Whale Sharks, Corals & Dragons

- After breakfast in our South Bali hotel meeting point, experience some of the best that Bali can offer with a tour of East Bali with its deep culture and glorious landscapes. Visit water palaces, ancient villages, see lush rice terraces and jungles and the islands volcanic peaks, and dine on some of Bali’s freshest and most delicious traditional cuisine. - In the late afternoon you will arrive at your beachside resort in East Bali and have a chance to unwind, swim, or have a snorkelling lesson with your tour guide. In the evening join all your fellow guests for a welcome dinner and drinks in the hotel’s beachside restaurant. - Sleep in the shadow of Bali’s Mt Agung, the mother mountain of all Balinese people, and the most imposing figure on the whole landscape of Bali.

- Awake to the often spectacular sunrise and from below the coconut palms and across the beach see your authentic wooden sailing ship emerge from the many small traditional ‘jukung’ fishing boats returning from their overnight expeditions just offshore. - Your ship and floating home for the next few days will first bring you along the coast to a local fisheries and coral conservation project where you will get to learn about fish reproduction and how important the coral reefs are to their success. After our visit we return to the boat for a refreshing lunch on the water, wind willing we start our sail across the famous Wallace Line, the deep-sea boundary that has separated Asia's biological system from Australia's biological system including there people for many years. - At our first opportunity we will snorkel above the incredibly diverse and beautiful coral reefs located on the eastern side of the Wallace line.

- Wake up off the coast of a small 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 see how they live their lives so close to, on and in the water.

- We wake up early off the northern coast of Sumbawa, where we hope to swim with a group of awe-inspiring whale sharks. These massive but harmless animals have long congregated here but now, thanks to travelers like you, we have formed a mutually beneficial alliance with the local fisherman who have their traditional small floating fishing platforms in the bay. As you probably know, whale sharks are under constant threat due the sky-high value of their fins, but thanks to your visit with us, these fishermen are paid a healthy fee for spotting where the whale sharks are and letting us in the water by their boat platforms to be up-close to one of the largest creatures in the ocean. As a result the fisherman are very glad to protect these beautiful animals and you get to be a conservationist. - Swim, snorkel, kayak and paddle board in the crater 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.

- 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 the ship you are sailing on. 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.

- Wake up in the most northerly part of Komodo National Park and enjoy a morning of sea-based activities including a fantastic drift snorkel over the reef, kayaking and SUP at an uninhabited island. - Swim with majestic 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 an isolated sandbar, where we will enjoy snorkeling, swimming and relaxing with cool drinks on the sand.

- Visit Rinca Island and go on a morning 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 savannas of this large island. - Snorkel at a nearby island that is a favorite hangout of sea turtles, where we will have a chance to glide with these gentle creatures as the cruise above the technicolor reef below. - Enjoy Indonesian hospitality as your crew put together 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.

- We cruise into harbour as we enjoy our breakfast together, 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’ (not for the faint hearted), before being treated to a selection of traditional dances performed by both men and women. - We return to the boat to enjoy a leisurely lunch and say our good byes before being escorted to the airport for your onward flight to Bali.