World Wildlife Fund

Circumnavigation of Sumatra

Aboard the Clipper Odyssey

From $10,980 per person, based on double occupancy. Solo occupancy rates from $19,180.

Trip Overview

Straddling the Equator, Indonesia’s largest island harbors some of Southeast Asia’s last intact forests, which are among the world’s most diverse. Sumatra boasts a wealth of national parks that are home to more than 200 mammal species, including 17 on the Mentawai Islands. A highlight of this voyage is the opportunity to view orphaned Sumatran orangutans at Bukit Lawang Orangutan Rehabilitation Station. Birders can search the dense forests for some of the more than 500 bird species recorded here.

Sumatra’s rugged landscape has helped to produce – and preserve – a wealth of diverse races and cultural groups. In the highlands, meet the Batak people and learn about their religious beliefs, and customs. On Nias Island, witness the traditional practice of stone jumping, in which young boys prove their manhood by jumping over six-foot-high stone megaliths. And meet the Minangkabau, a matrilineal society that uniquely combines Islamic beliefs with its traditional animist philosophy.

Trip Itinerary

Monday & Tuesday, January 3 & 4, 2011: Depart USA / Singapore
Depart on your independent flight to Singapore. Cross the International Date Line and “lose” a day. Upon arrival, transfer to the hotel to spend the night. Fullerton Hotel (Meals aloft)

Wednesday, January 5: Singapore / Embark Clipper Odyssey
After a morning at leisure and lunch at the hotel, enjoy an afternoon tour of Singapore. Visit the National Orchid Garden and the colonial heart of the city. The prominent, 19th-century Sultan Mosque on Arab Street is considered one of the most important mosques in the city. Wander along the streets of Chinatown, lined with restored shophouses, and see the Sri Mariamman Hindu Temple. Embark the Clipper Odyssey in the evening and set sail. (B,L,D)

Thursday, January 6: Malacca, Malaysia
Explore Malacca, a vibrant, 14th-century port city and learn about its tumultuous history at the Ethnographical Museum. Visit the former offi cial residence of the Dutch governor, the impressive Christ Church, Baba Nyonya Museum, and the 16th-century Portuguese fortress A’Famosa. Enjoy the afternoon at sea. (B,L,D)

Friday, January 7: Belawan, Sumatra / Brastagi
From the port of Belawan, depart on a full-day tour to Brastagi in the Karo Highlands. Being away from the coast, you’ll experience refreshingly cool air, as the destination sits at an altitude of more than 4,000 feet. Enjoy vistas of volcanic mountains and flower plantations as you make your way to Peceren, the tribal village of the Batak Karo people. Enjoy a delicious Indonesian lunch and visit a local market. (B,L,D)

Saturday, January 8: Gunung Leuser National Park
Go on the first of two visits into one of Sumatra’s most important national parks – Gunung Leuser. Today’s focus will be on the endangered Sumatran orangutan. During an outing to the park’s Bukit Lawang Orangutan Rehabilitation Station, learn how its orphaned primate residents are being reconditioned to live in the wild again. Keep a lookout for birds, too; Sumatran rain forests contain more than 500 avian species, ranking it among the top in the world. (B,L,D)

Sunday & Monday, January 9 & 10: Aceh Province
The midpoint of our voyage brings us to the northernmost tip of Sumatra, at Aceh Province. People from various nations converged here over past centuries, and today, the province retains diversity among its inhabitants, with individuals of Arab, Turkish, and Indian descent living throughout mostly coastal communities. The Achenese make up the largest population of people, numbering 3 million.

During shore visits, learn about their musical and cultural traditions and the life-changing impact that 2004’s tsunami had on the region. Take walks through rain forests where large, buttressed dipterocarp trees are entwined with woody climbers and epiphytes. Look for ospreys, blue-crowned hanging parrots, and nine species of hornbills. With any luck, you’ll also hear a great argus pheasant, which has one of the loudest calls of any bird on the planet.

The Acehnese are also well-known metalworkers, and the city of Banda Aceh is famous for the quality of its jewelry and hand-woven textiles, including gold-woven cloths known as songket. (B,L,D daily)

Tuesday, January 11: Gunung Leuser National Park
Gunung Leuser National Park, together with Kerinci Seblat and Bukit Barisan Selatan national parks, make up a UNESCO World Heritage Site sheltering more than 15,000 square miles of tropical rain forest. Having visited the eastern side of Gunung Leuser, today you’ll approach from a different angle to explore the western side. Travel upriver via Zodiac, searching for red-billed malkohas, rhinoceros hornbills, and other birds. (B,L,D)

Wednesday, January 12: Nias Island / Cross the Equator
Well off the main trade routes, Nias Island has retained its cultural heritage through its tribal art and diversity of celebrations – notably its war dances. Visit a traditional village and watch talented local athletes demonstrate stone jumping, in which they leap over six-foot-tall stone megaliths as a rite of passage and training for warfare. (B,L,D)

Thursday, January 13: Siberut Island, Mentawai Islands
Thanks to a long history of geographic isolation, the Mentawai Islands have developed quite a few endemic species; 39 percent of its mammals are endemic, including Kloss gibbons, Mentawai macaques, and leaf-monkeys, which we’ll search for during river outings via Zodiac. Listen for the call of the
Mentawai gibbon, which some wildlife experts say has one of the most splendid songs of any land mammal. Return to the ship for lunch then enjoy an optional snorkeling outing or glass-bottom boat tour. (B,L,D)

Friday, January 14: Padang / Solok
The ship docks at Telukbayur Harbor, near Padang. Drive to the village of Solok and meet the Minangkabau people, who are strongly Islamic, yet have retained their matrilineal culture and animist philosophy. Learn how a local legend about a water buffalo influenced the curving design of the rooflines of traditional houses. (B,L,D)

Saturday, January 15: Bengkulu
The British East India Co. established a pepper-trading center and garrison here in 1685, keeping a presence for 150 years. Learn the company’s history before driving to a nature reserve in the hills above Bengkulu. Go in search of one of the world’s most distinctive plant species, the rafflesia. Its brown-orange flowers span more than 3 feet across and can weigh 22 pounds, making them the largest flowers in the world. They possess quite a distinctive scent, too. (B,L,D)

Sunday, January 16: Krui
Visit Krui Village, whose residents are known for their fine skill weaving ikats, or dyed cloths, many of which are on display in museums worldwide. Enjoy a ceremonial and cultural presentation, including an ikat weaving demonstration. Go for a nature walk in the nearby Bukit Barisan National Park. (B,L,D)

Monday, January 17: Ujung Kulon National Park, Java  / Krakatoa Island
Stop on the southwest tip of Java to visit Ujung Kulon National Park, another World Heritage Site. In addition to its natural beauty and geological interest, it contains the largest remaining area of lowland rain forests on the Java plain. Though difficult to spot, the critically endangered Javan rhinoceros lives here, as do such bird species as Javan lorikeets, Sunda coucals, and Javan kingfishers. Later, the ship approaches the Sunda Strait and the famed volcanic island of Krakatoa. World renowned for its cataclysmic eruption in 1883, the volcano offers a picturesque backdrop when photographing this legendary island. (B,L,D)

Tuesday, January 18: Way Kambas
Arrive at Way Kambas National Park, one of the oldest parks in Indonesia. Black-thighed falconets, blue-rumped parrots, and whiskered treeswifts are among the bird species to look for during river explorations. (B,L,D)

Wednesday, January 19: At Sea
Lecturers recap your experiences as you spend a relaxing day at sea. Celebrate the end of your circumnavigation with a festive captain’s farewell dinner. (B,L,D)

Thursday, January 20: Singapore / Disembark Clipper Odyssey / USA
After an early breakfast disembark and transfer to the airport for independent flights home. (B, meals aloft)