Sailing Indonesia: The Undiscovered Frontier

In the morning wake up at Punten Island. After breakfast go for your first snorkel on a beautiful reef with a wide variety of fish, corals and other creatures.

In the afternoon, snorkel again off the uninhabited island of Ratatotok, again with some great coral reefs. In the late afternoon, the ship sets a southerly course for an overnight trip to the next destination.

Today visit a local village and meet with the local people and see how they live. Stop into a school and take a tour through the clove plantations that support the local economy.

Back on the boat, make a five-hour cruise to the small seaside town of Botuborani, where an absolute highlight might await – the chance to swim with whale sharks. Then your captain sets course southwest for the overnight passage to the Togean Archipelago, one of Indonesia’s wonderful national parks.

Some great wildlife experiences await today, both in the water and the air, with birds, fish and invertebrates as the main features. Enjoy a snorkel on the lush reefs near the island of Malenge before taking snorkel and mask for a rare second swim with stingless jellyfish in nearby Lake Mariona, one of only 20 lakes in the world that are home to these amazing creatures. Visit a local village, meet the people and enjoy a late afternoon walk in the local forest before being witness to a most amazing show of nature as flocks of hornbills come flying in to roost in the trees–a once-in-a-lifetime sight.

Today offers the first encounter with the Bajau sea gypsies of Southeast Asia, a people with a very unique way of living with the sea. Go ashore to Kabalutan Village, where a population of about 2,500 Bajau call home, and be welcomed into their world to meet and talk with them about their lives. Then head to the southernmost tip of the park and have a long snorkel before setting sail to the southeast for a most unique wildlife encounter the following morning.

Today brings the chance to see possibly one of the strangest and most unique flightless birds found in the world–the Maleo. One of Sulawesi’s most interesting birds, the Maleo is a flightless fowl with some very unusual characteristics and behaviors, and also the symbol of the province within which it lives. Visit a conservation project on the mainland where scores of Maleo live and breed. Watch them at their sandy nesting sites from a camouflaged hide as they go about their business. Later in the morning, cruise south and snorkel in the afternoon on a beautifully rich reef in front or Pulau Dua, or “two islands” in the Indonesian language.

A trio of unique experiences are in store today, involving culture, conservation and wildlife. Visit the bustling Indonesian island port town of Bangaii, a place filled with activity and commerce. Visit the local market and explore the neighborhoods, the sultan’s palace and the maleo bird egg museum, all from brightly-colored motor rickshaws.

Visit LINI, an NGO doing great work with coral restoration on the surrounding reefs and working with local fishermen to find sustainable solutions for supplying fish to overseas markets and the live aquarium fishing trade. Finish the day with a snorkel on a local reef that features the most elegant, but very threatened, Banggai Cardinal Fish–a darling of saltwater aquarium lovers worldwide.

A visit to another Bajau sea gypsy community awaits today. Once again meet and experience one of Southeast Asia’s famous nomadic cultures. After the visit with the sea gypsies on Padai Kecil Island, snorkel on one of the local reefs and then set sail later in the afternoon, heading south to the wonderful Wakatobi National Park.

Today the brave will also enjoy the rare privilege to swim in a small marine lake filled with stingless jellyfish, the exotically named Danau Piasu Botangan.

This is day one of two in the Wakatobi National Park, a very hard-to-reach archipelago filled with fascinating culture and also one of Indonesia’s best national parks, with outstanding underwater life and natural beauty. In addition to snorkeling in the morning and afternoon, enjoy a personalized tour of the island of Wangi Wangi, with highlights that include a seaweed farm, meeting with a traditional weaving community and the ruins of a centuries’ old Dutch fort–a relic of the ancient Spice Trade.

More fascinating culture and snorkeling awaits today, with a visit to a famous local blacksmith and a drift snorkel on the Wakatobi Resort’s magnificent house reef. Snorkeling comes first in the morning, and then during lunch cruise to nearby Binongko Island, where the local craftsmen use hand-operated bellows on the furnace in the blacksmith shop to produce machetes and knives that are highly sought-after across Indonesia.

Awake to a sky filled with the sight of brown- and red-footed boobies and lesser frigate birds, many of which will be circling the boat and trying to land on the stays and masts. Enjoy Kakabia Island, an uninhabited sea mount in the middle of the Flores Sea that’s rich in upwelling nutrients and a perfect habitat for birds to fish and raise their young. Spend the day here snorkeling and exploring, and make an attempt to go ashore (tide depending) for an afternoon of swimming, kayaking, paddling and fun.

Today will be another relaxing day on Tinabo Island. Enjoy swimming, snorkeling, paddleboarding, kayaking, birdwatching and exploring. In the evening, the crew will set up for a beach BBQ and party on the sand under a tropical night sky filled with stars.

Today, walk among the hulls and hulks of a huge unlaunched flotilla of pinisi ships being built on a remote island archipelago. Meet the shipwrights and discover their age-old shipbuilding traditions practiced for centuries in this forgotten corner of the world; traditions that use basic plans, wood, and a collection of simple tools and age-old techniques. Bonerate is rarely visited by tourists, and seeing this open-air boatyard is an experience to be savored. While walking through the village and along the beaches, meet the locals and gain a new appreciation for island life and for the kind of boat you have been cruising on for twelve days.

Giants will loom large today: Komodo dragons, flying foxes and manta rays–three of the biggest and most impressive animals in Indonesia. Rise early in the Komodo National Park for a privately arranged, ranger-led walk around the island of Rinca to see not only Komodo dragons but also their preferred menu of prey–monkeys, deer, pigs and buffaloes. After lunch on board, go in search of manta rays as they glide by while feeding in the current at their local cleaning stations. This evening, as the sun starts to set, we will gather on the deck and be witness to a most spectacular event as thousands of flying foxes leave their mangrove forest homes en mass on their nightly fruit-foraging missions.

Go ashore in the early morning on Komodo Island for another walk through the savanna and forests of Komodo Island in search of dragons and other wildlife. Then set course northwards in search of manta rays at a popular cleaning station, followed by a snorkel with sea turtles.

At dusk, you will have the chance to climb to a viewing point on Gili Lawa Darat Island, which offers magnificent views of the sunset and the Komodo National Park.

The final day will be one of snorkeling and culture. After an optional morning swim and snorkel, enjoy a private tour to a local village high up on a mountain plateau where welcoming elders offer betel nut and arak, a potent local alcoholic brew. Witness the traditional “caci” whip dance and the bamboo dance, performed by the villagers for generations. After a final Indonesian lunch on the boat, say farewell to the crew and transfer to Komodo airport for the flight back to Bali and your onward journey.

Enjoy an early breakfast and go ashore to Rinca Island, where you will have a walk through the village with a visit to a local bat cave. Then cruise to the richly diverse reefs of Siaba Besar Island to snorkel with thousands of fish and the many sea turtles that congregate in the area. After lunch, spend a leisurely afternoon at a beach swimming, snorkeling, paddleboarding and kayaking. Move to the main bay of Komodo Island and spend the night at anchor.

Go ashore onto Komodo Island for an early morning, ranger-led walk through the dry, rugged landscape of the island encountering wildlife along the way. After lunch, go in search of manta rays to snorkel with these mighty creatures. Have the day’s second snorkel in the north of the park, with the chance to watch the sunset from a hilltop vantage point, before heading off on a long overnight cruise to the east to the Riung Conservation Area.

Today explore the beaches and the underwater world of the 17-Island, Riung Conservation Area, home to myriad species of land animals and rich coral reefs, as the ship moves from island to island throughout the day. Enjoy swimming, paddleboarding, kayaking, snorkeling and relaxation. At around sunset, head east in the direction of Maumere.

Wake up at anchor in Maumere Bay against the backdrop of an extinct volcano and enjoy a leisurely breakfast before the day’s activities begin. Take a short drive to the scenic Iwang Gete highlands to visit a small village of Watublapi, where you will be met with singing and dancing by the local people. See firsthand the ancient techniques of spinning, dyeing and weaving of the famous fabrics crafted by locals who are famed for their unique textiles. Here, take the chance to view (and purchase) some of the local textiles, try the betel nut and brave the locally produced liquor. In the late afternoon, head off for an overnight cruise to Solor Island.

In the morning, visit the ruins of a 16th century Portuguese fort on Solor, a reminder of the ancient spice trade. During lunch, cruise through the beautiful passage between the islands and volcanoes as the ship heads northeast of Adonara for snorkeling. Later that afternoon continue north in the direction of the uninhabited, active volcanic island of Komba.

After breakfast we will explore the (hopefully) belching Komba Volcano with dinghies, and go for a snorkel on the surrounding reefs. Late morning head south and cruise towards the mainland and the beautiful Lewaling Bay.

Later this afternoon go ashore and drive to a local village to see some prehistoric rock art. Later that afternoon snorkel and see the sunset over Ile Apé, another active volcano. After dinner, the boat will head east in the direction of Pura Island.

After breakfast, snorkel at Buaya Island, a location with a beautiful drop off and lots of fish. In the early afternoon visit the ancient Muslim village of Uma Pura, where we will stroll around, meet the people and see their way of life. The village is well known for using sea sponges for the dying of their textile, and we will get a chance to see the process in action.

After Umapura village head to a local reef and go snorkeling. Then it’s off to the capital of Alor, Kalabahi.

After breakfast, visit the traditional village of Takpala, where you will be greeted by traditional dancing and be able to visit the local market. If you are lucky you can see people buying Moko, the traditional bronze drums of Alor. Later this afternoon go with a local boat to see the dugong, followed by a relaxing afternoon on the beach before heading to the boat for a farewell dinner.

Wake in a beautiful bay on the island of Alor where you will enjoy breakfast before saying goodbye to the crew and heading back to Bali.