- Duration 12 or *17 days
- Difficulty 2/5
- Group Size 10
Indonesia
Komodo Dragons, Whale Sharks & Coral Reefs. *Plus optional Blue Whale extension
16-27 September or 2nd October, 2025
Indonesia is a hugely diverse archipelago comprising thousands of islands. We have been here many times and never fail to be totally blown away by what we see. This trip will feature three major highlights, namely walking with the indomitable and super-impressive Komodo dragons, up close and personal in the water with whale sharks, the world’s largest fish and snorkelling or diving in some of the warmest, most transparent and biodiverse regions of any marine environment anywhere on Earth. We will explore the hidden beauty of these amazing shallow reef areas in wonder at the sheer number of different species of fish and invertebrates we will see (or be shown). We can expect world class encounters with our subjects. We also hope to see manta rays, hawksbill turtles, giant clams, clownfish, sea snakes, whales and dolphins. From the surface we have the chance to see passing pods of pilot whales, spinner dolphins or Bryde’s whales, we will visit uninhabited islands, visit a phinisi boat-building village and simply enjoy the outside deck areas on our beautiful vessel as we watch the world go by. This is a purpose-designed snorkeling trip with the idea that finding good snorkeling on a dive site can be frustrating. We are able to offer 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 phinisi ship, the Fenides.
*From the 27th September, 2025, when we disembark the Fenides you will either fly from Sumbawa Besar to Jakarta or Bali for onward connections home or on to Alor for a very exciting optional Blue Whale extension. Land-based in a stunning boutique resort, completely off the grid, we will concentrate on Blue Whale ‘patrols’ where the emphasis, apart from being close to the largest animals on the planet, is to actually get in the water with them! Our timing is perfect to hopefully encounter the Blue Whales, including mothers with their new born calves, as the travel south through the narrow Pantar Strait in front of the lodge, on the southbound annual migration. While not whale patrolling we will have lots of time snorkeling in the stunning clear, warm and pristine waters with more amazing coral reefs. We stay four nights at Savu South resort.
Please note: The recommended arrival into Indonesia (Bali or Jakarta) should be at least one full day prior to departure, to connect with one of the many morning flight connections into Labuan Bajo, NTT.
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 $12,850.00 Per person sharing in Master cabins. * Plus $4854 pp sharing for cliff villa on Blue whale extension.
PRICE $12,700.00 Per person sharing in Twin cabins or double cabins. * Plus $4554 pp sharing on Blue whale extension.
Arrival: AM of 16th September, 2025, Labuan Bajo, Flores Island, Indonesia
Departure: 27th September, 2025, Sumbawa Besar, West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. Or AM 2nd October from Alor for extension . Fly to Jakarta for onward flight home.
Arrival Time: AM of 16th September, 2025 in Labuan Bajo, Flores Island.
Cabin Configuration
1 Master suite lower deck
2 double cabins upper deck
2 Twin cabins lower deck
INCLUDED
- Accommodation on a shared basis.
- All meals unless otherwise stated.
- Airport transfers on arrival and departure.
- Diving fees.
- Park and harbor fees to a value of US$363.oo pp. (NB Should these be raised before the trip we will have to invoice the difference on the final bill).
- Internal airfare within Indonesia. (We will book these flights for you according to your international flights).
- One Pete Oxford Expeditions trip leader.
- One local dive leader.
NOT INCLUDED
- Round trip international airfare to Bali or Jakarta.
- Travel insurance highly recommended.
- Pre or post expedition hotel costs.
- Personal expenses, such as laundry, telephone, internet and alcoholic beverages.
- Gratuities to the guide and crew.
VIEW ITINERARY
PLEASE NOTE: We highly recommend arriving into Jakarta or Bali on September 14th, 2025. It will give you time to acclimatize on the day of the 15th as we are due to fly out to Labuan Bajo early on the morning of the 16th. We should be at the airport 2-3 hours before departure. Personally I will stay at the FM7 Hotel which is very close to the Jakarta airport, yet even so it has previously taken me 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 Fenides from Labuan Bajo airport, we intend to first concentrate our snorkeling and land visits around/in the Komodo National Park. The coral reefs are fabulous – as are the dragons! For the second half of the trip we will forge our way westwards with the intention of finding and swimming with whale sharks, leaving the Fenides from Sumbawa Besar on the 27th September, 2025.
Day 0: September 15th, 2025: Arrival into Jakarta/Bali and transfer to the FM7 Hotel or similar
Relax at the hotel. o/n FM7 or similar.
ADAY 1: September 16th, 2025: Arrive Labuan Bajo to board Fenides
Early departure to airport for flight to Labuan Bajo airport, Flores Island, Indonesia. Transfer from the airport to board our chartered ‘phinisi’ liveaboard – the Fenides. After clearing port authorities we will head west into the Komodo National Park for our first snorkel.
B DAYS 2-7: September 17th – 22nd, 2025: Komodo National Park
We will immerse ourselves in the Komodo National Park – literally. It is absolutely fabulous, the coral pristine and the diversity mind-boggling. We have been here many times and nothing about the itinerary is fixed except to say that we will maximise on the best places to snorkel according to weather, currents and particularly local and timeous insights. We can expect amazing corals, manta rays, huge numbers of colourful fish, clear water, octopus, cuttlefish, sea snakes, turtles, giant anemones, clownfish and much, much more. For those that may be diving our intention is to avoid the very strong currents notorious in Komodo, yet take full advantage of being on SCUBA. On land we will hike to one or two scenic overviews but our terrestrial highlight will be on foot with the indomitable Komodo dragons, the largest land-based lizard in the world.
C DAYS 8 -12: September 23rd – 27th, 2025: Westwards for Whale Sharks
Today, more or less, we make our way westwards, snorkeling and diving en route until we reach a large bay on the island of West Nusa Tenggara. Our primary focus is to co-ordinate with local fishermen to find whale sharks. The sharks are highly attracted to the floating fishing platforms (bagans) from which the fishermen catch baitfish using a cantilever drop net and lights at night. We spend our days exploring and swimming with whale sharks, the largest fish in the world. If we are lucky these encounters can be absolutely mesmerizing and awesome. The sharks are ‘gentlemanly’ to be around and our presence should not disturb them at all as they come for tidbits from the fishermen, who believe them to be harbingers of good luck.
D Day 12: September 27th, 2025: depart for Labuan Bajo airport
On our final day we will be already at anchor in the harbour of Labuan Bajo and be shuttled from the Fenides to the airport for the beginning of our trip home. Flights should either be back to Jakarta or Bali depending on how you purchased your international return. Here the trip ends.
E Day 12: September 27th, 2025: *Blue Whale extension via Kupang
After leaving the Fenides this morning we continue onward with our adventure, this time specifically focused on getting into the water with a Blue Whale, the largest animal ever to have lived on Planet Earth. Our onward flight from Labuan Bajo takes us to Kupang on Timor-Leste island. Here we will spend the night in a hotel due to there being no onward flights to Alor the same day. We stay in a hotel, explore the surrounds on foot and prepare for our early morning commercial flight tomorrow to Alor. o/n Hotel in Kupang TBD.
C Day 13: September 28th, 2025: *Blue Whale extension at Savu South resort
After our arrival at Alor airport we transfer directly to Savu South – a unique, luxury, barefoot resort. After settling in to our cabins and lunch we spend the afternoon on our first ‘whale patrol’ aiming to get up close and personal with Blue Whales, both from our speed boats and, hopefully, in the water too! They are massive and will be a sight to behold. While not after whales we will have more chances for some absolutely excellent snorkeling. What down time we have will be spent in the fabulous, eco-friendly, resort, relaxing, bird watching or beach combing. The resort owners are co-founders of the Planet Deep NGO which focuses on the conservation of oceanic whales and dolphins. We can expect to see large pods of dolphins from the resort itself.
G Day 17: October 2nd, 2025: Alor airport for our homeward bound flight connections
We transfer this morning, after a memorable time in this pristine oasis of Savu South, for our domestic flight to Jakarta or Bali to continue our international flights home.
The extension ends at Alor airport
