Tiger Blue 8D7N

Tiger Blue will be moored 20 minutes from the airport, making your transfer by car and tender an easy journey. Sail to Sebayor Kecil, keeping an eye out for dolphins, which love to swim alongside the bow. Dive or snorkel around the coral reef, full of colorful fish, sponges, Napolean wrasse, groupers, and the odd stingray. Or enjoy the water from above, kayaking, waterskiing, kneeboarding, or fishing. Later, relax on board with a good book or film before a leisurely supper.

Early morning sail to Rinca. After a light breakfast, take the tender to the shore to see the famous Komodo Dragons. Accompanied by a park ranger, explore the giant lizard’s habitat on foot and learn about its hunting habits. The island is home to about 2,500 dragons as well as monkeys, Sunda deer, wild pigs, and jungle fowl, so there is plenty to see on the trail. Rejoin the boat and enjoy lunch while sailing for a couple of hours to Karang Makassar. Stop by Manta Point, a feeding ground for manta rays and one of the top diving and snorkeling spots in the park.
On this relaxed drift dive, watch the mantas gliding gracefully through the water with their mouths open, feeding on plankton. Enjoy a second dive at Batu Balong, a massive underwater rock with pinnacles and rifts surrounded by grey reefs and white-tip sharks, giant trevallies, and emperor fish. The coral garden on its top can also be enjoyed by snorkellers, who have a good chance of seeing the larger fish. In the late afternoon, relax on a quiet sandy beach or hike up the grassy hill behind for panoramic views across the islands. Then settle into the comfortable bean bags and relax on the beach while the crew mixes you up a cocktail and builds a giant bonfire before heading back to the boat for a hearty supper.

Mauan & Kode’s superb reef is teeming with turtles and can be appreciated by divers and snorkellers alike. Mauan harbors a sporadic manta ray cleaning station, where the animals congregate to have cleaner fish remove parasites and other organisms from their skin. Guests may prefer to explore by kayak, relax on the deck or a deserted beach, or try their hand at wakeboarding. In the evening, ask the crew to make up the day beds with blankets and fall asleep under the stars. Overnight in Padar.

Spend a lazy or active day, as your mood dictates. A climb up Padar’s verdant slopes will yield spectacular views across the park landscape and the island’s four bays, fringed with grey or white sand. Resident wildlife includes sea eagles, deer, and goats. Successful anglers will be rewarded with melt-in-the-mouth sashimi or ceviche prepared by the chef. Under the water, Pillarsteen has four large pinnacles covered in soft corals, as well as canyons, caves, swim-throughs, and chimneys. Watch out for the brightly colored red and purple fire urchins. As the sun begins to disappear over the horizon, catch the tender to a secret beach for refreshing cocktails and a BBQ. Overnight in Padar.

Sail for a couple of hours in the morning to Pink Beach. The sand has a soft pink hue, tinged by the high quantity of organ pipe coral growing on the surrounding reefs, which breaks off and washes up on shore. While other corals normally fade, this retains its bright red color and mixes with the usual white sand. Enjoy freshly-caught fish for lunch. Snorkel or dive looking out for macro sea life such as blue-ribbon eels and crocodile fish. A night dive here is world-class, full of colorful basket stars, bobtail squid, and Spanish dancers. Overnight at Pink Beach.

A day of downtime. Take a leisurely walk along the beach and discover the local tropical birds. Keep your eyes peeled for orange-footed scrubfowl, helmeted friarbirds, and the critically endangered Lesser Sulphur-Crested Cockatoo. Enjoy a BBQ on the beach for lunch, cooking up freshly caught fish. If you are still raring to go, the crew will be happy to oblige – opportunities to snorkel, dive, hike, kayak, waterski, or fish are only a question away throughout the cruise.

Crystal Rock and Castle Rock are only 300m apart yet both are superb dive sites in their own right. The two submerged pinnacles are also accessible for snorkellers, offering the chance to see eagle rays, white-tip, black-tip, grey-reef sharks, huge schools of snappers and fusiliers, batfish, and Napoleon wrasse. Enjoy a cool beer or a freshly-made lemonade soda before your final supper on board a traditional Indonesian feast comprised of many small dishes with bold flavors, sweet or spicy sauces, and plenty of rice. Overnight sail to Labuan Bajo.

After breakfast, pack and prepare to disembark, returning to the airport by boat and car.