Southeast Asia forum

Island hopping from Aus?

Rukus

longtail driver
Posts: 5

Hello there guys I'm trying to plan my trip out a little bit and was wondering anybody has started in Australia and island hopped up through to thailand? I'm just curious if it can all be done by boat and is it cheap enough or is it going to cost me a boatload of money to be taking boats everywere island to island?

If I went this way I would be stopping at lots of islands aswell just FYI and staying a few nights here and then move on to the next island ect. so mostly just a transportation question, any input is greatly appreciated, thanks

#1 Posted: 2/12/2011 - 18:31
Captain_Bob

under-employed
Posts: 950
Located in:

Private message

Check out Tigerline Travel
http://www.tigerlinetravel.com
Operates between Langkawi and Phuket daily during dry season (late Nov to late April)

Of course you'll need to get from Oz to Indo first. Go down to the marina in Darwin and ask the boaties for crewing opportunities to somewhere like Dili (400 nautical miles) and let the adventure begin.

#2 Posted: 8/12/2011 - 05:32
john_f

backpacker
Posts: 16

I did it a long time ago but I don't see why things would have changed too much.

The difficulty may be getting to Timor from Darwin. I don't think any passenger boats do that bit and I flew. As Captain Bob says you may be able to get a ride from Darwin to Kupang or Dili from Darwin by asking around.

Once in Timor it's not too difficult to do it, although you may need quite a lot of time as some of the passenger boats don't go very often and some of the boats are quite basic/rough. I went up to Alor and then worked my way along to Bali. Getting from Alor to Flores was slow and a bit tricky but it's easy after that.

From Bali head on to Java and then either head on to Sumatra or maybe over to Singapore. There used to be a Hydrofoil running from Medan in Sumatra to Penang in Malaysia but I don't know if that still runs. Once in Singapore or Malaysia it's easy on up to Thailand.

#3 Posted: 8/12/2011 - 12:16
Rukus

longtail driver
Posts: 5

Ok great thanks alot guys, So then I have a question about visas, since I'm going to be traveling up through multiple countries like this how should I go about attaining my visas, I know that most countries allow 15 days if you arrive by land and 30 days if you arrive by air, So should I just get around based on these brief periods or should I buy visas in advance?( I just think this would get pricey) Aswell as if I were to take the occasional plane ride here and there are they expensive or very cheap in the area? I know lots of questions but any experience / knowledge is greatly appreciated.

#4 Posted: 20/4/2012 - 14:53
Captain_Bob

under-employed
Posts: 950
Located in:

Private message

"I know that most countries allow 15 days if you arrive by land and 30 days if you arrive by air"

That only applies to Thailand. Most other countries you get 30 days regardless either free (Malaysia) or for a fee (Cambodia, Laos). To stay longer in Thailand get a tourist visa at a Thai embassy/consulate in Aus or Malaysia (KL, Penang, Kota Bharu) which is valid for 90 days and gets you a 60-day entry by air or land, extendable 30 more days at immigration for 1900 baht.

For cheap regional flights check out AirAsia.com but it's only cheap if booked well in advance. Also check out NokAir.com for domestic Thailand flights.

#5 Posted: 20/4/2012 - 23:38
john_f

backpacker
Posts: 16

The problem will be getting from Australia to Eastern Indonesia. Kupang in West Timor is the main entry point but there are no longer any flights from Darwin to Kupang. There may be flights from other Australian cities into Kupang.

Otherwise your choices are to fly to Dili in East Timor or Bali. If you fly to Dili, you can cross overland into West Timor or I would guess you can still get a boat from Dili to other places in Indonesia such as Alor.

You will need at least 2 months to travel through Indonesia without having to rush it. There are long distances and travel can be slow. But if you are up for a bit of adventure I would thoroughly recommend it. For a 2 month visa, you will need to get a visa in advance.

If you do decide to do this I would recommend asking some questions on the Indonesia section of the Thorn Tree travel forum. There are a few more people on those forums that know about travelling through Indonesia.

#6 Posted: 21/4/2012 - 10:12