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 baording the schooner on day 3. A local representative will be available this evening to discuss options in Sanur with you.

Overnight Standard Hotel

You will be transferred to Denpasar airport this morning for the flight to Maumere on the island of Flores where we spend the night in a hotel. The afternoon is left free to relax before starting your schooner adventure in the morning. Maumere is a seaport and largest town in Flores with a population of around 70,000.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

This morning we transfer to the harbour and meet our boat crew on the Katharina, a traditional schooner. After settling in to our cabins we take a short trip to Watublapi village where we witness traditional hand weaving.  Late in the afternoon we set sail for Ropa, on the west cost of Flores.

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. We spend the afternoon snorkelling at a nearby beach before an overnight sail to Riung.

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 sail towards Komodo Island.

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. This afternoon we head to Mesa, home of the Baju 'sea gypsies', an indigenous people who live over the water in stilt-houses, often flooded during high tide.

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! Later we sail to Labuhanbajo at the western tip of Flores.We take a bus to the village of Melo where we hope to witness a performance of the traditional whip dance by the village men.Tonight we sail for Sumbawa.

Overnight Basic Cabin Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

This morning we arrive in 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 on the island before resuming our voyage along the north coast of Sumbawa.

Overnight Basic Cabin Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Today we land on the sunken volcano of Pulau Satonda and walk up to its caldera in the centre of the island. Continuing on to Moyo we take an optional walk to a small waterfall where we can swim in clear, freshwater pools. To end the day we sail to Pulau Panjang or Pulau Kramat (depending on the weather) for views of the sun setting behind Rinjani Volcano on the north of Lombok.

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 porttery village where we take in a traditional performance of music and dance. In the afternoon we can visit the Rinjani volcano on the north of the island or alternatively spend time swimming and snorkelling.

Overnight Basic Cabin Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

We stop at 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. Our final journey on the schooner is to Serangan Island, just off the southeast coast of Bali where we say goodbye to our crew before transferring to Sanur where the rest of the day is at leisure.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch

.Today has been left free for you to explore Sanur 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

The tour ends this morning after breakfast.

Included meals: Breakfast