I’d like to tell you about a trip to two of the most iconic Indonesian snorkeling destinations: Alor and Komodo. Both delivered unforgettable ocean encounters, sparkling, jaw-dropping reefs, and unmatched relaxation.
As with many of our trips, we started off in Jakarta, in my home away from home, the FM7 Hotel (which I recently found out stands for “Fond Memories”!). I met my group for our welcome dinner in the hotel’s restaurant and instantly felt at ease as we all bonded over tales of snorkeling. A sense of shared excitement and anticipation for what was to come filled the room. That night/morning, we flew across the chain of islands that borders the southern end of the Indonesian archipelago and finally made it to our first resort of the two-week trip, Alami Alor.
Alami Alor
As we pulled into Alami Resort, we were greeted by the wonderful Alami staff, who showed us around and made us feel at home. Alami is a small resort, nestled in a remote Indonesian village. At Alami, you really feel like you have arrived somewhere special! Meandering garden paths, shaded by palm trees, lead each of us to our beautiful bungalows with stunning waterfront views. From here, it is not rare to spot baby reef sharks cruising over shallow coral and dolphins flipping in the distance before even leaving your room.
That first afternoon, we wasted no time jumping into Alami’s house reef, home to moray eels, octopus, baby batfish, and thriving coral, to name a few. That evening, we all met in the lounge to watch the sunset with a cocktail in hand, feast on our first delicious dinner, and settle into what was already proving to be snorkeling bliss.
Alor is definitely one of my absolute favorite places to explore. The variety of sites makes it a snorkeling playground of stunning coral and critters. Also, thanks to its renowned upwelling, cold water, currents, and protected bays, it is not short of surprise encounters with some of our larger ocean friends, such as dolphins, blue whales, and mola mola… but I’m getting ahead of myself.
Crystal Clear Waters and Indonesian Villages
The western coastline of Alor, where Alami Alor is situated, has access to a collection of nearby volcanic islands and endless coral coastline. The textbook snorkeling experience at Alor consists of being dropped up-current on a sloping edge of coral, backdropped by a remote Indonesian fishing village.
The crystal clear water lets you soak up the vastness of the busy reef. In the shallows, damselfish mesmerize snorkelers as they dance around coral heads, whilst every now and again, our incredible, sharp-eyed guides pop their heads up, letting you know there’s a rare critter to check out nearby. These gems take you by surprise, as they are often species you have never heard of, in shapes and colors you could not imagine. As you swim into deeper water, the reef slopes off into the vast blue, with coral as deep as the eye can see, covered with anemones nestled into every crevice and pyramid butterflyfish schooling over it all.
Meanwhile, children from nearby villages jump into the water to greet us and show off snorkeling skills of their own, while weathered Indonesian fishermen row past on their canoes or dive deep to collect their traditional woven fishing traps, balanced delicately in the reef! It is an experience that will stay with you long after you exit the water.
Mola Mola
We were fortunate enough to be in Alor during the new moon period. New and full moons mean larger tidal ranges and greater movements of water through the complex of islands, which the mola mola, otherwise known as sunfish, are known to use to hitch a ride up to the surface of the water.
Any snorkeler knows that mola mola encounters are very rare, as these Frankenstein-looking fish do not tend to spend much time on the surface. So, after our morning snorkels each day, we would ride the tenders to the spots where the currents are most active and scour the surface of the water for a flip of a mola mola dorsal fin. To our delight, the guides were great at spotting the mola, and we were lucky enough to have four drops with the huge fish, with all guests getting a great look at them, along with some photographs to take home.
The mola mola really are an evolutionary conundrum. As you watch them very clumsily wave their long fins, they are one of the strangest-looking animals out there!
Macro Heaven
Of course, Alor is also famous for being a critter corner of the world, and our trip was no exception. A muck snorkel near a mosque was non-stop critter action, ticking off bucket-list species such as ghost pipefish, seahorses, stonefish, and sargassum frogfish. We were even treated to a snorkel over the Alami house reef at night to see the famous mandarin fish, which were as cute and colorful as you would expect.
Alor is a must-see destination for any snorkeler!
Komodo
A week into our trip, we switched resorts and headed to a beachside slice of heaven called Kalimaya Resort, located on the eastern edge of Sumbawa Island, with access to the remote, rarely visited corners of West Komodo. Our days here consisted of delicious Indonesian cuisine, cruising through the beautiful Komodo Islands, coral that literally brought a tear to my eye, and afternoons chilling by the pool.
Komodo Snorkeling Highlights
Days at Kalimaya Resort are varied depending on weather conditions and site selection. For far-away sites, we board two speedboats that comfortably zip us over to more distant snorkel sites. For closer sites, we jump aboard the custom-built, very spacious wooden traditional-style boat, lounge on beanbags, and soak up the Komodo Island landscape as we cruise.
One of my favorite snorkel sites was on Gili Banta. That day, we took the speedboats and cruised into one of the bays. I had not visited this site before and was not sure what to expect. The second I dropped into the water, I was overwhelmed by the beauty of the coral. As shallow as three meters, huge, ancient boulder corals were like rolling underwater hills, one after the other. Embarrassingly, I do not exaggerate when I say the beauty of this reef made me tear up. The whole group was in awe. As we spread out over the shallow bay, exploring for a couple of hours, we all left that day with the glow of a great snorkel on our faces!
Another Komodo highlight was snorkeling over the black volcanic sand. Filled with yummy nutrients, it is home to rare critter species and makes a great backdrop for photos of the coral. At these sites, we also got to see streams of volcanic bubbles escaping from the sand, seemingly having made their way from deep below the Earth’s surface!
Komodo Dragons
Four days into our time in Komodo, anticipation was growing for when we would visit the notorious Komodo dragons. Organized by Kalimaya Resort, the day had finally come. We made our way over to Komodo Island, parked up, and were greeted on the beach by Komodo Island rangers. Through the safety of the ranger station fence, we all got a very close-up look at these prehistoric animals. The dragons were lying about in the sun in a group of four. However, even whilst sunbathing, these are animals to be taken seriously, with their sharp claws, muscly legs, and scaly skin. They are truly dinosaurs.
Group Dynamics
Aside from the breathtaking snorkeling and chilled resort life, the absolute highlight of this trip was our group dynamic. Everyone’s enthusiasm made for a very fun trip! Each evening, we would share photos, talk about our favorite moments of the day, and huddle around ID books. The group were even kind enough to show some enthusiasm for my coral ID talks and games!
Overall, a fantastic two weeks!!
