Join a 16-day voyage aboard Ombak Putih through Indonesia’s diverse islands, blending cultural exploration, marine adventures, and wildlife encounters. Start in Ternate then head to Tidore exploring volcanic landscapes and clove plantations, and dive into the Guarici Archipelago’s marine life and beaches. Spot rare species like the Golden Birdwing butterfly in Bacan's forests and explore Balang Belang’s mangroves. Experience Taliabu Island’s ‘cakalele’ war dance, snorkel Bokan Islands’ reefs, and learn about Bajau sea gypsies and coral restoration in Banggai. Visit Wakatobi’s underwater world and Bonerate’s traditional shipyards. Swim with manta rays, see Komodo dragons on Rinca, hike Gili Lawa Darat, and enjoy a beachside BBQ. This journey offers a unique mix of nature, culture, and marine exploration.
Highlights
Tour Tidore’s spice-scented clove plantations and Kiematabu volcano views
Snorkel protected Guarici reefs and meet friendly village locals
Spot Golden Birdwing butterflies and hornbills in Bacan's forests
Watch Taliabu warriors perform the lively ‘cakalele’ war dance
Explore coral restoration projects and Banggai’s bustling local markets
Swim with manta rays at vibrant underwater cleaning stations
Encounter Komodo dragons on a guided ranger trek in Rinca
Activity options vary depending on destination and operator. Activity level is determined by the range and intensity of activities you choose to participate in. Discuss with your Trip Planner which options are best for you.
Start your adventure in Ternate, an island central to the spice trade's history. Begin with a guided tour of key historical sites, then head to the harbor and board your SeaTrek ship. Meet the crew and settle into your cabin for the voyage ahead. In the afternoon, sail to nearby Tidore, a volcanic island south of Ternate. While onboard, enjoy lunch with views of the dormant Kiematabu Volcano, surrounded by clove plantations. These plantations, vital to world trade, were once the source of intense European competition. Spend the afternoon exploring Tidore’s landscapes and historical context.
Today, visit the Guarici Archipelago, known for its white sandy beaches, vibrant coral reefs, and small local villages. Start the day by anchoring near one of the islands, where you can snorkel in clear waters filled with marine life. These reefs are ideal for beginners to practice snorkeling or for experienced snorkelers to refine their skills in a calm environment. You can also visit a nearby village to meet the locals and learn about their way of life. The islands are part of a government-controlled conservation area, designed to protect the reefs and their diverse marine species.
Spend the remainder of the day swimming, exploring the beaches, or relaxing by the water. This visit offers a mix of snorkeling, cultural engagement, and an introduction to conservation efforts, preparing you for the days of exploration ahead.
Today, search for some very special species of butterflies, some unique birds, and some quirky mammals.
Explore the deep forest of Bacan Island, where Wallace first saw what he called “the most beautiful butterfly in the world," the Golden Birdwing. During your trek, the other species that you might see here include cuscus, the black-crested macaque, and some hornbills.
After lunch, spend the afternoon snorkeling and swimming on the nearby reef.
Spend today exploring the islands and local habitats of Balang Belang Island, which offers fantastic snorkeling both on the reefs and the mangroves, which act as a nursery to many marine species, including baby sharks and many kinds of school fish.
Explore the huge inland lagoon, which you can explore from the boat tender. The island is home to healthy populations of birds, including parrots, tree swifts, imperial pigeons, and many more.
The cultural experiences ratchet up a notch today with a war dance performed in your honor.
You go ashore on Taliabu island, where you can be treated to a traditional dance known as the ‘cakalele’, by local warriors. You can have the chance to explore the local village and meet the people of this remote island.
The afternoon is snorkeling on a reef teeming with colorful fish and possibly some kayaking and paddleboarding.
The Bokan Islands are an area of unsurpassed beauty, and today is a day of marine exploration and relaxation as you snorkel, swim, and paddle around the glorious reef, beach, and island with giant clams scattered around the area.
You also have the rare privilege to swim in a small marine lake filled with stingless jellyfish, the exotically named Danau Piasu Botangan, one of only 20 lakes of its kind in the world.
A trio of unique experiences await you today involving culture, conservation, and wildlife.
Visit the bustling Indonesian island port town of Banggai, a place filled with activity and commerce. Here on Banggai Island, you visit the local market and explore the neighborhoods, the sultan’s palace, and the Maleo bird egg museum, all from your fleet of brightly colored motor rickshaws, which is on the dock awaiting your arrival.
Pay a hands-on visit to LINI, an NGO doing great work with coral restoration on the surrounding reefs, in addition to working with local fishermen in finding sustainable solutions for overseas markets and the live aquarium fishing trade.
The last of the day’s highlights is a snorkel on a local reef where you can see the most elegant, but very threatened, Banggai Cardinal Fish—a darling of saltwater aquarium lovers worldwide.
This morning you officially arrive in the Wakatobi National Park area, a very hard-to-reach archipelago filled with fascinating culture and also one of Indonesia’s best national parks, with outstanding underwater life and natural beauty.
Enjoy a personalized tour of the island of Wangi-Wangi, with highlights that include a seaweed farm, meeting with a traditional weaving community, and the ruins of a centuries-old Dutch fort, a relic of the ancient Spice Trade.
In the afternoon, spend some time in the water, where the water is clear and abundant with rich, colorful corals. You can also take a little stroll around a number of sea nomad villages.
In the morning, wake up to an uninhabited seamount in the middle of the Flores Sea, rich in upwelling nutrients and a perfect habitat for fish and raising their young. You can spend some time here snorkeling and some exploring before sailing onwards for overnight cruising towards the southern tip of Sulawesi.
Another full day of underwater adventure and exploration awaits you today. The whole day can be spent exploring one of the most beautiful collections of reefs and atolls with palm-fringed white-sand beaches and crystal-clear waters.
The choice is entirely yours whether you would like to kick back and relax on board while watching the endless horizon dazzle with luminous blue waters, lounge on the sand, explore the shallow reefs on kayaks or paddleboards, or lose yourself in the frenzy of the rich reefs.
Today you walk amongst the hulls and hulks of a huge unlaunched flotilla of pinisi ships being built on a remote island archipelago. Meet the shipwrights and discover their age-old traditions of shipbuilding that they have practiced for centuries in this forgotten corner of the world, using basic plans, wood, and a collection of simple tools and age-old techniques.
Bonerate is rarely visited by tourists outside of SeaTrek, and seeing this open-air boatyard is an experience to be savored. As you walk through the village and along the beaches and meet the locals, gain a new appreciation for island life and for the kind of boat you have been cruising with for the past thirteen days.
Giants loom large in your day today: Komodo dragons, flying foxes, and manta rays, three of the biggest and most impressive animals in Indonesia.
Your morning is spent drifting with Manta Rays, the gentle giant, as they glide by feed in the current at their go-to local cleaning stations.
In the afternoon, you are taken for a privately arranged, ranger-led walk around the island of Rinca, where you can see not only Komodo dragons but also their preferred menu of prey—monkeys, deer, pigs, and buffaloes.
This evening, as the sun starts to set, gather on the deck and witness a most spectacular event as thousands of flying foxes leave their mangrove forest homes en masse on their nightly fruit-foraging missions.
Rise early and have the chance to hike a scenic route of Gili Lawa Darat, or you can stretch your legs on the beautiful white-sandy beach. After the hike, be back on board for a mission: to count how many turtles you can spot with your own eyes on Siaba Besar Island, where it’s famous as turtle heaven.
In the late afternoon, have a relaxing beach time where you’re more than free to do pretty much anything you like, ranging from snorkeling, paddleboarding, kayaking, or just beach combing.
Tonight, the crew prepares a beach BBQ for you as you feast, sing, and dance the night away by a roaring fire under the stars.
Day 16: Labuan Bajo | Komodo | Disembark
1 Breakfast
On your final day, wake up as the boat is cruising slowly making its way to the magnificent town of Labuan Bajo. After a final Indonesian breakfast on the boat, you say farewell to your crew, who have looked after you so well for the past seventeen days and transfer to Komodo airport for your flight and your onward journey.
Apologies for the inconvenience. Prices for not yet published. Below per person rate based on previous season. Contact us to confirm upcoming season pricing.
Prices for are estimated based on inflation. Contact us to confirm pricing and availability for your desired departure date.
$12,5002-3 travelers
Cabin Deck
Cabin Deck. Spacious, air-conditioned twin-share cabins with twin bunks or double beds and private bathroom with toilet 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.
We are so glad that we chose Adventure Life. The service is top-notch. Everything is well taken care of and we just have to print the documents and go. Franny even gave us timely updates on possible airport strike.
Really enjoyed Thatch Caye. The staff was great. Really liked our guide Raffi. And snorkeling at night was wonderful.
Cheryl Brenton
5 days ago
The persons I spoke with knew the material. I wont know until I actually take the trip if it was all correct but at this point they were helpful in finding a trip that met my criteria
SS
1 week ago
Creating a checklist was very beneficial and meeting objectives on certain dates helped as well (to keep my trip organized). The Adventure Travel personnel helped keep me on track which is why my trip was so successful. Communication from both travel agencies (AT/MT) was vital.
Iziah Carthens
1 week ago
This is an amazing company to work with. I generally do not use tour companies as I am more of an independent traveller so I was slightly reticent. They were fantastic from the start - 10/10 - from lining up a phone call to discuss requirements, then their ongoing communication in the lead up to the tour and during it (thank you, Franny and Phen). They also explored cost-effective options (eg group transfers). The tour was in Patagonia so Adventure Life organised a pickup from the El Calafate airport to the El Chalten accommodation, two day hikes with a private guide and then to the El Calafate accommodation. A tour coordinator came to the hotel to explain, using the maps, what was involved in each day tour and what should be expected, and patiently answered all questions. The tour guide Marcos was excellent - very professional, knowledgable, communicative and at all times felt very safe with his navigational skills (important in the Patagonian wilderness). On the second day I forgot to take hiking poles so Marcos kindly gave me his. I honestly wouldn't have changed a thing and would happily recommend and book through them again.
Petrina Sta
1 week ago
Adventure Life has been great throughout my planning process for our up and coming Galapagos cruise. Kevin Moore, in particular, was very helpful in assisting me in making choices and providing me with options. He was also very patient, as I worked through figuring out what I really wanted in this vacation.
