Ancient Villages, Textiles, Dragons, and Vibrant Coral Reefs (Ende-Alor)

Upon arriving at Ende Airport in Central Flores in the early afternoon, your SeaTrek tour leader meets you and takes you to Ndona, a village known for its traditional weaving and natural dyeing techniques. Here, you have the opportunity to meet Musalaki, the respected lord of the land, who introduces you to the region’s rich cultural heritage. You can also view a collection of ikat textiles and learn about the weaving and dyeing processes.

After the visit, return to Ende to check into your hotel for the night. Dinner is arranged at a popular local restaurant, where you can savor the regional flavors and reflect on the day’s cultural immersion.

After breakfast, depart for Moni and visit Nggela, a traditional village known for its weavers and unique ikat textiles. Meet the artisans, observe their weaving techniques, and learn about the cultural importance of their work.

By late morning, arrive at the Kelimutu Ecolodge to check in, have lunch, and relax. In the afternoon, visit Waturajo village, a community of Muslim and Christian residents who create ikat cloths with rare motifs, reflecting the region’s textile heritage.

Get ready for an early start to witness the stunning sunrise from the top of Kelimutu volcano and see the three-crater lakes changing colors throughout the day.

Driving back to Ende for lunch, stop on the blue pebble beach at Nanga Panda, and then head to Soa hot spring to unwind before driving to Bajawa for the night.

After breakfast, visit the ancient Ngada villages of Gurusina to learn about their traditions and see their ikat weaving process. You drive to Ruteng, stopping by Aimere village to see the local distillery where they produce 'arak’, an alcoholic spirit brewed from rice or palm.

Before reaching Ruteng, enjoy the stunning view of Rana Mese's crater lake and waterfall. You can also visit the local market to see the colorful spices and vegetables and stay overnight.

You start the day with a visit to the now legendary Liang Bua cave, where the remains of Homo floresiensis (the legendary ‘Hobbits”) were discovered in 2003, an extinct species of early humans that inhabited the island of Flores until the arrival of modern humans about 50,000 years ago.

As you continue on, see the spider web-shaped rice fields in Cancar village, then head to Todo village to meet the head of the village and learn about the history of the Manggarai people. Here, you can also see the Manggarai ikat weaving called Songket. After a stop for lunch in Lembor, it’s a short drive to Labuan Bajo where you stay the night.

After breakfast, your driver collects you from your hotel and takes you straight to the boat, where you meet your crew and fellow guests.

After settling in and receiving a safety briefing and orientation, you head out to sea in the direction of Kalong Island for your first snorkel of the trip.

At dusk, gather on the back deck at cocktail hour to witness a spectacular event: the evening departure of tens of thousands of fruit bats that fill the skies as they leave their forest homes to forage on the mainland.

After an early breakfast, it’s time to go ashore to Rinca Island for one of the main highlights of the trip—searching for the ancient and fearsome Komodo dragon. Go for a ranger-led walk through the savannah and hopefully spot dragons in the wild along with buffalo, deer, monkeys, and many different kinds of birds.

Back on the boat, cruise to the richly diverse reefs of Siaba Besar Island, where you snorkel with thousands of fish and sea turtles that congregate in the area

Visiting the island of Gili Lawa Darat in the very north of the park, climb to the top of the island for majestic sweeping views of the park and all the surrounding islands. A spectacular drift snorkel in the narrow channel between the islands is not to be missed.

After lunch, it’s time to search for manta rays and then visit Hatamin Island, where a local NGO is running a reef restoration program, and you create your very own coral racks to place in the sea. The island is home to many fish and is a nursery ground for black-tipped reef sharks.

Today you explore the beaches and the underwater world of the 17-island Riung Conservation Area, home to many species of coral and lots of underwater life, which you can snorkel through. Moving between islands, it’s time to enjoy some great beach time along the way with the kayaks and paddle boards.

Visit a local village and meet some of the locals and see how they live their lives, and around sunset, weigh anchor and head east in the direction of Maumere.

Wake up at anchor in Maumere Bay against the backdrop of an extinct volcano and enjoy a leisurely breakfast before the day’s activities begin.

A fleet of cars awaits us on the dock to take us on a short drive to the scenic Iwang Gete Highlands to visit the small village of Watublapi, where you are met with singing and dancing by the local people. Famed for their unique textiles, you are shown first-hand their ancient techniques of spinning, dyeing, and weaving their famous fabrics. Here you can have the chance to view (and purchase) some of the local textiles, try their betel nut, and brave their locally produced liquor.

In the late afternoon, you have a chance to take a dip on a nearby island before heading off for an overnight cruise to Solor Island.

On Solor, visit the local village and the ruins of a 16th-century Portuguese fort that used to guard this vital waypoint of the ancient spice trade. As you have lunch, sail through the Adonara channel, enjoying the beautiful views of the volcanoes and islands as you head through this stunning inland passage between islands.

Go for a snorkel on the island’s southern point, then spend some time on a beautiful white-sandy shoal where you can get out the paddle boards and umbrellas and spend some time on the beach.

The crew then raises an anchor and heads north in the direction of the uninhabited, active volcanic island of Komba.

Waking up just off the active volcano of Komba, explore the (hopefully) belching volcano with our dinghies and then circumnavigate the island. You can then go for a snorkel on the island’s southern point.

After lunch, go ashore and drive to a local village to see some prehistoric 500-year-old rock art and maybe get to try some of the locally brewed arak alcohol with the villagers.

Later that afternoon it’s time to snorkel, and then at dusk, it’s time for cocktails on the back deck as we see the sunset over the active Ile Apé. After dark, and if the mountain activity is strong, see the lava erupting from the top against the night sky.

Start the day with a splendid snorkel on Buaya Island, a location with a beautiful drop-off and lots of fish.

Visit the Muslim village of Uma Pura, which is well known for their creation of ikat textiles using many local materials, including sea sponges, for the dyeing of their textiles. Stroll around, meet the friendly local people, witness the full production process, and have the chance to view many of their finished textiles.

Depart the boat and travel by local boat out into the bay to look for the resident dugong named Mawar, who is looked after by a local man dedicated to Mawar’s well-being. Sightings are common, so hopefully you are in luck.

After lunch, visit the very traditional village of Takpala, where you are greeted by the headman and his warriors for a fascinating cultural performance.

Tonight, it’s a quiet night at anchor, and you have a celebratory dinner with the captain and crew and then have some live music and dancing with the ship’s band.

On your final morning, it’s an early wakeup for a final breakfast before saying farewell to the crew and fellow shipmates and driving to the airport for your flights back to Bali.