D a y 1
- We will meet you either on arrival at the airport or in your hotel lobby. At 8 am we transfer you 40 minutes to the tiny village of Sei Gohong where we board local canoes to observe orangutans on the beautiful forested island of Pulau Kaja. The island is managed by the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation or BOS. After observing orangutans in their island habitat, we then transfer to BOS’s nearby Education Centre in Nyaru Menteng for more information on their activities.
- Returning to Palangka Raya harbour, we board the Rahai’i Pangun for lunch and a short cruise through the city upstream. Boarding vehicles, we travel 30 minutes to the historic towns of Bukit Rawi and Sigi to see the magnificently painted sandungs, receive a Dayak welcome and learn about the history.
- We then return to the boat to start the cruise downstream to moor overnight in a quiet location.
D a y 2
- In the early morning, we will use motorised canoes to visit the extensive blackwater Lake Bagantung. This is a unique peatland swamp ecosystem where we have the opportunity to spot birds, the other wildlife and fishing activities by the villagers.
- Returning to the village of Pusaka, we learn the local self-defence or shadow boxing exercise. Try it yourself! Returning to the boat, we continue the cruise downstream to Tumbang Nusa village. On arrival, we will have a walking tour in the village to see some of their traditional livelihoods.
- The boat will continue to cruise downstream, passing the large forested Selat and Badak Islands, where it may be possible to spot orangutans. We then find a quiet place to tie up overnight.
D a y 3
- The boat continues downstream to the village of Pilang where we take a short walk in the forest area near the village to see the process of rubber tapping (Mamantat) and rattan harvesting (Manetes). Our village guide will also point out some local medicinal plants growing in the forest.
- We then have a walking tour in the village to see some of their traditional livelihoods. Watch the local ladies at their rattan weaving process and meet the villagers. Over a special tea and coffee, with traditional Dayak cakes, we will be entertained with a Kacapi (two-stringed instrument) performance.
- Escaping the heat of the midday sun, we will return to the boat for lunch. The boat will cruise downstream to find a quiet mooring place for overnight.
D a y 4
We have a relaxed breakfast before our very special visit to the Sebangau National Park. For this adventure, we pack our bags and transfer to the car for the journey to Kereng Bangkirai village (40 minutes). Here we join a canoe to travel a half hour across the amazing reflections of Lake Sebangau to the tiny Koran River.
- Explore the boardwalks and forests on the eastern boundary of the park. We will visit the information centre established there and walk along boardwalks provided for visitors to more easily explore the area to catch sight of birds and perhaps wild orangutans.
We return to the village of Kering Bangkirai for a cool drink for transfer to the vehicle and return to the airport. Upon arrival in Bali, you will be escorted to your hotel for the night.
D a y 5
D a y 6
- Watch a spectacular sunrise from the beach in front of your resort as hundreds of small traditional ‘jukung’ fishing boats return from their overnight expeditions, as your SeaTrek boat comes into view.
- Sail across the Wallace Line, the deep-sea boundary that represents the biogeographical separation point between Asia and Australia, where the landscapes, animals and plant life separate into distinctly different groups.
- Snorkel the magnificent coral gardens of the Gili Islands off the northwest corner of Lombok.
D a y 7
- Wake up off the coast of Kenawa Island under the gaze of Lombok’s towering Mt Rinjani, the largest volcanic peak in Indonesia, and spend the morning swimming, snorkelling and exploring.
- Visit a village of the famous Bajao ‘Sea Gypsies’ of Southeast Asia, and wee how they live their lives so close to, on and in the water.
D a y 8
- Wake up early in Saleh Bay, where we will hopefully swim with a group of whale sharks that congregate off the local people’s fishing platforms that sit in the bay.
- Swim, snorkel, kayak and paddle board in a deep lake on a volcanic island lake on Satonda Island, whose caldera filled by water from a tsunami caused by a massive volcanic event from the nearby Tambora Volcano, which in 1815 was the largest eruption in recorded history.
- Drink sunset cocktails as we float on the current while tens of thousands of giant fruit bats emerge from their forest lair and fly out directly over the boat on their nightly foraging missions.
D a y 9
- Step ashore on an active, smoking volcanic island, where local villagers are in the process of building a fifty-plus metre, traditional wooden pinisi boat, with the same pedigree and history of SeaTrek’s very own ships. 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 momento.
- Snorkel on a colourful and vibrant coral reef above small geothermal fissures where air bubbles are released from the volcanic chambers below the seabed.
- After a few hours under sail, spend the afternoon time on a deserted white sand beach on another volcanic island, this time an extinct one. Explore the magnificent coral gardens, hike to the crest of the surrounding hills for a view of the surrounding islands, swim, paddle, kayak and laze away the day before enjoying sunset cocktails on the sand.
D a y 1 0
- Wake up in the most northerly part of the Komodo National Park and enjoy a morning of sea-based activities including a fantastic drift snorkel over the reef, kayaking and SUP at Gili Lawa Darat island.
- Swim with schools of manta rays as they feed on the current and circle the so-called cleaning stations, where small fish remove parasites from their skin. Hover above these giant and noble beasts for as long as you like.
- Spend the late afternoon on a local sandbar, where we will enjoy snorkelling, swimming and relaxing on the sand.
D a y 1 1
- Visit Rinca Island and go on a trek in search of the ancient Komodo dragon, the world’s largest lizard. See monkeys, dear, pigs, buffalo, and myriad birds as we walk through the forests and savannahs of this large island.
- Snorkel at Saba Island, a favourite hangout of sea turtles, where we will have a chance to swim with these gentle creatures as the cruise along the shallow water of the reef.
- Enjoy Indonesian hospitality as your crew host a beach barbeque in your honour on a deserted island. On offer is plenty of good food, music, cocktails dancing and frivolity as we dance and sing the night away next to a bonfire under a clear tropical night sky.
D a y 1 2
- Cruise into harbour as we eat our last breakfast on the boat, before taking a short drive to a traditional local village. Here we will enjoy their hospitality with coffee, betel nut and a highly potent local ‘arak’ before (not for the faint hearted), before being be treated to a selection of traditional dances by their men and women.
- Enjoy a final lunch on the boat before being escorted to the airport for your onward flight to Bali.
