Enjoy this incredible Indonesian voyage featuring Jeffrey Mellefont, a research associate of the Australian National Maritime Museum, and a former blue-water mariner and navigator. He is a writer, photographer, and editor who has made a lifetime study of the fascinating maritime world of Asia and, in particular, of Indonesia. Every evening, within the comfort of your boat, Jeffrey reveals more of this amazing maritime realm in a series of richly illustrated talks, which include photographs taken over years of sailing with Indonesia’s native seafarers. This exclusive sailing adventure traverses some little-visited island cultures and introduces you to the Indonesian archipelago’s most famous maritime ‘suku’ seafaring tribes.
Highlights
Stroll across the peaceful and friendly Little Seridi Island
Discover Saur Island's pretty villages and paradisiacal white-sand beaches
Witness tamratan, the unique local cultural tradition of dancing horses
Explore the Cave of the Yellow Princess, an incredible underground complex
Involves minimal physical effort and is typically associated with leisurely activities. Activities are low-intensity or last less than a few hours each day.
Arrive at Sanur Beach, Bali. Meet your tour operator and the guest expert Jeffrey Mellefont. From here, travel by bus to a port on Bali’s scenic eastern coast. This is a pleasant and beautiful drive and a great opportunity to see a little bit of the island. After boarding a handsome, traditional, timber, ‘pinisi’ boat, have a chance to settle into your cabin and meet the other passengers and crew before enjoying the first alfresco meal on the main deck. The operator briefs you on all the activities and safety aspects of the cruise at this time. Then set off on the first leg of the voyage, which takes you north into the Bali Sea while the majestic cone of Bali’s sacred volcano, Gunung Agung, recedes astern.
By the time the first tropical dawn breaks, you have reached the Java Sea and the remote Kangean Islands. This archipelago, stretching 85 kilometers from east to west, is your maritime playground over the coming days. Its population is a nautical melting pot because it lies at the crossroads of the Java, Bali and Flores Seas, and the Straits of Makassar. The first landing is on Seppeken Island, the administrative center of the eastern Kangean Islands. Walk easily around this island in 45 minutes. There’s a rare fleet of sail-powered outrigger fishing boats here called ‘perahu pakur,’ and the larger ‘perahu lete’ with their big lateen sails. Return for lunch on board before sailing to Little Pagarungan, a typical Kangean maritime community on a flat, clean, sandy, palm-shaded island. Local traders visit to load fish on ice, or coconuts, for markets as far away as Kalimantan (Borneo). Today share a traditional meal at the home of a famous boat builder.
Depending on tides and winds, visit a reef-dwelling Sea Gypsy village built on stilts over coral. Alternatively, land on Little Seridi Island, a remote white-sand cay that dazzles you with the emerald or sapphire hues of its clear waters. With no cars on its sandy roads, a stroll across the island is leisurely, peaceful and friendly. It is home to migrants from Buton in Sulawesi, their tidy households and mosque shaded by nodding coconut palms. Relaxing on the verandah of the village head, learn about their origins and their island lives and lifestyle. By the afternoon anchor off Saur Island, where pretty villages and white-sand beaches line the shores and where you can go ashore and meet beachcombing people who rarely, if ever, receive foreign visitors. Their frank, friendly demeanor delights you. This is also one of several places where you can snorkel.
The captain weighs anchor before you awake to head west to the largest island and the one that gives this remote group its name: Kangean Island. Round Saubi Island, most of which is a nature reserve with extensive mangroves, coasting close to Kangean’s shores and past a shipwreck that sailed too close! Pass bays and isolated hamlets below a long, jungle-covered ridge that’s famed for its forests of teak – the tough, durable timber favored by boat builders. Today’s landing place is Batu Guluk, the main port for the largest of this island group. Travel in a local mini-bus fleet to Arjasa, the main town, where a few heritage Dutch colonial buildings still survive. Here witness tamratan, the unique local cultural tradition of dancing horses, which are called upon for ‘rite of passage’ ceremonies such as weddings and circumcisions. En route to the wild northern sea coast, visit the extensive underground complex called the Cave of the Yellow Princess, and learn of its sacred significance and legends amid the ancient stalactites and stalagmites.
Having cruised overnight from the Kangean Islands, anchor off at the major port of eastern Madura Island. The approach is through an ocean dotted with spectacular bamboo fishing platforms. Madura, the Bali-sized island close to northeastern Java, is the home of a hardy, wide-ranging seafaring culture whose traditional sailing craft or ‘perahu’ were always the most colorful and unusual in all of Indonesia. The nearby regional capital of Sumenep was the seat of ancient ruling sultanates as well as the Dutch East Indies Company. Hugely prosperous in the eighteenth century, the city is now a quiet, peaceful backwater, yet its past glory is still in evidence. Visit the 18th-century Kraton (sultan’s palace) with its unique architecture, harem bathing pools, and museum loaded with royal heirlooms. Here be welcomed with cultural performances staged especially for you. The nearby 18th-century Grand Mosque features multicultural architecture – Portuguese, Dutch, Indian and Chinese – as do the picturesque Asta Tinggi royal grave sites. Before returning to the ship linger for the start of the night market at the ‘alun-alun’ (town garden/square) and ride the extraordinary ‘odong-odong’ – fanciful and fantastic joy-ride vehicles like nothing you’ve ever seen!
Next morning your taxi fleet drives us up to Madura’s north coast to view the amazingly decorated, traditional fishing fleet of big, teak-built ‘selerek’ (‘seine net boats’) that line the banks of the palm-shaded river ports of Ambunten, Pasongsongan, and Pasean. These may well be the world’s most spectacular fishing boats. They’re decorated with a vibrant artistry of carvings, paintings, ornaments, and bunting that’s hard to believe, incorporating symbols and imagery drawn both from high, courtly traditions and robust folk styles, featuring religious themes as well as pop culture. On the way back to the ship, relax for lunch, pony rides, or swimming at Slopeng or Lombang, your choice of clean, local, ocean-beach resorts. Don’t be put off by the term ‘resorts’: these are unsophisticated and unspoiled, for simple local recreation and family visits on holidays and holy days.
Day 7-8: Bali | Disembark
2 Breakfasts, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
An overnight passage from Madura brings you back to Bali’s Pulau Menjangan, where you moor in the waters of the West Bali National Park, renowned for its diving and snorkeling. This is in the northwest corner of Bali, so from here cruise during daylight hours so that you can enjoy the spectacular scenery as you coast along Bali’s northern littoral. The voyage continues through the night to return to Benoa Harbour near Sanur where the journey started, to have you ashore by the following morning.
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Cabin Deck
Cabin Deck. Spacious, air-conditioned twin-share cabins with twin bunks or double beds. Private bathroom with toilet, washbasin, and hot shower.
Notes
- All rates are quoted in USD and represent cost per person, based on double occupancy.
- Cabins are available for single occupancy at 1.75 times the published rate.
Beyond expectations! Then again we weren't sure what to expect. Lovely stay at the lodge, met other like-minded travelers (many had their trips planned by Adventure Life) and the owner was a gracious hostess. It felt like you were one happy family, visiting with a favorite aunt.
Nancy Sin
TrustScore 4.8 | 176 reviews
TrustScore 4.8 of 5
Based on 176 reviews on
9 hours ago
Adventure Life is always an excellent choice when planning complicated, extreme, or exotic vacations or expeditions. They provide friendly professional services and advice and are enthusiastic and encouraging in helping us to prepare and thoroughly enjoy our trip. They handle all the details which greatly reduces the stress of planning a difficult trip. I'm very impressed with Adventure Life and definitely recommend them to friends and family.
Scott Trochim
2 days ago
The response from Adventure Life to my first inquiry was prompt and promising. I worked with Jamie Broeckel, Trip Planner, via text, email, and phone calls- always extremely responsive and thorough with information and explaining the process to arrange a private tour for me to Malaysia Borneo. Within about week, the booking was complete and I made decisions because of Jamie's great customer service , friendly manner, and overall competence on behalf of the company's travel expertise. Now I have an itinerary, additional Trip Planner Assistants, several links for vital information for traveling to Maylasia, etc. Still many details for Sept. trip, but now the heavy lifting is done and I can enjoy the rest of the anticipation and research!! Thanks Jamie- you are amazing!!!!
Susan Campo
4 days ago
The trip was not only memorable for the amount of animals we saw but also for the people and accommodations at the two camps where we stayed. Our first guide, BK, was a wealth of information about the animals, landscape and down to the plants and what they were used for. Everyday out was a learning experience with him. All the people at the camps were gracious and the food was excellent.
Our second camp in the Okavanga was just as good as the first as far as the staff, accommodations, food and animals. After our experience at the first camp we amazed that the high quality remained the same. Our guide, G, made sure we were able to enjoy every experience including a rush through the bush to witness a cheetah and an ensuing hunt that he heard over his radio.
In both camps there were enough guides out that if they saw something the other guides were informed which helped in seeing as much as possible. It was also nice that the concessions were large enough that we did not have vehicles following each other throughout the day.
Normally there is always something in a trip of this length that we think could be improved upon but this is the rare case where we cannot think of anything. From the time we left the States to when we returned it was one of the most hassle free vacations we took.
Perhaps emphasizing the use of the laundry facilities at the camps would be useful because of the luggage restrictions would be the only thing I can think of as an improvement to future clients.
Kenneth Dropek
5 days ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.