The East Indies

The-East-Indies-desc
Special Tour 17 Days Availability: 2020-02-26
nusa Tenggara, Indonesia Indonesia

All-enveloping stepping stones towards the Timor Sea with dragons, isolated coves, pristine beaches and a lot more

Nusa Tenggara (the South East Islands in Bahasa) are a string of islands strung out from Bali eastwards towards the Australian coast, some islands are Roman Catholic, some Moslem and some a mixture of both, but whatever their religious proclivities they are diverse places with each island giving you incredible architecture, music and food

Round houses on Sumbawa, towering roofs on Sumba, and animism on Flores, what more excitement do you want! Culturally you could construct an Eurovision Song contest between them all and fail to come up with a more deserving cultural winner!

For those who appreciate wildlife of the mammalian variety the island of Pulau Moyo off Sumbawa contains some of the best in Indonesia and is well worth a 2 or 3 day stop if you’re in the area and appreciate that kind of thing

Timor looms at the far east End of the island chain, it’s a mountainous troubled island that’s emerging from years of difficulty and if you are of the more adventurous ilk an extension of this itinerary can be made to Timor starting off at Kupang and finishing at Dili in independent East Timor where if you admire Lusophone culture you will be in for a very pleasant treat


DEPARTURE/RETURN LOCATION
Heathrow Airport (Google Map)

DEPARTURE TIME
Please arrive at least 2 hours before the flight.

INCLUDED
  • Airfare
  • Transfers
  • Accommodation
  • Professional guides

NOT INCLUDED
  • Travel Insurance

Day 1: Denpasar
BALI ARRIVAL Arrival in Denpasar transfer to local hotel to get over the rigors of the journey. Free time at your own leisure and meal at your personal account. Overnight in Denpasar
Day 1 - Denpasar
Day 2: Mataram
BALI – MATARAM A flight from Denpasar and upon arrival at Selaparang, Mataram airport, you are met at the airport and then taken through the lands of the Sasak people, sampling their culture, traditions and arts. this tour starts with a visit to the Banyumulek pottery making village, seeing the local women at work. Sukarara for both Ikat and Songket hand woven fabric, beeswax Batik. You’ll stop off at the village of Rambitan, after lunch at the local restaurant spend the rest of the day swimming and relaxing on the stunning white sandy beaches of A’an bay. Afternoon drive to the hotel for checking in. Overnight in Mataram
Day 2 - Mataram
Day 3: Sumbawa Besar
LOMBOK – SUMBAWA – SUMBAWA BESAR You are picked up at your hotel and transferred to Labuan Lombok with a ferry crossing to Poto Tano on Sumbawa Island. Lunch is provided on the way during transfer to Sumbawa Besar the capital town for check in at the Kencana Hotel. Overnight in Sumbawa Besar
Day 3 - Sumbawa Besar
Day 4: Sumbawa Besar
SUMBAWA BESAR – PULAU MOYO – SUMBAWA BESAR After breakfast you’re then taken on a full days tour of the Pulau Myo National park, packed full of flora and fauna. Pulau Moyo is surrounded by beautiful coral reefs and is home to wild pig, monitor lizards, 21 species of bat, large herds of native deer and hordes of crab-eating macaque monkeys. You arrive back in Sumbawa Besar later on the evening having trekked and observed an untouched island national park. Overnight in Sumbawa Besar
Day 4 - Sumbawa Besar
Day 5: Bima

SUMBAWA BESAR – BIMA – SAPE – LABUAN BAJO After breakfast, a short city sightseeing tour with a visit to see Tano traditional hand weaving, afterwards a drive to Empang whilst visiting the Labuan Jambu traditional fishing village. You take in the scenic Nanga Tumpu with a transfer to Bima checking into the Lambitu hotel or similar establishment. Overnight on Bima

Day 6: Labuan Bajo

LABUAN BAJO – KOMODO NATIONAL PARK – LABUAN BAJO After breakfast at hotel then directly transfer to the harbour of Sape. And then by boat to Labuhan Bajo in West Flores which takes around 8 hours. Upon arrival at Labuhan Bajo harbour you are transferred to your hotel. Overnight on Labuan Bajo

Day 7: Labuan Bajo/Komodo National Park
KOMODO After an early breakfast you board a chartered boat to Komodo island taking 4 hours, so a very early start is necessary. Once on Komodo you spend the best part of the day trekking and “meeting” the local predators if they’re nor dining on flesh at that time. You’re then transferred back to Labuan Bajo via the ferry for transfer back to the hotel. Overnight in Labuan Bajo

Day 7 - Labuan Bajo

Day 8: Ruteng
LABUAN BAJO – RUTENG After breakfast the journey across Flores begins. You travel to Ruteng en-route stopping off at Lembor and Cancar, picturesque towns reflecting the tribal colour of Flores. Check into your hotel and enjoy the evening taking in Flores cuisine. Overnight at Ruteng

Day 8 - Ruteng

Day 9: Bajawa
RUTENG -BAJAWA After breakfast you then transfer to Bajawa, also like Ruteng it is situated in the cool highlands of Flores, stops are made at Ranamese Lake and also Gunung Inerie arriving in the Bajawa district for lunch. After settling into the hotel you have the option of attending a local traditional dance or simply relaxing. Overnight in Bajawa
Day 10: Bajawa
BAJAWA After breakfast you’re taken to villages where you’re introduced to local villagers who have preserved their animist traditions; after taking lunch at Bajawa you then journey to Mengeruda to take the natural hot spring baths. Overnight in Bajawa

Day 10 - Bajawa

Day 11: Moni

BAJAWA – MONI This is the Bajawa to Moni stage of the journey which will take 5 hours where you’ll be seeing picturesque Flores countryside, stopping off every now and then to break up the journey. There’ll be stop offs at Wogo and Boawae and also Onekwe village famous for it’s Ikat hand weaving. Overnight in Moni

Day 12: Maumere

MONI – MAUMERE After breakfast and a leisurely start to your journey to Maumere; you’ll make you way to your last spot on Flores. En-route you stop off at Kelimutu’s ever changing colored lakes taking their colours from the layers of rock which happens to dissolve into it’s waters. Overnight in Maumere

Day 13: Maumere
MAUMERE This day is a free day to take in the local surrounding areas of Maumere, perhaps driving east and taking in the fruit plantations nearby, checking out local textile artists too. Overnight at Maumere

Day 13 - Maumere

Day 14: Waikabubak

MAUMERE – WAINGAPU – WAIKABUBAK Transfer by air from Maumere to Waikabubak in West Sumba to see the unique stone graves and west Sumban houses. Overnight in Waikabubak

Day 15: Waikabubak

WAIKABUBAK After breakfast in Waikabubak you are then taken on a tour of local outlying villages to visit local houses and to hang out with local farmers and also taking in a local market where there are buffalo and local handicrafts on show. The traditional architecture in this part of Indonesia is also some of the most distinct. Overnight in Waikabubak

Day 16: Denpasar

WAINGAPU – DENPASAR After breakfast transfer to the airport for transfer back to Denpasar spending the day in Bali taking a last look at Nusa Tenggara as the region is called

Day 17: Departure or Transfer
BACK TO THE UK After breakfast transfer to the airport for connections back to the UK or next destination
All-enveloping stepping stones towards the Timor Sea with dragons, isolated coves, pristine beaches and a lot more

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Total: £5,000.00 From £5,000.00 /person

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