SeaTrek the Remote Ring of Fire: East of Komodo (Komodo-Alor)

This cruise has been designed for people wanting to get further off the beaten track and explore the culturally rich region of southeastern Indonesia, where you can sail with us through the Komodo National Park, world-renowned for its rich marine biodiversity and dragons, and through an undisturbed realm of white-sand beaches, volcanic landscapes, and rich, authentic ancient cultures.

– Take an early morning walk across Rinca Island in search of the famed and ancient dragons in their natural savanna habitat.

– Visit a highly successful coral restoration project on Hatamin Island to learn, where you can get ands on in creating and placing coral racks into the sea.

– Be warmly welcomed into ancient villages to experience ritual dance performances and witness the weaving process of traditional ikat cloth, spun from hand and dyed using traditional plant and animal products.

– Snorkel in kaleidoscopic underwater seascapes specially chosen for their rich and abundant marine life.

– Visit Mawar, a local dugong who lives among the seagrass beds of Alor and is protected by “local hero”, Pak One.

– Awaken each day to active volcanic peaks jutting dramatically from the land and sea.

This part of Indonesia is famed for its traditional tribal groups, where ikat textile production still lies at the heart of their cultures. On this journey, we have the pleasure of visiting three different villages: Uma Pura & Watublapi, and Tapkala, each with very distinct practices and beliefs, to gain a glimpse of how textiles play an important part in their daily lives and to witness the ancient spinning, binding, weaving, and dyeing techniques that they have practiced for generations. Using all natural fibres and colours, including around 200 different natural dyes, using ingredients such as sea sponges, sea anemones and the ink of sea hares, these finished items are a wonder to behold, and we will have the opportunity to meet and talk with the weavers and purchase some of the beautifully crafted textiles to add to your collections as a memento of your journey.

Whether it’s swimming with whale sharks & mantas rays, or leisurely gliding along a stunning tropical reef surrounded by myriad fish and corals, snorkelling lies at the very heart of what we do at SeaTrek. We do it well and we do it often – usually twice a day for an hour or more at a time. No matter if you are a novice or a seasoned pro, our tour leaders will ensure that you have everything you need to have some of the best underwater experiences of your life.

Our mission is to provide the best experience possible for our guests given the current conditions and when unexpected opportunities for adventure may present themselves along our cruise routes. Sometimes weather conditions, tides or other local factors dictate that we need to vary from the published route, and at times there are special opportunities to explore and discover new locations, events and activities. These explorations will always be a definite enhancement to the published itinerary and will be undertaken after discussion and agreement among guests. Ultimately, the boat captains and your tour leader will make decisions to maximize trip safety and your overall enjoyment, so please come prepared to be flexible!

Our tour leaders are a wealth of information on the regions we visit and will prepare you for each activity with on board talks and presentations to give you a greater understanding of the different experiences you will have each day. They will also act as your cross-cultural bridges to all the people we meet along the way, so feel free to ask them to translate when talking to local Indonesian people on your travels.

Our four-day orangutan cruise that features in our Orangutans & Dragons itinerary can be worked into any of our SeaTrek cruises throughout the year, regardless of length or location, so just let us know if this is something you would like to do when visiting Indonesia and we will happily arrange it for you.

We are also a wealth of information on other great destinations and wildlife and cultural excursions in Indonesia that can be added on to your SeaTrek cruise. The possibilities are endless so all you have to do is ask.