Itineraries 2010

BALI–FLORES–BALI

Journeys along the Lesser Sunda Islands remain among our favorite itineraries and for good reasons. Few areas in Asia can lay claim to such cultural and natural diversity: towering active volcanoes, jungleclad mountain ranges, and dry savannah, teeming with wildlife, quiet coastal villages, emerald seas,megalithic cultures, colorful market places, tribal rituals and architecture, not to mention a world of kaleidoscopic beauty under water. This cruise will cover a. o. the Komodo area for a couple of days of snorkeling, beach combing and hiking through one of the most beautiful National Parks of Indonesia. The Flores Highlands will be an opportunity to hike to some remote villages and witness the tedious process of ikat weaving, practiced amid unsurpassed scenery of gigantic volcanoes, bamboo forests and intriguingly coloured crater lakes.

FLORES SEA – BANDA – AMBON

This sea voyage is devised as a delicacy for the inquisitive and courageous. We’ll abandon the infrastructure of modern times and enter a world where cradle and grave are connected by tradition, superstition and the whims of nature.

We will explore the atolls of the Flores Sea, the world famous coral reefs of south west Sulawesi, life and destinies of the Bajao people (sea gypsies) and, crossing over the fathomless depths of the Banda Sea, we’ll set foot ashore barren rocks where countless Gannets and Frigate Birds ferociously defend their nesting grounds.

The faded, though still impressive traces of glory of the Banda Islands will teach us a chapter of European history exposing greed as no stranger to the spirited discoverers.

AMBON – BANDA – KEI

Although Indonesia encompasses 18.000 odd islands, offering a stunning variety of culture, flora, fauna and marine biology, voyages hopping from one island to the next, are virtually unheard of. Indonesia boasts the largest wooden fleet still in active operation: the Bugis Schooners or Phinisi. These flat bottomed vessels need little maritime infrastructure as their construction allows them to approach even the tiniest islet at close range. Sea Trek has used these time honoured craft since 1985 to visit islands unknown to the world. This voyage throughout the Central and Southest Moluccas will bring you to some of the most remote parts of the archipelago, to places over and below the sea level you haven’t dreamt of existing. Crossing the border separating Asia from the Pacific you will set foot ashore islands stretched out along the Ring of Fire, in present times a backwater, for centuries though the pot at the end of the rainbow where the weight of nutmeg and clove was measured in gold bars.

TIMIKA – SORONG

In the wake of Maghelhaen
Cruise TIMIKA – SORONG
13 Days/12 Nights

SORONG - AMBON

This close to 900 nautical miles odyssey through the Banda Sea and Seram Sea is primarily a voyage for the nature lover. Few areas in Indonesia can lay claim to such a diversity of stunningly beautiful islands: towering mountain ranges covered in thick jungles, cascading waterfalls, huge limestone cliffs, odd-shaped islands with countless coves and inlets, innumerable beaches and lagoons will make the voyage a real feast for the eye. You will also be enchanted by the rich human encounter that comes with visits of coastal villages and other remote settlements where the lifestyle remains light years away from our 21st century pace. Welcome aboard for a real voyage of a lifetime.

SORONG – TIMIKA

This group of majestic islands, located at the northwest tip of the island of New Guinea (Irian Jaya and Papua New Guinea) lies in the heart of the Coral Triangle reputedly the most bio diverse marine region on earth situated between Borneo, the Philippines and Melanesia.As stunningly beautiful above water as it is below, over the last decade Raja Ampat has been widely recognized as belonging to the same league of absolute ecological highlights on the planet as Serengeti and Galapagos.To experience the wonders of these harmonious backwaters to its full extent we will be guided on this prticular cruise by a specialized natural guide.In 8 days we will visit bays full of mushroom shaped islets, blue lagoons brimming with a choice of over 1200 species of reef fish spotted in the area, snorkel or (optionally) dive over coral exposing a variety ten times greater than we may find in the Caribbean. We hope to witness the display dance of the dazzling red bird of paradise, to hear the shrieks of the sulphur crested or black cockatoo and the flapping of the wings of passing hornbills.Closest to entering paradise as we can get… 

KEI - AGATS - TIMIKA

During this journey of a lifetime you will be perplexed by the astonishing ingenuity and seemingly unlimited creativity in how humans survive, socialize and rejoice. A world where time is of no essence and attention for daily worries and pleasure is paramount. Nature will reveal itself in its most breathtaking form in the Triton bay crowded with extraterrestrial formations and the Kiti Kiti waterfall thundering from steep cliffs straight down into the sea. Cultural highlight will be the display of Papua culture by the Asmat, where hundreds of warriors brandishing spears and shrieking in ecstasy will surround the Katharina to dispel the demons we carried from overseas. Experience how wonder and relaxation can change your life in a world without CNN, traffic jams and computer-screens.