by James Ruggia
Last updated: 11:51 AM ET, Fri February 21, 2014
PHOTO: Steppes Travel's cruises on the traditional Spice Island phinisi Blue Tiger explore an adventurers wonderland. (courtesy Steppes Travel)
The classic sailing sloops of the Spice Islands, known as phinisi, carried the aromatic cargo of the Indonesian spice trade. These ships were built by a select group of craftsmen in South Sulawesi who still carry on the tradition. Steppes Travelis offering seven-night explorations of the islands of Eastern Indonesia on board one of these sloops, the phinisi Tiger Blue.
Tiger Blue is cruising the Malaku a.k.a. Spice Islands in search of some of the best diving in Asia, remote and beautiful beaches and exotic wild life including the dragons of Komodo National Park. Steppe is offering both charters and scheduled departures on Tiger Blue.
The seven-night cruise starts at $3,042 per person sharing, with a minimum of 12 persons. The Tiger Blue has four air-conditioned en suite cabins. A crew of eight includes the expedition leader, dive master and executive chef. Asian and western menus are tailored to guests' preferences.
The cruise offers opportunities to hike islands, mostly accessible only by boat, spotting birds and other wild life as well as plenty of chances to dive. The structure of the cruise is to allow passengers to do as much or as little as they like.
The destinations couldn't be more enticing for adventurous travelers as the Malakus are home to rain forest, volcanoes above ground and beneath the sea. The dive sites of Raja Ampat are located along geological plate seams that nurture a wondrous diversity of wildlife.
The UNESCO World Heritage Komodo National Park encompasses three large islands and 26 smaller ones. It is the home of the Komodo Dragon, the world's largest lizard.
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