News back from Mermaid I – arrived safely in Raja Ampat following her Biodiversity Special – awesome dives with the schooling hammerheads of the Banda Sea – all guests thrilled by this spectacular event that makes the Biodiversity Special such an amazing adventure!

Mermaid II – Raja Ampat
January 3,12,21 departures – all confirmed cruises – 10% discount PLUS free Nitrox.

Mermaid II – Komodo
June/July cruise dates – all 10% off

Mermaid I – Raja Ampat
January availabilities – now 10% off

Mermaid I – Komodo
June/July cruise dates – all 10% off

Contact Symbiosis Custom Travel to make your booking.

BURMA 
Dec 20 – Jan 2: Cycling the Burma Road (C)
Dec 20 – Jan 2: Burma Adventure (C)
Dec 31 – Jan 6: Burma Heritage by Bicycle (C)
Jan 11 – Jan 17: Burma Heritage by Bicycle (C)
Jan 10 – Jan 23: Biking from Bangkok to Yangon (C)
Jan 17 – Jan 30: Burma Adventure (C)
Feb 8 – Feb 14 : Burma Heritage by Bicycle (C)
Feb 14 – Feb 27: Burma Adventure (C)

CAMBODIA
Dec 20 – Dec 28: Wilds of Cambodia (M)
Jan 4 – Jan 10: Cambodia Heritage by Bicycle (C)
Jan 31 – Feb 13: Cambodia Adventure (C)
Feb 21 – Feb 29: Wilds of Cambodia (M)

BORNEO, MALAYSIA
Feb 21 – Feb 28: Wilds of Sarawak by Bicycle (C)
 
VIETNAM
Dec 20 – Dec 29: Cycling Vietnam’s Central Coast (C)
Dec 20 – Jan 5: Saigon to Hanoi (C)
Jan 10 – Jan 20: Road Biking the Ho Chi Minh Highway (R)
Jan 31 – Feb 9: Cycling Vietnam’s Central Coast (C)

PHILIPPINES
Jan 3 – Jan 15: Island Hopping the Philippines (C)
April 10 – April 22: Island Hopping the Philippines (C)

THAILAND
Dec 21 – Dec 27: Thailand Heritage by Bicycle (R)
Jan 3 – Jan 12: Bicycling Bangkok to Phuket (R)
Jan 3 – Jan 16: River of Kings Ride (C)
Jan 10 – Jan 17: Road Cycling Southern Thailand (R)
Jan 10 – Jan 20: Cycling Coastal Thailand (C)
Jan 17 – Jan 27: Cycling Chiang Mai to Bangkok (R)
Feb 14 – Feb 24: Cycling Chiang Mai to Bangkok (R)
Feb 15 – Feb 21: Thailand Heritage by Bicycle (C)
Feb 21 – Mar 2: Cycling Coastal Thailand (C)
Mar 13 – Mar 22: Bicycling Bangkok to Phuket (R)

Multi-Country

Nov 29 – Dec 12: Saigon to Bangkok by Bicycle (C)
Dec 13 – Dec 26: Saigon to Bangkok by Bicycle (C)
Jan 3 – Jan 16: Saigon to Bangkok by Bicycle (C)
Jan 10 – Jan 23: Cultural Road from Hoi An to Siem Reap (C)
Jan 10 – Jan 23: The Emerald Triangle (M)
Jan 10 – Jan 23: Remote Vietnam and Laos by Bike (C)
Jan 10 – Jan 23: Saigon to Bangkok by Bicycle (C)
Jan 17 – Jan: Saigon to Bangkok by Bicycle (C)
Jan 31 – Feb: Saigon to Bangkok by Bicycle (C)
Feb 14 – Feb 27: Saigon to Bangkok by Bicycle (C)
Feb 28 – Mar 12: Saigon to Bangkok by Bicycle (C)

Key: M = Mountain Bike Tour; R = Road Bike Tour; C = Classic Bike Tour

To book your space on any of these trips contact Symbiosis Custom Travel now. Most rides have a maximum participant number of 16, so don’t wait too long…

• 10% OFF on any Fiji Siren trip departing before the 30th June 2016
• 10% OFF on any Truk Master trip departing before the 30th of September 2016
• 10% OFF on any The Junk trip departing before the 31st December 2015

* Specials only valid if booked before the 30th of November 2015 and confirmed by the 15th of December 2015.
**Cannot be combined with any other offer.

Contact Symbiosis Custom Travel immediately to save your space or for further info.

To coincide with the DEMA Dive show in Orlando, and valid for bookings through Symbiosis Custom Travel made during the month of November only…

Individual bookings:
USD400 per person discount per week for all Maldives Blue Force One departures up until 31 December 2015
USD300 per person discount per week for all Maldives Blue Force One departures up until 31 December 2017

Group Bookings:
Groups of 6 or more: pay 6 + 1 FREE
Groups of 12 or more: pay 2 + 1 FREE
Whole Boat Charter (18 pax): Pay 15 + 3 FREE!!

Contact Symbiosis Custom Travel today to reserve your Maldives dive holiday.

Bali International and Lombok Airports are currently closed due to volcanic activity at Mt. Barujani, a smaller volcano inside the caldera of Mt. Rinjani on Lombok island. The airport closure is at the moment extended until 08:45am (Bali local time), 4th November.

 
Mt. Bromo – East Java
 
Mt. Bromo is on high alert starting 1 November 2015,  with a safe radius around Indonesia’s most iconic volcano set at 1 kilometre from the crater. Visitors can still do a tour to Pananjakan for the dramatic sunrise and down to the sea of sand near Mount Bromo. Treks to the crater are suspended until further notice. 
 
Banyuwangi – East Java
The hiking route to the crater of Mount Ijen, near Banyuwangi, East Java Province was temporarily closed yesterday due to increased volcanic activity. This means no visitors are allowed to the crater until further notice. According to the report from the Ijen Volcano Monitoring Post, seismic activity at Mount Ijen has increased over the past week.

Book 4 nights all–inclusive diving packages at either of Eco Divers’ centres in Bunaken or Lembeh, get 30% discount!

Conditions of offers:
• Bookings must be a minimum of 4 nights All-Inclusive Dive Package
• Offer cannot be back-dated onto existing bookings
• Only applies to bookings made between 1 November 2015 and 25 February 2016
• Valid for stays by 29 February 2016
• Cannot be taken in conjunction with any other offer made by Eco Divers
• All bookings are subject to availability
• Offer applies on pre-booked package only

Exclusions: Drinks, Tips, Diving equipment rentals, Bunaken National Park entrance fee, Incidentals e.g. night dives, Nitrox fills, spa services, land tours, mini-bar purchases, laundry, telephone calls

Group Offer: 10 Stay, 9 Pay

For more information or to book your dive trip to northern Sulawesi, contact Symbiosis Custom Travel now.

We have numerous offers available for liveaboard diving in Raja Ampat next year. Book now to enjoy the offers while they last.

JANUARY 2016 – Raja Ampat trips:
– Individual booking will get USD $200 cash back
– Group booking: 5 divers = 4 paying + 1 FOC / 10 divers = 8 paying + 2 FOC

FEBRUARY 2016 – FEB 8 – 17, 2016 Misool & Raja Ampat trip aboard mv Temukira
5 divers = 4 paying + 1 FOC
10 divers = 8 paying + 2 FOC

JUNE, JULY, AUGUST, SEPTEMBER 2016 – Raja Ampat trips:
– Individual booking will get USD $200 cash back
– Group booking: 5 divers = 4 paying + 1 FOC / 10 divers = 8 paying + 2 FOC

Contact Symbiosis for more details

Book your cruise along the mighty Mekong River between Cambodia and Vietnam aboard the luxury Pandaw river cruiser before the end of this month (October 2015), and qualify for a discount of up to 20%. The week-long cruises include a visit to the amazing World Heritage site, Angkor Wat and, if you are a single traveler, there is no extra charge for a private cabin to yourself on some of the departures.

Contact Symbiosis now for more details.

A reminder that we have some excellent specials on a couple of liveaboard dive cruises to the amazing Raja Ampat Islands in Indonesia’s West Papua during December and January. The boat is the Euphoria and the dates are:

07 – 18 December 2015 – 20% off
23 – 03 February 2016 – 20% off
 
Prices:
2,640 EUR per person in standard cabin
2,840 EUR per person in VIP cabin
21,000 EUR net for small charter (up to 10 pax)
23,520 EUR net for full charter (up to 14 pax)

Contact Symbiosis to book your space or your group charter.

Symbiosis Custom Travel is pleased to be able to offer a 10% discount on all Mermaid II’s dive cruises to Raja Ampat, West Papua, in January.

Check here for schedules.

Symbiosis Custom Travel is pleased to be able to offer a 20% discount off two trips aboard the lovely Euphoria to Raja Ampat, West Papua:

Dates:
07 – 18 December 2015
23 January – 03 February 2016
 
Discounted price:
EUR 2,640 per person in standard cabin
EUR 2,840 per person in VIP cabin
EUR 21,000 net for small charter (up to 10 people)
EUR 23,520 net for full charter (up to 14 people)

Contact Symbiosis now to book your space.

Lembeh Dive Resort & Spa’s 4th annual underwater photography workshop sold out so quickly that they have invited Hergen Spalink, Kerri Bingham and Steve Fish back to host the 2016 Capturing Critters in Lembeh Workshop too.

Spaces are already starting to go so don’t wait too long. As underwater photographers and videographers learn that 2015 is sold out, we anticipate this workshop filling up fast.

Hergen Spalink, Kerri Bingham and Steve Fish, Lembeh Resort’s previous dive centre management team and photo pros, return to their old stomping grounds in Lembeh Strait where they will join together with support from the current in-house Photo Pro Sascha Janson and in-house Marine Biologist Dimpy Jacobs.

This well-rounded team of experts will provide presentations, seminars & one-on-one instruction. With their intimate knowledge from 3 years diving Lembeh Strait (not to mention presenting at the 2015 underwater photography workshop) and photographing it’s “weird and unusual” marine life, they have the inside scoop on the topics they’ll be discussing including the best time to photograph a critter, lighting and capturing images in this unique environment plus finishing and editing strategies.

During the workshop Steve will be focused on helping videographers enhance the quality of their work and improve their skills when taking underwater videos. This is the perfect workshop for learning the professional techniques and skills to get the images and video footage you’ve always wanted to produce.

Included in this unique 8 day underwater photography workshop:

• Daily seminars by professional presenters on a wide range of customised topics followed by practical in-water application.
• “Office Hours” (one-on-one) time with the pros: maximize your learning curve during surface intervals and master the techniques presented or sort out your processing woes.
• Unsurpassed dive guide attention and superlative resort service to compliment the entire event.
• 7 nights & 17 guided boat dive
• 3:1 diver to guide ratio
• Unlimited guided house reef dives
• Nitrox for all dives
• Wide Angle day trip outside of Straits
• Daily fruit basket & cookies in room
• Complimentary 30 minute Spa treatment
• 20% Discount on all Spa bookings
• Complimentary Lembeh cocktail during Resort welcome

Cost US$2,595 per person sharing a Deluxe Ocean view cottage – double or twin.

Price includes: airport transfers, all meals, snacks, coffee, tea, unlimited drinking water and taxes.

Book your space now with Symbiosis Custom Travel.

Perhaps one of the most evocative cruising experiences that South East Asia has to offer – gently sailing up the mighty Mekong River aboard a comfortable cabin cruiser from Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) in southern Vietnam to Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia, and then across south East Asia’s largest lake to Siem Reap, home to the magnificent UNESCO Heritage site, Angkor Wat.

Normally this experience is for those with a few pennies to rub together. BUT, in September and October this year, we have 2 departures which will cost you a lot less… so long as you have a loved one to share the experience with!

Two for the price of one aboard the lovely Toum Tiou on the following dates only:

1) 08 to 15 September, Saigon to Siem Reap 8D/7N
2) 24 to 31 October, Saigon to Siem Reap 8D/7N

Guaranteed to sell out very quickly, please contact us at Symbiosis Custom Travel a.s.a.p. if you would like to join.

The worst flooding for 40 years in Vietnam’s northern Quang Ninh province, home to the UNESCO-listed Halong Bay, has killed at least 17 people and damaged thousands of houses. Vietnamese authorities have issued a temporary ban on overnight cruises into Halong Bay for safety reasons.

Presently, however, the torrential rains in Halong have significantly decreased and are expected to stop within the next few days. The road from Hanoi to Bai Chay Harbor, the access point for Halong Bay, has already been repaired. Only Cam Pha City, located about 30 km to the North of Halong, is still flooded with waste from the nearby coal mines.

Day cruises have been permitted to resume in Halong Bay, but overnight cruises remain prohibited.