SHUTTERSTOCK; JOERG MIEDZA/JAN LEONARDO WOELLERT; DIRK MEUSSLING
DESTINATIONS INDONESIA CRUISE
LEFT: Scuba diving off Komodo
FAR LEFT: Star Clipper
BELOW: Pink Beach, Komodo
‘staged’. But since they looked as fearsome as they sounded, it was probably a good thing we didn’t encounter one hunting for dinner.
◗ ASIAN ADVENTURES Star Clippers launched its Indonesia cruises last summer, offering mainly seven-night itineraries that sail either west or eastbound from Bali, the former visiting Java, the latter going to Komodo.
This year’s season has ended
and Star Clipper is now heading back to Phuket in Thailand, from where it sails two seven-night itineraries that visit tiny islands off the Thai coast. It will be back in Indonesia from June 2019. After an excellent morning looking for dragons, we had an afternoon to relax, swim, snorkel or scuba-dive on Pink Beach on Komodo. You can borrow snorkel gear for free; scuba diving, for
Sulawesi earthquake
On September 28, the Indonesian island of Sulawesi was hit by a 7.4 magnitude earthquake that claimed hundreds of lives. Star Clippers’ UK general manager Fay McCormack said: “Our hearts go out to the people in Sulawesi after the latest terrible earthquake. Agents need to understand that it
is a long way from Bali, where Star Clippers sails. Star Clipper has now returned to Thailand for the winter season and doesn’t return to Indonesia until June 2019. We hope this will not put clients off cruising in Indonesia, because, moving forward, the islands need tourists to help them rebuild.”
It was wonderful to to be anchored off Gili Sudak, an island basking in sunshine with a lovely beach
beginners and experts, costs from €55 a dive. Next morning, we had a
few hours to stretch our legs in Wera, a town in Sumbawa Island that sits in the shadow of a smouldering volcano and is known for boat-building. But by midday we were on our way again so we could make the two Gilis by lunchtime next day. And we nearly did, with a fabulous morning of cruising before the wind changed and scuppered our time on both islands.
By now even the most stoical among us were wondering what else could go wrong, so it was wonderful to wake next morning to find that we were anchored off Gili Sudak, a tiny island basking in hot sunshine with a lovely beach and great snorkelling, where the crew were busy setting up a barbecue ashore. It was a fabulous day and a
great high to end on – except it wasn’t quite the end, because that evening Star Clipper set sail with all its canvas hoisted while we were out in the tenders to watch and take pictures. They say you should always
keep the best to last. I suspect by then it was Plan Z, but it worked! Book it: From £1,530 cruise-only, departing June 22, 2019. The seven-night Eastbound Indonesia cruise round-trip from Bali visits Komodo Island, Gili Meno and Gili Trawangan.
starclippers.co.uk
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travelweekly.co.uk 25 October 2018
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