2019 Wilderness Travel Catalog of Adventures

Komodo Snorkeling Expedition CORAL REEFS, TROPICAL REEF FISH, AND KOMODO DRAGONS

SERGEY URYADNIKOV

We’ve chartered an Indonesian sailing ship to bring you world-class snorkeling amid the marine biodiversity of the Coral Triangle. PHOTO: K. BONIT PERMADI

HIGHLIGHTS • Travel aboard our 98-foot phinisi (two-masted sailing ship), with en suite cabins • Enjoy the comfort of a fully air-conditioned vessel with a large shaded outdoor dining area, an upper sundeck, and a high standard of service provided by a 1:1 ratio of staff to guests • See the famous Komodo dragons on Komodo Island—up to 10 feet long and weighing 150 pounds! • Snorkel Batu Balong, where the sheer volume of reef fish is stunning • Learn about Komodo National Park’s unsurpassed marine biodiversity DETAILS • 11-day trip begins and ends in Denpasar • 10 nights aboard a yacht • All meals included

Komodo National Park is a World Heritage Site of pristine coral reefs, volcanic islands, and astounding marine

“The snorkeling was beyond the imagination—the vibrant colors were spectacular, with so many fish species. I felt as if I had plunged into a National Geographic film.”

biodiversity. It’s also one of the top snorkeling spots on the planet. We’ve chartered a comfortable two-masted Indonesian sailing ship for this active journey, filling our days with world-class snorkeling as well as unforgettable island adventures, including seeing fearsome Komodo dragons in the wild.

IAN COOK

Days 3-5 Gili Lawa Laut / Gili Darat / Makassar Reef Just north of Komodo Island lies a great habitat for huge fish—here our snorkeling may be among giant trevallies, cowtail stingrays, and sweetlips. A sunset hike on Gili Darat gives us golden panoramas over Komodo Island, with its white-sand beaches. At Makassar Reef, we snorkel through schools of mantas, and on Padar Island, Pink Beach awaits us with its delicate sand colored by fragments of red coral. Days 6-8 Komodo Dragons / Cannibal Rock We hike on Komodo Island to see its legendary dragons, the world’s largest living lizards, and snorkel at Cannibal Rock, a submerged pinnacle with gold-striped fusiliers, scorpion fish, red snapper, surgeonfish, and purple gorgonian sea fans sheltering 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. We snorkel amid Napoleons and eagle rays in the shallow waters of Kanawa, and relax at Bidadari Island, with its crystalline waters. Depart on Day 11 via Denpasar.

Rene B., Portland OR

DATE Sep 6-16, 2019

TRIP COST From $6495, depending on cabin category Internal airfare: $315 (subject to change) Single supplement: Call for details TRIP LEVEL 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Snorkeling, hiking, exploring by tender

Our specialist snorkeling guide unlocks the secrets of this world as we explore, and evenings find us on sunset hikes, stargazing, and enjoying 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, we fly to Flores and head out to Tatawa Besar and Siaba Kecil, two islands where we drift-snorkel over coral gardens and underwater canyons to see groupers, manta rays, green turtles, and rare mandarinfish.

QUESTIONS? 1.800.368.2794 OR EMAIL PACIFIC@WILDERNESSTRAVEL.COM 100