Itinerary Sample

DAY 1: Labuan Bajo & Pulau Kaaba

Pick up guests at Labuan Bajo airport in the afternoon then board Jakare in the port of Labuan Bajo. If time permits, sail to Pulau Sebayur Kecil for one refresher dive then sail to Pulau Kaaba / Rinca for bat-watching in the end of the afternoon. Anchor / overnight at Pulau Kaaba.

Activities: Welcomed drinks and snacks will be served while the Cruise Director will brief the guests on the safety, onboard organization, and overall itinerary, and present the crew. Guests will then be shown their cabins to settle in, refresh, and get ready for the start of the Cruise.
If time permits, Jakare will sail toward Pulau Sebayur. This sailing time is usually a good time for resting and briefing on the diving (checking the certifications and the dive equipment).

• Dive 1: This dive is a refresher dive at Sebayur Kecil, an easy dive to test the equipment, refresh the dive skills, and get familiar with the facilities.

Jakare will then sail southward to Pulau Kaaba (10NM) and anchor just close to the small island. Bats watching will start at sunset and will last a couple of hours. Guests will be able to enjoy the sundeck and watch the stars if the sky is clear.

Overnight: anchorage in the same Pulau Kaaba location.

DAY 2: Pulau Rinca, Komodo Dragons and Pulau Padar

Overview: Early morning, sail to Pulau Kambing. Dive Wainilu then visit Komodo Dragons (Varanus Komodoensis) at Loh Buaya / Rinca. Sail to Pulau Tengah and dive there. Then Sail to Pulau Mawan and dive there. Then head for Padar and overnight in Pulau Padar.

Activities: Jakare will sail toward nearby Pulau Kambing early morning to arrive at the mooring area around 7:30.

• Dive 2: Dive Wanailu, one of the best muck dives in the Komodo located in the mangrove area.

Guests will enjoy their breakfast on board before heading for the Komodo Dragon visit. Transport from Vessel to shore at Loh Buaya will be done via Dinghy and guests will be welcomed by the rangers at the little pier and brought to the national park office where the rangers will give us instructions. Guided by one of the rangers, the amazing walk in the Rinca savannah will last between 30min to 2 hours depending on the circuit chosen. Komodo dragons and wild animals like wild boar or deer are commonly observed close to the rangers' station and in the wild. Jakare will then sail toward Pulau Tengah for the second dive of the day.

• Dive 3: Dive at Pulau Tengah: this is a dynamic dive, a pinnacle well exposed in the middle of the main Komodo current stream. The walls are full of soft and hard corals and depending on the conditions, big schools of fishes can be spotted there. Turtles, sharks, jacks, and other pelagic fiches play on the edge of the current.
• Dive 4: Jakare will then sail toward Pulau Mawan in central Komodo, where Manta, sharks, and turtles are usually spotted in shallow water. The dive is also home to a beautiful preserved coral garden.

Jakare will then head for Pulau Padar with the favorable tide. Anchoring and overnight in Padar.

DAY 3: Pulau Padar (Central-South Komodo)

Overview: Trekking in Pulau Padar in the early morning then dive Pillarsteen, the Three Sisters, and secret garden. Then heads south to Nusa Kode (south Rinca). Arrive before sunset, anchoring, and overnight in Nusa Kode.

Activities: Wake up early morning and climb Padar for a fantastic sunrise over the Komodo archipelago. Return to Jakare and enjoy a rich breakfast jump, and swim around the boat to cool down.

• Dive 5: Dive at tree sisters: depending on the timing, this dive can be challenging. Located southeast of Padar, the dive site consists of 3 main big submerged rocks ranging from 3 to 30m water depth. Well known for the nudibranchs and critters diversity but also schools of yellow and blue fusiliers, coral fishes, and as well as some pelagic fishes
• Dive 6: Dive Pilarsteen: a nice wall covered with colorful corals and sponges and full of marine life like large schools of fusiliers. The landscape is really interesting with caves and swimthroughs at different depths.
• Dive 7: Dive Secret Garden: located on the other side of the bay, this place is home to beautiful coral and abundant marine life. Manta or Mobula rays are usually spotted there.

Jakare will then leave after the dive and head to one of the most visited sites in Komodo: Pantai Merah or Pink Beach. Visit the beautiful beach, snorkeling, and diving. Guests will be able to enjoy the sunset on the beach and get back to Jakare where dinner will be served. Overnight / anchoring close to Pantai Merah.

• (Option) Dive 8: Night dive - Pantai Merah

DAY 4: Komodo Central

Overview: Wake up early and sail to Central Komodo, dive Karang Makassar, sail and dive Batu Bolong, Pulau Tatawa, and sail up to Gili Lawa overnight.

Activities: After an early start, guests will be able to enjoy their breakfast en route toward Komodo Central. Jakare will take a mooring or anchor at Pulau Siabah or thereabout. Guests will leave with the dinghy for Karang Makassar, the famous manta rays cleaning and feeding station.

• Dive 9: Dive Karang Makassar: access will be done via dinghy. This is a rewarding snorkeling and diving site where manta rays or eagle rays may be spotted from the surface. The site is located in 8-15m water depth and manta rays are coming from all over to get cleaned by small fishes and feed from the rich nutrient filled waters. A unique spectacle offered by these majestic fishes that should not be missed. After a good break on Jakare, Jakare will sail toward Batu Bolong, one of our best dives in Komodo.
• Dive 10: Dive Batu Bolong: Batu Bolong is an emerging pinnacle in the middle of the channel and offers current dive on this dynamic reef facing directly the current. The soft and hard corals are colorful and healthy, and all food chains are on open display there, from reef fishes feeding on rich waters full of nutrients to big pelagic including black-tip and white-tip sharks and giant trevally. Schools of yellow fins barracudas, yellow snappers, and silver trevally are very common as well as dogtooth tunas. A must not to be missed. Pulau Tatawa may be proposed as additional diving.
• Dive 11: Dive Tatawa Besar: a wonderful drift dive, starting at falling tide from the northern tip of Tatawa Besar Island, both on the western and eastern sides. Lots of hard and soft coral, coral fishes, and schools of fusillers are usually spotted there.
• (Option) Dive 11: Or dive Tetawa Kecil: a more advanced dive depending on the tides. The Western side of the island is best to dive with great topography including boulders and caverns with sea fans. Large schools of snappers, sweetlips, and jacks can be spotted, and the coral is very healthy and beautiful.

Jakare will then move to Pulau Gili Lawa and on the way and with a little bit of luck, guests may spot wild animals like wild boar or local deer on the beaches or savannah of Pulau Komodo. Jakare will take a mooring or drop an anchor in a peaceful bay in the south of Gili Lawa, overnight there.

DAY 5: Pulau Gili Lawa (Komodo North)

Overview: Dive at Golden Passage then head north and dive Crystal Rock and Castel Rock. Jakare will then sail southward and finds its anchorage on the east coast, in a quiet bay close to the Coldron Dive site.

Activities:

• Dive 12: Diving at Golden Passage: a current dive located in the passage between Gili Lawa island and Komodo Island, offering beautiful and healthy soft and hard corals as well as plentiful marine life, including turtle, schools of sweet lips and trevally hunting in the rich fast-moving waters.

After the first dive, the Jakare will sail north and take a mooring in north Gili Lawa Laut, facing Crystal Beach.

• Dive 13: Crystal rock: named for its usual crystal clear waters, this dive site is an exposed pinnacle directly facing the current and attracting a lot of marine life including reef fishes themselves attracting pelagic such as reef sharks, grey sharks, and giant trevally. The dive site is large enough to accommodate all diving levels, with also a large number of small creatures to be found in the less exposed gentle slopes corals.
• Dive 14: Dive Castel Rock: Castel Rock is one of the iconic dive sites in Komodo, similar type as Crystal Rock although the pinnacle is smaller hence the dive is sometimes more technical with a strong current. There is an abundance of sea life including schooling jacks, fusiliers, snappers, reef sharks, giant trevallies, turtles, and also very healthy coral.

Jakare will then leave its northern position to find a nice and quiet anchorage in one of the bays on the eastern shore of Gili Lawa, leaving some time for resting on board the vessel and possibly exploring the island or discovering the reefs close to Jakare with the kayaks and SUP. Overnight at Gili Lawa.

• (Option) Dive 15: Night dive - Pagoda

DAY 6: Pulau Gili Lawa (Komodo North)

Overview: Dive Coldron, Aquarium, and Golden Passage reverse way. Overnight in Gili Lawa.

Activities: An early morning trek in the savannah of Gili Lawa will be proposed (on the condition that trekking is permitted). Guests will then return to Jakare, enjoy their breakfast, and prepare to dive into the shotgun passage and Aquarium.

• Dive 16: Dive the Coldron: one of the most spectacular dives of Komodo. The dive site is a passage between Gili Lawa Darat and Gili Lawa Laut creating an interesting topography and strong current that attracts a lot of sea life and has stunning hard coral gardens on each side of the path. An eagle ray and manta rays can be spotted there as well as lots of pelagic fishes like trevally, tunas, and others. The Coldron is also home to a lot of tiny critters such as frogfishes and nudibranchs.
  
• Dive 17: Dive Aquarium: an easy dive to enjoy a nice coral garden and possibly manta rays or other pelagic fishes passing by on the way to the Coldron.
• Dive 18: Dive the golden passage (the other way): similar dive site as above but done reverse way. A drift/current dive offering stunning coral gardens on each side of the passage. Overnight in quiet Gili Lawa Bay.

DAY 7: Pulau Siaba - Labuan Bajo

Overview: Jakare will start early and head toward Komodo Central for new dive sites at Pulau Siaba. Then sail back to Labuan Bajo.
Activities: Early start for the Jakare, heading north or south depending on the choice of the guests. Guests will be able to enjoy their breakfast on the way.

• Dive 19: Dive Siaba Besar: the huge hard and healthy coral reef at Siaba Besar is inside a calm bay and is home to turtles, sting rays, and many other coral fishes. The sand around the coral is an amazing macro dive site with various species of Frogfishe, cuttlefish, and nudibranch.
• Dive 20: Dive Siaba Kecil: siaba Kecil is a very nice drift dive, more for advanced divers. It can be done on a falling tide (reef on the right) or a rising tide (reef on the left). The reef is rich in hard coral including nice sea fans and pelagic life can often be seen in the blue (Trevally, sharks). *For Crystal Rock and Castel Rock, refer to the above.

At the end of the morning, Jakare will sail eastward back to Labuan Bajo.

On the way back to Labuan Bajo, guests will have time for filling their diving log books if not already done, stamping their log book by the Diving Instructor/dive master, and exchanging addresses and photos from the wonderful time spent together. A small ceremony and goodbyes from the crew will be organized on board the Jakare before leaving the boat to the airport or hotel.


(*) itinerary description provided by the boat operator

Marine Life: At least 75 percent of all coral species can be found in Raja Ampat, divers can expect a range of topography from soft corals and sea fans, to hard corals, seagrass beds, mangroves, shallow reefs, deep drop offs, caves, black sand, and white sand. Giant manta rays, sea turtles, sharks, cuttlefish, pipefish, various seahorse species, and massive schools of reef fish are the norm, plus the delightful wobbegong sharks and epaulet sharks inhabit these waters too.

The last dive will be on the penultimate day of the trip. Divers are recommended to wait for 24 hours before flying after the last dive.

Sample itineraries and maps are for illustrative purposes only. The exact route and sites visited are subject to change based on local regulations, guest experience, weather, and logistics and are at the Captain's discretion.

The daily program will be presented, discussed, and confirmed with the guests every evening for the day after.