Sailing Indonesia: The Undiscovered Frontier

This morning is the first chance to meet some Sulawesi locals in a traditional village, where they will share their way of life. In the afternoon, enjoy a long snorkel on a local reef and spend time on the beach swimming, paddling, kayaking and relaxing. Back on the boat, set course for the 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.

The Bokan Islands are an area of unsurpassed beauty and today is a day of marine exploration and relaxation. Snorkel, swim, paddle and kayak around the glorious reefs, beaches and islands that offer many caves and snorkeling spots. Enjoy the rare privilege to swim in a small marine lake filled with stingless jellyfish, the exotically named Danau Piasu Botangan.

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.

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. In the evening (also tide depending) enjoy a BBQ beach party with entertainment provided by the crew.

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. Tonight the crew will prepare a beach BBQ for all to feast, sing and dance the night away by a roaring fire under the stars.

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.

In the morning the ship will be moored offshore of the capital town of Flores, a Christian-dominated island as a result of Portuguese influence. Go ashore and see the five Catholic churches and the Stations of the Cross along the waterfront. During lunch the ship will cross to a neighboring island for a visit to a small local village and the ruins of an old Portuguese fort dating back to the 16th Century. Later in the afternoon, get out the snorkeling gear and explore one of the richly vibrant nearby reefs.

Wake up on Lembata Island in a bite-shaped bay under the gaze of a massive live volcano called Ile Api–Island of Fire. Be welcomed ashore in a local village with singing and dancing, and be witness to the production of their famous local textiles. After lunch on the boat, sail across the bay to snorkel on a vibrant local reef and to swim and paddle on a local beach. This evening, the crew will set up for a beach BBQ and party under the stars before heading off for an overnight cruise to the next destination.

Today, visit a traditional village up in the mountains. Be welcomed by the chief and witness a ceremonial war dance in honor of this visit. See their traditional Moko war drums and intricately designed Ikat fabrics, which have been woven and dyed using age-old techniques, and used in local bridal dowries for centuries. Then weigh anchor and cruise east while enjoying lunch on board, stopping in the late afternoon at a picturesque tropical island to snorkel and swim on a coral reef.

Wake up in a lovely bay on Wetar Island and go ashore to a local fishing village to meet the locals and see their way of life as they dry their catch on the beach. Spend the day swimming and beaching, snorkeling and exploring, and indulge in a bit of local culture by way of sopi, a strong alcoholic drink made from a local palm tree. Later in the afternoon, weigh anchor and continue the journey east.

This morning go ashore on a small island and be welcomed into a remote village where the locals will share their way of life as farmers and fishermen. After lunch continue cruising, stopping off at another tiny island—this one deserted—to swim, kayak, snorkel over the reef and relax on the sand. This evening the crew will set up for a beach BBQ for all to dance and sing into the night before heading off again for an overnight cruise to the next destination.

Today is another day of cruising and exploring in one of the remotest parts of Indonesia. Visit a very simple village where the people’s houses are made using the products of the sago palm, the staple crop in this part of the world. The villagers will demonstrate how they process the heart of the sago palm into the edible product that sustains them. After lunch, cruise around the island and stop off to explore the beaches and reefs by snorkel.

Today will be a day at sea with a route that will pass four spectacular volcanic sea mounts, explicit examples of Indonesia’s place along the Ring of Fire. One of these islands is uninhabited by people, and is home to tens of thousands of sea birds, (brown and red-footed boobies, and frigate birds), who will likely come out to encircle the boat in great numbers upon her approach. If the tide allows, go ashore and investigate, and surely have a snorkel. In the late afternoon proceed north to the fabled Spice Islands.

By dawn spot the Banda Archipelago Spice Islands, original home of nutmeg and the scene of much bloodshed between the colonial powers of Europe in the 15th and 16th centuries over control of the spice trade. Go ashore and visit Fort Revenge, built by the Dutch, before snorkeling on the local reef.

Later, head across to the main island group and the main town, and anchor in the beautiful enclosed anchorage under the imposing gaze of a nearly 2,000-foot-high volcano. If arriving before nightfall, go ashore and explore the town.

Today is a day of exploring the history and beauty of the Spice Islands with a visit to the main town of the Spice Islands and its fort overlooking the harbor. Wander through the streets and markets of this bustling town and meet the local people. After lunch on the boat, take a local boat over to the biggest of the islands to walk among the vast nutmeg plantations, visit another Dutch fort, talk with the locals and visit one of the last perkineers, the farmers who still run the larger plantations on the island who will tell about life on the islands.

Later in the afternoon, snorkel on a local reef and have a chance to see the rare and multi-hued Mandarin fish, which only comes out at dusk to mate. Dinner will be had ashore at a local restaurant that offers traditional and delicious local dishes.

This morning offers time for a final stroll around the town or a last snorkel before saying farewell to the Spice islands around lunchtime and heading north. Enjoy lunch on the way, passing another major seabird island, before settling in for a relaxing afternoon on board scouring the horizon for migrating whales.

Wake up just south of the final destination. Spend the last few hours enjoying the majesty of the ocean, and possibly see more whales along the way. As the ship drops anchor in the harbor, say farewell to the crew and tour leaders and be taken to the airport for onward journeys, ending a magical 12 days of exploration and adventure.