Orangutans & Dragons

Arrive at Ngurah Rai International Airport (DPS), Denpasar (Bali), Indonesia today. Upon arrival, a representative will assist you through immigration, customs, and baggage collection, ensuring a smooth and stress-free arrival. Once you have cleared formalities, you will be escorted to the hotel nearby. In the evening, we will gather for a welcome group dinner and orientation, where you will meet your guides and fellow travelers, and review the plan for the days ahead.

This morning we take a scheduled flight to Labuan Bajo, the gateway to the Komodo National Park. On arrival, we are transferred to our private luxury phinisi—comfortable cabins, ample deck space, and the flexibility to work first and last light.

At this shoulder season, the park is quieter, giving us more freedom to choose anchorages and timings. Over the next three days, we will explore Komodo National Park by boat, moving between islands and sheltered bays to photograph Komodo dragons with park rangers safely and ethically. We’ll deliberately skip the busiest tourist sites and peak hours, timing our landings to avoid crowds and heading for quieter areas to go in search of our own dragons.

Komodo National Park was established in 1980 with UNESCO World Heritage status given in 1991. Komodo dragons (Varanus komodoensis) are the world’s largest monitor lizard. They can grow to lengths of up to 10ft and typically weigh 150lbs. As the apex predator in the Komodo National Park the dragons are an exciting and formidable reptile to witness in the flesh. Expert Park Rangers will guide us as we capture powerful images of dragons on Rinca and Komodo islands. Komodo National Park is also known for its spectacular volcanic islands which we will spend time photographing. In between the photography there is time to relax and soak in the idyllic views as we sail through the azure waters of the Flores Sea in style and comfort.

This morning we begin the return cruise to Labuan Bajo and transfer to the airport for our flight to Surabaya. We arrive in the afternoon and transfer to our hotel. The rest of the day is yours to refresh and prepare for our travel to Borneo/Kalimantan.

This morning we take another flight, to the island of Borneo/Kalimantan. On arrival we transfer to our private riverboat and begin our journey to the jungle. Tanjung Puting National Park was originally established as a reserve in the 1930s by the local Dutch government to protect the orangutans and proboscis monkey found here. In 1977 it was designated as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and was given National Park status in 1982. There are three orangutan rehabilitation centres found within the park.

We will make our base for four days at a simple yet comfortable jungle lodge located inside the National Park. To access the park we transfer to the river port of Kumai and then travel by private riverboat (klotok) to our lodge. During our stay we will explore the national park’s main river by klotok as we search for orangutans. We will also visit orangutan rehabilitation centres and photograph at the feeding platforms, which have been set up in the jungle to support released orangutans. In addition to orangutan, wildlife which we may encounter as we cruise the river includes proboscis monkeys, langurs, macaques, hornbills and kingfishers. We return to the township in the evening on Day 9 and transfer to our hotel.

The Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park is home to Indonesia’s most spectacular volcanic landscape and covers an area of 800 square kilometres. While Mount Bromo receives most of the attention it is actually the smallest of the five volcanoes found inside the Tengger caldera. On a clear morning Java’s highest volcano, Semeru (3676 metres), can be seen in the distance. This morning we depart the hotel at 3am and drive to the National Park for sunrise photography. We return to the hotel for a late breakfast. After lunch we return to the National Park and explore the expansive Sea of Sand in private hardtop jeeps. If conditions are favourable we will photograph the late afternoon light on the volcanoes.

After breakfast we fly back to Surabaya and transfer by private vehicle to our hotel. There will be the final presentation for the group, followed by our farewell dinner.

Depart at Juanda International Airport (SUB), Surabaya, Indonesia at your leisure.