- Duration 15 days
- Difficulty 2/5
- Group Size 12
Indonesia: Alor to Komodo
6 – 20 June, 2024
The Alor Archipelago, Indonesia, is a string of volcanic islands including Lembata, Pantar, Pura and Alor. Discover the hidden beauty of these wonderful shallow reef areas in some of the highest diversity and ‘fishiest’ areas of the Coral Triangle adjacent to Raja Ampat. From the surface we have the chance to see passing pods of pilot whales, dolphins or even a massive blue whale in one of the region’s most important areas for cetaceans. Komodo is the land that time forgot and here in the Komodo National Park, we will encounter the fearsome Komodo dragons in their natural island habitat. While traveling from Alor to Komodo we will explore the many islands of this spectacular World Heritage Site, with the opportunity to engage in a whole host of activities such as: visits to remote villages, snorkeling on beautiful coral reefs, searching for giant manta rays, whale and dolphin watching, searching for endemic birds, rare endemic fish and Komodo dragons. This is a purpose-designed snorkeling trip with the idea that finding good snorkeling on a dive site can be frustrating. We are able, however, to offer limited diving to certified guests. There will also be ample time for swimming, as well as simply enjoying the stunning scenery and the pleasure of cruising across the tropical seas on our splendid, traditionally built pinisi ship, the Damai II.
Partnering with The Oceanic Society
The map is a visual representation of the locations included in this trip. Click over the image to zoom into the map. For more information, please refer to the itinerary for this expedition.
Trip Details
General Information
PRICE $11,145.00 Per person sharing in Master cabins & Cliff Villas – 2 couples
PRICE $9,995.00 Per person sharing in Twin cabins & Beach Cottages
Arrival: Jakarta
Departure: Bali or Jakarta
Arrival Time: Day of June 6th, 2024 recommended
Cabin Configuration
2 Master cabins & Cliff Villas
4 Twin bed cabins & Beach Cottages
INCLUDED
- Accommodation on a shared or single cabin basis.
- All meals unless otherwise stated.
- Airport transfers on arrival and departure.
- One Pete Oxford Expeditions trip leader.
- One local tour leader.
NOT INCLUDED
- Round trip international airfare to Jakata returning from Bali.
- Internal airfare within Indonesia. We will book these flight & invoice you.
- Travel insurance – highly recommended.
- Early check-in or late check-out in hotels.
- Personal expenses, such as laundry, telephone, internet and alcoholic beverages.
- Gratuities to the guide, crew & resort staff.
- Any COVID 19 related expenses.
VIEW ITINERARY
PLEASE NOTE: We highly recommend arriving into Jakarta on June 6th, 2024. It will give you time to acclimatize on the day of the 7th when we are due to fly out to Alor very late that night. (ie: 02:00 the morning of the 8th). We will book these two nights at the FM7 Hotel which is very close to the airport, yet even so it can take nearly an hour to get there from the airport due to traffic.
PLEASE NOTE ALSO: The itinerary below should serve only as a guideline. After being picked up by the Damai II from the Savu South Resort, we intend to make ground west towards Komodo National Park where we will concentrate our snorkeling and land visits. At this stage we cannot be sure if we will depart on June 20th from Labuan Bajo or Bima. This will determine our return flights from either Bali (best served from Bima) or Jakarta (best served from Labuan Bajo). Therefore please hold off on purchasing international tickets in and out of Indonesia until this has been decided. We will let you know ASAP.
Day 1: June 6th, 2024: Arrival into Jakarta and transfer to the FM7 Hotel
Relax at the hotel. o/n FM7.
DAY 2: June 7th, 2024: Late departure to airport for flight to Alor
Day at leisure in Jakarta. Hotel FM7 booked until late night departure.
A DAY 3: June 8th, 2024: Depart Jakarta at 02:00 to arrive in Alor via Kupang at 09:10
Savu South Staff will meet us at the airport. We will transfer by boat to Savu South. After an orientation and lunch we will do a guided house reef snorkel. Dinner and o/n Savu South Resort.
B DAY 4: June 9th, 2024: Savu South Resort
After breakfast we will do a morning snorkel, then back for lunch and another snorkel in the afternoon. Dinner and o/n Savu South Resort.
B Day 5: June 10th, 2024: Savu South Resort
We will do a whale patrol after breakfast. The main focus will be for migrating blue whales, then back for lunch and another snorkel in the afternoon. Dinner and o/n Savu South Resort.
B Day 6: June 11th, 2024: Savu South Resort
We will do another whale patrol after breakfast. The main focus again will be for migrating blue whales, then back for lunch and another snorkel in the afternoon. Dinner and o/n Savu South Resort. After dinner evening talk.
C Day 7: June 12th, 2024: Board the Damai II and travel to Rusa & Kambing
After breakfast we transfer directly to the Damai II from Savu South. Once we have settled into our cabins we will do an onboard orientation and start moving west working our way through the islands snorkeling as much as possible. We might possibly visit a site known to be home to a dugong. We plan to visit some of the best snorkel sites in Indonesia, near the islands of Rusa and Kambing. These reefs are full of life, fueled by upwelling zones that bring nutrients to the surface. We may come across hard corals, soft corals, sea fans, schooling surgeonfish, rainbow runners, emperor angelfish, the occasional mola mola, and in the horizon, the chance to see whales and dolphins. This is as good as it gets!. From today until the end of the trip all meals will be on board the Damai II.
G Days 8 & 9: June 13 & 14, 2024: Pantar Straits & Rusa
Entering the Pantar Straits from the north, we’ll snorkel off the islands of Ternate and Reta. These areas are home to beautiful coral walls and table corals filled with reef fish. This is a unique spectacle, where giant anemones carpet the seafloor and colorful reef fish school above. Once again these days will be amazing snorkeling.
I Day 10: June 15th, 2024: Maumere Bay
Maumere Bay has several excellent walls that are covered with corals and small schooling fish. The area is also known for its schools of bumphead parrotfish, and oriental sweetlips that cruise the reefs. On the west side of the bay there is a ridge with beautiful white sand and scattered coral heads. This afternoon, we’ll sail past the north coast of Flores towards Komodo National Park.
J Days 11 – 14: June 16th – 19th, 2024: Explore Komodo National Park
Our days will be spent exploring Komodo National Park — home of the prehistoric lizard, the Komodo dragon. Our first destination near Komodo will be the snorkel site at Sebolan Kecil, known for its beautiful outer patch reef that is covered in sea fans and reef fish. From here, we will head into the national park to enjoy all the highlights. There will be time to snorkel in central Komodo in the current rich areas of Tatawa, the iconic sites of Batu Bolong, or look for manta rays at Karang Makassar. To the north, the islands of Gili Lawa are known as some of “fishiest” sites in the park. For a macro experience, we can head to the small island of Wainilu on the north coast of Rinca. Snorkeling along the sandy slope of the beach should provide an excellent opportunity to encounter sea hares and unusual nudibranchs. On land, we’ll be able to take a walk in the park to view the exciting Komodo dragons. The beautiful panoramic views of the rugged hillside make an excellent place to see monkeys, water buffalos, and wild boar.
K Day 15: June 20th, 2024: Depart from Labuan Bajo or Bima TBD
Following breakfast, everyone will be escorted to the airport in Labuan Bajo or Bima and assisted with check in procedures. No doubt, we’ll be left with amazing memories of our once-in-a-lifetime adventure exploring Alor.
Here the trip ends.
