Manado to Bunaken Ferry: Public Boat or Resort Transfer
Practical

Manado to Bunaken Ferry: Public Boat or Resort Transfer

By Sulawesi.com editors6 min read

Compare the public boat and the resort transfer: when to choose each, and what the dive shops do not tell you about the morning crossing.

The boat from Manado to Bunaken Island takes 40 to 90 minutes, depending on the boat and the sea. There are three ways across. The public boat leaves Manado in the early afternoon and costs IDR 50,000 (about €2) for a visitor. A resort's own boat costs about €40 one way per person. A boat you hire costs IDR 400,000 to 1 million.

This guide compares the three, says where each one leaves from, and when the sea is rough. Every time and price below names its source and its date.

The public boat, plainly

Several wooden public boats (kapal motor) leave Manado every afternoon except Sundays, between about 14:00 and 15:00. Wikivoyage names four of them: Stella Maris, Opo Lao, Sumber and Karunia. They are often late.

They leave from the Kalimas harbour, also called Calaca, behind Hotel Celebes in central Manado. It is next to Pasar Bersehati, the market. They do not leave from the main passenger port.

The boats land at Bunaken village, on the main beach or at the jetty when the tide is low (Two Fish Divers). They come back the next morning, between about 08:30 and 09:30 (Wikivoyage). Indonesia's tourism site gives 07:00 to 08:00 for the return.

Cost: IDR 50,000 one way for a visitor, and IDR 20,000 for people who live on the island (Wikivoyage, June 2024; Two Fish Divers gives the same IDR 50,000). There is no booking. You tell the crew you are coming, and you pay on board or when you arrive.

What it buys you: the crossing, with the island's goods and its people.

Sundays

Most sources say no public boat sails on Sundays (Wikivoyage, and four travel guides). Indonesia's tourism site says the Sunday boats leave from Pasar Jengki, near the harbour. The sources disagree, so ask your guesthouse on Saturday, or take a resort boat.

The resort transfer, plainly

Every dive resort on Bunaken runs its own boat for its guests. The prices below are each resort's own:

  • Bastianos (rates valid until 31 March 2027): €40 one way or €70 return per person by boat, or €45 one way and €85 return with the car from the airport. From two people, between 08:00 and 17:00.
  • Two Fish Divers (prices of August 2026): IDR 200,000 per person one way by boat. From the airport, IDR 400,000 for one person, the car and the boat together. No transfers after 20:00 or before 07:00.
  • Bunaken Oasis includes the return transfer in every stay.

The car from the airport to the pier takes about 30 minutes, then the boat about an hour (Bastianos). What it buys you: a fixed time, help with your bags and dive gear, and a landing at the resort's own beach.

A boat you hire

A private boat from the Kalimas harbour costs IDR 400,000 to 1 million, by the size of the boat and the number of people (Wikivoyage, undated). It leaves when you want, within daylight.

When the public boat is the right call

You stay in Bunaken village. The public boat lands at the village. A resort's boat goes to its own beach. If you stay with a family in the village, the public boat is the simple way.

Your trip allows a night on the island. An afternoon departure and a morning return fit a stay of one night or more.

Budget matters. IDR 50,000 is about €2. A resort's boat is about €40 one way.

When it isn't

You carry dive gear. The public boat carries goods and people, with no place for your tanks or your bags. A resort's boat carries your gear for you.

Your trip is short. The public boat takes half a day each way, with the wait in Manado. A resort's boat leaves at a time you agree.

You travel from December to March. The sea is rougher then (below). A public boat that does not sail costs you a day.

When the sea is rough

The open sea near Bunaken reaches 1.25 m, the height at which BMKG warns small boats, about 4% of the time in February and 3% in January. From May to November it almost never does (NOAA WAVEWATCH III, 2017 to 2026, measured 33 km out; the water between Manado and Bunaken is calmer). See the waves for Bunaken now on our weather page before you cross.

How do you get from Manado to Bunaken? By boat, in 40 to 90 minutes. Public boats leave the Kalimas harbour (Calaca), behind Hotel Celebes in Manado, at about 14:00 to 15:00, and cost IDR 50,000 for a visitor. They come back the next morning, and most sources say they do not sail on Sundays. A resort's own boat costs about €40 one way per person, and a hired boat IDR 400,000 to 1 million.

Getting to the harbour

From the airport, the drive to the pier takes about 30 to 40 minutes (Bastianos; Bunaken Oasis). Ask for Pelabuhan Kalimas, or Calaca, behind Hotel Celebes and next to Pasar Bersehati. Look for the wooden boats loading goods, not for a ticket office.

Bring water and food: the boats leave when they are loaded. The park fee for Bunaken is in our Bunaken diving guide, and the places to stay are on the Bunaken page.

If you take the public boat one way only, take the morning return: you reach Manado with most of the day ahead of you.

Sources

Continue reading

All articles

Plan your trip to Sulawesi

See the tours