Kapalai Island

Place:

Kapalai island – The mere name conjures the image of crystal clear waters and a floating paradise like no other. A 45-minute trip from Semporna by speedboat, Kapalai island is one of the many beautiful diving havens in this part of the world. However, Kapalai is truly unique because it is not quite an ‘island’.

The 40 chalets are built on high wooden stilts in the middle of the ocean. Visitors can enjoy the sights of marine life in action as they stroll along the boardwalk, a sturdy construction that connects the various sections of the floating resort. The resort has 40 chalets, equipped with basic amenities, including tea and coffee making facilities.

 4° 13,601' N 118° 41,062' E

Transport:

Direct flights are available to Tawau and Kota Kinabalu on Sabah from Kuala Lumpur Malaysia and Singapore. The closest airport to Kapalai is Tawau, it is approximately one hour from Semporna jetty by mini van.Semporna is the speed boat departure point to Kapalai or nearby islands, Sipadan Island and MabulIsland.

Price:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kapalai

http://www.dive-malaysia.com/index.html

http://www.sabahtourism.com/en/destination/37-kapalai-island/

http://www.cuti.my/tour/info/id/1536/Malaysia/Sabah/tour/3D2N-Sipadan---Kapalai-Island-Package/

Yaeyama Island

Place:

The Yaeyama Islands are both the southernmost and westernmost inhabited islands of Japan. Together with theMiyako Islands and the Okinawa Islands they make up the three main island chains of Okinawa Prefecture.
With their tropical atmosphere and laid back, rural lifestyle, the Yaeyama Islands are a popular getaway destination for those wishing to escape the hustle and bustle of Japan's metropolises. This island paradise offers beaches, snorkeling, diving and relaxation.

24.3631° N, 123.7464° E

Transport:

*The Yaeyama Islands are a long way from anywhere.

By plane

The main airport of the islands is Ishigaki. There are frequent connections to Naha as well as limited direct flights to major Japanese cities like Tokyo, while those in Okinawa can get it from larger travel agencies that are known to handle these flights, such as Okinawa Tourist and Chuo Tourist. The establishment of a year round regular international service is being negotiated at present and would begin at the latest with the opening of the new Ishigaki airport in 2013.

By boat

Since Ryukyu Kaiun took the last passenger ferry out of service in 2006 and Arimura Sangyo went out of business altogether in 2007, there are no scheduled services to Taiwan, mainland Japan or islands outside the Yaeyama group. (Between late April to the end of October, Star Cruises  operates cruises from Keelung (near Taipei,Taiwan) to Okinawa Island, Miyako Island, and Ishigaki Island, but this is not a ferry service.)

Price: 

JTA (Japan Transocean Air), a member of the JAL Group, operates two direct flights per day between Tokyo's Haneda Airport and Ishigaki Airport on Ishigaki Island, the transportation hub of the Yaeyama Islands. Flight duration is around three hours. The regular one way fare is about 60,000 yen; however, discount fares are usually available for between 20,000 and 40,000 yen. An air pass can be of great value on these flights. ANA will also start operating one flight per day on this route from March 31, 2013 with similar fares as JAL.

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e7200.html

http://wikitravel.org/en/Yaeyama_Islands

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e7201.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yaeyama_Islands

Fiji Island

Place:

Fji is an island country in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about 1,100 nautical miles (2,000 km; 1,300 mi) northeast of New Zealand's North Island. Its closest neighbours are Vanuatu to the west, France's New Caledonia to the southwest, New Zealand's Kermadec to the southeast,Tonga to the east, the Samoas, France's Wallis and Futuna to the northeast and Tuvalu to the north.

18.1667° S, 178.4500° E

Transport:

By plane

Nadi International Airport is Fiji's main international airport. Suva airport also has some international flights. Air Pacific (Fiji majority owned) flies to Fiji directly from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Honolulu International Airport (HNL) in the USA, and from Hong Kong International Airport (HKG), as well as many other locations. Korean Air has three flights weekly between Nadi and Seoul. Air New Zealand operates flights to Nadi from Auckland, Christchurch, and seasonally from Wellington.

Travel times from Australian cities vary. From Brisbane the flight to Fiji is approximately 3 hours and 40 minutes, from Sydney 4 hours and 30 mins and from Melbourne it is 5 hours and 30 minutes.

By boat

You can enter Fiji by boat from Australia through the Australia shore connection.

Price:

Inflation in Fiji is relatively high - it has increased an estimated 12% per year recently. Expect to pay prices similar to those of Australia in tourist regions.

In Fiji the currency is the Fijian Dollar. Bills include: $2, $5, $10, $20, $50. Coins include: 5 cents, 10 cents, 20 cents, 50 cents, 1$.

The current going rate from resorts on Nadi beach to Nadi downtown is $8 per passenger, and $12 to the airport -- you should be able negotiate this price reasonably easily.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiji

http://wikitravel.org/en/Fiji

Kodomo Island

Place:

Komodo is one of the 17,508 islands that make up the Republic of Indonesia. The island is particularly notable as the natural habitat of the komodo dragon, the largest lizard on earth and consequently named after the island. Komodo Island has a surface area of 390 km² and a permanent population of over 2,000. The inhabitants of the island are descendants of former convicts who were exiled to the island and who have mixed withBugis from Sulawesi. The population are primarily adherents of Islam but there are also Christian and Hindu congregations.

8.5500° S, 119.4500° E

Transport:

The ferry service (to and from the cities of Sape, on the eastern tip of Sumbawa, and Labuanbajo, onFlores) drops off passengers on Komodo once or twice every week. There is no port on the island, so passengers are unloaded onto small vessels which take them into the island's only village. (Note that not all departures have this service -- check beforehand.) Bima, a short drive from Sape, has an airstrip with flights to Denpasar.

Travelers coming in from Sape to the west (those traveling overland through Sumbawa and also those arriving at Bima airport) should note that the once-daily ferries from Sape can be suspended indefinitelydue to bad weather, so if you want to be sure of your travel arrangements, flying with regular flight Sky Aviation to Labuanbajo from Denpasar is a much safer bet, so we don't need to charter flight anymore as before. (If you get stranded at Sape, the best Bima airport will be able to offer is a flight back to Denpasar on Bali.)

Price:

You need to buy the appropriate fees and permits at one of the park headquarters when you arrive. They are supposed to be valid for three days, even though the ticket might state otherwise. For foreign visitors, these are as follows (as of May 2012):

Entrance fee 50,000

Conservation fee 20,000

Photo camera fee: Rp 50,000

Video camera fee: Rp 150,000

Ranger/guide: Rp 50,000 (per group)

Additional fees include activities (eg. diving is Rp 75,000, snorkeling Rp 60,000), research and documentation for commercial purposes.

http://wikitravel.org/en/Komodo_National_Park

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Komodo_(island)

Perhentian Island

Place:

The Perhentian Islands (Pulau Perhentian in Malay) lie approximately 10 nautical miles (19 km) off the northeastern coast of West Malaysia in the state of Terengganu, approximately 40 miles (64 km) south of the Thai border.

The two main islands are Perhentian Besar ("Big Perhentian") and Perhentian Kecil ("Small Perhentian"). The small, uninhabited islands of Susu Dara (Virgin Milk), Serenggeh and Rawa lie off Kecil. The Perhentians belong to Pulau Redang National Marine Park, which means that fishing, collecting coral and littering are strictly prohibited. Like Besut, people here generally speak Kelantanese Malay.

5.9167° N, 102.7333° E

Transport: 

To get to the Perhentian Island or Pulau Perhentian (in Malay), The only way to go there is by the sea especially a boat services from Kuala Besut. Arriving on Kuala Besut jetty please come to our sales office (Anjung Holidays) nearby the jetty, and our staff will help and give you free information about how to get the boat transfer, the accommodation and the activities on Perhentian Island.

Boat from Kuala Besut to Perhentian Island take about 1/2 hour journey by fast boat. Fast boat from Kuala Besut to Perhentian Island usually available from 9.00a.m to 5.00p.m. Actually on Kuala Besut don't have regular time for departure. They leave to the island when enough passenger.

Departure time for the fast boat from Perhentian island to Kuala Besut jetty at 8.00a.m, 12.00noon and 4.00p.m. But for group package departure and leaving time can be consider.

Price:

From Kota Bharu Town / Airport Drive to Pasir Puteh > Kuala Besut Jetty  From Kota Bharu Airport there are a few counter selling boat services, but make sure that you look for boat and taxi service to Kuala Besut jetty (the main jetty to Perhentian Island). Airport taxi to Kuala Besut jetty at RM78/car/way. By mini van at RM30/person/way and by Limo at RM180/car/way. From Kota Bharu Town you can get direct bus (Transnasional) to Kuala Besut, but please tell to the driver that you want to stop at Kuala Besut jetty because some time they will stop you at Tok Bali or some time they drop you at Kuala Besut bridge only. But from Kuala Besut bridge you can walk to the jetty (10 minutes)

http://www.perhentianisland.info/getperhentian.php

http://www.perhentian.com.my/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perhentian_Islands