Kimberley and Indonesia Expedition

Pricing based on departure date: 18 July 2025

Itinerary Highlights

Komodo Island

Komodo, the volcanic island of giant lizards, lies 320 miles (515 kilometres) east of Bali. Komodo is 25 miles (40 kilometres) long and 12 miles (19 kilometres) wide; its parched hills ascend to a height of 2,410 feet (734 metres). Komodo is home to a community of some 2000 people who make their living primarily from fishing. The island is the centrepiece of the Komodo National Park, where you will find the most tangible legacy left behind from the Jurassic Era. Komodo Island was little-known and the Komodo dragons were only a myth until the giant lizards were scientifically described in 1912.

Pink Beach Komodo

Pink Beach earned its name for the way the beach can appear to have a rosy hue in certain lights. The color comes from small flecks of red coral mixed in with the fine white reef sand. With a few trees along the beach for shade, this stretch of coast makes a fine place to relax or enjoy a snorkel or dive in the crystal clear waters. It is possible to spot a striped clown fish nestled among the protective tentacles of its sea anemone host, or to see a grouper lazily swimming by a flamboyant soft coral. The reef here is now protected by law and the maturing corals are a joy to behold.

Palopo Sulawesi

Palopo is a municipality in the South Sulawesi Province of Indonesia, with a population of approximately 150,000. The city has an ancient history dating back to its founding in the early 1600s. The port has always had a trade link to the highlands of Sulawesi known as Tana Toraja, and a physical link through a twisting mountain pass making it a perfect gateway to Toraja. The land of Toraja is an ancient and mysterious place where residents adorn their homes with the horns of water buffalo killed in funeral ceremonies and ornate carvings painted in bold reds and black. In many ways the Tana Toraja customs of honoring the dead dictate their ways of life. Human remains rest in stone chambers in the hillsides and burial caves high in the cliffs. Elaborate funeral ceremonies which can take months or even years to prepare can go on for days and can draw hundreds of people in a festival-like atmosphere.

Bau Bau

Buton Island seems to be small compared to its neighbor Sulawesi, but with slightly more than 4,400 square kilometers (just under 1,700 square miles) it is Indonesia’s 19th largest island. Much of the lowland consists of uplifted karst and other limestone formations. Due to its hilly topography it still has a considerable amount of forest; most of it is seasonal tropical lowland forest with mangroves in coastal areas. Visitors to Bau-Bau, the main city on Buton Island, may well be welcomed with a mangaru, which is a welcome dance performed by three men to respect guests and to ward off enemies. Overlooking Bau-Bau is Benteng Keraton Buton, known as having been the seat of the sultan. Claiming to be the biggest fort in Indonesia and made of coral blocks, it commands an excellent view over the city and port and the sea beyond.

Talbot Bay

Talbot Bay is famous for the Horizontal Falls which have been described as “one of the greatest natural wonders of the world“. Nicknamed the "Horries" and known as Garaanngaddim by the local Indigenous people, are an unusual natural phenomenon on the coast of the Kimberley region in Western Australia. The region’s tides of close to 36 feet create an amazing spectacle when the water tries to enter or leave Poulton Creek through two very narrow openings located one behind the other in the McLarty Ranges. Water builds up faster on one side than it can flow through the gaps, leaving or entering depending on the tide. This incredible tidal power can be experienced when zodiac cruising around the Horizontal Falls.

Montgomery Reef

Benoa, Bali, Tagat Sagel Reef, Komodo Island, Pink Beach, At Sea, Palopo Sulawesi, Bau Bau, At Sea, Pulau Semau, Kupang, At Sea, Darwin, At Sea, Talbot Bay, Montgomery Reef, Freshwater Cove, Kimberley, Hunter River Region, Vansittart Bay, Koolama Bay, Darwin

All fares are displayed in AUD, and pricing is per person based on twin share occupancy unless stated otherwise. Although all due care is taken to keep information as up-to-date as possible, pricing and availability are subject to change without notice: due to varying timing schedules of supplier automated update processes; currency fluctuations; fuel surcharges or government tax & fee changes and may not be guaranteed until paid in full. Gratuities may be an additional onboard charge depending on particular cruise line selected. Please ask your cruise consultant for any clarification of Terms & Conditions.