Team travel: Karl’s Family Sailing Odyssey in Komodo

What overall shape did your Indonesia trip take?

We had a week on land at the start in a couple of different resorts on Nusa Ceningan, Bali and Labuan Bajo. Flying in on the day of the Komodo sailing trip departure is possible, and some passengers had done that, but we took the opportunity to rest for a few days beforehand. I’m pleased that we did, as it gave us all time to relax and recover from the long flight before heading out to sea. The voyage itself was 9 days/ 8 nights on a Komodo to Komodo round trip, as this was the available route for the season we were there. This used to be the Bali to Komodo route before it was changed due to sea conditions. It felt like just the right length of time to be at sea, and we booked in a few days on land after the voyage too, which was a welcome bit of added wind-down time.

Which SeaTrek vessel did you sail on? 

We were on the bigger of their two boats – the Ombak Putih – which has 12 cabins and room for 24 passengers. It was full, but there was still ample space on board. There were several shared areas, including the top decks with loungers, lower decks with seating areas, and more inside too. It was all very comfortable.

Once you’ve unpacked what you need, your luggage is stored elsewhere on the boat to leave more space in the cabins, which were all a good size, with portholes for natural light. My wife and I had a cabin at the back of the boat, while my boys were up the front, and both positions had their advantages. I really enjoyed feeling the rolling of the boat, and hearing the atmospheric creaking of the wooden hull.

It felt right to be on a traditional phinisi-style vessel, as opposed to one of the more modern-styled options out there. The Ombak Putih is purpose built, with portholes and traditional-style sails, so feels very bright and open. SeaTrek’s other boat, the Katerina, wasn’t originally built for tourists – it was a working phinisi before being converted – so it is a little smaller.

Were there many other families on board?

Because of the time of year we were travelling – early school holiday season – it was a prime time for taking a family holiday. There were 3 other families with kids slightly younger than ours, and 8 children altogether on board, so there was a very relaxed and family-friendly atmosphere. The kids were a fairly broad range of ages, from about 9 years old to 18, but they all chipped about happily together. They were jumping off the bow of the boat on day 1, which is a 30-foot drop, and loving it. They tried to get the dads to follow suit, but I gave that one a miss!

What route did your SeaTrek journey follow?

For weather and logistical reasons, the routes of these kinds of trips are always very flexible. While you can’t count on going a particular way, or doing things in a particular order, you can trust that the crew know the best route to take on each day to ensure you have a great experience. The overnight journey on our second night was 15 hours long, because it was quite windy and rainy, and there had been a volcanic eruption on the other side of Flores (we were actually getting sprinkled with ash during dinner on the first night!), so we sailed away towards better weather.

The conditions aren’t always right for getting the sails out, so you can’t be too disappointed if you make headway mostly under motor power – you get to where you’re going pretty efficiently, either way.

What activities did you do during the SeaTrek trip, and how often were you able to get into the water?

There’s no phone connectivity on board for passengers – no signal, no Wi-Fi – so it was a real break from ‘scrolling culture’ for everyone, which felt brilliant. Depending on the sea conditions each day, there were different activities to choose from including paddle boarding, kayaking, and canoeing, as well as swimming and island visits.

During the course of the trip we had 2 tour leaders, who were both extremely good snorkellers, and one was a free-diver, so we got some unexpected free-diving demonstrations! The breathing techniques he showed us were nuts – they can enable people to at least double their capacity for holding their breath, and dive for extraordinarily lengths of time.

We’d generally do one snorkel in the morning and another one in the afternoon, unless we were engaged in other activities, and they were always in different places as we’d sail to a new spot during the day. We felt extremely safe in the water with our dive leaders, even in heavier currents, as they were always right with us, guiding and leading the way. When there were other activities, such as visiting the Dragons in Komodo National Park, we’d only snorkel once, but there were always extra opportunities for swimming or paddle-boarding.

As well as us passengers all snapping plenty of candid shots –  I popped my phone in a waterproof sleeve when diving – the tour leaders took a lot of pictures during the activities and of the wildlife we’d seen. Each evening before dinner there was a briefing about what different groups had seen that day, where we’d often see some of their video and photos from the day. We’d have a presentation too, about what we were hoping to see tomorrow, or about an aspect of Indonesian culture. When the trip was over, they sent us all a souvenir diary of our journey and what we’d done each day as a memento – it was a lovely touch

What wildlife did you see during your voyage?

Short answer: loads! We visited Rinca Island, one of the two islands where there are Komodo Dragons, which had changed a bit since my last visit. They’ve developed a better reception zone, with great guide accommodation and an orientation area for visitors to be told about the conservation work. It was all very sensitive to the surroundings, and considerately done.

While you’re never promised a Komodo Dragon sighting, I’ve been there before and knew that we were likely to be seeing the Dragons at every turn! We didn’t get to Komodo itself, where the Dragons are generally a bit bigger, but we saw so many on Rinca and certainly weren’t disappointed.

We saw a huge variety of marine life on our snorkels from the boat – manta rays, turtles, octopus, scorpion fish, trigger fish, and hundreds of tiny creatures deeper underwater. You could dive down towards the reef, or just look from the surface, as the water was crystal clear. I could watch the reefs all day; the creatures coming and going and the breathing of the coral. I had a couple of lovely moments swimming alongside a turtle and manta rays, which were incredible. Sometimes, when the currents were stronger, the visibility wasn’t quite as crystal-clear, but it was still very good and we saw a different variety of wildlife when the conditions changed.

One of the organised activities was swimming with whale sharks, which was wonderful. Boats are allowed hour-long time slots to moor near fishing platforms where the whale sharks gather, and during ours we were the only boat there. Three whale sharks visited our platform, and when they dived down, you could carefully swim down in their wake. Sometimes they surprised you by swimming up underneath! At one point, I spotted a whale shark start to dive, and used my free-diving breathing skills to dive down with it. For a few moments, it was just me and the shark swimming together. I got out of the water after that; there was no beating that moment.

Alongside seeing the Komodo Dragons, what were the best experiences you had when you went ashore?

More often than not, we’d spend part of each day on land. One memorable stop was at a traditional boat-building village, home of the skilled crafts-people who build the type of phinisi boats we were sailing on. These communities traditionally came from Sulawesi, and the boats are built totally from memory, with no written plans, using skills that are passed down through the generations. We saw a couple of boats in construction, which was so interesting.

We landed on a beautiful pink beach on my son’s birthday, where we had a great birthday party culminating in chucking him into the water, which he loved. On the final night we went ashore for a beach barbecue, which was spectacular – I had a lobster the size of my arm! There were wanders to waterfalls in the island interiors, and plenty of paddle boarding at sunset. So many moments.

How did conservation work play a part in your trip?

Many of the beaches had plastic waste along the shoreline – it washes in from the ocean on the tide, and is so sad to see – but no-one ignores it. We all picked up bits every time we passed, and we spent a whole afternoon doing a dedicated beach clean. It was positive to feel like we were lending a hand while we were there.

Most of the coral looked really healthy and vibrant, showing how much the conservation efforts in that area are working. On our final morning, we spent time with a coral conservation group, getting hands on with their regrowth programme, attaching young coral to the growth frames – it was a real highlight.

What are your thoughts on the down-time you had in Bali after the SeaTrek voyage – were you glad you’d included it?

Yes, definitely. The SeaTrek trip was outstanding, with so many new experiences and standout moments, and it was great to have a few days afterwards to process it. If we’d had to fly home straight afterwards, I’d have been more than happy, but having that time together at a different pace at the end of the trip was the cherry on the cake.

We arrived back in Bali and went straight to Sidemen – an area I was far less familiar with than other parts of the island. The region absolutely blew me away. We were on a ridge, with a valley to one side and rice terraces on the other, within easy walking distance of a handful of great local restaurants. There was a real sense of space, and the scenery was absolutely gorgeous. I say we relaxed, but we did also have a go at white-water rafting while we were there, which was pretty epic! We visited a local temple compound, where there was an astrologer who it was fascinating to chat with, and spent a morning learning traditional Indonesian arts and crafts in a local village community, including wood carving and a cooking class, after which we ate the resulting dishes for lunch. It was the perfect way to round off our trip.

How would you sum up your Komodo sailing experience?

The whole trip was so engaging – even more than I’d been expecting, and I’d had high hopes. The food was amazing throughout; just so good. Every morning was an early start, but we weren’t having late nights so that was fine. It was very sociable; the crew all introduced themselves through song on the second night, and we were always encouraged to get up and dance to whatever music was playing, even those like me who aren’t usually too keen!

A huge standout highlight for me was the simple fact that we’d finally taken this big trip that we’d been planning for years. There were constant special moments throughout where the boys were ticking things off their list that they’d never done before, as were we. It couldn’t really have been better, and I’ll be smiling about it for a very long time.