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Photo by Pannell’s Tours

Bali has enchanted visitors for centuries. One of the most beautiful and memorable places in the East, the

very name conveys an image of magic. Volcanic mountains rise from delicately terraced rice fields, palm

groves and white sandy beaches. Dance, music, sculpture, wood carving and painting depict the daily life

and sophisticated culture of the gentle Balinese people.

We will spend three nights in the stunning Balinese foothills in the village of Ubud, surrounded by

forests and paddy fields.

Then we embark on a 6 night cruise aboard a traditional pinisi boat (Bugi schooner) with air

conditioned cabins, for a comfortable island hopping experience. East of Bali there is a world of exotic

cultures and breathtaking natural beauty in an area as enchanting as it is remote. Explore quaint

historic harbours, superb tropical beaches and places where time stands still, such as the last

remaining domain of the prehistoric Komodo “dragon”. Snorkel over beautiful coral reefs and

experience rich traditional cultures in “off the beaten track” villages, or simply stay on board and relax.

Join us on this memorable tour to an incredible destination - enjoy a carefree holiday of relaxing and

having fun while your tour leader takes care of everything, including luggage control and all the tipping.

Photo by Pannell’s Tours

DANCES, DRAGONS & MAGICAL LAKES

LAND & CRUISING BALI TO KOMODO

ESCORTED TOUR 21 Jun – 01 Jul 2020

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Day 1 – Sun 21 June : ARRIVAL IN BALI - UBUD Dinner On arrival at Denpasar Airport, you will be met and transferred about 30km to the village of Ubud, set amongst emerald green rice paddies in the heart of an area renowned for its traditions of painting, wood carving, music and dance.

Check into the 4☆WAPA DI UME RESORT & SPA, Lanai Room where we spend three nights.

https://www.wapadiumeubud.com/

The rest of the day is at leisure to recover from flights and relax or begin exploring this delightful town which is a 15 minute walk from Ubud centre or you can use the hourly shuttle.

In the evening, our Welcome Dinner will be a sumptuous Balinese rijstafel dinner at Café Lotus Ubud, including the choice of juice, soft drink or beer. Dinner transfer included.

Photo courtesy of Wapi Di Ume

Day 2 – Mon 22 Jun : UBUD - TOURING Breakfast, Lunch After breakfast, we drive to the holy spring and sacred temple of Tampaksiring, stopping along the way at Tegalalang to view the beautiful rice terraces, an iconic image of Bali not to be missed.

Continue to Penglipuran Village, best known for its well-preserved culture and village layout. Being untouched by modernization (no vehicles allowed to park inside the village!), the village atmosphere and immaculate gardens create an authentic experience, from the majestic and mythical culture, to the hospitality and courtesy of the locals.

Our last stop today will be the Elephant Caves at Bedulu. The site dates back to the early 11th century when it was used by Buddhist monks as a monastery.

Lunch at a local restaurant.

Return to the hotel. Free for dinner. You can dine at the hotel or at one of several restaurants nearby.

Tegalalang (Flickr, tomcensani) Elephant Caves at Bedulu (Flickr, Eduard Marmet)

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Day 3 – Tue 23 Jun : UBUD – COOKING LESSON Breakfast In the morning, we head to the local market where, under the guidance of a professional local chef, we will handpick fresh ingredients for our cooking class in a traditional Balinese kitchen. We will learn traditional Balinese cooking methods before trying our hand at creating authentic local flavours from scratch.

Before heading back to the hotel for an afternoon at leisure, we will be able to savour the fruits of our cooking lesson!

Day 4 - Wed 24 Jun : UBUD – AMED Breakfast, Dinner After breakfast we transfer to the Puri Santrian Hotel in Denpasar to meet our cruise tour leader. Board our minibus for a 90km drive to Amed in the eastern regency of Karangasem – an exotic royal Balinese kingdom of forests and mighty mountains, emerald rice terraces, mystical water palaces and pretty beaches. With our cruise tour leader providing information along the way, we will stop at Tenganan Village, a community still holding to the ancient 'Bali Aga' culture with its original traditions, ceremonies and rules of ancient Bali, and its unique village layout and architecture. We will also visit the royal water palace of Tirta Gangga, a fabled maze of cold water pools and basins, spouts, tiered pagoda fountains, stone carvings and lush gardens. The final part of our scenic journey takes us through a magnificent terrain of sculptured rice terraces followed by spectacular views of a fertile plain extending all the way to the coast.

Tenganan Village (Flickr, Graeme Churchard) Tirta Ganga Palace (Flickr, Ken Marshall)

At our charming beachside hotel, we will be welcomed with warm Balinese hospitality and traditional architecture, rich in hand-carved ornamentation. After checking in, you can relax and unwind with a swim in the pool or in the calm, clear waters lapping the shore just footsteps from your room. Or you may prefer a gentle walk in the surrounding village and hillsides.

This will also be an opportunity for those unfamiliar with snorkelling to have a lesson with our cruise tour leader. This evening enjoy sunset drinks in the seaside bar and a Balinese-style dinner.

Day 5 – Thu 25 Jun : EMBARKATION Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Leisurely breakfast this morning and maybe an early morning swim before being transferred the short distance to the boat, which will be waiting at anchor in the bay. Rising early to see the sun come up with the boat in the background will set the tone for a wonderful day.

After boarding there will be time to settle in before we head off to snorkel on the lovely reefs for which this area is famous. Back on the boat, the captain will give the order to raise anchor and we will head east in the direction of Sumbawa across the Lombok Strait. This deep trench of water between Bali and Lombok marks part of a very important ecological boundary called the Wallace Line, first described by Sir Alfred Russel Wallace, the renowned Victorian naturalist. Wallace noticed the flora and fauna of the islands to the west are home to Asiatic animal and plant species, whereas the islands to the east of the invisible line have a greater similarity to species found in Australia. As we head east we will enjoy lunch along the way and have plenty of time to relax and settle in to our new ocean going home for the next seven days.

Sunset drinks on the back deck will be a highlight.

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Image courtesy Seatrek Bali

Day 6 – Fri 26 Jun : CRUISING – MOYO ISLAND Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner We will wake off the beautiful white sands of Kenawa Island in West Sumbawa. After breakfast we will snorkel, paddle board, swim and explore the island’s beaches, grasslands and corals until lunch time.

After lunch on the boat we will set a course 16km east to Bungin Island, home to a group of Bajau ‘Sea Gypsies’, famous for their stilt houses above the water and for living entirely off the sea. It is the second largest Bajau settlement in Indonesia and will provide us with an amazing and rare opportunity to experience a side of Indonesian culture which is a huge part of the country’s seafaring tradition.

Later in the afternoon we will set sail for Moyo Island. Day 7 – Sat 27 Jun : CRUISING - SATONDA Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner This morning we moor off Labuan Aji village on the island of Moyo, visit the village and then walk to Diwu Mba’i waterfall. The more adventurous may want to swing on a rope and jump into the deep clear pool below, but simply to bathe in the refreshing cool water is also on offer!

Our next stop will be Satonda, a strange and mystical volcanic island with a sunken crater lake in its centre. This lake was filled with saltwater when the nearby Mt Tambora erupted in 1815, causing a tsunami to flow into the crater. The eruption was the biggest volcanic explosion in the collective memory of mankind, having roughly four times the energy of the 1883 eruption of Krakatoa. It gave rise to the ‘year without a summer’ because of the effect on North American and European weather. Local people believe Satonda to be magical, and with this in mind, we will walk to the lip of the caldera to view the mysterious lake, alongside which the trees are believed to be ‘wishing trees.’ Visitors to the island tie a small stone to a tree and make a wish. If your wish comes true, you are bound to return to the island to offer thanks. To enjoy the soft and hard corals and colourful tropical fish in the sea surrounding the islands, we will spend the afternoon swimming and snorkelling. Another highlight of our visit to Satonda will be the sight of thousands of flying foxes commuting from the island at dusk to feed on the mainland, returning before first light the next day.

Immediately after sunset, we depart on our overnight passage on a course due east.

Photo by Pannell’s Tours

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Day 8 – Sun 28 Jun : CRUISING - BANTA Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner This morning we wake up off the coast of Pulau Sangean, an active volcano towering 1,800 metres above sea level. After breakfast, we go ashore to a small hamlet, which, because of the active nature of the volcano, is only inhabited for short periods during the year when the local people come to tend their crops and small herds of buffaloes, which we can see swimming in the sea. The local community of boatbuilders on the mainland has started construction of a brand new and very large pinisi boat on the beach at Sangean village - truly an impressive sight and a marvel of engineering.

We will snorkel on a nearby reef and at a location on the north of the island where volcanic gases escape in the form of bubbles from the sea floor among the corals. Continue on to the island of Banta and its pure white sand beach, for an afternoon of swimming, snorkelling and hill climbing for the fit amongst us.

Photo by Pannell’s Tours

Day 9 - Mon 29 Jun : CRUISING Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner This morning, we will go looking for whale sharks and may even have the opportunity to swim with them! If we are lucky, we may spot an eel peeping out from among the coral.

This evening we cruise on to Komodo dragon country.

Day 10 – Tue 30 Jun : CRUISING - RINCA Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Today we will visit the ranger station of Loh Buaya on Rinca Island where we will enjoy a ranger-led nature trek in search of the iconic Komodo dragons, which are indigenous to these islands. Rinca is also well known for its diverse wildlife, so we may spot monkeys, wild buffaloes and deer as well. From the top of the hills, the scenery is breathtaking.

Photo courtesy of Seatrak Bali

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In the afternoon, we can go snorkelling on the beautiful Siaba Island, before perhaps visiting the lovely Kelor Island. We will also have the option of visiting the adjacent island of Kukusan where we will meet a settlement of ‘sea-gypsies,’ the Bajao people who build their homes on stilts over the sea.

Photos courtesy of Seatrak Bali

This evening we go ashore to an uninhabited island to enjoy a beach barbeque for our final night together. With a raging bonfire, great food, dancing and the crew singing and playing guitars, this end-of-cruise celebration under the stars is a quintessential Bali experience.

Day 11 – Wed 01 Jul : CRUISE ENDS Breakfast, Lunch Early risers will have time for one last swim and snorkel, before we cruise into Labuan Bajo harbour on Flores Island. At about 09h00 we will leave the boat for a trip to the village of Melo. Here, local ‘strongmen’ will perform the ‘Caci,’ a ritual whip-fight between two rivals in which the players, each armed with a rattan shield and a whip, will try to hit each other while dancing to the rhythm of traditional acoustic instruments. The men of Western Flores are famous for this test of daring and skill, requiring lightning quick moves to dodge the infliction of a wound. The winner is loudly applauded and cheered by the village people. Besides this, the cultural group will also showcase other traditional dances. After the performance, we will enjoy our last lunch on the boat together before bidding farewell to our captain and crew.

Afternoon transfer to Labuan Bajo airport for our flight back to Bali and connection with international flights home. (Flights to South Africa on Singapore Air depart at 20h00 or 21h45.)

(Option to overnight in Denpasar if required to tie in with flights the following day. Rate on request.)

TOUR PRICE

Ubud land sector and cabin based rate on Ombak Putih

It will be only our group for the 3 nights in Ubud, but there will be other tourists onboard the

12 cabin Ombak Putih.

PER PERSON SHARING USD 4 580

SINGLE SUPPLEMENT USD 2 730

(Only 2 singles available. We can introduce single participants to each other for potential sharing.)

Price is based on 12 passengers in this group; supplement may be charged for lower numbers.

Flight from Labuhanbajo, Flores to Denpasar, Bali including departure taxes USD 150 per person

Subject to change until tickets are issued.

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INCLUDED

3 nights accommodation in Ubud, Bali

1 night accommodation in Amed, Bali

6 nights accommodation aboard our traditional Bugi schooner

Use of snorkeling equipment and sea canoes during cruise

Sightseeing, excursions and entrances as per itinerary

Full Breakfast daily, 8 x Lunches and 8 x Dinners as per itinerary

Transfers as per itinerary

Domestic flight from Labuhanbajo, Flores to Denpasar, Bali (quoted separately)

Departure Taxes Labuhanbajo & Denpasar, currently USD20

Services of English speaking guide when touring in Bali

Services of English speaking Cruise director aboard the vessel

Services of Custom Touring tour leader throughout the tour

Service charges and taxes

Gratuities for land sector guides/drivers and crew aboard the vessel

EXCLUDED

International flights

Meals not specified in itinerary

Visa costs (currently USD25 per person, obtainable on arrival in Bali)

Travel insurance

Personal expenses, such as telephone calls, laundry, drinks

Photos by Pannell’s Tours