Result for : corals cultures dragons north sulawesi to flores

Alexander Reeuwijk

ander Reeuwijk is an expert in the field of the history of evolutionary theory, together with Redmon O’Hanlon’s he wrote the book “Darwin, Wallace and others’ in which the contributions of Darwin and Wallace on evolution are compared. Alexander has traveled extensively through the ‘interior’ of Indonesia, He visited Sumatra, Sulawesi the Moluccas and spend one month in Aru where he studied the Greater Bird of

Gert De Jong

to study and protect the unique island habitats in the Flores and Banda

Jeffrey Mellefont

rey Mellefont is a research associate of the Australian National Maritime Museum, where he had a long career as a publisher and editor. Formerly a blue-water mariner, celestial navigator and skipper, Jeffrey became a specialist marine writer and photographer and has made a lifetime study of the fascinating maritime world of Asia and in particular of Indonesia. He has published extensively on these subjects in both popular and academic journals. Jeffrey has been visiting Indonesia since 1975 when he was

David and Sue Richardson

nd Sue are passionate researchers and collectors of Asian textiles and since first visiting Indonesia in 1980, David and Sue have systematically visited every part of the archipelago, both overland and by sea using a variety of local vessels. Over the years David and Sue have assembled one of the finest and most comprehensive private collections of Indonesian and other Asian textiles, many of museum quality. They are members of the Textile Society of America as well as the Oxford

Dr. George Beccaloni

eorge Beccaloni is an zoologist, evolutionary biologist and historian of science, who worked at London’s Natural History Museum (NHM) for more than 20 years on butterflies and other insects. He enjoys natural history photography and travel, and has visited Indonesia five times, twice as a speaker on tours. George has studied Wallace’s life and work for c. 16 years and is the founder and Director of the Wallace Correspondence Project. In 1999 he set up the Wallace Memorial Fund, which

Dr. Kees Groeneboer

nguist, historian and 30-year resident of Jakarta, Dr. Kees Groeneboer is passionate about the spectacular birdlife of his adopted homeland. He has travelled extensively though Indonesia’s eastern isles on countless missions to see, hear, and identify as many as possible of these graceful, colourful and often-endangered denizens of the forests and the cliffs. He often shares his enthusiasm with others by leading specialist bird-watching cruises aboard the Katharina during which he embellishes his bird expertise with his in-depth knowledge of

Thijs Heslenfeld

h photographer Thijs Heslenfeld has travelled all over the world, focusing on the planet’s most remote and unhospitable corners. His images are characterised by careful composition and an eye for the smallest details that people tend to overlook. He prefers natural light and doesn’t like styling. His work covering seven continents has been published in magazines worldwide such as National Geographic, GEO Saison, Professional Photographer and Holland Herald. He has published six award-winning photo books on remote places like Antarctica,

Ray & Angela Hale

and Angela Hale have travelled the length and breadth of both Indonesia and Malaysia in search of endangered species. They have discovered and photographed hundreds of species from the endearing Orangutans to the tiniest of insects. Over the last 20 years, Ray has delivered many lectures around the world and is passionate about reconnecting people with nature and conserving the Earth’s endangered animals. His aim on this trip is to ensure that the guests, be they entomologists, wildlife photographers, experienced

Dr. Lawrence Blair

to Indonesia’s existence. In addition to having been Visiting Professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Southern California, Lawrence has also co-written and or co-presented such documentary films as Bali – Island of the Dogs, Baraka, and The Coral Triangle, which has been airing this year on Animal Planet.  Lawrence is much in demand as a speaker both on cruise ships and private expeditionary vessels to the remotest parts of

Keeping Traditions Alive with Marine Tourism

December 2015 I joined a mixed group of American, European, Australian and New Zealand guests on this handsome motor-sailer, during a 12-day voyage through some of the most historic – and most remote – islands of our vast, archipelagic neighbour, the Republic of Indonesia. My role was to deliver nightly lectures about the maritime history, cultures and traditions of the islands we were sailing through. It’s a truly extraordinary maritime world of 17,000 islands, and one in which the Australian. Read More

Here be Dragons – Komodo National Park

dragons”, along the borders of their parchment charts. The indication of giant lizards and sea serpents was intended to serve as a warning for fellow explorers, suggesting that what lay in the unexplored regions of the earth was as terrifying as it was enticing. For some maritime adventurers the presence of dragons did not serve as a deterrent, but rather as an enticement. Ancient dragon lore told of  ferocious and fanciful beasts that had a taste for treasure. Many early explorers shared. Read More

Collaborating to Create Cleaner Seas

to help change that. SeaTrek Sailing Adventures was founded more than 25 years ago and has been headed by Seattle couple, John Priebe and Marla Araki, for the last 18 years. The company is now taking steps to position itself to be a conservation-oriented company driven by marine-based tourism. Director Frank Hyde is heading up the effort utilizing his 20-plus years as an architect, wooden-boat builder, cruising sailor, and wannabe marine biologist. These mix of interests is what brought SeaTrek and Indigo. Read More

Why More Aussie Families are Choosing Digital Detox Adventures

to switch off in our increasingly connected lives. Research shows that Australians are spending roughly 10 hours a day glued to screens and that number is even higher for Gen Y and office workers. With that in mind, it really is no surprise that the number of Aussies seeking out ‘digital detox’ holidays has increased significantly. SeaTrek Sailing Adventures, a boutique cruise company operating two traditional wooden pinisi boats across eastern Indonesia, has observed this growing trend first-hand. “We have never. Read More

The Last of the Sea Nomads

p;                               Marine boy: Enal with his pet shark. Photograph: James Morgan Diana Botutihe was born at sea. Now in her 50s, she has spent her entire life on boats that are typically just 5m long and 1.5m wide. She visits land only to trade fish for staples such as rice and water, and her boat is filled with the accoutrements of everyday living – jerry cans, blackened stockpots, plastic utensils, a kerosene lamp and a pair of pot plants. Diana is one of. Read More

What To Bring On Your SeaTrek Cruise

hing The tropical climate means you can safely leave all of your warm weather gear at home. Bring cool cottons, T-shirts and shorts. We cruise during the dry season in each of the regions that we visit but rain is always a possibility so bring a lightweight waterproof jacket; it can sometimes be a bit windy on the boat and this will also help keep you warm. Likewise, a lightweight fleece could be useful for pre-dawn trekking or if there is. Read More

Spice Islands Eclipse: Astronomy, Celestial Navigation and the Spice Trade.

to view a total eclipse of the sun in the historic spice islands. In March 2016 a total eclipse of the sun tracked across the Indonesian archipelago, from Sumatra in the west to the remote, eastern group of islands called the Moluccas. It was some three hundred years since a total solar eclipse had taken the same track through these historic islands of spice. At the time of that previous eclipse, the Moluccas were dominated by the United Dutch East India Company.. Read More

A Trip to Tenganan Village in East Bali

n the hills, 5km from Candidasa in East Bali, is a remarkable 700-year-old walled village called Tenganan, where the residents practice a time-honoured lifestyle based around ritual and ceremony. Tenganan is one of Bali’s original pre-Hindu settlements and a stronghold of native traditions. The villagers are the Bali Aga people, descendants of the aboriginal Balinese who resisted the rule of the post-Majapahit kings, fiercely safeguarding and maintaining their own culture through the conviction that they are descended from the gods. Ceremonial. Read More

Komodo’s Cockatoo

dragons that you miss out on observing some of the beautiful birdlife. A notable white-feathered resident of Komodo Island is the yellow-crested cockatoo (cacatua sulphurea) also known as the lesser sulphur-crested cockatoo and not to be confused with its larger Australian cousin. The parrots’ namesake, Sulphurea Hill, with its spectacular outlook over Loh Liang Bay, is a great place for spotting them, and if you don’t see them you will almost certainly hear them, screeching to each other across the. Read More

Island Etiquette: The Protocols of a Village Visit

tour leaders here at SeaTrek would never contemplate bringing a group of guests to a remote island village without first getting the thumbs up from the ‘Kepala Desa’ (the head of the village). It’s very important to establish a relationship with the people that we’re going to be meeting and reassure them that we will be respectful of their privacy.  When we’re researching and exploring new places to add to our itineraries, our tour leaders will go ashore along. Read More

Bali's Mt. Agung Volcano Updates

to the latest eruptions in the first week of July 2018. While Bali continues its conversation with the great God of the Underworld residing under Mt. Agung, we at SeaTrek Sailing Adventures want you all to have a better idea of what is going on here from our perspective. While some see disruption, we see opportunity, and we are moving mountains (pardon the pun) to ensure that there is minimal disruption to our operations in the event of further volcanic activity.. Read More

Home of the Bugis Boat Builders – Wera, Sumbawa

towering twin masts, streamlined wooden hull and seven billowing sails, the traditional Indonesian sailing ship known as a pinisi evokes a bygone era. SeaTrek’s vessels Ombak Putih and Katarina are built in the pinisi style. Built by hand in the traditional manner, they continue the living spirit of majestic sailing ships from the golden age of sail, which ended in the West in the early twentieth century, but thrived until recently in the waters of Indonesia. Today the name ‘pinisi’ lives. Read More

Water World – Indonesia’s Beautiful Boats

to the watery world of Indonesia, a diverse island nation comprised of a myriad of cultures, ethnicities and eco systems, where just a short voyage across the water can transport a traveler into an entirely new world. Although geographically separating one island from the next, these waters that divide the land also unite the country, for it is Indonesian’s relationship with sea that binds these vastly different islands and its people together. The name Indonesia is coined from a combination of Latin and Greek, meaning Islands. Read More

Total Detox...Are You Up For It?

to the bow of the ship Katharina, soft spume hitting our faces. The sun was brilliant, but shadowed by the big canvas covering that provided daytime shade. Around the deck was a variety of chairs, including cushioned areas where you could stretch out and nap. Nap. Come on, man, when’s the last time you did that? Just head to a quiet corner, put your feet up, and snooze a few hours away, rocked quietly into complacency by the smooth movement of a huge sailing. Read More

Alfred Russel Wallace (1823 – 1913): Naturalist Extrordinaire

to biology and to subjects as diverse as glaciology, astrobiology, anthropology, and epidemiology. Wallace spent eight years (1854 – 1862) travelling in the region he called the Malay Archipelago (Indonesia and neighbouring countries), studying its natural history and human inhabitants. He discovered natural selection half way through his trip and also documented what became known as the Wallace Line: an invisible boundary between the fauna of Asia and Australasia, which runs between Bali and Lombok and northward between Borneo and Sulawesi.. Read More

Swimming with Whale Sharks

North Sulawesi.  We’d travelled 12 hours from Bali, changing planes in Surabaya and Makassar, before finally reaching our destination. When we stepped aboard the boat, we were given the good news that there had been a sighting of whale sharks earlier in the day. “Will they come back tomorrow morning?” I wondered out loud. The answer was “Yes, probably” because the local fishermen were feeding them shrimp shells & heads discarded by a nearby shrimp processing factory. The following day. Read More

Recycling for a Better Tomorrow

to 40% of your household waste can be recycled and reused? Here in Bali, Waste Collection & Recycling company, ecoBali, promotes responsible waste management and creates green awareness and eco products with the aim towards achieving zero waste. It is a service that SeaTrek uses in its own office and operations. The company operates its own sorting and material recovery facility ensuring that its customers’ waste (households, villas, offices, businesses, restaurants, hotels, communities and schools) is properly managed and will not. Read More

Revisiting Playfulness: Do We Get Old When We Stop Playing

to 14, led us along a tree-lined path. The fenceposts to either side of us as we left the island village were sprouting trees, a testament to the proliferating growth and superb soil of these many islands. You simply cut off a branch, plunk it into the soil, and voila! Another tree leaps into life. Just one of many wonders. As we followed – and ‘we’ included mostly people in their 50s and 60s, all of whom had disembarked from The Katharina, of SeaTrekBali – we. Read More

Attenborough: The forgotten story of Alfred Russel Wallace

to become a household name, Alfred Russel Wallace has largely remained in his shadow to this day. On the 100th anniversary of Wallace's death, Sir David Attenborough tells the story of this extraordinary explorer and explains why Wallace is, in Attenborough's opinion, the "most admirable character in the history of science". Continue to the BBC webpage and watch the accompanying video. Images courtesy of The Natural History Museum, London, The Wallace Memorial Fund and The Linnean. Read More

AI Identifies Heat-Resistant Coral Reefs in Indonesia

p; A scientist conducts a reef survey using a scooter with a camera set up in Indonesia. Photograph: The Ocean Agency/The Ocean Agency funded by Paul G. Allen Philanthropies Arecent scientific survey off the coast of Sulawesi Island in Indonesia suggests that some shallow water corals may be less vulnerable to global warming than previously thought. Between 2014 and 2017, the world’s reefs endured the worst coral bleaching event in history, as the cyclical El Niño climate event combined with anthropogenic warming to cause unprecedented increases in. Read More

5 Tips On How To Pick The Perfect Adventure Vacation After 50

to give yourself permission to play. But where on earth to begin? With the plethora of choices available, the challenge is picking the perfect adventure. If you’ve never done this before it can be daunting. So much so that we can easily end up going to a safe default, like Hawaii. Or Florida. Or the next state over. This is what having too many choices can do: confuse, befuddle and overwhelm. When we begin our journey, and an international vacation/adventure is indeed a. Read More

Best Tour in Asia in 2013

Tours of a. Read More

The Mysterious Caves of Tomolol

topography, with limestone and small karst islets so undercut by waves that they look like mushrooms, covered with rich green jungle to create an extraordinary landscape of rock islands. With all this limestone around, it is not surprising that erosion has also created a labyrinth of fascinating caves and narrow passages to explore, the most famous of which is the mysterious cave system of Tomolol on the east coast of Misool Island, where the karst backdrop reaches an amazing scale. Tomolol. Read More

Whale Sharks - Gentle Giants of the Seas

to the group called Chondryichtyes, which includes sharks, rays, and skates. The enormous whale shark can grow up to 12 metres in length and weigh up to 20 metric tonnes, which is about the size of a small bus, but on average they grow to between 5.5 and 10 metres. Whale sharks' heads are flattened and have a blunt snout above the mouth, with short whisker-like sensory organs protruding from their nostrils. Their backs and sides are greyish brown with white. Read More

Beware Of The Boogeyman: He’ll Catch You If He Can.

to frighten little children? In many cultures, the allusion to the boogeyman is used by parents to frighten their children into good behaviour, but in Indonesia, the boogeyman or “Bugis” man is real. The Bugis are the master shipbuilders and seafarers of South Sulawesi. Their exceptionally strong pinisi schooners – upon which the design of the Ombak Putih and the Katharina is based – were fashioned from the robust timbers of the islands. These boats were capable of sailing vast distances. Read More

Expert Review: Indonesia's Jewels of Raja Ampat

to divers for years, this area is just now being discovered by travelers that like to stick a little closer to the surface. The pinisi motorsailer Ombak Putih—meaning “white wave” in Bahasa Indonesia—was to be my home for exploring Raja Ampat, and I cannot think of a more appropriate ship for the adventure of traveling from idyllic island to idyllic island, as the people of Indonesia have for centuries. Boarding Ombak Putih is a revelation; she is a gaff-rigged ketch. Read More

Island to Island – Textile Tour in Eastern Indonesia

to a journey in Indonesia? I met David and Sue Richardson initially through their extensively researched publication on Central Asian textiles – Qaraqalpaqs of the Aral Delta. As we connected on social media I was intrigued by their technical passion for textiles and an upcoming textile tour of the Lesser Sunda Islands in Eastern Indonesia that they had planned. Needless to say, Jack and I marked our calendars anticipating our first travels in this varied culture. Sue and David Richardson partnered. Read More

Festive Recipe: Tomato Sambal

tomat / Tomato sambal If you only make one dish from this cookbook, let this be the one! Tomato sambal can be used to accompany a thousand dishes from Indonesia to the Mediterranean. Try it with eggs in any shape or size, grilled fat sausages, fish or any meat, roasted eggplant, tofu or tempeh – not to mention stirred into risotto or homemade mayonnaise or basted over barbecued prawns. It keeps for weeks in the refrigerator and will turn the dullest meal into a masterpiece. 4 long red. Read More

Sumba Heart and Soul

to its animist traditions, Sumba Island is a destination seductive to the soul.  Here are a just a few reasons why we find Sumba such a sensational destination. SUMBA- WHERE ANCIENT TRADITIONS RUN DEEP Hanging precariously off of the Nusa Tenggara Archipelago like a delicate pendent on a chain,  Sumba is a gem of an island whose remote obscurity seems to have allowed it to escape the very passage of time. With its rugged rolling savannah and low limestone hills knitted together. Read More

Pinisi and the Art of Boatbuilding in Sulawesi Recognised by UNESCO

s the 17,000 equatorial islands comprising the Republic of Indonesia, the ingenious arts of timber boat building have been a crucial enabler of human ventures from prehistoric times until today. As ports, kingdoms and states developed, distinctive traditions of boat building and seafaring underpinned trade, politics and warfare, transport and communications as well as day-to-day livelihoods and subsistence … more so in this sprawling tropical archipelago than in just about any other region in the world. Click here to read the. Read More

The Birth of Frankenstein from the Belly of a Volcano

over two hundred years ago, a little-known mountain on a relatively obscure Indonesian island became the epicentre of the ‘mother’ of all volcanic eruptions. It was the most powerful eruption in recorded history; more ferocious than Krakatoa with its 18-metre tidal wave, and more violent than Vesuvius, which buried alive the city of Pompeii.  Mt Tambora, located 200 nautical miles east of Bali on the island of Sumbawa, was once the highest mountain in Asia, but in April 2015,. Read More

The Prettiest Flight

to be flying from Bali to Labuan Bajo for the start of SeaTrek’s Dances, Dragons & Magical Lakes’ cruise, make sure you get a window seat and don’t even think about reading a book. Instead, sit back and relish one of the world’s prettiest flights. If it’s a clear day you’re in for a treat, and – if you’re on the left-hand side of the plane – you’ll see a string of volcanoes, beginning with Mt Agung in Bali followed. Read More

Flying Foxes

Satonda Island, off the north coast off Sumbawa, we witnessed an arcane sunset mission as hundreds of thousands of flying foxes emerged in a steady throng from the forest, reminiscent of a fleet of enemy aircraft intent on avoiding radar detection. Unlike their smaller cave-dwelling cousins, these large fruit bats hang out in camps high above the rainforest floor, keeping cool by fanning themselves with their huge wings, which can measure up to 1.7 m from tip to tip. They. Read More

Komodo Dragon Trivia

dragons, called ‘ora’ or ‘land crocodile’ by the locals, are the world’s largest living lizards. They can grow up to 3m long and weigh up to 100kg. Although the komodo can run briefly at speeds up to 20 kilometres per hour, its hunting strategy is based on stealth and power. A komodo ‘smells’ by collecting air with its forked tongue and then depositing it on receptors on the roof of its mouth. Using this method, it can detect a dead animal up. Read More

Indonesia’s Living Dinosaurs

to the dragons that have no enemies apart from their own kind. The reason why these primeval apex predators have survived unmolested for so long is attributed to the fact that the treacherous whirlpools and rip currents in the seas around Komodo and Rinca have ensured their isolated endurance in a habitat that is free from invaders. Heading along the banks of a dry riverbed, we were accompanied by the sound of bird song and chirruping cicadas. There was a sweet. Read More

The Fabulous Flying Fox

to glowing golden hues and the sun sets on yet another incredible day at sea. You sit back on the top deck with your drink in hand and imagine that it just can’t get any better than this. Sure enough, it can and it does. Gazing towards the horizon you see fluttering activity, and soon enough that blazing sky is filled with graceful creatures taking wing. You can’t believe your eyes! It’s a sky full of giant fruit bats! Indonesia has. Read More

Snorkelling the Reefs of Raja Ampat

to describe the waters stretching from Borneo to the Philippines and East to the Solomon Islands. This is the center of the world’s marine biodiversity and the Indonesian Archipelago makes up the lion’s share.  If this is the grand stage where the coral and fish of the world come to play, then it is certainly Raja Ampat that steals the show. Earning it’s top billing as the epicenter for marine biodiversity, this vast region of marine protected areas encompass over 12,000. Read More

The Garden of Good and Evil – Indonesia’s Fabled Spice Islands

ne if you will, a tropical paradise: a miniscule string of emerald green islands immersed in an aquamine equatorial waters, far from the cares of outside world. The shorelines of these lush island gems playfully alternate between dense jungle, volcanic lavaflow, dramatic cliffs, and white dreamy beaches. The warm equatorial sun, and rich volcanic nutrients have all magically combined to create pristine and colorful sub-aqua wonderland In fact, the water is so clear that one can see the brilliant coral. Read More

The Manhattan Transfer and the Rhunhattan Tearoom

to become the Dutch East Indies and therefore gained a complete monopoly over the nutmeg trade. The nutmeg fruit showing the nut with its bright red outer covering of mace (Ian Burnet) This was not just the real estate deal of the century but probably of the millenium. Who would have believed that Manhattan would become the ‘capital of the world’ and the valuable nutmeg island of Rhun would sink into obscurity? The last page of the Treaty of Breda, 1667 (Dutch Nationaal. Read More

Nutmeg: Facts & Figures

he sixteenth century it was worth its weight in gold. The early history of Southeast Asia was driven and moulded by the Arab, Chinese, Malay and European adventurers who sailed in search of the fabulous wealth that it offered. The exotic nutmeg – or Pala as it is known in Indonesia – has a very rich heritage.  Read on for some fascinating facts: Nutmeg is indigenous to the volcanic soils of the Indonesian Banda Islands, and in the 15th and 16th centuries,. Read More

The Dutch Church in Banda Neira

to serve the residents of the Dutch colonial occupation of the remote Banda Islands. Behind the building can be seen the summit of the volcano named Gunung Api ,or Fire Mountain. The original wooden church was destroyed by an earthquake and rebuilt in 1852 in this neo-classical style. With its solid Doric columns, white plaster and sturdy brickwork, it is a good example of a provincial Dutch-era church and is now  one of the sights to see in the tiny port. Read More

Ten Tales Of Ternate & Tidore

to Bugis Shipbuilders – commence or conclude at the clove-perfumed island of Ternate. Ternate and neighbouring Tidore are ancient Islamic sultanates. They were once the world’s only source of cloves, through which their rulers became among the wealthiest and most powerful sultans in the region. Much of their wealth, however, was wasted on fighting each other. Ternate’s volcano, Gunung Gamalama, erupts with unsettling regularity. It dominates the entire island leaving only a narrow coastal strip and the lower slopes of the mountain. Read More

The Life-Giving Lontar Palm

to 30 metres in height and to a thickness of about 90 cm is hewn for beams and posts; its branches are cut for walls and fences; and its broad leaves are woven into baskets, birdcages, water vessels, fans, hats – including some that have been inspired by the designs of 16th and 17th century Portuguese helmets – umbrellas, belts, knife-sheaths, thatch, cigarette papers, musical instruments, and even bags for transporting chickens to market. When interlaced, lontar leafstalks, which can. Read More

Subak – The Cultural Landscape of Bali

to the sea. Known as ‘sawah’, the padi fields of Bali are a thousand years old, and achieved through an ancient system of aquatic engineering. Irrigation is critical to Balinese wet-rice agriculture because of the long dry season that extends from April to October, while the substance of rural life is dependent on the accuracy of the water flow as it is diverted from the rivers that gush from Bali’s crater lakes. The water is then channelled through an elaborate system. Read More

Pearl Culture

to reflect the soul of an oyster, a natural pearl is an accident of nature, formed when an irritant – such as a parasite or a piece of debris – causes the mollusc to secrete a fluid that coats the invader. This irritant forms the nucleus of the pearl, then layer upon layer of the coating, known ‘nacre’, is deposited on the irritant until a lustrous pearl is formed. A cultured pearl undergoes the same process. The only difference is that. Read More

Birds of Paradise

to the size of a crow, with certain types sporting tails of up to one metre in length. Over the centuries, these fantastical trailing plumes and brilliant colours gave rise to incredible stories of the birds’ origins and habits. They were prized as decorative objects in Asia, while hunters trading stuffed specimens to Europe during the 1600s would remove the birds’ wings and legs to emphasise the plumes. This enthused a fancy that they were the birds of the gods,. Read More

In Search of the Five Holy Springs

to be called the “Lost Coast”, a string of fishing villages, collectively known as Amed – the start-point and finish-point for Seatrek’s Komodo cruises – on Bali’s eastern tip. Hugging a dramatic coastline of steep headlands, coves and coral reefs, Amed is a wonderful destination for those who wish to escape. We had heard a story about Toye Masem – five sacred springs, all within close proximity of each other, with each one purported to spout a different taste. Knowing that. Read More

Manuk Island – A Bird Sanctuary in the remote Banda Sea

e last stop on our East Indies Spice Exploration Voyage 2016, before reaching the Banda Islands, is the tiny island of Manuk which is just the tip of a volcano which pokes itself above the Banda Sea. The Ombak Putih approaches Manuk Island Manuk is an andesitic volcanic island that rises 3000 meters from floor of the Banda Sea at the easternmost part of the Indonesian island arc. Because of its steep cliffs and rocky coast it is almost impossible to land. Read More

A Day at the Races

to death by a pair of magnificently decorated bull buffaloes. We were at Negara in West Bali, watching the famous buffalo races. The sport, believed to have originated as a simple ploughing contest, is staged every year between July and November. Despite my near-death experience at the side of the track, the non-existent safety measures, the unfathomable race rules, and the absence of a beer tent, this was a truly thrilling and spectacular event. The contest features Bali’s sleekest, most handsome water. Read More

In a Nutshell

towering old-growth canopy. The nutmeg tree is sun-sensitive and therefore cultivated under the cover of the soaring kenari trees, which can reach up to 50 metres in height. Many of them are more than 300 years old with buttressed roots that grow out from the base of the trunks to provide anchorage. These majestic giants complement the nutmeg trees by providing shade and acting as windbreaks in an ancient and ingenious form of agroforestry. The kenari trees yield, as a. Read More

Swimming with Manta Rays

to snorkel with giant manta rays at Karang Makassar or Manta Point, which despite – and because of – the strong currents, is one of the most interesting places in the Komodo National Park. Manta Point is a cleaning station, a specific location where manta rays come to get cleaned by parasitic copepods and a variety of small cleaner wrasse species that pick parasites from the mantas’ hovering bodies. Mantas spend many hours every day getting cleaned and can even. Read More

So Beautiful, They Can Only Have Come From Paradise.

to see a short video on each bird. King Bird of Paradise Wilson's Bird of Paradise Red Bird of Paradise Wallace's Standardwing Bird of Paradise   Credits to the illustrious Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Explore more at. Read More

Six Tips for Isolating Yourself in Paradise

to travel when you have options and a bit of time can be daunting. All too often we fall into default mode, which is Disney World, or Costa Rica (because it’s close) or choices that are easy, or seemingly accessible. The problem with this kind of planning is that everyone else does the same thing. As a result, you’re guaranteed large crowds of tourists. I know: not only did I grow up in Tourist Central (Florida) I also worked for Disney. Read More

The Funeral of a King

Tour get to meet many Indonesian people wearing fabulous local costumes and ask us if this is what they wear every day. The answer is no – just like us they keep their best costume for special occasions for ceremonies. Fortunately for our guests, our visits during the Textile Tour count as a special occasion. The importance of textiles for ceremonial occasions was drummed into us on our latest visit to the island of Sumba. During our previous visit there in. Read More

Balinese Feasts and Travel Tales Aboard Katharina

to join and contribute with some literary input, storytelling and thought-provoking conversation. For this cruise, Tony Wheeler – co-founder of Lonely Planet, and Janet De Neefe – Founder and Director of UWRF, restaurateur, and owner of Casa Luna Cooking School, were the celebrities. Janet and her team handled all of the catering on board, bringing with them 50 kilos of local ingredients, with Janet hosting morning cookery presentations and serving up wonderful Balinese buffet lunches and dinners, including freshly caught fish,. Read More

Bali’s Secret Fleet: a Glittering Armada

could be the world’s most spectacular traditional fishing craft, but their home port is a remote estuary on the Indonesian island of Bali that few visitors ever see. SeaTrek expert lecturer, Jeffrey Mellefont, unveils a boatbuilding tradition steeped in ritual, religion and magic. Article reproduced with permission of the Australian National Maritime Museum, from its quarterly journal Signals (No. 110 March 2015). View. Read More

A Magical Wishing Lake

to the day since Tambora had erupted and caused the tsunami that had filled Satonda’s crater with seawater. I was standing at the side of the lake, and I had a dilemma. In 2000, I had visited the lake for the first time. I had made a wish and it had come true. It was the type of wish that doesn’t come true immediately – along the lines of “I wish I could still be living in Indonesia and still. Read More

Wallace Trails and Sails

to say goodbye to everyone in Sorong – it’s amazing how close you can get to fellow passengers during an 11-day cruise which just throws random people together. This year’s cruise had many of the elements of the two previous Wallace cruises but together with the cruise leader, Caroline Delman, we introduced new activities (e.g. snorkelling with manta rays) and locations this year. As the small print indicates, the itinerary is only an indication of what will happen and we. Read More

A Rarity: Whale Shark Researchers Tag Female of the Species

hark Researchers Tag Female of the Species “Susi” the whale shark, pictured above, swimming in the Pacific after being tagged. (© Abraham Sianipar) Editor’s note: In March, a team of scientists from Conservation International Indonesia tagged a female whale shark — the first ever tagged in West Papua. The shark, named “Susi” after Indonesia’s Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (MMAF), Susi Pudjiastuti, will give scientists new insight into how the diving and movement behaviors of female whale sharks differ from those of male whale. Read More

Made's Magical Margaritas

MAN BEHIND THE MARGARITA Those of you who have been on the Ombak Putih will know this man in an instant. It's Made, our head purser and mixologist extrordinaire. Those who have not yet had the pleasure of meeting him will fall into a deep state of awe and appreciation once you venture aboard and try one of his fantastical margaritas - only one of many specialties. We'd like to say that you can make a Margarita a la Made like this at. Read More

Spinning the Earth – The Ceramic Craftsmenship of Masbagik

is often our journeys on land that stoke our passion to explore the seas, and perhaps no other stop on Sea Trek’s island-hoping itineraries provides a more striking difference to the open ocean and salty air than a visit to the village of Masbagik, a community that has mastered the art of working with fire and earth. Although Eastern Lombok has always been a very poor region, the hills that surround the village of Masbagik are rich with a red. Read More

Huge New Turf Marine Reserve Established in Raja Ampat

tourism to industry, not to mention illegal fishing, pollution and climate change to take into account! The bottom line is that a lot of stakeholders all need to come on board in order to establish marine reserves - and more importantly, to manage them effectively in the long term. That takes time and a lot of sensitive negotiation.  Over the past year, USAID has partnered with the Indonesian government and US NGO Rare to work with local communities in the Dampier Strait - specifically the Maya Tribe. Read More