Wilderness Travel 2018 Catalog of Adventures

JOAKIM LEROY JEFF YONOVER Komodo Snorkeling Expedition CORAL REEFS, TROPICAL REEF FISH, AND KOMODO DRAGONS

SCOTT JOHNSON

Our Komodo journey offers world-class snorkeling amid the amazing biodiversity of the Coral Triangle. CHRISTOPHE COURTEAU

In the center of the long Indonesian archipelago lies magnificent Komodo National Park, a World Heritage Site of steep volcanic islands, pristine coral reefs, empty white-sand beaches, and astounding marine biodiversity. It is one of the top snorkeling spots on the planet, home to the phenomenal underwater life that the Coral Triangle is renowned for. Aboard our very comfortable Indonesian two-masted sailing ship, we’ll fill our days with world-class snorkeling and island adventures, including one to see the fearsome Komodo dragons—the world’s largest lizards. Our evenings are for tropical sunsets, stargazing, and the delights of shipboard life. Our trip was selected as one of National Geographic Traveler’s 50 Tours of a Lifetime. Days 1-2 Denpasar / Flores / Tatawa Besar / Siaba Kecil From Denpasar, fly to Flores, where we board our liveaboard ship. On Sebayur Island, we enjoy an evening snorkel, then head to the islands of Tatawa Besar and Siaba Kecil, where drift-snorkeling over coral gardens and underwater canyons reveals groupers, mantas, green turtles, and rare mandarin fish.

Days 3-5 Gili Lawa Laut / Gili Darat / Makassar Reef Exploring a coral garden just north of Komodo Island where huge fish reside, we may see giant trevallys, cowtail stingrays, sweetlips, and groupers. At Makassar Reef, we see schools of mantas, and on Padar Island, the Pink Beach awaits, picturesque with its delicate coral-pink sands colored by fragments of red corals. A sunset hike to the top of Gili Darat gives us golden panoramas over Komodo Island and down to long, white-sand beaches with breathtaking visible coral formations. Days 6-8 Komodo Dragons / Cannibal Rock We look for the legendary Komodo dragons, the largest living lizards on earth, found nowhere else in the world, and snorkel at Cannibal Rock, a submerged pinnacle with gold-striped fusiliers, scorpion fish, red snapper, surgeon fish, and purple gorgonian sea fans hiding pygmy seahorses. Days 9-11 Batu Bolong / Kanawa / Bidadari Batu Bolong is a mind-blowing rock pinnacle and home to 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 at Bidadari Island, with its white-sand beach and crystalline waters. Depart on Day 11 via Denpasar.

HIGHLIGHTS • Fantastic snorkeling in a remote corner of the world • Travel aboard our 98-foot phinisi (Indonesian two-masted sailing ship), enjoying en suite cabins and excellent service • See the famous Komodo dragons on Komodo Island—up to 10 feet long and weighing 150 pounds! • Fantastic naturalist Trip Leader who offers an in-depth look into the unsurpassed marine biodiversity

DETAILS • 11-day trip begins and ends in Denpasar • 10 nights aboard a yacht • All meals included

DATE Sep 2-12, 2018

TRIP COST From $6195, depending on cabin category Internal airfare: $280 (subject to change) Single supplement: Call for details TRIP LEVEL 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Snorkeling, hiking, exploring by tender

FOR A DETAILED ITINERARY: 1.800.368.2794 OR EMAIL PACIFIC@WILDERNESSTRAVEL.COM 102