Wilderness-Travel-2017-Catalog

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FOR A DETAILED ITINERARY: 1.800.368.2794 OR EMAIL 107
ANDY LERNER
Indonesia’s Komodo National Park is a
glorious realm of translucent seas, glittering
reefs, and lush volcano-islands. It’s one of
the top snorkeling spots on the planet, with a
festival of marine life, from giant trevallies,
groupers, and sweetlips to schools of tiny
iridescent anthias. Drift snorkels bring
you above exquisite coral gardens and to
seamounts patrolled by rays and hawksbill
turtles. Adding to our adventure are island
hikes, including one to see the world-famed
Komodo dragons in the wild. In the evenings,
you’ll return to our mother ship for tropical
sunsets, stargazing, and the delights of
shipboard life.
Days 1-2 Denpasar, Bali / Flores / Tatawa
Besar / Siaba Kecil From Denpasar, fly to Flores,
where we board our traditional two-masted
sailing ship. On Sebayur Island, we enjoy an
evening snorkel, then head to Tatawa Besar and
Siaba Kecil, where drift snorkels over coral
gardens and underwater canyons reveal groupers,
mantas, green turtles, and rare mandarin fish.
Days 3-5 Gili Lawa Laut / Gili Darat /
Makassar Reef A snorkel through a narrow
channel whisks us into a coral garden with
more species of angelfish and butterflyfish than
anywhere else in the world. At Makassar Reef,
we snorkel among schools of mantas that
congregate here to feed on plankton, and on
Padar Island, we discover a pink beach colored
by fragments of red corals washed ashore. We
also take a sunset hike to the top of Gili Darat for
golden panoramas over Komodo Island and down
to long, white-sand beaches with breathtaking
visible coral formations below.
Days 6-8 Komodo Dragons / Cannibal Rock
On our naturalist-led hike, we’ll look for the
legendary Komodo dragons, the largest living
lizards on earth, found nowhere else in the
world. At Horseshoe Bay, we snorkel at Cannibal
Rock, a submerged pinnacle with gold-striped
fusiliers, scorpion fish, red snapper, surgeon fish,
and purple gorgonian sea fans where pygmy
seahorses hide.
Days 9-11 Batu Bolong / Kanawa / Bidadari
With its near-constant current, Batu Bolong is
a mind-blowing rock pinnacle with large
schools of fish including jacks, anthias, and
white-tip reef sharks. Napoleons and eagle
rays inhabit the shallow waters of Kanawa,
and we relax on Bidadari, with its inviting
white-sand beach and crystalline waters. Depart
on Day 11 via Denpasar.
This adventure was chosen as one of National Geographic Traveler’s “50 Tours of a Lifetime”!
J.W. ALKER
HIGHLIGHTS
• Fantastic snorkeling in a remote corner
of the world
• Travel aboard our 98-foot phinisi (a
traditional Indonesian two-masted sailing
ship) with comfortable en suite cabins
and excellent service
• A chance to see the famous Komodo
dragons on Komodo Island—up to 10 feet
long and weighing 150 pounds!
• Trip Leader who offers an in-depth look
into this area’s unsurpassed marine
biodiversity
DETAILS
Aug 29-Sep 8, 2017
TRIP COST
From $5995, depending on cabin category
Internal airfare: $300 (subject to change)
Single supplement: Call for details
TRIP LEVEL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Snorkeling, hiking, exploring by tender