8 Night Cruise sailing from Bali to Flores aboard Katharina.

Few areas in Asia can match the cultural and natural diversity as can be found following the chain of the Lesser Sunda Islands: towering active volcanoes, jungle clad mountain ranges, alternated by dry savannah lowlands, both teeming with wildlife. quiet coastal villages, emerald seas, megalithic cultures, colorful market places, tribal rituals and in addition a world of kaleidoscopic beauty under water.

This leisure expedition includes the Komodo area for a couple of days of snorkeling, beach combing and hiking through one of the most beautiful National Parks of Indonesia. Entering the Flores Highlands you have 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 colored crater lakes. It is the very best introduction to the soul of Indonesia.

Day One, The anchorage of 'Katharina' is off the village of Amed, north-east Bali. After boarding and settling in on the vessel, the captain gives orders to lift the anchor and we set sail across the Lombok Strait. This stretch of water between Bali and Lombok marks an important ecological boundary, first described by Sir Alfred Russel Wallace, the 19th century British naturalist. He noticed that flora and fauna of the islands west of this boundary are home to Asiatic animal and plant species, whereas the islands east of that "line" have a greater similarity to species found in Australia. In the afternoon we make a first stop at one of the Gili's, small islands off the west coast of Lombok, worldwide known for offering the opportunity for extreme leisure and relaxation. Here we will spend a couple of hours of swimming, snorkeling and beach-combing.
Late afternoon we will set on a north-easterly course for the overnight passage to east-Lombok.

Day Two, Docked in Labuhan Lombok, east Lombok, we board after breakfast a coach for a tour into the interior of east Lombok, untouched by the crowds spotted in west Lombok. We will visit Masbagi, a pottery village, attend a local dance and have a real Sasak (original inhabitants of Lombok) lunch on the way.
Sailing for 30 minutes we will stop at Gili Kondo, where we admire the coral conservation project and plunge into the sea for cleaning the dust from our body.

Day Three, This morning we go ashore at Pulau ('island') Bungin, a small settlement of 'sea-gypsies' (bajao), built on a small island off the coast of Sumbawa. We stroll through narrow streets lined up by houses on stilts that are underwater at spring tides. We witness a performance of traditional music and dance, carried out by schoolchildren between 6 and 9 of age. From here we sail to Pulau Moyo. At the southern point of Moyo it is time for a few hours relaxing, swimming and snorkelling. During the night we follow the coast to the east side of Sumbawa.

Day Four, we arrive in the morning at Wera on the east coast of the island of Sumbawa. Wera is a Buginese settlement famous for its boatbuilding. Here we will see all kinds of craft in various stages of construction, much the way the Katharina was built in 1998. We visit the village and experience the friendliness of the population. If weather prohibits a safe landing, we sail to Sangean Island, an active volcano towering 1800 meters above the surrounding waters. We will meet the people living in the tiny village on the foothills of the volcano and make a short hike testing the steepness of the mountain. In the afternoon we proceed to Gili Banta, uninhabited and a perfect spot for excellent swimming and snorkelling. During the night Katharina sails onward to the island of Komodo.

Day Five, we wake up with the boat at anchor off Komodo Island, one of 80 odd islands of Komodo National Park. We will go ashore at the ranger station in Loh Liang for an early morning trek through the Park searching for the Komodo Lizards. In the setting of a dry and rugged landscape we will meet the enormous creatures that come closest to anything you ever fancied of prehistory. Shock and awe is our part!

After re-embarking we will sail to a beach, called 'red-beach' because of the particles of red coral mingled with the sand. Here we will swim and snorkel over one of the 'richest' reefs in Eastern Indonesia. We will be stunned by the incredible variety of coral and fish on display underneath our arms and legs.

From the red beach we proceed to Rinca, the second largest of the Komodo archipelago and the richest in terms of fauna. In the afternoon we will go trekking through spectacular scenery of savannah, looking for wild horses, water buffalo, wild boar, monkeys, and of course the Komodo 'dragons'. While walking we will make stops at certain viewpoints to enjoy the beautiful vistas over the mainland of Flores and the surrounding islands. Early evening we will move northeast and spend a quiet night in the bay of Labuhanbajo, east Flores.

Day Six, This morning we will go by bus into the interior of west Flores, taking a winding road uphill to the village of Melo. Here local 'strongmen' will perform the whip-dance, typical for west Flores. Armed with a rattan shield and a whip, two men try to hit each other on the back. He who first inflicts a bleeding wound on the back of his opponent is announced the winner. Before lunch we will set sail to the tiny island of Sabolon, another paradise in its own right. Here we will settle down for the rest of the day. We may organize racing contests between hermit crabs, meet shiny yellow-green salamanders in the bush or just gaze at the birds of prey hanging motionless in the sky spying for small rodents on the ground. The crew is on the beach preparing a BBQ for dinner and collects dead wood for building the ensuing bonfire. The day will be finished with a performance of the Katharina crew on guitar and bongo's accompanying one or more vocalists. In the evening we will hoist anchor for the overnight passage along the North coast of Flores on the way to Riung.

Day seven,Today we take our time to explore the Riung Archipelago, a group of (17) uninhabited islands with white sand beaches and beautiful coral gardens just off the North coast of Flores. We will spend the whole day beachcombing, snorkeling and exploring the islands. A hike up to the hill warrantees the spectator of a spectacular view of the main island of Flores. We will visit a colony of fruit bats, hanging on the branches of mangrove lining up the coast. Time permitting we may make a stop at Riung village located on the opposite side on the mainland of Flores. At night sailing to Ropa.

Day eight, Early morning we reach Ropa, Central Flores, the starting point of our excursion to Kelimutu. The Kelimutu is a volcano with 3 colored crater lakes. Situated in the midst of forest-covered mountains, the colors of the lakes are a surprise, as they change from time to time. They may be turquoise, black and a reddish brown, but don't be surprised if you find a white one or a red one! We take our time to experience the spooky atmosphere surrounding this natural phenomenon, quite unique in the world. On the way back we stop in villages to admire the architecture of the traditional houses of the Lio people with the typical high thatched roofs. We will have lunch in the village of Moni.
Back on the vessel, we take a last swim before we take off headed for Maumere, east-Flores

Day Nine, Early morning the Katharina will arrive in Maumere. After breakfast we will say goodbye to the crew.