SeaTrek the East Indies on a Spice Island Exploration with Jeffrey Mellefont

12 Days/11 Nights

Your Time With Us

Maumere to Ambon

Ports of Call

Cruise Fare

Per Person

Whether it’s swimming with whale sharks & mantas rays, or leisurely gliding along a stunning tropical reef surrounded by myriad fish and corals, snorkelling lies at the very heart of what we do at SeaTrek. We do it well and we do it often – usually twice a day for an hour or more at a time. No matter if you are a novice or a seasoned pro, our tour leaders will ensure that you have everything you need to have some of the best underwater experiences of your life.

Our four-day orangutan programme that features in our Orangutans & Dragons itinerary can be worked into any of our SeaTrek cruises throughout the year, regardless of length or location, so just let us know if this is something you would like to do when visiting Indonesia and we will happily arrange it for you. We are also a wealth of information on other great destinations and wildlife and cultural excursions in Indonesia that can be added on to your SeaTrek cruise. The possibilities are endless so all you have to do is ask.

Our mission is to provide the best experience possible for our guests given the current conditions and when unexpected opportunities for adventure may present themselves along our cruise routes. Sometimes weather conditions, tides or other local factors dictate that we need to vary from the published route, and at times there are special opportunities to explore and discover new locations, events and activities. These explorations will always be a definite enhancement to the published itinerary and will be undertaken after discussion and agreement among guests. Ultimately, the boat captains and your tour leader will make decisions to maximize trip safety and your overall enjoyment, so please come prepared to be flexible!

Our tour leaders are a wealth of information on the regions we visit and will prepare you for each activity with on board talks and presentations to give you a greater understanding of the different experiences you will have each day. They will also act as your cross cultural bridges to all the people we meet along the way, so feel free to ask them to translate when talking to local Indonesian people on your travels.

– You will be picked up by your tour leaders at your Maumere hotel and be taken directly to the boat, where you will meet your fellow passengers and your crew.

– After settling in, we will head back to shore and take a short drive to the scenic Iwang Gete highlands to visit a small village of Watublapi, where we will be met with singing and dancing by the local people. Famed for their unique textiles, we will be shown first hand their ancient techniques of spinning, dyeing, and weaving their famous fabrics. Here we will have the chance to view (and purchase) some of the local textiles, try their betel nut, and brave their locally produced liquor.

– Back on the boat for lunch, we will cruise out of the harbour and head off to the east, giving you a chance to become familiar with your new home for the next 12 days, stopping for a snorkel and a swim along the way, before sunset cocktails and dinner as we cruise on into the night.

– After breakfast we will explore the (hopefully) belching Komba volcano with our dinghies, and go for a snorkel on the surrounding reefs. Late morning we will head south and cruise towards the mainland and the beautiful Lewaling Bay.

– Later that afternoon, we will snorkel and watch the sunset over Ile Apé, another active volcano.

– After dinner, we will make the overnight crossing to Alor.

– After breakfast we will head to shore and board some local boats to visit with Mawar, a friendly but wild dugong who lives in the seagrass beds of the nearby bay. We will also get to meet by “local hero”, Pak Ono, who ensures that Mawar is well protected.

– In the afternoon we will pay a visit to Umapura, a village famed for its weaving and dying industry, where we can see how the local women create their intricate ikat cloth. There is every chance to purchase some as a memento. Later we will go for a great snorkel on a nearby reef, before cruising to our next destination to spend the night at anchor.

– Today we visit the very traditional village of Takpala up in the hills, of Alor where we will be welcomed by the chief and be witness to a ceremonial war dance in honour of our visit. We will see their traditional ‘Moko’ war drums and intricately designed ‘Ikat’ fabrics, which have been woven and dyed using age old techniques, and used in local bridal dowries for centuries.

– Around midday we will weigh anchor and cruise east as we enjoy lunch on board, stopping in the late afternoon at a picturesque tropical island to snorkel and swim on a coral reef. We will then head east as we continue our journey into the night.

– We will wake up in a lovely bay on Wetar Island and go ashore to a local fishing village to meet the locals and see their way of life as they dry their catch on the beach.

– Spend the day swimming and beaching, snorkelling and exploring, and indulge in a bit of local culture by way of ‘sopi’, a strong alcoholic drink made from a local palm tree.

– Later in the afternoon, we will weigh anchor and continue our journey east.

– Enjoy a full day of swimming, snorkelling, and beachcombing in the picturesque Maopora area, followed by a delicious beachside lunch prepared by our experienced crew.

– Later in the afternoon, our vessel will be heading off to Damer island for an overnight cruise.

– Today is another day of cruising and exploring in one of the remotest parts of Indonesia. We will visit a village where the locals produce the staple crop foods made of the sago palm and also see the hot spring. This area is also an ideal spot for any keen bird watchers.

– Later in the afternoon, our vessel will be heading off to Serua Island for an overnight cruise.

-After breakfast, we will visit the village on Serua Island, meet the locals, and get a chance to see an active volcano up close.

– In the afternoon, we have a chance to go with the dinghy and see a bird island, home to tens of thousands of sea birds (brown and red-footed boobies and frigate birds), who will likely come out to encircle the boat in great numbers on our approach.

– Back on the boat, we will start an overnight cruise to Rhun Island in the Banda archipelago.

– By dawn we should have the Banda Archipelago ‘Spice Islands’ in our sights, original home of the nutmeg and the scene of much bloodshed between the colonial powers of Europe in the 15^th and 16^th centuries over control of the spice trade.

– We will go ashore and visit Rhun Island before snorkelling on the local reef.

– Over lunch, we cruise towards Ay Island to visit the village & Fort Revenge built by the Dutch.

– Later we will head across to the main island group, and the main town, and anchor in the beautiful enclosed anchorage under the imposing gaze of a 600-metre-high volcano.

– Today is a day of exploring the history and beauty of the Spice Islands with a visit to the main town of the Spice Islands and its fort overlooking the harbour.

– We will wander through the streets and markets of this bustling town and meet the local people. After lunch on the boat we will take a local boat over to the biggest of the islands, where we will walk among the vast nutmeg plantations, and visit another Dutch fort.

– Dinner will be had ashore at a local restaurant that offers traditional and delicious local dishes.

– This morning we have time for a final stroll around the town or a last snorkel before we say farewell to the Spice islands around lunchtime and head north.

– We will have lunch on the way, passing another major seabird island, before settling in for a relaxing afternoon on board as we scour the horizon for migrating whales.

– We will wake up just south of our final destination and our last few hours will be spent enjoying the majesty of the ocean, and we may very well see more whales along the way.

– As we drop anchor in the harbour, we will say farewell to our crew and tour leaders and be taken to our onward journeys, ending a magical 12 days of exploration and adventure.