Now here is something different for adventurous travelers, a boutique-style charter on mini-cruise vessels in Indonesia. The outfit is called Rascal Voyages and they have two vessels Rascal and Rebel, each with five cabins, that will take you to the most pristine islands, reefs and beaches on the planet.
Indonesia is a vast country made up of thousands of islands. It is also one of the world’s most populous countries but most of the people live on Java and very few live on the outer islands where there is no infrastructure, no airports and no bridges. The only way to visit 90 percent of the country is by boat. (I know. I spent two-months cruising through the country on my own boat.)
Enter Racal Voyages, which was formed by three expat Brits who came to the Asian nation to invest in property. Their search for land to acquire led them to the notion that adventurous travelers would enjoy kicking off their shoes and relaxing aboard special small scale charter boats, with a professional crew and cook.
The Rascal and Rebel are locally built vessels that were sailing coastal traders that have now been converted for comfortable living board. The masts were removed, the power plants upgraded and the living spaces transformed.
With Racal Voyages you can book a cabin for a four-day trip to Komodo Island and National Park where the famed Komodo dragons live, their only natural habitat in the world. This is a World Heritage site that provides truly lasting memories.
Or you can book a cabin for the 11-day roundtrip to Ambon and the Spice Islands. There, you will find some of the country’s finest diving and snorkeling over reefs that are lush with coral and marine life.
The Spice Islands hold a special place in history since they are the source of the spices that attracted European explorers who in turn instituted the spice trade in the 16th and 17th centuries. Empires rose and fell around the spice trade and there are still remnants of it all in these islands.
Indonesia is an amazing country and Rascal Voyages has to be one of the best ways to get to know it. Read more here.
