| TRAVEL MASTERS specializes in travel to the exotic and fabulous Asia/Pacific area. These are some of our specialties - |
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Borneo Just the mention of the name Borneo conjures up exotic images and a lot of questions! Here are some of the answers - |
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Where is Borneo?
Borneo is the third largest island in the world. It is located just east
of the Malaysian Peninsula (south of
Thailand and north of Singapore). Borneo is separated from
Peninsular Malaysia by the South China Sea. Borneo is comprised of Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei.
Malaysia has two states on Borneo - Sabah and Sarawak. Sabah is the
northern state and home to fabulous diving and adventure. |
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How to get there?
Malaysia Airlines and Singapore Air offer the most
convenient flights to Borneo.
Departing from LAX, Malaysia Airlines provides friendly
service on your
trans-pacific flight to Borneo. The flights depart LAX with a change of
planes in Taipei before arriving Kota Kinabalu. Kota Kinabalu (KK) is
located on the west coast of Borneo and is the largest city in Borneo.
Malaysia Airlines also departs Newark.Singapore Air also departs from either LAX or Newark. The advantage of Singapore Air is that they offer a non-stop to Singapore! It's a long flight - but they seating arrangement is ingenious! It is called Executive Economy Class and the seats are 3" wider and have 7" more legroom than standard coach seats! The price is a little more expensive but well worth the added cost. From Singapore, you can fly directly to Kota Kinabalu on Singapore Air. Call Travel Masters for details on flights and prices! Let us do the work! |
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What
adventures are available? There is so much to do in Borneo,
particularly in Sabah. Diving is one of the major attractions.
The other activities are just as exciting ... visit beautiful caves,
climb Mt. Kinabalu (the highest peak in S.E. Asia!),
 hiking,
great wildlife viewing opportunities, cultural tours and so much
more!This is one of the few places in the world where you can see Orangutans in the wild. |
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What is the diving like?
 In
a word - amazing! Borneo boasts a stunning density of marine life.
You will find everything from the smallest macro critter to sharks,
rays and massive schools of fish. There is certainly something
for
everyone!
Because Sabah is not in a typhoon or monsoon zone, you can dive year round in comfort! |
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What are the different islands? There are a number of islands, but there are three main islands that offer diving. Mabul is home to spectacular macro life. Sipadan offers big fish and big schools and big fun. Layang Layang offers a variety of conditions and has the larger shark population. |
| Our recommendation for diving in Malaysia ...
Sipadan Water Village
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Palau is a diver's paradise. Palau is one of the top dive destinations in the world. Palau was a US Territory until recent years. This makes it a really easy place to visit ... the language is English, the currency is the US Dollar, electricity is 110V and they even use US Postage. It doesn't get much easier. You can fly Continental Airlines all the way to Palau. Hotels - there are a number of hotels in Palau, but there are two that we recommend highly. The Palau Pacific Resort is where you want to go for style and luxury. It is a beautiful hotel, right on the beach, with excellent service. But, if your budget doesn't allow for luxury, we have a great alternative. The West Plaza Hotels are clean, convenient and priced to please. There are 5 locations in Palau. The one we prefer is the West Plaza Desekel. It is located near town so it is within easy walking distance to ALL the restaurants and shopping. The rooms are big and clean and the service is excellent. Diving
- There are
several good dive operators in Palau. But, there is one that we
work closely with and have complete confidence in ... There are also several live-aboard dive boats in Palau
... Airfare - Continental Airlines has regularly scheduled flights into Palau. We have a contract with Continental that allows us to offer GREAT airfares to Palau. Back to the Top |
| Truk History buff? Wreck diver? Technical diver? Truk is the destination for you. Truk is famous for its collection of WWII wrecks. Without a doubt, the best way to dive Truk is on the Truk Odyssey. They are the most reliable, experienced and safe liveaboard in the area. If you can't get on the Odyssey, change the dates of your trip until something opens up! It's worth the wait. |
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Thailand Thailand is one of the many exotic and exciting destinations that make Asia/Pacific so popular. The diving is great and the extended tours are spectacular. The best diving is done from a liveaboard. There are quite a few liveaboards in Thailand, but the one we recommend the most is the Ocean Rover. They are safe, dependable, experienced and have an outstanding crew. When you go out on the liveaboard, you will dive both in Thailand and Myanmar. The reason for diving from a liveaboard is to get to the sites that cannot be reached by the day boats! Any site beyond Richelieu Rock is where you want to be. But, when the diving is over, you must stay and enjoy the sites and sounds of Thailand! Bangkok has fabulous temples, palaces and markets. But, keep going. Head up to Chiang Mai and become an elephant trainer. Or visit the tribe of the long neck women! You won't want to miss anything in Thailand. So, try to schedule plenty of time to see it all. |
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Solomon Islands The Solomon Islands are one of the more remote dive destinations. You will certainly not find the tourist traps that are so annoying at other destinations! You will need to fly in/out of Honiara. Try to avoid any extra time in this town. It is as safe as most other 3rd World islands, but there are not any pleasures here! There is really nowhere to go and nothing to see and the hotels are not particularly restful. So, avoid any excess time in Honiara!! The diving is good, but does not offer the variety of Malaysia or Thailand. At this time, we really do not have a boat that we recommend for the Solomon Islands. Please check back with us if the Solomons are in your travel/dive plans. |
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Indonesia Indonesia covers such a large area that there are a variety of great diving opportunities. The most famous part of Indonesia would be Bali. This is a little bit of heaven on Earth! The island is gorgeous and the people are so special. Even if you are not doing any diving, Bali is just a great place to be. There is some great diving in Bali. Our favorite diving is up North at either Tulamben or Menjangan. Both of these areas offer spectacular macro life. Tulamben even has a fabulous wreck that is worth a dive or two ... or three or four! Many boats depart from Bali and go out to the Komodo region. Komodo has spectacular diving - with a wide array of terrain and marine life. There are many boats operating in this area!! Wakatobi is also in Indonesia. While it is not on the island of Bali - you do have to go through Bali to get to Wakatobi! You take a charter flight between Bali and Wakatobi. The resort is lovely and the diving is very good. The most outstanding feature at Wakatobi is the coral. They have miles and miles of gorgeous coral. Sulawesi is an island North of Bali. And, in Northern Sulawesi is an area called Lembeh Straits. This area offers some of the best diving in the world! If you like coral or large fish - DON'T go to Lembeh Straits!! But, if macro and muck diving are your passion - this is the place for you! There are a number of great resorts in this area - Kungkungan Bay Resort and Lembeh Resort are two of the more popular ones! There are also some brand new resorts that have just opened on Lembeh Straits. You may also have heard about Banda, Raja Ampat, Alor ... these are other amazing dive areas in/around Indonesia. These areas are certainly only done on a liveaboard! They are a bit more remote - but well worth the effort of getting there. Getting there generally requires a flight beyond Bali - to Maumere or Sorong. As you can see Indonesia is an area you may return to over and over. It offers great diving and great experiences. |
| Fiji Fiji is well known for having the friendliest people on Earth! The Fijiians have a happy, friendly, open culture that makes people want to go back to Fiji over and over again! You can dive Fiji from either a liveaboard or a land based dive operation. There are so many islands to choose from! And, there is such a wide range of resorts ... from very basic to private islands that only hold 3 or 4 couples! So, pick a budget and there is a resort to satisfy your needs! On of our favorite resorts is on the island of Taveuni. The Maravu Plantation is a stunning property with stellar service. We have been enjoying the comfort and quality of Maravu Plantation for many years. We think you will like it, also! The Aggressor has been in Fiji for over 10 years. And, they recently added another boat to the area! The Fiji Aggressor(s) offer fabulous itineraries and quality service and comfort.
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