7 days Alor, culture, nature and snorkelling

After picking up your luggage from the carousel you walk out of the little airport hall. Your guide and driver are waiting there for the transfer to your hotel on the beach of Sebanjar. The rest of the day is yours (free). A very nice place for snorkelling!

Today you step into a small boat to visit the neighbouring islands and do a lot of snorkelling. First your captain sets sail for Pura island with beautiful snorkelling spots. Ashore you see how the traditional grass fishing baskets are made and you visit a local Sopi distillery where palm wine is distilled from the flower moisture of the Lontar palm. You have lunch (most of the time with fresh lobster!) on the beach. Then, you sail to the island Ternate, where you can admire lots of colourful fish and corals under water. Almost every woman on the island works in little ikat weaving workshops. If there’s enough time left we’ll visit Kepa island too to see the ‘nursery’ of the sea turtles.

After breakfast you drive to Bampalola, a traditional village where the Fet tribe celebrates its ceremonies. Normally the houses are unoccupied. For festivities only the original population returns to the village to eat and dance together. To get to Bampalola you have to do quite a tough hike of about half an hour. After Bampalola you drive again along the southern coastal road to kampong Hula and visit the ikat workshop of Mama Sariat. Her ikats have won many prizes and Mama Sariat passes her expertise on to the women of the neighbouring island Ternate. In the workshop you can see how they cultivate and spin cotton, how cotton-thread is dyed and patterns are made, and finally the weaving process itself. You continue our way to kampong Babussholah and visit the mosque here. Inside you’ll find the oldest (12th century) Koran of south-east Asia. The Koran is written out by hand on parchment. Finally we visit the woodcarving workshop of Bapak Midun.

Today you drive to Mali beach, immediately next to the airstrip of the airport. From the beach step step onto a local pirogue and go with Pak Oné looking for his friend Mawar, a male sea cow, near small Sika island. Unfortunately you can’t swim anymore with Mawar, but from the pirogue you can see very well how he plays around the boat. You have lunch on the beach of Sika island, a little mangrove conservation island. From here you get on the water again to snorkel with the manta rays. NB-1: The order of these excursions depends on the tide. NB-2: Sika island is a protected natural park. It is possible that, due to circumstances, the island is closed for public (and consequently snorkelling with the Manta rays is neither possible). In that case we’ll look for an alternative, such as for instance planting of young mangrove near Buiko beach.

Today a day full of variety. You start with a visit at the 1.000 Moko museum. In the museum some 50 Moko are displayed, bronze kettledrums that Vietnamese traders exchanged hundreds of years ago for Alorese spices. Moko are particularly important when people want to get married. The future husband has to offer a Moko as part of the bridal dowry, No Moko, No Marriage... The museum displays also some historic utensils and has a separate building with ikats. After the museum you'll visit the local traditional market. Always an inspiring place for special encounters and beautiful photos. You continue your way to the traditional village Monbang where the Kabola tribe shows you some of their rituals. Here you also go for a walk through the plantations and you can dress up in the traditional clothes made out of tree bark… The rest of the day you can enjoy the beaches at Buiko and Maimoi.

Tapkala is one of the nicest traditional villages on Alor. You get a very warm welcome and have a talk with the chief of the Abui tribe. The people show you their culture and rituals with evident pleasure. The right moment to take a selfie in traditional Abui clothes! A little further are the Tuti hotsprings with three springs, one of them is almost constantly gushing water like a geyser. The last part of the day is for snorkelling in front of Kepa island. Beware of the current! When the tide is waning the current is too dangerous. On the spot we decide in which order we’ll do the program. When you’re snorkelling at Kepa you’ll see incredibly many tropical fish and fantastic coral. There’s a big chance you’ll also see sharks (1 to 2m) swimming around!

After breakfast your driver brings you to the small airport of Alor for your flight to Kupang. If you wish, Merapi can also take care of your flights from and to Alor, from Bali, Flores or Jakarta. It’s a bit of a puzzle, but we’re happy to do that for you.