside java everytime we are here.

 

[steveandpenny]

Ok so I got a fair idea ...4 days aren't much but here goes.

Frist off you will be near a few "nice malls" from where you are staying. Megamas mall or Mantos (manado town square) . Now these are your normal malls with all the usual suspects ...

Right next to your hotel is the IT center which is a fun crowded stall like mall , it's 5 stories tall with a decent local food court. Each floor has it's own speciality such as phones , beauty , electronics so on and so forth. If you are looking for local shopping a few blocks away is 45 area full of winding streets and local stores. Fun place and don't worry about going into the winding hallways , just smile we have never had any trouble with feeling uncomfortable . Make eye contact and nod and everyone will love you. Oh it's real easy to get lost there so I track my progress around there with goggle maps. You can use your hotel as return point and just follow the instructions.

Now you must snorkel off bunken just make sure who ever you go out with is a good company. WARNING do not go with a boat full of Chinese tourist ( this is not racist) . Every time I've seen a group of them it's a overloaded cluster fuck. Most every time its way over crowd and the guides have trouble telling them what to do and what not to do . It won't be fun.

For the land stuff I can highly recommend manado safaris. The highland tour is great not to be missed . Jeremy and Ninnie run it and ask for freddie as your guide. My sister and brother inlaw used him and they loved him.

Soo one day shopping, one day snorkeling, one day in the highlands and one day for eating and hanging at the pool.

If you need more info just ask. Welcome to the blessed city.

 

[atlantis]

For the land stuff I can highly recommend manado safaris. The highland tour is great not to be missed . Jeremy and Ninnie run it and ask for freddie as your guide. My sister and brother inlaw used him and they loved him.

I also vouch for Manado Safari. Jeremy and Nini provide some of the best service one could expect in Manado when it comes to tours and I don't say it because they are friends.

Both of them are in DEMA at the moment but I am certain that there staff may answer any of your queries.

This is their FB and all contact details may be found there: https://www.facebook.com/SafariToursTravelManado/

 

[littleiyut]

Thank you all very much! I wish I could stay a bit longer, we were but we have to keep an eye on worker who's doing work on our house in banten and took longer than expected. We'll see if we like it this time, we will probably go back next time. Thank you again.

 

[Amba&Blue]

Hey lovely people If anyone knows a good way or any tips to go from manado/bintutang to Luwuk/banggai? Last minute flights seem expensive, i don't have a car (renting could be an option) so I though ferry could be a good solution. But I cant really find timetables and ticket prices. Do you have any advice?
On maps it shows a Bitung-banggai ferry and a bitung-luwuk ferry but cant get to the timetables and pricen. Would really appreciate. Thanks
Amba&Blue italian Backpackers

 

[snpark]

@atlantis
Is our Manado boy

 

[Shadrach]

I went there once and loved Bunaken island for snorkeling. It was a long time ago and still had a quiet side with bungalows with a long beach you can walk out into the sea for snorkeling. Watch out for sea snakes, stone fish, fire coral, just be careful where you step! I slso like going to the National park up north to see the tiny monkeys and hornbills. There is a volcano near Manado you can hike up too and look down into the crater! The morning market was fascinating with Tikus hutan, large fruit bats, and dogs all roasted and ready to eat if that's your thing! One sad thing I observed was all the plastic pollution thrown in the river and carried over to Bunaken Island on the current! It is probably the same even now! People just don't seem to care about pollution on the streets, yards, rivers, oceans! Tana Toraja is a fascinating place to go. If you there at the right time they might be having a funeral ceremony! They cook in pieces of green bamboo stuffed with meat, veggies, spices! Go see the cliffs where they bury their dead in caves! Its a fascinating culture that bring out the dead from the caves and wrap them up in fresh cloth and have a ceremony for them also every year! The coffee there is some of the best in Indonesia! Four days is definitely not enough time!

 

[atlantis]

Hey lovely people If anyone knows a good way or any tips to go from manado/bintutang to Luwuk/banggai? Last minute flights seem expensive, i don't have a car (renting could be an option) so I though ferry could be a good solution. But I cant really find timetables and ticket prices. Do you have any advice?
On maps it shows a Bitung-banggai ferry and a bitung-luwuk ferry but cant get to the timetables and pricen. Would really appreciate. Thanks
Amba&Blue italian Backpackers

Hello Amba and Blue
The ferries you refer to isn't an everyday day type of ferry like the one going to Sangir or Ternate. It is operated by PT Pelni meaning that it follows a route going from Jakarta or Surabaya to the far East, leap-frogging from one city to another then going back.

Basically it does the Bitung-Luwuk sea route only once a month, so timing may be a problem for you to catch it unless if you have a lot of time.
It should take you something between 24h and 36h from point A to point B.

Another thing that you would have to consider is that for some weird reasons schedule may not be convenient for tourist passengers, with vessel leaving for example at 2.30 in the night from Bitung harbour which is probably quite un-convenient for a tourist with little local connections to get from Manado to Bitung in the middle of the night

From memory Bitung Luwuk is done by KM Tilongkabila which is the vessel you should look for on the Pelni website (I don't have it but most probably it should be www.pelni.co.id)

If you look at going by road all the way from Manado to Luwuk by road you will have to break a bank first in Manado which I don't advise (I would estimate the charter cost for the whole vehicle to somewhere between 2 juta and 3 juta, perhaps more if your skin tone is too light and your haggling abilities low). The reason is that the car would go from Manado to Gorontalo then to Palu, then Poso and then all the way to Luwuk. We talk about a 1500 km ride on roads where you can get a few natural hazards delaying you. I was used to do this road every week two decades ago and enjoyed every minutes of it but I would not recommend it to tourists with a tight schedule.

More realistic and smarter would be to do it by a combinaison of road and ferry, going first to Gorontalo and then catching a daily ferry to Luwuk. They are cheap and fits well adventurous people.
For the Manado-Gorontalo we have a few Pangkalan all over the city, with cars departing when full. Alternatively we have even cheaper buses doing it but you'd have to be quite short to find it comfortable. If interested you will find them at the Terminal Malalayang.

​

 

[snpark]

Thankyou boss. Very informative

 

[atlantis]

If you look at going by road all the way from Manado to Luwuk by road you will have to break a bank first in Manado which I don't advise (I would estimate the charter cost for the whole vehicle to somewhere between 2 juta and 3 juta, perhaps more if your skin tone is too light and your haggling abilities low). The reason is that the car would go from Manado to Gorontalo then to Palu, then Poso and then all the way to Luwuk. We talk about a 1500 km ride on roads where you can get a few natural hazards delaying you. I was used to do this road every week two decades ago and enjoyed every minutes of it but I would not recommend it to tourists with a tight schedule.

If going all the way by road is your thing I just received a WA from one of our household staff who is from Luwuk. Here is what she said:

Pagi..
Bapk ada rental manado luwuk yg barngkt sbtr sore jam 5..
Dpe tiket 650 kursi tengah

it means that there is a SHARED vehicle going Manado Luwuk (with all the stops en route) later today at 5. Seat(s) at the middle row are still available at the price of Rp 650.000 / passenger if interested. You will be charged more if you have a big backpack. The seat space is what an average Indonesian passenger would use. Don't be surprised if the driver consider that the middle row should fit 4 persons.

If your interested send me a PM with a WA number and I will connect you with the driver. However, please keep in mind my comments in the previous post. It's a long and rough ride. I have no idea of what the airfare is atm but wouldn't think twice even if I would have to add 5 or 10 times the cost of the road fare.