Tiger Blueis definitely all about being able to dive in the amazing waters of Indonesia. However, being on a live-a-board like this also allows you to participate in a huge variety of other activities set in wonderful landscapes and locations. The list is endless and we are very happy to provide itineraries that can match your interests from astronomy, to bird watching, photography and painting, surfing, hiking, fishing, water sports, bird watching, history and cultural expeditions.
Tiger Blue cruises you to stunning islands which inspire people to walk and hike. The islands offer something for all fitness levels and treat you to some of the cleanest clearest air on the planet. The Komodo Islands offer some of the most easily accessible, breathtaking views in the world. The grassy slopes make for easy hiking and the small size of the islands, the lovely sandy beaches all provide long wide views and a sense of easy satisfaction. Sunsets are best viewed here from a grassy ridge. Small islands set in amongst shades of turquoise water offer photographers great opportunities to come home with amazing images of exotic and evocative lands. For artists, the atmosphere of these islands is inspiring and the challenge of trying to capture the essence of the place with paint on paper. Hiking in the Komodo National Park with guides brings the extra thrill of hunting for dragons. On Flores, the hike up to the Kelimutu Lakes is easy, taking you a long a clear trail in light forest filled with a large variety of birds, and then back down to a busy ikat market. Gunung Api, the volcano in Banda is a tougher climb, at times very like trying to walk uphill on ground strewn with little balls, but the satisfaction of reaching the top and being able to see all the Banda Islands set in a never ending ocean, as well as standing on the edge of the thrilling crater, is actually hard to beat. In addition, Des Alwi, the 'King' of Banda offers citizenship to the islands on reaching the summit! On Sumba you can stroll more leisurely on never ending white sandy beaches. Beach activities are not just about lying about and getting a tan. The islands of Eastern Indonesia offer up a whole range of different types of beaches to explore. Fine sand beaches can sit across a channel of 100 metres of water, from a beach with perfectly rounded stones. One beach can have sea glass thrown up on it, another just round shells, yet another just piled with sticks 1 foot long. The geography and natural history of these islands is fascinating. The animal life and bird life is unlike anywhere else. On Komodo you have the dragons of course, but you also have them with the mega lobes, flightless birds, left overs from the age of the dinosaur. Jungle fowl with long trailing tail feathers are also common on Komodo, as are large birds of prey often seen on the bare branches of the Red Kapok tree, no leaves but full of plastic like red flowers sprouting straight out of its branches. Deer, wild boar and goats also roam the slopes of the Komodo Islands. On Banda bird watchers are treated to the large whooping pink Banda pigeon. This bird devours the nutmeg fruit whole and you can hear their whooping calls in the mornings and evenings, when they congregate on the fig trees near the waters edge at the entrance of the channel that enters into Banda Niera Harbour. They are very attractive birds blushed in pink. On the volcano, deer, introduced by Des Alwi can be spotted, their antlers sticking above the vegetation. For the fisherman in you, the open waters south of Flores offer great runs of wahoo. Trolling lines from the rear of Tiger Blue whilst cruising is the easiest way to catch dinner and this fish is fantastic eaten as sushi with wasabi and soy sauce, or as cerviche, marinated in lime juice and spices. Rods can be taken out on the tender, most popularly just before sunset, drinks on board. A great sunset cruise! Children love going out in the small tender, bottom fishing with lines straight off the side of the tender. The delight on the faces of those who have caught their first fish this way is hard to beat and again cameras can capture these great moments experienced on Tiger Blue. Fly fishing is also an option to try in the calmer waters of bays where Tiger Blue is anchored. Barracudas caught on lines make great curries but Marlins are released and returned to the sea. There are always activities that everyone enjoys, no matter what age. Snorkeling in clear clear waters amongst vibrant shoals of fish and stunningly healthy corals, like those in Banda, gives everyone great pleasure. Children and adults alike can spend hours viewing large anemones on outcrops that are crowded with clown fish. Swimming above giant parrot fish listening to them crunch coral is also highly entertaining, and watching all the soft corals sway in the currents can be mesmerising, whilst swimming with manta rays in Komodo cannot be often repeated in many lives. Bonfires are joint efforts and all the Tiger Blue crew gather beach firewood and make up a giant bonfire. Kids will happily join in and on bonfire night, there are often a few smaller individual fires set up alongside the bar-be-que. It is activities and evenings like this that make a trip on Tiger Blue so memorable. It is also on clear evenings on the beach that stars and planets can suddenly become a topic of interest with everyone wanting to know which constellations are visible, which planets are the brightest. A laser in the hands of someone who knows the stars makes for a very entertaining evening. The top deck and the stars are also a big draw for teenagers keen to sleep on deck. Younger kids can sleep happily and safely on the deck beds whilst we are anchored overnight. Every island visited by Tiger Blue offers different cultural experiences. On Komodo you are introduced to the woodcarving skills of the locals. Here, they have honed these skills to make a living carving statues of the dragons. They also carve shells into lovely manta and dolphin amulets. All these can be bought when they paddle out on their little canoes to Tiger Blue, or at the park entrances where they gather with their wares. Pearl cultivation has taken off around the islands of Komodo and also Banda where the sale of coloured pearls supplement the incomes of the local people. On Sumba, Flores and this string of islands it is their skill with the craft of weaving, spinning, natural dyes and basket weaving that really comes to the forefront. People here produce this kind of work to make things for their own use. Handwoven baskets are used for everything from containers to put fodder for pigs, to collect palm sap for natural palm sugar. for carrying fish, fabrics, crops - these woven pandanus leaf baskets are exquisite in their simplicity- very much in the same way the Shaker crafts are perfect in their practicality. The whole spinning, natural dying process and weaving of the traditional ikat clothes is completely fascinating on Sumba and the skills that are present there are really worth going to look at. In addition the people still maintain their traditional dances which can be viewed under coconut palms at night with flame lanterns and genuinely skilled weavers presenting their cloths for sale. This kind of atmosphere is hard to find. On the Southern coast of Flores religion is a big influence and huge churches stand over grass roofed houses. In Lamalera weavers use indigo blue as their colour of choice, in Sumba, the preferred colours are ochre and saffron. Ponies are a big part of Sumba culture, as are their painted fishing boats, the sea a big part of their livelihood. In Banda, if you visit at Adil Fitri, marking the end of the fasting month, you are privileged to view the very intimate ritual of the villagers on Banda Besar cleaning and decorating the graves of their loved ones. A voyage on Tiger Blue is very much a private introduction to many cultures and ways of life not available to many people. It is a trip of a lifetime.
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