Originally Posted by Bungus

...Aman do some great 5/7 days snorkel/dive trips to Komodo island, a great experience.

Originally Posted by zigzag

...Komodo expiedition is just the best. Fly to Amanwana and spend three nights and then rent the boat...

Originally Posted by zigzag

...The beach at Amanwana is just to look at as its all crushed coral and you can't walk barefoot on it. If you can find time to do Komodo on their boat make sure you do it. We were the only guest on it and spoiled rotten. The seaplane transfer is a nice way to eliminate the long return and you get to see some amazing site's...

Originally Posted by Hubertus

...I did some Aman-hopping in Indonesia and the Komodo expedition on the Silolona (amazing experience) last summer and everithing has been just perfect...

Originally Posted by Hubertus

...We started our trip from Amanwana (sometimes they start from Labuanbajo) we sailed the afternoon and the whole night to get to the first island in the strait between Flores and Sumbawa (where Komodo and Rinja are located).
The sea was quite rough, I did not get seasick (I experienced something close to a rollercoaster in the mediterranean so this made me laugh) but some friends did.
From day 2 you sail in this amazing sea with dolphins, huge corals, millions of fishes. There are dozens of islets so there are virtually no waves, just an incredible stream (it's where the sea of Flores merges into the Indian ocean) but the sea was flat as a lake so we felt ok the whole time.
On the way back to Amanwana we decided (by paying an extra fee) to stay some more time on the boat and take a seaplane from Labuanbajo to Moyo and avoided the rough part of sailing back to Amanwana.
The Silolona was Beautiful indeed, but I understand from the website that from 2006 the trip will be done with another boat.
The service was outstanding (17 staff vs. 7 travellers). All indonesians except one english guy from Amanwana. They were all incredibly nice. At the end of the trip we did an amazing dinner with the crew singing local songs with guitars and percussions. The sea is beautiful, the landscape is dry and prehistoric (not only because of the dragons) and not comparable with anything I have ever seen. Last, but not least, the weather is completely different than other places in Indonesia (e.g. Bali). It's very dry so no rain no clouds, if you are tan addicted...

Originally Posted by Hubertus

...unforgettable fresh lobsters while sailing in Flores sea with the Aman Komodo Expedition) and I consider myself quite fussy in terms of dining...

Originally Posted by Hubertus

...(amazing trip). As far as I know, Aman still runs the Amanwana Komodo Expedition but not on the Silolona but on a smaller boat (only for 4 guests, if I remember well)...

Originally Posted by Pickles

The expedition runs only in summer and early fall. Otherwise it is rainy season, and the seas are rough and treacherous. The same applies to Amanwana, which is great, except that during rainy season they don't use the seaplane, and depending on the day, you can't even get off the island, not even for scuba diving, truly stuck if you are unlucky. Food and service and overall experience at Amanwana is tops. To me, best of the Amans for service and quality of the staff, followed closely by Amanjiwo. Amanpuri comes dead last for me. So go in dry season.

Haven't been on the expedition, but have seen the boat. It is very nice, has only 2 or 3 cabins, and fills up quickly...

Originally Posted by Hubertus

...I do not know whether they still keep the level of service and amazing cuisine I found when it was managed by Amans (I remember we used to swim or snorkle from the boat to the coast of one of the deserted isles around Komodo while the staff prepared umbrellas, loungers, chilled drinks on a perfect pink sand beach for us - a bunch of very spoilt castaways).

Originally Posted by bearbrick

there was another yacht operator before the SIlonona ...with a similar yacht called Ikan Gurami...

Originally Posted by Hubertus

...I expected the trip to be run by Amans since it was part of a package which included also the last three days in Amanwana and there was an Aman-guy on the boat who joined us for the whole trip (he was not the captain of the boat but he was taking care of the hosts).

Originally Posted by Ericka

...if you are afraid of the seasickness that might result from the Komodo expedition, you would be happy to know that they offer a day trip to Komodo island as well. It includes a private charter (plane or helicopter, I can't remember) and naturalist guide with picnic meals. It was expensive. $5k maybe...

Originally Posted by Bitterroot

the cruise to/from Komodo and Flores takes 5 days each way. You can do it either eastward (jumping off from Amanwana) or westward (with a stop at Amanwana before flying to Bali).

We didn't go to Flores, but the ship -- which is a sort of pirate-ship lookalike sailing vessel, with engines -- arrived while we were there, so we got a report. Highly recommended, from those on board.

The seaplane connection to/from Bali is, as usual, not operating on a schedule -- charters only -- until the Christmas peak. It will also not operate on the Amanwana schedule during the post-New Years' northern winter.

But we took the Trans-Nusa connection via Sumbawa Besar, plus the Amanwana boat ("Aman XI") to the resort, and actually recommend that option, at least one way. It's even more interesting, if a good deal slower, than the seaplane.