Whale Sharks, Corals & Dragons 2028 - Indonesia Adventure - From Komodo To Komodo

This 10-day itinerary moves from the volcanic islands of Sumbawa to the reefs of Komodo National Park, following one thread: how land, sea and people depend on each other. Each pair of days builds on the last, ending with a return to the reef restoration project to see what has grown.

You will be met at Komodo Airport in Labuan Bajo by your tour leaders and taken straight to your ship. After settling into your new home, we run an equipment check and head to a calm beach for an introductory snorkel from the shore, so you can find your feet in the water before we snorkel from the boat.

Get hands-on at a coral restoration project. Learn how the fragmenting process works, where small pieces of healthy coral are used to grow new colonies. Attach your own fragments to a coral rack and place it in the water to grow.

At dusk we anchor off a small mangrove island to watch thousands of flying foxes leave their roosts and fly to the mainland to feed. These giant fruit bats are not only important to the health of their mangrove roosting area but pollinate flowers and spread seeds across the islands, helping the forests regrow.

Go ashore on Rinca Island in search of wild Komodo dragons. The world’s largest lizard grows up to three metres long and about 70 kilograms, and is found in the wild only in this corner of Indonesia. Your guide will explain how, as the top predator on these islands, dragons shape the whole savanna ecosystem.

Go ashore on Sangeang, an active volcano rising straight from the sea. Here you see the Ring of Fire at work: fresh volcanic land, forest taking hold on its slopes and a colourful coral reef growing just offshore, where we snorkel. We also visit the local village to see how people farm the rich volcanic soil.

Go ashore on forested Moyo Island and travel inland to a rainforest waterfall, where you can bathe in its cool pools. It is a chance to see how forest catches and holds the rain that feeds the island’s streams and, ultimately, the reefs.

Swim with whale sharks, the gentle giants of the sea, in Saleh Bay. These plankton-feeding sharks gather around the bagans, traditional floating fishing platforms whose lights draw in the small fish they eat. Learn how local fishers, the sharks and responsible visitors now share the bay, and how tourism gives fishing families a reason to protect them.

Visit a Sumbawan village and watch the age-old tradition of buffalo racing, as local men drive their prized animals through a flooded rice padi.

Spend a day at Satonda, a volcanic island with a salt-water crater lake at its heart. Walk to the lake’s edge and snorkel the reef outside, comparing two very different water worlds on one small island.

Visit a village where boatbuilding lies at the heart of the culture. Large wooden pinisi ships, like our own vessel, sit along the shore in various stages of construction, built by hand using the UNESCO-recognised art of pinisi boatbuilding. Meet the builders and learn how their knowledge of wind, wood and sea passes between generations.

Spend a relaxing half day on an uninhabited island with its own pink beach. Swim, sunbathe, wakeboard and snorkel a rich coral reef, and learn where the pink comes from: fragments of tiny red corals mixed into the white sand.

Re-entering Komodo National Park, we drift snorkel some of the park’s healthiest reefs. Swim with sea turtles as they cruise the shallows, and with manta rays as they feed in the current and circle cleaning stations, where small wrasse remove parasites from their skin, showing one of the clearest examples of mutual benefit in nature.

Enjoy a drift snorkel at Gili Lawa Darat, in the north of the park, then hike to the viewpoint for sunset over the islands.

Snorkel the Hatamin Island coral restoration project and see what can be achieved when like-minded people come together to solve a problem. Swim among racks placed over the years and see how restored coral brings fish and life back to the reef. Your guide explains how corals live in partnership with the microscopic algae inside them, and why that partnership breaks down when seas warm.

Enjoy one of our famous SeaTrek beach barbecues under a sky full of stars, with local dishes prepared by our chef and live music from our crew.

After breakfast on our final day, take a scenic drive to Melo Village to see the Caci dance of the Manggarai people. In this ritual, two performers armed with a whip and a rattan shield take turns to strike and parry, dancing to traditional music.

On your return from Melo Village, we bring you to the airport for a farewell with your fellow shipmates and tour leaders, and to check in for your onward flight.

Our aim is the best possible experience in the conditions of the day. Weather, tides and local factors sometimes mean we vary from the published route. At other times, special opportunities arise to explore new places, events and activities. These changes are always made to enhance the trip and are discussed and agreed with guests. The captain and your tour leader make the final decisions on safety and enjoyment, so please come prepared to be flexible.