Indonesian Discovery Tour Aboard A Schooner On The Indian Ocean

The tour starts today at Sanur Beach. Passengers travelling on the group flight from London will arrive in the afternoon and are transferred the short distance to Sanur beach. Please note that you will not meet your tour leader until boarding the schooner on day 3.

Overnight Standard Hotel

Today has been left free for you to explore a little more of this area at your leisure. You may wish to just relax and enjoy the long white beach, stroll through the village and revel in the tropical atmosphere of this small coastal resort. The off-shore reef is about a kilometre off the beach, for those wishing to investigate the clear, warm waters, and Sanurhas a number of watersports operators offering a variety of more active pursuits, including windsurfing, kayaks, fishing and diving. Anyone wishing to venture farther afield may like to travel back into Denpasar to investigate something of Bali’s bustling capital. 

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

This morning you will need to make your own way to the nearby meeting point at Cafe Batujimbar from where we journey by bus to Amed in northeast Bali. We board our schooner,the “Katharina”, for a sea voyage through the beautiful and untouched isles of Eastern Indonesia. After meeting the crew and settling into our cabins we cruise to the Gili Isles off West Lombok. Our first stop is on Gili Trawangan, the largest of the three tiny Muslim islets. With its white sandy beaches, beautiful coral reefs and abundance of iridescent tropical fish, this is a snorkellers' paradise.

Overnight Basic Cabin Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

This morning sees us arriving into Labuhan on the eastern side of Lombok. This area is much quieter than the western region and we visit a small pottery village where we hope to take in a traditional performance of music and dance. In the afternoon we continue sailing to Pulau (island) Patangan, where we stop to swim and relax, before we continue our night sail to East Sumbawa.

Overnight Basic Cabin Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

We visit Bungin island, home to sea-gypsies , an indigenous people who live over the water in stilt-houses, often flooded during high tides. After lunch on board the schooner we sail to Moyo Island and walk to a waterfall.

Overnight Basic Cabin Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

This morning we arrive in Island of Wera, situated on East Sumbawa. We visit this interesting boat building community then continue to Sangean Island; an active volcano towering some 2000 metres above the tranquil waters below. (Please note this stop is time dependent) We hope to stop to visit the small settlement on the island and take a short hike before resuming our voyage Gili Banta for some relaxing swimming and snorkelling.

Overnight Basic Cabin Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Rinca is a wild looking place. Barren rock towers above the ocean waters, its slopes covered with lontar palms and shrub. We will stop here this morning in a beautiful bay where dolphins can often be seen playing in the wake of passing boats and sperm whales and dugongs are occasionally seen offshore. There is the opportunity to take a hike into the islands interior in search of wild horses, buffalo, monkeys, boar and also the extraordinary megapod bird. There is even the prospect of spotting a Komodo dragon or two! In the afternoon we plan to snorkel off Komodo's Red Beach

Overnight Basic Cabin Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

This morning we land on Komodo Island – one of the greatest wildlife regions of the world. Only 37km long by 21km wide, Komodo is a rather desolate place inhabited by a few fishermen and their outriggers. Walking through dry and dusty scrub we head to a point from which we may observe the awesome Komodo dragons. The largest of the monitor lizards, they have been extinct elsewhere since the Jurassic Age and almost identical fossilised remains date from the age of dinosaurs. Up to three metres long and weighing up to 150 kilograms; their unique size and bulk results from the lack of any serious competing species or predator. Yet they can move swiftly to hunt and their powerful jaws and sharp claws can easily tear apart wild pig, goat or deer. Sailing to Flores, we arrive at Labuhanbajo at its western tip. It's a short drive to the village of Melo where we hope to see a traditional whip dance performed by the men of the village.

Overnight Basic Cabin Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Riung is a small archipelago of some 17 islets, known as Pulau Tujuhbelas, that lie just off the coast of Flores’s verdant shores. This morning we have the chance for some more optional activities around the area. You may of course just prefer to relax on deck and take in the beautiful idyllic setting, or perhaps swim and snorkel in the clear waters – this is some of the best snorkelling in Flores. For the more active amongst you though, a trek up to one of the nearby summits might be more to your liking, with some fabulous views of the surrounding islands. We also plan a barbeque on the beach, if time allows. This afternoon we will continue sailing to the small harbour of Ropa.

Overnight Basic Cabin Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Arriving in Ropa this morning, we take a bus to Kelimutu Volcano (1620m); without doubt one of the highlights of any visit to Flores. This now extinct giant is a magnificent volcano with three craters, all containing lakes of differing colours which seem to be continually changing over time. It is believed that the colour change is due to the dissolving of chemicals in the waters. The locals believe the lakes to be the final resting place of the souls of the dead – one for the young, one for the old and one for thieves and murderers. Returning to the schooner, we set sail again for Maumere, at the eastern edge of Flores. Flores is a breathtakingly beautiful island, with imposing mountains and lush, verdant slopes. The Portuguese called it the Cape of Flowers and as we sail along its shores we can more than appreciate the majestic beauty of its setting.

Overnight Basic Cabin Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

This morning we arrive at Maumere and say goodbye to our boat crew.  We visit the village of Watublapi where we can try our hand at traditional hand weaving.  We then make our way to the airport and fly back to Bali. From here we will be transferred back to our hotel at Sanur Beach.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch

The day is once again left free for you to enjoy the delights of this coastal resort and perhaps reflect on the sights and experiences of the past two weeks.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

Included meals: Breakfast