Indonesian Discovery Tour Aboard A Schooner On The Indian Ocean

The tour starts today at Sanur Beach, a relaxed resort just 20 minutes drive from the airport. Passengers travelling on the group flight from London will arrive in the afternoon and are transferred the short distance to Sanur beach. As you will not meet your tour leader until boarding the schooner on day 3, a local representative from our ground agent in Bali will be available at the hotel this evening to discuss the various optional activities and excursions available from Sanur.

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 Lombok coast. 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. Later in the afternoon we cruise north-easterly for overnight passage to Sumbawa.

Overnight Simple Cabin Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

This morning sees us arriving into Pulau Bungin, a small settlement of 'sea gypsies' an indigenous people who live over the water in stilt-houses, often flooded during spring tides. Getting ashore we stroll through narrow streets lined and hope to take in a traditional performance of music and dance before continuing our journey to Pulau Moyo. At the southern point of this island we spend a few hours relaxing, swimming and snorkelling. During the night we follow the coast towards the east of Sumbawa.

Overnight Simple 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 Gili Banta an uninhabited island for some relaxing swimming and snorkelling before overnight sailing to Komodo Island

Overnight Simple 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.  After lunch we get on board and have an opportunity to snorkel from the beautiful Red beach, a famous reef with a huge variety of live coral and beautiful fish. Later in the afternoon we sail to the bay of Labuhanbajo in West Flores for the night.

Overnight Simple Cabin Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

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. Before lunch we set sail for some nearby islands for swimming and snorkelling. In the afternoon we set sail towards Rinca and anchor in the bay of Loh Buaya.

Overnight Simple Cabin Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Shortly after sunrise we go ashore on the island that has given the dragon as well as the National Park its name. Accompanied by a ranger we will hike for about 2 to 3 hours in open savannahs where it's easy to spot wildlife such as deer and buffalo monkey and learn more about the life of the mysterious Komodo dragons. Later in the afternoon we can hike up to the summit of Gili Lawa at the island's northernmost tip for some fabulous views of the surrounding islands of the Komodo Archipelago and mainland Flores. Later we continue our westerly cruise.

Overnight Simple Cabin Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Arriving in Satonda a small uninhabited volcanic Island off the northern coast of Sumbawa we explore the mysterious salt water lake in the centre of the island with clear water that ranges from 15 to about 70 meters in depth. Around the lake you can see where locals have hung rocks from the trees on top of what seems like graves in hopes of having their dreams come true. At noon we sail on to Moyo or as far as Kromo Island if time allows and enjoy sunset and dinner before setting towards East Lombok.

Overnight Simple Cabin Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Docked in Labuhan Lombok we board a local bus to explore the interior of East Lombok. Enroute we will visit a local pottery village and also witness a local dance performance followed by a Sasak (indigenous people of Lombok) lunch on the way. Later we get back to our Katharina to sail to Kondo for visit to a coral conservation project. Here we will also have the opportunity to swim and snorkel. Finally we sail to Katharina's last stop to the southwest coast of Lombok Island. 

Overnight Simple Cabin Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

The last day on our schooner starts with a relaxing morning on a deserterted beach at Gili Nanggu (just off the coast of south west Lombok), one of the best snorkelling points of Lombok Island. Around lunchtime we depart for our six hour sail back to Bali where we disembark at Serangan also called as Turtle Island in front of the Dolphinarium. From here it's just a short transfer back to 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

Our tour ends this morning after breakfast. Passengers travelling back to London on the early evening group flight have a free day to relax at the beach or pursue one of the many optional activities available.

Included meals: Breakfast