Private Charter
Feel the real spirit of Indonesia during our cruises.
Tiarè is a boat for people who like diving, but we want to make not only divers, but their non-diver travel mates happy too. If your partner doesn’t want to dive, or doesn’t dive, we realize you are always obliged to stay in a resort, both of you miss discovering pristine places.
We want you and your buddy on our boat – you dive and we take care of all those people who like spend time in another way: developing a suntan on the beach, snorkeling along the reef or whatever they wish.
Ikat weaving process at Sikka village – Flores
The village of Sikka (natar means ‘village’ in the local language), with its pleasant sea view on the south coast, is one of the first places of Portuguese influence and Catholic missionary activity in Flores. Therefore this is a place to take a leap into the past and learn about Sikkanese history.
Sikka Village has been, and still is, one of East Flores’ most important and famous weaving centers. Be prepared to be pestered by women who, of course, would like you to acquire a piece of their artwork.
Ikat is probably one of the oldest form of textile decorating. First the yarns–cotton, silk, wool or other fibres—are wound onto a frame. Then they are tied into bundles. The bundles may be covered with wax, as in batik.
The warp yarns are then wrapped tightly with thread or some other dyeresistant material to prevent unwanted dye permeation. The procedure is repeated, depending on the number of colours required to complete the design.
Indonesian ikat are known for a high degree of warp alignment. Weavers must adjust the warp repeatedly to maintain pattern alignment. The amount of labour and skill required also make it the most expensive.
Dawera Island – Forgotten Island
The island, which has a beautiful circular bay, has a village hidden behind the trees.
The people here are very friendly and welcoming. The population is about 300 but half leave the island during the year but return around Christmas. There is a school and a small hospital which are nice to visit .
A generator and solarpower panels provide some electricity. An old Japanese anchor near the Arak distillery is worth seeing.
Arak Batavia arrack is distilled in Indonesia. It is the Indonesian “rum” because like rum, it is distilled from sugarcane.
It is a pot still distillation. To start the fermentation, local fermented red rice is combined with local yeast to give a unique flavor and smell. It is distilled to approx. 70% ABV. Like rum, Batavia arrack is often a blend of different original parcels.
Saumlaki – Forgotten Island
There is a small airport the building finished in July 2014. At the time of writing there where still working on the road itself.
There is one village that does wood crafting of the traditional panga or phinisi out of ebony wood. You can visit an artist and purchase a gorgeous model to take home.
Aerborek – Raja Ampat
This small village has a population of about 100 people. It is located in the Dampier strait in Raja Ampat.
You mostly meet the very cute and smiling children or the elders as the rest of the family have jobs or school elsewhere.
The kids speak surprisingly good English and are happy to show us around their village. Aerborek is also home to a manta research center, if you have any pictures of mantas during the trip they would be thrilled if you would share these with them.
Bontoh village – Flores
The volcanic island of Sangeyang. This is one of the smaller communities we can visit, there are literary a handful of people living here. Since 2013 some investors have hired people to build a traditional Indonesian phynisi.
Here too the people are very hospitabile.
Forest Trekking to look for Paradise Bird with a village guide
Spotting the birds-of-paradise is a must when you are cruising on Tiarè in Raja Ampat. You will need to set off early in the morning because the birds are most active at dawn. There are several village who offer local guides for a short trek in forest, generally a 20-30 minutes to reach the lookout point from which the birds can be admired.
The local guides know all the best spots and there is a good chance that you will see one of these beautiful birds. The Red Bird of Paradise and Wilson’s Bird, have evolved into magnificent specimens and are only found in New Guinea and the Raja Ampat Islands.
Other birds such as Cockatoo, the Hornbill, Kingfisher or Parrot can also be admired here, and with a bit of luckl you may even see the Cuscus, a marsupial only found in Papua New Guinea and northern Australia.
The beautiful orchids and flowering plants are also a joy to behold. Although your guide will probably be barefoot, it is wiser to wear sturdy shoes. Long trousers and long sleeves are also recommended since you walking in a tropical rainforest.
It is a good idea to bring along a set of binoculars and a camera to behold and capture all this splendour. A bottle of water is a must.
Booking Page
These excursions can be chosen in combination with diving cruises, depending on the circumstances.
IT’S ALL AROUND YOU