All departures are 8 days / 7 nights and start and end at Alor airport (ARD), usually connecting through Kupang in West Timor. Departures run from October to early November, timed with the blue whales’ southbound migration. Each departure is limited to 7 travellers.
From $5,550 USD, twin share. One private room is available for solo travellers at $6,550 USD.
2028 dates are still to be confirmed. Enquire now to register your interest and we'll let you know as soon as they're set.
To secure your spot, we require a deposit of $1,000 for our Alor Blue Whale & Reef Expedition. The deposit is non-refundable once paid. However, if you cancel 120 or more days before departure, the deposit may be transferred as credit to another trip within 24 months of the original departure date.
The remaining balance is then paid in two installments: 50% of the remaining balance is due 150 days before departure, and the final balance is due 90 days before departure.
You can find our full terms and conditions here.
Our Alor Blue Whale & Reef Expedition is an 8-day, small-group ocean trip to Alor in East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia, built around searching for pygmy blue whales as they migrate through the deep Alor Strait.
Alor is the kind of place many divers have heard whispers of but few have made the journey to, and that remoteness is a blessing: its reefs are among the most untouched in the Coral Triangle.
To be in the water as a blue whale glides past is an awe-inspiring and humbling experience. If conditions are right and the whale is relaxed, we’ll slip in quietly in small groups and watch this gigantic animal pass by.
Spinner and bottlenose dolphins are regular companions, often riding the bow. Cold upwellings bring the elusive mola mola right up to the surface, and if we spot one we can join it in the water. Below the surface, expect steep colourful walls, schools of jacks, turtles and bumphead parrotfish, plus sandy slopes full of frogfish, seahorses and the rare rhinopias.
On land, Alor is home to around 50 tribes, many with their own languages and customs. We’ll visit a traditional Abui village, see how seaweed farming supports families along the coast, and meet the fishing community who protect a resident dugong in their bay.
Evenings are slow and warm: sunsets over the volcanoes, good food, whale talk and stories from the day. This is a proper ocean expedition, so come ready for big days on the water, and to let the ocean decide what it shows us.
We’ll meet you at Alor’s tiny airport when you land (around 9:30am) and make the drive to our beachfront home for the week. Drop your bags, kick off your shoes, and settle into your villa while lunch is prepared.
In the afternoon, for those who can’t wait to get wet, there’s an optional snorkel on the beautiful house reef right out front. It’s a good way to shake off the travel day and get a first taste of what’s living down there. Deep water runs right up to these islands, and the channels around Alor sit on an ancient migration route for some of the ocean’s great giants.
In the evening we gather for a welcome presentation from your experienced guide, who’ll walk us through why Alor is such an extraordinary place for marine life. We’ll talk through what we might see this week, how we approach whales respectfully, and what each day on the water looks like. Then it’s sunset, a cold drink, and a first dinner together as the sky goes orange over the volcanoes across the water.
Meals: Lunch, Dinner
Today is all about the big blue. After an early breakfast, we head out for a full day searching for pygmy blue whales in the deep channels around Alor. We also keep watch for mola mola, mako sharks and other whale species, and pods of spinner dolphins often ride the bow.
Whale searching is a patient game. We scan the horizon for blows and read the whales’ direction of travel. Blue whales are migrating and don’t linger, so when conditions are right, the boat moves ahead of a whale’s path and we slip into the water in small groups as it glides past. It’s quick, quiet and on the whale’s terms.
To break up the day, we may stop at one or two snorkel spots to cool off on the reef. Evenings are for sharing photos, swapping sightings and a good dinner by the sea.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
