Adelaar Itinerary
Komodo Extended and Whale Sharks (DPS - LBJ) 10N11 days / 10 nights
About Adelaar
- World-class service from a team with over two decades of experience
- An intimate luxury liveaboard with just eight guests on board
- Exciting watersports and inland excursions perfect for non-divers and children
- Dive Indonesia’s top sites in Komodo, Alor and Flores
The beautiful Adelaar liveaboard boasts over a century of rich history, having sailed worldwide before earning her place among Indonesia’s elite liveaboards. With the luxury and comfort of a five star hotel, guests can enjoy every opulence, and with just eight guests on board, Adelaar offers all of this in a truly intimate atmosphere. From the superb dive deck, guests can swim with manta rays in Komodo or dive pristine reefs in Alor. Add in excursions and exhilarating water activities, and guests are assured a world-class liveaboard adventure.
Itinerary details
Length of trip 11 days / 10 nights
Number of dives 32
Experience Open Water - Minimum 60 dives
Insurance Required
Highlights
- One-way itinerary diving from Bali to Komodo National Park
- Dive into the little-known northeast coast of Lombok
- Marvel at the macro critters of Padar
- Meet the mantas of Komodo National Park
- Ranger-guided hike to find komodo dragons on Komodo Island
- Dive into the iconic, active, volcanic island of Sangeang
- Night dives included
Day 1: Bali
As the sun rises over Bali, the first day of your adventure begins at the harbor of Serangan.
After an early pickup from your hotel, we transfer to Adelaar, where your journey officially begins. As soon as you step aboard, you will be welcomed by our friendly crew with a refreshing welcome drink and a plate of tropical fruit, whose flavor is unlike anything else in the world.
While you relax and complete a few liability documents, your luggage will be brought to your cabin, and the crew will gather to introduce themselves. Worried about remembering everyone’s names? No problem—you will find the faces and names of the entire crew displayed onboard.
Shortly afterward, we will gather inside for the general and safety briefing. It is a little long, but necessary and mandatory, as we place great importance on the safety of everyone aboard.
Meanwhile, Adelaar will already be cruising along the beautiful Balinese coastline, heading toward our first stop in front of Padang Bai.
After lunch, we will hold the mandatory dive briefing before entering the water for our first dive at the beautiful Blue Lagoon. Here we will discover our first healthy coral reefs, along with symbiotic crabs, shrimps, and perhaps even the rare and well-camouflaged frogfish.
Day 2: Nusa Penida (3 dives)
Nusa Penida lies less than 10 nautical miles southeast of Bali and holds deep spiritual significance for the Balinese people. According to local belief, the powerful spiritual entity Ratu Gede Mecaling reigns over the island.
Once feared and even used as a prison island, Nusa Penida is now one of Bali’s most important diving destinations.
Its cooler, nutrient-rich waters occasionally attract remarkable marine visitors, including hammerhead sharks, thresher sharks, dolphins, whale sharks, and even the occasional great white shark.
From late July to October, cold upwellings from the deep ocean also bring the legendary Mola Mola, or sunfish, one of the most unusual yet graceful fish in the ocean. These giant fish often visit cleaning stations, offering divers a rare chance to observe them.
Today’s dives will include long drift dives across spectacular reefs, where we may encounter schools of fish, tuna, barracuda, turtles, pufferfish, and much more.
Let’s see what the Balinese spirits have planned for us. After the afternoon dive, Adelaar will begin an overnight cruise toward our next destination.
Day 3: Northeast Lombok (3 dives)
A voyage such as this, traveling from Bali toward Komodo, offers the rare opportunity to dive the little-known northeast coast of Lombok.
The remote islands of Lawang and Sulat, located just off Lombok’s mainland, offer exceptional diving. Surrounded by deep walls and channels, these sites provide beautiful drift dives in clear water, with reefs richly covered in hard and soft corals.
Because this coastline is exposed to currents and cooler waters, it also attracts pelagic species passing through.
Sharks are below the water, and dolphins are above the sea.
For snorkelers - the long reef stretching between the two islands offers a wonderful underwater experience. Beneath the surface, colorful coral reefs thrive, while above the water the scenery evokes a truly remote tropical paradise.
Keep an eye on the blue—pelagic species are often curious about snorkelers, so be ready for unexpected encounters.
Day 4: Teluk Saleh Sumbawa (3 dives)
At the heart of the massive island of Sumbawa lies a vast bay known as Teluk Saleh.
Hidden within this enormous bay is a well-known secret: the presence of the largest fish in the world—the whale shark.
These gentle giants are attracted by the scent of fish from the local fishing platforms, where they regularly gather.
We will begin the day with two diving and/or snorkeling sessions to meet these magnificent animals. There is no need to dive deep to appreciate them—the best encounters often occur near the surface, where you can observe how efficiently they feed by filtering water, plankton, and tiny fish.
For safety, conservation, and health reasons, touching whale sharks is strictly forbidden, and maintaining respectful distance is essential to reduce stress on the animals. Yet despite our caution, they often approach unexpectedly, sometimes allowing for an unforgettable eye-to-eye encounter with the largest fish in the ocean.
After this extraordinary experience, Adelaar will cruise toward the northern part of the bay for an afternoon dive in search of benthic critters, with the possibility of encountering passing pelagic species.
Day 5: Sangeang Volcano, Sumbawa (3 dives)
This morning we wake near one of nature’s true marvels: Sangeang Island.
This island is home to an active volcanic complex composed of two cones, rising to 1,949 m and 1,795 m above sea level.
Volcanic environments often create conditions favorable for rich marine ecosystems. Here, over black volcanic sand, vibrant soft corals flourish, providing habitat for numerous benthic creatures and reef fish.
One of the most fascinating phenomena found here is the so-called “champagne dive.” At certain dive sites, hot sulfur gas escapes from the volcanic seabed, creating streams of bubbles rising through the sand like champagne. You can place your hand above these bubbles and feel the temperature difference created by the volcanic activity.
For our night dive, Adelaar will relocate to the peaceful bay of Banta Island.
For snorkelers - these volcanic gas bubbles are often shallow enough to be visible from the surface. Conditions permitting, you may also have the opportunity to reach one of the island’s beaches.
Interested in local culture and boat-building traditions? A short walk leads to a small village at the foot of the volcano, where residents proudly maintain their boat-building heritage despite living in this dramatic environment.
Once our diving and activities are completed, Adelaar will cruise overnight toward our next destination.
Day 6: North Komodo National Park (4 dives)
Welcome to the UNESCO-protected Komodo National Park.
Today we wake near the famous islands of Gili Lawa Darat and Gili Lawa Laut, located at the northern entrance of Komodo Island.
No visit to Komodo would be complete without diving here. Some of the most legendary dive sites in Indonesia are found in this region, including:
• Castle Rock
• Crystal Rock
• Shotgun
• Golden Passage
Expect vibrant channels bursting with life, thrilling drift dives, and dramatic underwater pinnacles rising from the seabed. Encounters with large predators are common, including several species of sharks, the graceful eagle ray, and powerful giant trevallies.
The sheltered bays between the Gili Lawa islands also offer excellent and safe night diving opportunities.
For snorkelers - extensive reefs await exploration. Swim above massive coral formations that have developed over decades, including large fields of staghorn coral sheltering juvenile fish.
Beautiful beaches and small trekking opportunities are also available. In calm conditions, you may even enjoy paddleboarding above these spectacular reefs.
Day 7: Central Komodo (4 dives)
The central region of Komodo is one of the most current-swept areas of the park.
Depending on conditions, our team will choose the best dive sites for unforgettable dives around Tatawa and Siaba Islands.
These locations offer some of the park’s most exciting drift dives, with possible encounters including large schools of trevallies, eagle rays, and cruising sharks.
We will also dive the famous Batu Bolong, one of Komodo’s most spectacular sites. Known for its powerful currents and abundant marine life, the pinnacle is covered in bright multicolored soft corals, surrounded by giant trevallies, barracuda, sharks, and thousands of reef fish.
We may also drift to Karang Makassar in search of the majestic manta rays.
As dusk approaches, we head to Siaba Besar Bay for a night dive. Seahorses, cuttlefish, nudibranchs, and many other creatures can be found here.
Siaba is also famous as a turtle paradise, where large green turtles glide above the reef or rest peacefully in sandy areas and coral formations.
Day 8: Komodo Island (3 dives)
We begin the day with a walk through Jurassic Park. Early in the morning we go ashore on Komodo Island, when the Komodo dragons often return toward the coast to bask in the warmth while watching for potential prey—or inattentive tourists.
These remarkable reptiles are ambush predators, and during our one-hour guided walk the park rangers will teach us about their behavior, habitat, and survival strategies.
After breakfast and a briefing about our encounters, we prepare for more underwater exploration. The surrounding waters are influenced by strong tidal currents. We may dive near the famous Pink Beach, drifting above healthy coral reefs and schools of fish, or explore the remote Loh Serah Bay in search of unusual critters.
For snorkelers - Pink Beach gets its color from microscopic fragments of red coral skeletons, combined with sand produced by parrotfish that grind coral into fine particles.
The coral reef along the beach provides excellent snorkeling opportunities. Nearby islands such as Lasa Island and Intan Island also offer great snorkeling options. You might even encounter Pumba, the resident black pig living near the beach.
Day 9: South Komodo (3-4 dives)
Facing the Indian Ocean, the southern part of the park benefits from cooler, nutrient-rich waters rising from the deep.
These conditions attract one of our favorite gentle giants: the manta ray. Manta Alley is a famous cleaning station where mantas often gather. Bring your camera and enjoy the spectacle.
For more adventurous guests, we may also dive to Langkoi Rock, where strong currents can attract pelagic species, including hammerhead sharks.
Later we move to Padar Island, where diving options include reefs shaped by small walls and ridges, submerged pinnacles, remote islands, and even wrecks combined with muck diving.
After the third dive, we hike to Padar’s iconic viewpoint, one of Indonesia’s most famous landscapes—so famous it appears on the 50,000 rupiah banknote.
The hike takes around 20 minutes and is moderately steep, but the view is well worth the effort.
For snorkelers - conditions can be choppy but rewarding, and manta encounters are still possible.
Padar also offers beaches, one of which is home to wild deer. They are shy, but you may get close enough for a memorable photo.
Day 10: North Rinca (2 dives)
For our final dives, we explore the northern side of Rinca Island.
This region offers a wide range of dive environments, including muck dives, protected reefs, and current-swept sites. Possible dive sites include Bonsai, Pengah, Wainilu, and Pulau Kamping.
Expect finger-shaped reefs, pinnacles, and black-sand slopes filled with critters—a perfect way to end the diving portion of the trip.
After lunch, Adelaar will cruise to Pulau Kalong.
At sunset, relax on deck with a refreshing drink and watch the sky. As dusk falls, thousands of flying fox bats leave Kalong Island in search of food.
With wingspans reaching up to one meter, they create an unforgettable spectacle. (And beware—they do not appreciate drones.)
Day 11: Thanks for joining us!
We arrive in Labuan Bajo in the morning by 7:00 AM. Disembark after breakfast for your onward journey.
Sample itineraries are for guidance only. Actual itineraries may differ slightly due to factors such as weather, wildlife, logistics, and local regulations.
Transfer details
Departure
09:00am
Serangan Harbour, Bali
Denpasar Airport: DPS
Return
10:00am
Labuan Bajo
Labuan Bajo Airport: LBJ
Current availability and prices: https://www.zubludiving.com/itineraries/adelaar/itn-2507170347441-komodo-extended-and-whale-sharks-dps-lbj-10n