• Professional cruise directors
• Outdoor sleeping facilities
• Complimentary snorkelling equipment and two sea canoes (add SUP)
• Free tea, soft drinks, juices, coffee and mineral water
• Excellent food and snacks (vegetarian and special menus on request)
• Dining in the spacious air-conditioned lounge
• Teak wooden furniture in the lounge, cabins and on the deck
• Spacious sun and semi-covered decks
• Mooring fees
• Fuel surcharge

• Visits to restaurants, museums, galleries etc during the trip
• A fine selection of wines, beer and spirits for sale
• Travel to and from the vessel (including internal/domestic airfares)

What To Expect

While many of you are seasoned travellers, some of you may be unfamiliar with the ways and means of travelling in the remoter regions where we journey. Cruising in eastern Indonesia on a traditional wooden pinisi ship can be an exciting new world for some.

Each cruise is led by professional, multilingual tour leaders who will escort guests in all activities both on land and at sea, answer any questions, provide in-depth daily briefings, and ultimately ensure the smooth running of every aspect of the cruise.

Life On Board

Life on board our ships is one of pure enjoyment, with good food, top-class service and fine company mixed with just the right balance of exploration and relaxation. Whilst on board, guests are immersed in a world of barefoot fun and adventure, with air-conditioned private en-suite cabins, indoor and outdoor social hubs and dining areas, sun decks, a wide selection of Indonesian, Western and Asian cuisine, a full bar, and highly attentive service from our crew, whose smiles and friendly personalities offer an even greater insight into the Indonesian way of life.

Food

Our galleys are staffed with talented individuals who pride themselves on being able to conjure up all manner of dishes and delicacies from across the world, using only the best quality meat, seafood and fresh produce available – with the latter often sourced from local markets and the fishermen we meet along the way. Vegetarian dishes and most special dietary requirements can be accommodated with minimal fuss. Our stewards are on hand all day to serve meals and make sure you have all you need; from cold towels and fresh juices to a full plate of food and an iced drink whenever you need it.

While all non-alcoholic drinks are inclusive, each boat has a full cash bar stocked with local and imported wines, imported spirits and domestic beer, usually at local prices.

Accommodation

Our comfortable cabins are located below decks and offer all the necessary amenities, including double beds or twin bunks, private en-suite bathrooms, lots of natural light, individually controlled air-conditioning, ample storage space, and plenty of electrical and USB outlets.

Each boat also includes a salon, bar, sundeck and outdoor dining areas.

We Respect the Environment

We respect the environment in which we operate and are deeply committed to the integrity and preservation of the Indonesian Archipelago.

We show locals the value of protecting the species they have. For example, whale sharks are under constant threat due to the sky-high value of their fins, but thanks to our visits, local fishermen are paid a healthy fee for spotting the whale sharks and letting you in the water to be up close to them. As a result, the fishermen are very glad to protect these beautiful animals.

We also work with local NGOs on coral restoration projects in the area, and support centres like the Tasikoki Wildlife Rescue Centre which helps to rehabilitate animals back into the wild and put an end to animal trafficking.

We Support Local Communities

Our motto for these sailing adventures is “Seeing Indonesia through Indonesian eyes”. We hire locals and work with local communities to promote authentic cultural experiences and interactions between tourists and locals to foster mutual understanding and respect.

More than half of our tour guides are women. In Indonesia the workforce is extremely male-dominated, so this is a way for us to break down barriers and create a more inclusive workforce.

We partner with local NGOs working on community development projects. As well as make an effort to bring life-changing water filters, glasses, school books and LED lights to the remote villages we visit. We buy from local fishermen, and vendors and always pay the locals when they treat us to a cultural performance.

We have created a series of three books which are available for sale on our boats. The money from each book sold is entirely invested back in creating new books to distribute to communities we visit. These are just some of the ways we work to offer a responsible and equitable sailing experience.

Fly to Ngurah Rai Airport, Bali

Fly from Komodo Airport, Flores

Itinerary: Corals, Cultures and Dragons

Day 1

Today is a day of firsts as we welcome you aboard the boat, meet the crew and our fellow passengers, settle into our seaborne home for the next two weeks, and set sail on our adventure.

Our first stop will be the Tasikoki Wildlife Rescue Centre, about a one-hour cruise to the south. We will go ashore by tender and have a guided tour of the centre, where we will learn of their conservation efforts and meet some of the wildlife that resides here including monkeys, hornbills, cockatoos, and sun bears.

In the afternoon we will spend the time relaxing on deck while we set sail on our journey south.

Day 2

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

In the afternoon, we will snorkel again off the uninhabited island of Ratatotok, again with some great coral reefs.

In the late afternoon, we will set a southerly course for an overnight trip to our next destination.

Day 3

Today we will visit a local village and meet with the local people and see how they live. We will visit a school and take a tour of the clove plantations that support the local economy.

Back on the boat, we will 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.

We will set off late afternoon south towards the Togean Islands

Day 4

Some great wildlife experiences await us today both in the water and the air, with birds, fish, and invertebrates as the main features.

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.

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 us.

Day 5

Today will be your first encounter with the Bajau sea nomads of Southeast Asia, a people with a very unique way of living with the sea. About 2500 people live in Kabalutan 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 before setting sail to the southeast for a most unique wildlife encounter the following morning.

Day 6

A very unique experience awaits you today, one you will very likely have never had before – an encounter with a Maleo bird.

One of Sulawesi’s most interesting birds, the Maleo is a flightless fowl with some very unusual characteristics and behaviours, and also the symbol of the province within which it lives.

We visit a conservation project on the mainland where scores of Maleo live and breed. Entering in twos, we can watch them at their sandy nesting sites from a camouflaged hide as they go about their business.

Later that morning we will cruise south and snorkel in the afternoon on a beautifully rich reef in front of Pulau Dua, or ‘two islands’ in the Indonesian language.

Day 7

A trio of unique experiences awaits us today involving culture, conservation, and wildlife.
We will visit the bustling Indonesian island port town of Banggaii, a place filled with activity and commerce. Here on Banggai Island we will visit the local market, and 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.

We will pay a hands-on visit to LINI, an NGO doing great work with coral restoration on the surrounding reefs, in addition to working with local fishermen in finding sustainable solutions for supplying fish for overseas markets and the live aquarium fishing trade. 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.

Day 8

We will pay a visit to another Bajau sea nomad community that awaits us today, as we get to once again meet and experience one of Southeast Asia’s famous nomadic cultures.

After our visit with the sea nomads on Padai Kecil Island, we will snorkel on one of the local reefs, and then set sail later in the afternoon, heading south to the wonderful Wakatobi National Park.

We also have the rare privilege to swim once again in another stingless jellyfish lake, the exotically named Danau Piasu Batangan.

Day 9

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.

As well as snorkelling in the morning and afternoon, 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.

Day 10

More fascinating culture and snorkelling await us today, as we visit a famous local blacksmith 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 that are highly sought-after right across Indonesia.

Day 11

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.

Day 12

Today will be another relaxing day on Tinabo Island, where we will enjoy swimming, snorkelling, 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.

Day 13

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 practised 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 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, we 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 14

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 and 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 witness a most spectacular event as thousands of flying foxes leave their mangrove forest homes en masse on their nightly fruit-foraging missions.

Day 15

We will 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.

We will 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

Day 16

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.

Everyone tends to dress very casually, so choose clothes that are comfortable for walking/trekking and suitable for wearing on the boat.

Clothing

The tropical climate means you can safely leave all of your warm weather gear at home. Bring cool cotton t-shirts and shorts. We cruise during the dry season in each of the regions that we visit but rain is always a possibility so bring a lightweight waterproof jacket. It can sometimes be a bit windy on the boat and this will also help keep you warm. Likewise, a lightweight fleece could be useful for pre-dawn trekking or if there is a cool wind on the boat – even if you don’t need it onboard, it will be useful for the plane.

We are respectful of the local cultures and customs – bring clothes that cover your shoulders and knees for village visits. Finally, you might want to bring at least one smart-casual outfit for sunset cocktails and evening meals on the boat.

Ladies: beach throw-overs, kaftans and sarongs are always useful; choose fabrics that dry easily. Also, bring a lightweight sundress or two – the boat offers a great setting for a photo shoot, live it up!

Sun Protection

You’ll be spending plenty of time out in the scorching tropical sun, so be sure to pack sunscreen with a high enough SPF to protect your skin from the sun’s damaging rays, which are stronger in the water, and some sun-protective clothing as well.

Cover-ups, sarongs, sun shirts, and other such clothing will ensure that you come back from your trip with just happy memories and photographs – and not sunburn. A good hat is essential; a wide-brimmed hat or cap will keep the strong equatorial sun off your face and neck. Sunglasses keep your eyes protected. A strap to hold your glasses can be a good idea for more active adventures. Just in case you fail to avoid getting sunburnt, bring an aloe-based lotion to soothe burned skin.

Footwear

Pack comfortable trainers, trekking sandals, sturdy walking shoes or hiking boots for hikes and walks. Bring socks to wear inside your walking shoes to avoid getting blisters. Many travellers appreciate the added stability of a walking stick or hiking pole; lightweight telescopic poles are easy to pack. You might also want waterproof sandals or reef shoes for wet landings and water activities. Flip-flops are great for the beach but it is standard practice to go barefoot on the boat.

Bags

A day backpack is essential on day hikes to carry things such as your water bottle, camera, binoculars, and rain jacket. We will provide you with a metal water bottle, which can be refilled as often as required. A waterproof wet/dry bag is a good idea for gadgets like your phone or camera.

Swimwear

Don’t forget your swimsuit/bikini/shorts/trunks/Speedos —and preferably more than just one swimsuit, so that one or two can be drying while you are wearing another. Luckily, swimsuits and/or swim trunks don’t take up too much space in your luggage. The water is warm but a rash guard (or a wetsuit) will protect you from the sun, abrasions and stings.

Skin and Hair Protection

Ladies, it’s important that you take good care of your skin and hair. The sun, seawater and salty air may be beautiful to experience but it can be tough on your body and will wreak havoc on your locks. Bring moisturising lotion to soothe skin parched by the sun and the saltwater; bring a leave-in conditioner to detangle your hair with ease because the water, mask, and hair ties will leave it in knots. Also consider bringing a scarf or headband to hold back unruly hair, or hair ties/pins to keep your hair off your face and therefore prevent water seeping into your mask.

Note: Your cabin is outfitted with towels, shampoo, conditioner and body wash.

Camera Equipment

If you are a photo enthusiast bring all of the camera and video equipment that you will use as you can expect exceptional opportunities for photography. If you prefer the ease of a point & shoot, bring that. If you want to take underwater photos you might want to invest in a waterproof camera or waterproof housing to capture photos of the incredible marine life.

It’s a good idea to bring a spare memory card; our cruises explore remote regions where memory cards cannot be purchased.

Electronics

The voltage on board is 220 volts. There are several electric sockets and USB charging ports in each cabin suitable for European-type plugs, but we do have a selection of adaptors for non-European-type plugs. Additional sockets are located in the saloon, where we have a dedicated area for the charging of electronic devices and cameras.

Miscellaneous Items

Snorkels, masks & fins in all sizes are provided onboard. If you are an avid snorkeller, you may prefer to bring your own mask & snorkel. If you’re new to snorkelling, you might want to consider purchasing a full-face snorkel mask to bring with you, it’s an easier option for beginners.

Even if you think that your stomach is rock-solid, a squall could turn up and make you feel sick. Sea-sickness tablets are provided on board but you may have a preferred brand, in which case bring your own.

You’ll find reference books and paperback novels on board. However, books of your choice or an e-reader will come in handy for down hours.

There is a comprehensive wilderness first aid kit on board but remember to bring any personal medications.

Essential items should be packed in your carry-on luggage. Medications, corrective lenses, spare underwear, cameras and documents should not be checked in case your bag does not arrive with you.