The wonders of a voyage to Indonesia

In the early morning over the waters of the Lesser Sunda Islands, only the silhouette of Lembata Island is visible. It’s 5am, and there are a few flickering lights shining near the water beneath the shadow of the triangular mountain that rises 1,455 metres into the sky. A few seconds pass before bright orange lava pierces the darkness, followed by plumes of grey smoke that muddle with the inky sky.

“That’s Ile Lewotolok,” says Goris Atawuwur, Silolona Sojourns’ dive instructor and guide. “One of 130 active volcanoes in Indonesia.” The orange lava froths and splashes into the sky for a few seconds before Ile Lewotolok becomes dark again, leaving us 12 gobsmacked spectators gawking at this hypnotic sight from a small tender below.

Ile Lewotolok appears almost unnaturally symmetrical: a stratovolcano with a perfectly triangular silhouette and a small village (Lamaau) on the shoreline directly below it. “That’s quite normal here in Indonesia,” says Atawuwur. With so many volcanoes here and a high population of more than 286 million, the proximity is not surprising.

According to the Centre of Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation, approximately five million people live within a direct radius of Indonesia’s active volcanoes. The country has the world’s highest concentration of them. Indeed, they are an important part of everyday life in Indonesia, bringing agricultural fertility, tourism and economic resources. Projects to keep those living in “red zones” seek to minimise risk through Volcano Eruption Emergency Plan of Action (EPoA), volcano alerts and physical safety infrastructure.

Stretching 3,000 kilometres is the Sunda Arc, a volcanic belt in the Pacific Ring of Fire between the islands of Flores and Sumatra. Along this stretch, many of the volcanoes, like Ile Lewotolok, are visible from the water, and that’s one of the many reasons that Silolona Sojourns, an Indonesian charter specialist, operates two traditional phinisis here.

Silolona Sojourns was founded in 2002 by Patti Seery. What sets it apart is the team’s local knowledge and relationships with the local communities. The phinisis are sensational, too. We are cruising from Alor to Flores on a tandem charter with Cookson Adventures that includes both phinisis, 40-metre Si Datu Bua (meaning beloved princess) and 50-metre Silolona.

Beautifully crafted from tropical hardwoods and crewed exclusively by a local team, the boats conjure a magical feeling and impress with their varnished dark woods and huge cabins.

The Ring of Fire itinerary stretches approximately 180 nautical miles from Alor to Flores, meandering around the Lesser Sunda Islands and visiting tribes, diving and seeing the extraordinary landscapes that make up the region. Seery had a mission to highlight and support the spellbinding allure of the Indonesian archipelago. She passed away in 2020 but leaves behind a profound legacy that’s intertwined with the local tribes and communities that we interact with on our Ring of Fire itinerary.

This legacy is now the responsibility of her son, Tresno, and his wife, Sarah, who share the same passion for the region and the people that live here. During her time in Indonesia, which began in the 1980s, Seery explored the country’s far reaches and bonded with many local tribes. The boats themselves are beautiful and give off a real air of adventure, but it’s this connection with the communities that sets Silolona Sojourns apart.

After an hour of climbing a steep, rutted road of hairpin bends through dense forest on Alor Island, the sound of pounding drums cuts through the birdsong. It leads us to a small village where a group of locals, smiling through betel-nut-stained lips, wearing clothes made from tree bark, gather to mark the build of a new house.

The ritual begins with dance. Villagers move in formation with long swords, swiping in time with the drums. It is a communal moment, drawing the entire village in and is led by the elder, who is ceremonially carried to the clearing on bamboo poles.

Once the ritual is complete, we are ushered into the shade and greeted with shy smiles and food, consisting of plantain with shredded coconut and mind-blowingly strong coffee. This is one of approximately 12 indigenous tribes on Alor Island.

In this moment, it’s the relationship with the crew and Seery that stands out. “It’s not a place that you can just come and visit,” says Atawuwur. “Patti built a relationship with the tribes; she did such a huge amount for the region.”

Upon our return to Si Datu Bua, we are greeted enthusiastically by the crew, cool scented towels and ice-cold drinks (or fresh coconuts) offered each time a guest steps back on board. We sail away from Alor’s rugged coastline and embark on a short passage west to Lembata Island.

Lunch is served out on the foredeck, a huge full-beam space from where you can see the gentle curve up to the bow. Food on board is local, with nasi goreng, creamy soup and freshly caught fish. Today is soto ayam, a turmeric-yellow chicken noodle soup with egg and lime. Dishes are served with wonderfully hot Indonesian sambals (a homemade chilli paste) and sometimes a beautifully dressed lobster. It’s a good thing you can work off your lunch by swimming off the boat in virtually all anchorages as it’s easy to overindulge here.

The phinisis drop anchor off the north-eastern tip of Adonara, and the crew whisk us off in tenders for sundowners between the mangroves. As the sun bleeds a glorious magenta and bruised purple into the horizon, we sit with fresh margaritas, looking on to the silhouettes of the two phinisis anchored together.

Just as the light begins to fade, thousands of bats fly above us in total silence. They look small in their gigantic cloud, which flows over us for more than 10 minutes, but sunda fruit bats have wingspans of more than a metre. “Every evening they fan out in search of fruit trees,” says Atawuwur. “They do this daily migration at sunset.”

In other parts of the world a sight like this would draw a crowd of onlookers, but there isn’t another soul in sight here. Over the course of the whole itinerary, we haven’t seen another vessel, aside from local fishing jukungs (canoes). The likelihood of seeing another yacht is nonexistent, which is a huge draw for those that like to travel in privacy.

Cruising the remote islands of Flores and Alor is best done by phinisi. Passages between islands are short, and there is a sense of place on board that couldn’t be replicated on a superyacht. With Silolona Sojourns, we are gazing into the cultural heart of Indonesia thanks to Tresno and his crew’s relationships with the local community and their knowledge of the best anchorages and diving spots.

Cruising by yacht, though, is permitted in the Indonesian archipelago, should owners wish to travel on their own vessel or charter. The waters, however, remain uncrowded, and privacy here is guaranteed. Having dropped anchor before Maumere, Flores, and headed ashore to visit a local spice market, we drive into the lush forest once more.

Deep into the woods, we meet a group of women gathered beneath a thatched shelter, making dyes from leaves, spices and roots. “The indigo leaves are for deep blues, morinda root for reds and turmeric, bark and ash for yellows and browns,” explains Atawuwur.

This is ikat weaving in its most elemental form, where colour and pattern are created thread by thread, long before a loom is involved. The women work quickly, while natural dyes sit in battered urns. Each kain sarung (Indonesian for sarong) takes months to complete, every one telling a story of lineage and ceremony and land.

The reception for Tresno is emotional, as the tribe holds the family in deep respect after years of friendship and support. During our visit, incense is lit and prayers are spoken in a deeply emotional ceremony. It’s encounters like this that define a Silolona trip and its integration into the region.

The diving draws many to these waters, too. Reef walls are slick with vibrant corals, and reef sharks cruise lazily through the blue. Atawuwur, who has been diving since he was a child, leads us into the deep with impressive knowledge of marine life and a calm energy that we all hope to find in a dive master.

Guests can also be certified on board. The crew’s knowledge of the sea is more than just a learned skill; it’s deeply ingrained in Indonesian culture and a living philosophy – it guides how communities think, move and belong.

The crew believes in and respects Pemujaan Laut (sea worship), and it is routinely practised on board. In Indonesia, sailors believe that the sea is alive, a sentient realm governed by unseen guardians known as Dewata Laut. Today, all phinisis (and native ships) cruising the Indonesian archipelago share the same philosophy and will practice rituals and offerings to ensure safe and blessed passages. Nothing here feels staged or performative. The relationships are real, forged over decades, built on respect.

Cruising the Lesser Sunda Islands casts you off into a different realm altogether. The way of life in tribes is slow and removed from the world that we know. Cruising here will bring you to spitting volcanoes at breakfast and bats before supper, with much to discover in between. Phinisis are unique to Indonesia and they help to launch guests into the region in a way that’s deeper than your conventional yacht. silolona.com

Cookson Adventures can organise a seven-night charter on Silolona from £109,284, based on 10 guests sharing, and on Si Datu Bua from £70,156, based on six guests sharing. The luxury travel company can offer bespoke itinerary planning, an onboard media team, marine biologists, specialist guides and private internal flights. For clients looking to explore inland, there are opportunities to incorporate helicopter adventures and private mobile camps into an itinerary. cooksonadventures.com

First published in the April 2026 issue of BOAT International. Get this magazine sent straight to your door, or subscribe and never miss an issue.