Your 10-day journey begins with a flight from Bali to Labuan Bajo, then board the Katharina and sail to Kalong Island for snorkeling and a sunset with fruit bats. Visit Rinca Island for Komodo dragons, buffalo, and birds. Snorkel at Siaba Besar and hike Gili Lawa Darat for stunning views. Sail through channels and dive with manta rays. Help restore reefs at Hatamin Island, kayak, and relax at Riung Conservation Area. Discover local culture in Watublapi, and explore the Portuguese fort ruins and rock art on Solor Island. Visit the volcanic island of Komba. Enjoy cocktails at sunset at Ile Ape and snorkel at Buaya Island. Discover Uma Pura’s ikat textiles and look for the dugong, Mawar. End with a cultural performance and live music celebration at Takpala village, then bid farewell and depart for Bali on the final morning.
Highlights
Witness tens of thousands of fruit bats at dusk
Spot Komodo dragons in their wild, natural habitats
Climb Gili Lawa Darat for sweeping island views
Learn ancient weaving crafts from local artisans
Explore a Portuguese fort on Solor Island's shores
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.
On the first day, you catch an early morning flight from Bali to Labuan Bajo, the gateway to Komodo National Park. Once you land, your tour leaders greet you and take you to the Katharina. After getting settled in your cabin, you go through a safety briefing and orientation to the boat and the itinerary. The Katharina heads out toward Kalong Island, where you can have your first snorkeling experience in the clear waters. In the evening, you gather on the back deck for cocktail hour and watch as thousands of fruit bats leave the forest and fly to the mainland to search for food.
You start the day with an early breakfast and head to Rinca Island, one of the trip’s highlights. You take a guided walk through the savannah with a park ranger, looking for Komodo dragons in their natural habitat. Along the way, you might spot buffalo, deer, monkeys, and different bird species. After the walk, return to the boat and cruise to Siaba Besar Island, known for its amazing marine life. There, you snorkel along vibrant reefs, swimming with thousands of fish and sea turtles that gather in the area.
Visit the island of Gili Lawa Darat in the very north of the park. Here you can 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, you go in search of manta rays and then visit Hatamin Island, where a local NGO is running a reef restoration program, and you can 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. You move from between islands, enjoying some great beach time along the way with the kayaks and paddle boards.
You visit a local village and meet some of the locals and see how they live their lives, and around sunset, you can 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.
You take 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, have a chance to take a dip on a nearby island before heading off for an overnight cruise to Solor Island.
On Solor, you 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, you sail through the Adonara channel, enjoying the beautiful views of the volcanoes and islands as you head through this stunning inland passage between islands.
You can go for a snorkel on the island’s southern point, then you spend some time on a beautiful white-sandy shoal where you get out the paddle boards and umbrellas and spend some time on the beach.
You then raise an anchor and head north in the direction of the uninhabited, active volcanic island of Komba.
Waking up just off the active Komba Island, you explore the (hopefully) belching volcano with your dinghies and then circumnavigate the island. You then go for a snorkel on the island’s southern point. In the late morning, spend some time on a beautiful white-sandy shoal where we get out the paddle boards and umbrellas and spend some time on the beach.
After lunch, you 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, you can snorkel, and then at dusk, you can have cocktails on the back deck as you see the sunset over the active Ile Ape. After dark, and if the mountain activity is strong, you can 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.
You 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. You stroll around, meet the friendly local people, witness the full production process, and have the chance to view many of their finished textiles.
You 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 we will be in luck.
After lunch, you visit the very traditional village of Takpala, where you are greeted by the headman and his warriors for a fascinating cultural performance.
You spend a quiet night at anchor and have a celebratory dinner with the captain and crew and then have some live music and dancing with the ship’s band.
Day 10: Disembark | Fly to Bali
On your final morning, you wake up early and have a final breakfast before saying farewell to your crew and fellow shipmates and driving to the airport for our flights back to Bali.
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.
$6,3502-3 travelers
Cabin Deck
Cabin Deck. Spacious, air-conditioned twin-share cabins with twin bunks or double beds. Private bathroom with toilet, washbasin, 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.
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
4 days 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
6 days 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.
Lucy Greenway
6 days ago
Adventure Life was a pleasure to work with. They helped us find different options for our charter and answered a lot of questions with patience and clarity.
Brooke Hopper
1 week ago
Excellent service, great hotels and well organized excursions with expert guides! Highly recommended!
