Taka Bonerate National Park, 6/26/2024, National Geographic Orion
Aboard the
National Geographic Orion
Indonesia & Papua New Guinea
We found ourselves coming into Bonerate National Park in the early hours of the morning. We launched the Zodiacs as early as we could to look for possible spots for snorkeling. We found a remote little island which fit us perfectly for our morning activities which consisted of diving, snorkeling, and the exploring in the glass bottom Zodiac.
The afternoon was spent at sea and as we made our way to our next destination, we had some amazing presentations by our “Bird Nerd” onboard, Dr. Pepper, and our hotel manager, Fran.
Born in Zimbabwe, Ross grew up between a 45000-acre Game Ranch and the small town of Victoria Falls, which is situated inside of the Victoria Falls National Park. Most of his earliest childhood memories were of the wildlife that was always on his doo...
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Today was volcanoes and ships day. This might sound like a weird combo, but in true expedition form, we landed at Sangeang Island, an active volcano, made some local friends and they brought us hiking up the alluvial outwash to find a cave with swiftlets nesting. Afterwards, our Bugis friends took us to their village where they were deep in the construction of an enormous, traditionally built wooden Phinisi ship. A climb inside gave us an appreciation for the scale and craftsmanship (the Bugis have been ship building for 400 years). As the sun set, we headed back to our own beautiful ship even more appreciative of National Geographic Orion ’s beautiful form and comforts.
National Geographic Orion tied up on a remote dock in the Lesser Sunda Islands of Indonesia. After boarding some especially colorful buses, we began a journey over narrow roads leading into the highlands of an ancient volcanic landscape. Upon our arrival into the village of Watublapi, it became clear that our ascent into the highlands had also taken us on a journey back in time. Beaming with pride, the villagers shared their dance, music, songs, cigarettes, handicrafts, food, and even coconut wine. The highlands have been home for these Austro-Papuan cultures for the last 40,000 years. They’ve made full use of the palms for thatch, the bamboo for construction, the rattan for binding, and the plants and animals for sustenance. The delicate process of weaving and dying cotton ikat into shirts, cloaks, and hats has been mastered by the women of Watublapi. The colorful dyes are also derived from forest plants, including indigo leaves and kebuka roots. The greatest skill, care, and pride have been poured into this process for generations. After sharing an afternoon with this generous tribe, it was quickly obvious that they’d also mastered the art of having fun and spreading joy.
We awoke this morning to a beautiful rainbow over a small island in Wakatobi National Park, to the southeast of Sulawesi. After breakfast on the back deck, we geared up for a day of snorkeling and scuba diving. Snorkelers set out first and swam along a beautiful part of the reef where we saw magnificent corals, fish, and even a sea krait! Sea kraits are venomous, semi-aquatic snakes with beautiful black and white stripes along their body. Some watched a large female as she hunted along the reef looking for eels and small fish. We boarded National Geographic Orion for lunch and repositioned south to another island in Wakatobi where we disembarked for more snorkeling and scuba diving. These operations were a true highlight of the trip so far. The coral reefs were some of the healthiest we have encountered, bursting with color and life. We saw turtles, stingrays, anemones and their resident clown fish, and thousands of other colorful fish dashing between healthy corals. We finished the day with a special cocktail evening on the sun deck, drinking rum from fresh coconuts, soaking in a magnificent day on and in the water.
