East Indies Seatrek 14 days

Indonesia has been called the "Archipelago of the Gods" and is certainly an exotic destination! We spend 10 days cruising aboard our Schooner, visiting tropical rainforest, remote beaches and seeking the famous Komodo dragons.

Life aboard the Schooner
A short flight takes us from Bali to Lombok where we board our elegant two-masted Pinisi schooner for a romantic sea voyage through the beautiful and untouched isles of Eastern Indonesia.

The Buginese schooner "Ombak Putih" (which means "White Wave") was custom designed for Western travellers and built in 1996/1997 by traditional craftsmen in Kalimantan.

Used for centuries as cargo-carriers by the Bugis people of South Sulawesi, Pinisi are still hand-built by native craftsmen from tropical hardwoods with traditional riggings, although they now have engines and are adapted for comfortable modern living. Our voyage of discovery follows the ancient trade routes between the paradise islands of the Archipelago.

Volcanoes, Hikes and Beaches
The turbulent geological history of the islands becomes apparent at Sangean, an active volcano towering 2000 meters above the surrounding waters, whilst at Mount Kelimutu we'll discover three mysteriously coloured crater lakes. On Bima we'll hike through the Donggo villages, on Riung we hope to spot wild boar and horses, monkeys and numerous colourful bird species. Surrounded by warm azure seas the islands play host to thousands of beaches; we'll chose a few during our sojourn for a spot of beachcombing, pure relaxation or even the odd barbeque!

Komodo Dragons and Flying Foxes
On the tiny and desolate island of Komodo we'll mount a "Dragon hunt" to catch a glimpse of these magnificent 3 metre, 135 kilo lizards. Renowned for both their swimming and running prowess (as fast as a small dog!), they are only found on just a few small islands in the archipelago. On Satonda, near the vast lake that dominates the island's centre, we'll make a trip to the mangrove forests to search for flying foxes. Finally, we lunch with a local family in the Gili isles before sailing back to Lombok and on to Bali.

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