Join This Incredible 23 Day Safari to Snorkel Three of the Best Snorkeling Places in the World
November 2 – 24, 2024
April 12 – May 4, 2025
Outstanding snorkeling, boutique resorts, what more do you need? This exciting Alor, Komodo and Raja Ampat snorkeling trip will take 12 snorkelers to explore some of the most bio-diverse and abundant reefs in the Coral Triangle, and will offer opportunities to snorkel with majestic manta rays. We have snorkeled all three Indonesia destinations and highly recommend them all.
You will first explore Alor from the seculded Alami Alor Resort. The colorful diverse coral reefs there will blow you away, and the sparkling abundance of reef fish will delight you. There is also the possibility of coming across some of the ocean’s most iconic inhabitants, like a superpod of dolphins and melon-headed whales, giant ocean sunfish (mola mola), and even blue whales, as you travel to snorkel sites.
Next you will snorkel the amazing Komodo National Park with Komodo Resort as your base. The resort is situated on its own private island with an outstanding house reef, and is near the national park boundary where you can snorkel with turtles, reef sharks, cephalopods, and almost certainly giant manta rays. And you will have the chance to see the famous Komodo Dragons!
Your third and final destination will be Raja Ampat where you will stay at the wonderful Papua Explorers Resort. Located near the Dampier Strait, you will see lush soft corals, sea fan forests, and hard coral plateaus. You will have many chances to see manta rays, wobbegong (carpet) sharks and epaulette (walking) sharks, as well as several types of turtles, and a variety of colorful reef fish.
This trip is being run by our partner and friend Ben and his team. Based in the U.K., they are experts in the Coral Triangle, run amazing excursions, and have a great appreciation for the underwater world.
This small group trip is exclusively for snorkelers. It is a unique opportunity to experience a 23 day guided remote adventure filled with fantastic reefs, and beautiful landscapes. Each of the resorts you will be staying at are exceptional and unique, with fantastic food and service.
Where in the World Do You Get to Snorkel?
Alor, Komodo and Raja Ampat are all in the country of Indonesia in Southeast Asia, and they are all in the area known as the Coral Triangle. The Coral Triangle has the most biodiversity of ocean life in the world.
This snorkeling trip begins when you arrive at the Jakarta Airport. You will meet your tour leader and spend the first night in the Jakarta Airport Hotel.
The next morning you will fly with your group to Alor, via Kupang. Once you arrive you will be transferred by private car to the Alami Alor Resort. You will spend seven nights at this beautiful resort.
Then, you will be taken back to the airport to fly to Labuan Bajo via Kupang. Once you arrive in Labuan Bajo, there is a short transfer to the port where you will board the boat that will take you to the Komodo Resort. You will spend six nights at this wonderful resort.
After being taken back to the airport, you will fly to Jakarta again for a short stay in the airport hotel before your early morning flight to Sorong. Once in Sorong, you will be transferred to the port where you will board the boat that will take you to the Papua Explorers Resort. You will spend seven nights at this stunning resort.
After being transferred back to Sorong, your group will have one last flight back to Jakarta where the trip ends.
About Snorkeling Alor and the Alami Alor Resort
You will be staying at the Alami Alor Resort for seven nights. Alor is very remote, and very few tourists visit the area. That, combined with a lack of destructive fishing practices, means that the reefs are exceptional, unspoiled, and full of unique life. The other reason the reefs are so healthy and full of unique life is that Alor has strong currents, that flush the area with nutrients.
The Alami Alor Resort has a wonderful house reef to explore. It is a shallow shelf, accessed from the pier, that is full of coral life, small reef sharks, nudibranchs, spadefish, mandarinfish, crustaceans, and lots of other reef fish.
For six days, your group will snorkel nearby reefs from small boats twice a day, returning for lunch. Every spot you visit in Alor is very unique, from plateaus of colorful reefs, with clouds of small reef fish, to larger drop-offs, with larger species. Just some of the unique life you can see in Alor are mola mola, dolphins, frogfish, mandarinfish, and blue whales.
Alor is very special in our hearts for how untouched and diverse the reefs are. While you will see lots of fish, particularly a crazy abundance of smaller reef fish, and larger fish schools of spadefish, fusiliers and jacks, what really stands out for us about Alor is how incredibly diverse the fields and walls of coral life are, and how healthy they are. Every spot we visited seemed like a different ecosystem, with very different colorful corals, sponges and anemones, and the most marine biodiversity we’ve seen.
Also of note about Alor, and probably one of the big reasons the reef is so healthy, is because there is a large tidal range, and with that strong currents in the area. This flushes a lot of water through the reefs, full of nutrients. Because of this, Alor is a place to snorkel with a very experienced guide. Because of the currents our guide would often have us dropped off at one end of a reef, we would drift with the current, and we would be picked up at the other end of the reef by our boat.
Alami Alor is an intimate resort situated on a remote and quiet bay which combines luxury accommodation and delicious locally inspired food. There are six waterfront bungalows, and it will be only your group at the resort. The bedroom is air-conditioned, and there is an open air garden bathroom. There are plenty of outdoor loungers.
Guests can enjoy full breakfast, lunch, and dinner served in the dining room, family style, at the communal dining table. They serve an assortment of dishes influenced mostly by tropical Indonesian and Asian style, but also international cuisines. We found the food to be healthy and delicious, with excellent cocktails available at your own cost.
Alami Alor can accommodate most special diets such as vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, and so on.
The resort has two boats with shade covers that hold six guests plus crew. So each day your group will go out in two boats. These boats are big enough to handle a bit of weather, but small enough to drop you off and pick you up right up close to the reefs. You drop into the water from the sides of the boats, and get back on from solid stainless steel step ladders on the side of the boats (you can just see the ladder retracted in the picture below). You return to the resort for lunch between outings.
About Snorkeling Komodo and the Komodo Resort
You will be staying for six nights at Komodo Resort. Komodo is a national park of 26 islands which lie to the east of Bali. The islands are volcanic in origin with striking rugged hillsides of dry savanna and green thorny vegetation surrounded by beautiful sandy beaches.
Each day, for five days, your group will venture out by boat to explore neighboring reefs, and have lunch on board. There will also be a number of opportunities to snorkel the fantastic house reef at the resort.
Below the surface you can expect world class snorkeling. Being in the Coral Triangle, it offers an abundance of marine bio-diversity. You have many opportunities to see larger species in Komodo. There are manta ray cleaning stations scattered throughout the park. It isn’t uncommon to have encounters with large numbers of these majestic creatures, as well as eagle rays. Schooling pelagics, reef sharks, and Giant Trevally also make frequent appearances. And you are very likely to see many large sea turtles tucked into corals for a break, or coming to the surface for air.
Komodo has big tidal ranges, with strong currents, which is one of the reasons the reefs are so healthy. So you will often be led by your guide in a drift snorkel along a reef, or even around a small island, and get picked up in a different spot by the boat.
You will explore a variety of reefs, with expansive coral fields of many types, anemones, sponges, and reef fish galore. This makes the snorkeling suited to a variety of preferences.
Besides the nearly overwhelming number of small reef fish, you will also commonly see Napoleon Wrasse, and schools of jacks, fusiliers, spadefish, and trevally, and many more. Beautiful small nudibranchs are commonly sighted, as are colorful tunicates.
Topside, there’s the chance to trek to see the legendary Komodo Dragons lazing in the warm sunshine.
Komodo Resort is set on its own private island in a secluded area of eastern Indonesia. Not only is it within range of some of Komodo’s finest snorkeling sites, it has a spectacular house reef, powder white sand beaches for afternoon relaxation, and accommodation finely in tune with its surroundings.
The 16 seafront bungalows plus 4 suite bungalows are made of teak wood, have private bathrooms, and are surrounded by the nature of a desert island. All the rooms have air-conditioning, fans, mosquito netting on the beds, hot water, and 24 hours electric power.
The open air bamboo restaurant serves international and Italian cuisine with fresh produce and fish straight from the sea. You can enjoy daily homemade bread, pasta at dinner and pastries and cakes at breakfast. They also accommodate dietary restrictions. Feel the breeze and enjoy the view of the ocean sipping a glass of wine.
The resort has a large boat dedicated to your snorkeling group that ventures out each day to explore neighboring reefs. You will often have lunch on the boat between snorkeling sessions, and there is a bathroom and changing rooms on the boat. The top deck has comfy bean bags under a shaded canopy to relax while underway. The rear of the boat has two very sturdy boarding ladders for getting back on the boat after your snorkel. There is also a zodiac inflatable boat that is always out with the snorkel group so that if anyone gets tired they can return to the main boat at any time.
About Snorkeling Raja Ampat and Papua Explorers Resort
You will be staying at the Papua Explorers Resort for seven nights. The resort is located in Raja Ampat, Indonesia, in the Coral Triangle, which is the most bio-diverse marine environment in the world.
You may have heard of the incredible underwater biodiversity of the Coral Triangle area of Indonesia. Well, Raja Ampat is known to have the most species of marine life in all of the Coral Triangle. There are nearly 1,500 species of reef fish, 600 species of hard corals, seven giant clams species, seven species of sea turtles, and 57 species of mantis shrimp. And pelagic life is abundant in the area.
You will have unlimited access to the house reef and six days of three boat snorkel sessions per day. On both the house reef, and the many other reefs close by that you will visit by boat, you can expect to see healthy coral gardens dense with hard and soft corals in perfect snorkeling depths. You will find large volumes and varieties of fish schools, and will have good chances seeing bigger fish such as manta rays, reef sharks, and schools of barracuda and jacks.
Why is there so much life around the Papua Explorers Resort? The resort is located on the edge of the Dampier Strait, in the central region of a marine protected area. The strait pumps nutrient rich waters through the area which supports an abundance of marine life, large and small.
You will experience a great variety of underwater ecosystems, all close to the resort, from shallow fringing reefs to sea mounts, walls, mangroves fringed by reef, and manta cleaning stations.
Beneath the surface swarms of small fish such as damsels, fusiliers, and anthias mill about on the reef flats, while not too far away large schools of tuna, trevally, and mackerel congregate. Spadefish, surgeonfish, and barracuda gather under docks and around reef points, while angelfish and butterflyfish decorate both the reef flats and jagged coral towers. Expect fields of soft corals like you’ve never seen them before, and hard coral reefs are healthy and abundant as well.
At Papua Explorers Resort your overwater bungalow is built in traditional Papuan style with local materials, but with modern comforts. All bungalows are equipped with a bathroom, including a shower with hot water, a ceiling fan, a mosquito net, a working desk, and a comfortable seating area.
The rooms do not have air-conditioning, but with the rooms being over the water and with the ceiling fans, they are cool. Enjoy sunsets and sunrises on your spacious veranda, with a hammock and comfortable lounge chairs. You also have your own stairs down into the sea. There is satellite based WiFi internet available in the common areas.
The resort restaurant also sits over the water, and is an excellent place to view the stunning surroundings. You will be served traditional Indonesian cuisine as well as international comfort foods and snacks between snorkels. The resort can accommodate most special diets such as vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, and so on. But, it is a remote destination and specific food items may not be available.
Papua Explorers has a large fiberglass speedboat with a full canopy that is used for the daily snorkel excursions. It has plenty of room to store items that need to stay dry, like cameras. The boat has a large wooden ladder, but no toilet on board.
Trip Details and How to Sign Up
This is a small group trip and we expect it to fill quickly. Your spot is reserved with your deposit. Contact Ben below for deposit instructions.
Trip Dates and Prices:
November 2-24, 2024 – Trip full, request to be waitlisted below.
2024 Trip Price:
$9750 US per person (Twin/Double Share)
Single Person Supplement: $2000 US
April 12 – May 4, 2025 – Available.
2025 Trip Price:
$10,250 US per person (Twin/Double Share)
Single Person Supplement: $2000 US
The initial deposit for this trip is $800 US per person. At twelve months before departure there is a $1000 US per person interim deposit. At six months before departure there is a $1000 US per person interim deposit. The final balance will be due three months before departure. A few payment options are available including debit and credit cards.
Individual travelers – Ben will happily find someone of the same sex for you to share a room with to avoid the single person supplement. If he cannot find you someone, no single supplement surcharge will apply.
Inclusions:
- 1 night Jakarta Airport Hotel
- All flights, transfers and connections, includes 44lbs luggage allowance on flights – Jakarta – Alor – Komodo – Jakarta – Raja Ampat – Jakarta
- 7 nights Alami Alor Resort in a Seafront Bungalow Double Occupancy with full board
- 12 boat snorkel sessions over 6 days in Alor
- 6 nights Komodo Resort in a Deluxe Bungalow Double Occupancy with full board
- 5 full day snorkeling tours in Komodo
- Half day Komodo Dragon land tour
- 1 night Jakarta Airport Hotel
- 7 nights Papua Explorers Resort in a Deluxe Bungalow Double Occupancy with full board
- 18 boat snorkel sessions over 6 days in Raja Ampat
- Unlimited house reef snorkeling at all resorts
- Services of guide from Ben’s team and local snorkel guides throughout
- Marine park fees for Komodo and Raja Ampat
Exclusions:
- International flights and visas
- Snorkeling equipment rental
- Gratuities
- Travel and health insurance
- Soft drink and alcoholic beverages, and general sundries
- Spa services
Trip Organizers
Ben and his U.K. based team are the organizers and leaders of this trip (more about them below). Galen and Nicole from TropicalSnorkeling.com are promoting this trip, but all signups, trip organization and payments are made to and managed by Ben’s team. TropicalSnorkeling.com does receive a referral fee in exchange for promoting the trip, at no extra cost to attendees.
How to Sign Up or Learn More?
Use the contact form below to contact Ben and his team to request more information about them and express your interest in signing up. They will get back to you shortly with full details.
More About Ben and Our Partnership
Ben (pictured with Nicole) is our friend and snorkeling trips partner. He and his team are based in the U.K. and have over 20 years of experience guiding in Asia and beyond. He has been running his own business since 2010 and is primarily offering guided snorkeling trips, but he started with diving. He began offering snorkeling specific trips because he was aware that snorkelers often get the short end of the stick when thrown in with divers. He and his team love the freedom and low stress of snorkeling, and are very aware of the different needs of snorkelers versus divers, in terms of the reef depth, and calm surface conditions needed.
From our experience going on two of his snorkeling trips we found them very well organized, the guides were fantastic and very helpful, and the underwater experiences were exceptional. Snorkeling groups really get the benefit of all of Ben and his guides’ years of experience in the water, and with different resorts and liveaboards.
All of his trips are small groups of 12-18 guests, or with a similar ratio of snorkelers to guides. These are premium trips including nearly everything you will need, accommodation, meals, transportation, and more.
His company is licensed and insured. Barring extreme circumstances they do not cancel trips, and all funds are held in a trust until the trip is completed giving you 100% financial security if they or any of their suppliers go out of business before the trip happens.
Learn More About the Resorts
Papua Explorers Resort Website