UNIQUE ENCOUNTERS
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guinea.
Outlander Expeditions offers wide range of luxurious itineraries aboard Aqua Blu including Komodo National Park, Raja Ampat, Spice Islands and West Papua. Activities include nature & wildlife encounters, cultural experiences, snorkelling & scuba diving (a must!) as well as photographic opportunites. Join one of our photography-led voyages or take advantage of Outlander Expeditions’ complimentary photography prep program before go.
The Komodo dragon, also known as the Komodo monitor, is a member of the monitor lizard family Varanidae that is endemic to the Indonesian islands of Komodo, Rinca, Flores, and Gili Motang. It is the largest extant species of lizard, growing to a maximum length of 3 m, and weighing up to 70 kg. The first skeleton of a Komodo dragon was actually found Australia which suggests our lands were once joined and these beasts roamed freely. Komodo dragons are best known for their large size, powerful ambushes and a tongue that reaches 40cm. They have a high bacterial concentration in their saliva and scientists recently discovered that they also have an anti-coagulant excretion that helps them to bring down large prey.
Swimming with Whale Sharks is a highlight on our East Indies voyages. Given their ambiguous title, people of ask are they a whale or a shark? These gentle giants are actually sharks but as filter feeders they cannot bite or chew. Instead they swallow around 6000 litres of water per hour which passes out their gills. Whale sharks hold the title for the world’s largest fish, growing to an average length of 12 metres and mouth openings of up to 1.2m. Thankfully their teeth are so small that they can only eat shrimp. Distinguished by their matrix dotted markings these serve as unique fingerprint for identification.
You can learn more about these magnificent creature when you visit their habitat on one of our tours.
