Corals, Cultures & Dragons Indonesia Adventure - From Bitung To Komodo

Description

This 16-day voyage of discovery is an epic journey covering nearly 1,000 miles (1,800km) as we make our way from Sulawesi in the north all the way to Komodo in the south in the company of a maximum of 12 passengers, giving you an intimate opportunity to explore the wilds of Indonesia.
This cruise will give guests the chance to do a shipborne equator crossing, swim with whale sharks, visit with the Bajau people renown for living in communities built on the water and most famous for the ‘Jago’, the patriarch seen on the BBC, see the babirusa (Indonesia’s rare and endangered native pig), swim in a lake filled with stingless jellyfish, see rare and endangered birds and fish species and giant clams, visit an island where pinisi boats are under construction before finishing up in the Komodo National park where you will walk with the legendary dragons, and enjoy endless amounts of snorkelling each day as we wind our way across the mighty seas of the East Indies.
** Leaving from north Sulawesi, this trip offers the perfect opportunity to do a pre-cruise add-on land tour to visit the Tangkoko National Park to see tarsiers, black-crested macaques, and all manner of birds living wild in the rainforest. Contact us for more information.

Trip Name

Corals, Cultures & Dragons Indonesia Adventure - From Bitung To Komodo

Days

Overview

Vessel Type: Yacht Length overall: 38 metres Passanger Capacity: 14 Led by Captain Ferdi and operated by a crew of 12, the 38-metre Katharina sits low in the water, making her a most beautiful looking boat. Built in 1995 in Kalimantan, her slim hull was originally planned for use as a commercial freighter before she caught our eye with her simple lines and sleek structure. After her 2014 interior refit, her transformation is a conservation exercise back to authenticity of a mighty seafaring tradition. Not only is the Katharina very elegant on the water, she is also fast becoming a classic yacht, as very few of these original designs remain. Accommodating just 12 guests in six cabins, with a salon & bar, two sun decks, and an outdoor dining area, she offers a more intimate experience.

Itinerary

Day 1 - Day 1 & 2

You will be welcomed aboard the boat, meet the crew and our fellow passengers, as you settle into our seaborne home for the next two weeks and set sail on our adventure.Our first stop will be the Tangkoko National Park, which we will visit by car. Alfred Russel Wallace did a lot of his collecting here in the 19th century, and the park is now a haven for wildlife, including tarsiers, cuscus, reptiles, birds, and the always-fun black-crested macaque.Back on the boat, we head south along the coast of North Sulawesi, and we will have multiple opportunities for snorkeling as we visit multiple reefs and islands, as well as pay. A couple of visits to some local villages.

Day 2 - Day 3 & 4

In the small seaside town of Botuborani, where an absolute highlight might await – the chance to swim with whale sharks, the gentle giants of the sea.In the Togean Islands, we will enjoy a fantastic snorkel on the reefs near the island of Malenge, before taking our snorkels and masks to experience a rare opportunity to swim with stingless jellyfish in nearby Lake Mariona, one of only 20 lakes in the world that are home to these amazing creatures. Also, have the unique opportunity to see the babirusa, Indonesia’s rare and endangered native pig.We will visit a local village and 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 only accessible with SeaTrek.

Day 3 - Day 5 & 6

We visit with the Bajau sea gypsies of Southeast Asia and their famous patriarch ‘Jago’, a people with a very unique way of living with the sea. About 2,500 people live in the small overseas village, and we will be welcomed into their world to meet and talk with them about their lives.We will head to the southernmost tip of the park and have a long snorkel near the before setting sail to the southeast for a most unique wildlife encounter the following morning.A very unique experience awaits you today, one you will very likely have never had before – an encounter with a Maleo bird at a locally-run conservation project. One of Sulawesi’s most interesting birds, it is a flightless fowl with some very unusual characteristics and behaviours, and also the symbol of the province within which it lives.Cruise south, we will snorkel in the afternoon on a beautifully rich reef in front or Pulau Dua, or ‘two islands’ in the Indonesian language.

Day 4 - Day 7 & 8

We have the rare privilege to swim in a small marine lake filled with stingless jellyfish, one of only 20 lakes of its kind in the world.We will visit the bustling Indonesian island port town of Banggai, a place filled with activity and commerce. Here on Banggai Island, we will visit the local market, explore the neighbourhoods, the sultan’s palace, and the Maleo bird egg museum, all from our fleet of brightly-coloured motor rickshaws, which will be on the dock awaiting our arrival.The last of the day’s highlights will be a snorkel on a local reef where we will see the most elegant, but very threatened, Banggai Cardinal Fish – a darling of saltwater aquarium lovers worldwide. We will snorkel on one of the local reefs around a Bajau “sea gypsy” community whose famous as Southeast Asia’s nomadic cultures.

Day 5 - Day 9 & 10

We spend time 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.You will enjoy a personalised 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.We drop anchor at an uninhabited atoll where guests have the chance to beach-comb, snorkel, paddleboard, or kayak

Day 6 - Day 11 & 12

We visit a famous local blacksmith where the local craftsmen use hand-operated bellows on the furnace in the blacksmith’s shop to produce machetes and knives that are highly sought-after right across Indonesia.Stop by an uninhabited sea mount in the middle of the Flores Sea that is home to tens of thousands of seabirds. It’s rich in upwelling nutrients and a perfect habitat for fishing and raising their young.Bonerate is rarely visited by tourists outside of SeaTrek, and seeing this open-air boatyard is an experience to be savoured. We will walk amongst the hulls and hulks of a huge unlaunched flotilla of pinisi ships being built on a remote island archipelago. We will meet the shipwrights and discover their age-old traditions of shipbuilding that they have practiced for centuries.

Day 7 - Day 13 & 14

Giants will loom large in your day-to-day: Komodo dragons, flying foxes, and manta rays, three of the biggest and most impressive animals in Indonesia.Entering the Komodo National Park, you will have a hands-on experience at a coral conservation project on Hatamin Island, where you will learn about the work and get a chance to create your own coral rack and place it in the sea.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 masse on their nightly fruit-foraging missions.

Day 8 - Day 15 & 16

We have the chance to hike a scenic route of Gili Lawa Darat, or you can stretch your legs on the beautiful white-sandy beach. After the hike, we will be back on board for a mission: to count how many turtles we spot with our own eyes in Siaba Besar island, which is famous as turtle heaven.We will take you for a privately arranged, ranger-led walk around the island of Rinca, where we will see not only Komodo dragons, but also their preferred menu of prey – monkeys, deer, pigs, and buffaloes.The crew will prepare a beach BBQ for us as we all feast, sing, and dance the night away by a roaring fire under the stars.On our final day, we will wake as the boat is cruising slowly, making its way to the town of Labuan Bajo. After a final Indonesian breakfast on the boat, we will say farewell to our crew, who have looked after us so well for the past sixteen days, and transfer to Komodo airport for our flight and our onward journey.

Day 9 - Please Note:

Our mission is to provide the best experience possible for our guests given the current conditions and when unexpected opportunities for adventure may present themselves along our cruise routes. Sometimes weather conditions, tides or other local factors dictate that we need to vary from the published route, and at times there are special opportunities to explore and discover new locations, events and activities. These explorations will always be a definite enhancement to the published itinerary and will be undertaken after discussion and agreement among guests. Ultimately, the boat captains and your tour leader will make decisions to maximize trip safety and your overall enjoyment, so please come prepared to be flexible!

Day 10 - D A Y 1 0

- More fascinating culture and snorkelling awaits us today, as we visit a famous local blacksmiths and do a drift snorkel on the Wakatobi Resort’s magnificent house reef. - Snorkelling comes first in the morning, and then during lunch we will 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 for that are highly sought-after right across Indonesia

Day 11 - D A Y 1 1

- When you awake today the sky will be 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. - The island where we will be is Kakabia, an uninhabited sea mount in the middle of the Flores Sea, rich in upwelling nutrients and a perfect habitat for fishing and raising their young. - We will spend the day here snorkelling and exploring and we will make an attempt to go ashore (tide depending) for an afternoon of swimming, kayaking, paddling and fun. In the evening (also tide depending) we will have a bbq beach party with our crew providing the entertainment.

Day 12 - D A Y 1 2

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

Day 13 - D A Y 1 3

- Giants will loom large in your day today: Komodo dragons, flying foxes and manta rays, three of the biggest and most impressive animals in Indonesia. - Rising early in the Komodo National Park, we will take you for a privately arranged, ranger-led walk around the island of Rinca, where we will see not only Komodo dragons, but also their preferred menu of prey – monkeys, deer, pigs and buffaloes. - After lunch on board we will go in search of manta rays as they glide by as they feed 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 masse on their nightly fruit-foraging missions. - Tonight the crew will prepare a beach BBQ for us all as we feast, sing and dance the night away by a roaring fire under the stars.

Day 14 - D A Y 1 4

- Our final day will be one of snorkelling and culture. After an optional morning swim and snorkel, we will take you on a private tour to a local village high up on a mountain plateau where we will be welcomed in by the elders and offered betel nut and arak, a potent local alcoholic brew. - We will be witness to the traditional ‘caci' whip dance, and the 'bamboo' dance, performed by the villagers for generations. - After a final Indonesian lunch on the boat we will say farewell to our crew, who have looked after us so well for the past two weeks, and transfer to Komodo airport for our flight back to Bali and our onward journey.

Day 15 - Please Note:

Itineraries are subject to change.

Trip Dates

Start	End	Price From	Room Type

Inclusions

Whether it’s swimming with whale sharks & mantas rays, or leisurely gliding along a stunning tropical reef surrounded by myriad fish and corals, snorkelling lies at the very heart of what we do at SeaTrek. We do it well and we do it often – usually twice a day for an hour or more at a time. No matter if you are a novice or a seasoned pro, our tour leaders will ensure that you have everything you need to have some of the best underwater experiences of your life.
Our tour leaders are a wealth of information on the regions we visit and will prepare you for each activity with on board talks and presentations to give you a greater understanding of the different experiences you will have each day. They will also act as your cross-cultural bridges to all the people we meet along the way, so feel free to ask them to translate when talking to local Indonesian people on your travels.