Whale Sharks, Corals & Dragons

Taking the early morning flight from Bali, you are met at the airport in Komodo by your tour leaders and be taken straight to your boat. And as you settle into your new home, head to your first snorkeling spot; a coral restoration project where you can see how the corals and fish populations have grown since it were first transplanted in 2014

Note: Please be aware that this itinerary is designed to be flexible. The aim to follow the schedule as described, but due to weather, tides, preferences of trip members, and other factors such as the learning of the opportunity to investigate exciting new discoveries, can sometimes need to change course. The boat captain and your Trip Leader make the decisions to maximize trip safety and your overall enjoyment—come prepared to be flexible!

Go ashore on Komodo Island in search of the fearsome Komodo dragons, found only in the Komodo National Park. This is the world’s largest lizard, growing up to a length of three meters and weighing up to approximately 70 kilograms. Enjoy some magnificent snorkeling on some of the Komodo Park’s best reefs. Swim with manta rays as it feed on the current and circle the so-called cleaning stations, where small fish remove parasites from their skin. Snorkel at a favorite hangout of sea turtles, where you have a chance to swim with these gentle reptiles as it cruise along the shallow water of the reef.

Wake up off the coast of a beautiful uninhabited island with a beach of pure white sand with some sparkles of powdered red coral, creating the effect of a “pink beach”. You spend the morning here, swimming, paddle boarding, and snorkeling on the beautiful coral reef that lies parallel to the beach. Over lunch, you cruise to a nearby active volcanic island where you see a large wooden pinisi boat with the same pedigree and history of SeaTrek’s very own ships being built on the beach. Walking around this small village, get a feel for their simple way of life, chat with the locals and maybe buy some handmade textiles as a souvenir. Spend the day at a strange and mystical volcanic island with a sunken crater lake in its center that was filled with saltwater when the nearby Mt Tambora catastrophically erupted in 1815. Here you swim, kayak and paddleboard on the lake, and the more adventurous can go trekking around the crater rim. Experience one of the famous SeaTrek beach BBQs under a night sky filled with millions of stars as you feast on the amazing local delicacies prepared by the chef, and all accompanied by live medical entertainment from the talented crew. Another highlight of your visit to the island is the sight of thousands of flying foxes that fly at dusk from the island to feed on the mainland.

You have chance for an early morning swim with whale sharks, the gentle giants of the sea. These massive but harmless animals have long congregated here in the bay but now, thanks to travelers like you, a formed a mutually beneficial alliance with the local fisherman who have their traditional small floating fishing platforms in the bay that attract the sharks. Spend the day on a beach located on a small limestone island nearby, kayaking, swimming and snorkeling, and exploring the local karst formations. You cruise to Labuan Aji village on the island of Moyo to visit the village and walk to a scenic waterfall where you can bathe in the refreshing cool water.

Enjoy a unique snorkeling experience where volcanic gasses escape in the form of bubbles from the sea floor among the corals, with the metallic black volcanic sand below being home to an abundance of very interesting invertebrates. Entering the Komodo National Park again you go drift snorkeling in one of the best and healthiest coral reefs in the park, and for those who want to take the land-adventure to another level, you can do a sunset hike up to a gorgeous viewpoint overlooking the other islands in the park. Visit Rinca Island, which is well known for its diverse wildlife, and maybe spot dragons, monkeys, wild buffaloes and deer as well. From the top of the hills, the scenery is breath taking.

After breakfast on your last day, take on a scenic drive towards Melo Village, where you witness the traditional Caci dance performance. Local strongmen perform a ritual whip-fight between two rivals in which the players, each armed with a rattan shield and a whip, try to hit each other while dancing to the rhythm of traditional acoustic instruments. After lunch on the boat, you say farewell to the crew and your fellow shipmates as you disembark and continue onto your next destination.