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Total Solar Eclipse Expedion 

March 2016, Indonesia 

A total eclipse of the sunis one of the natural world’s greatest

spectacles. It is an event which dees

descripon and even the best

photography can only oer a hint of

the eclipse experience.

You need to be there!  

Selecng an observing site for an eclipserequires weighing up a balance of

probabilies. Weather is crucial - there are

never any guarantees but it is possible toload the odds in your favour, withconsideraon of both the regional norm

and also the local micro-climates. Logiscsis next, can you get to your chosen place

safely and in good me and is therereasonable accommodaon? Add to thatthe prospect of vising other interesng

places along the way and the programme

develops. 

The path of the eclipse shadow on this

occasion crosses the vast area of

Indonesia, oering an interesng mix of

unusual and exoc desnaons together

with promising weather prospects and an

eclipse of good duraon.All of the land crossed by the eclipse is in

Indonesia, although with over 13,000 islands and

many hundreds of dierent cultural and ethnic

groups, this country oers unsurpassed diversity.

We have selected three sites for this project, the

island of Ternate in the remote Moluccas region,

the small town of Palu in myscal Sulawesi and

the island of Belitung, a place with some of the

world’s most beauful beaches. 

During your visit to Indonesia you can includemany other unique locaons—the dramac

volcanic landscape of Mount Bromo, the rich

cultural heritage of Bali and Borobdur, the

dragons of Komodo, the unspoilt beaches of

Belitung or the dream resort islands o Manado. 

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The Eclipse Track 

This is the path the shadow of the moon will

follow as it crosses the Earth’s surface. The

shadow rst touches the Earth in the Indian

Ocean west of Sumatra, runs across Indonesia

and the Pacic Ocean and nally leaves north ofthe Hawaiian Islands. 

The blue line on the map is the centreline of the

track and the track width varies from about

95km to 155km. The maximum duraon of the

total phase of the eclipse will be just over four

minutes in mid-Pacic and about one and a half

minutes at either end of the track. As you move

away from the centreline the duraon will also

reduce, but this is an exponenal decay so short

distances from the centreline are less signicant. 

The Track over Indonesia 

Belitung—maximum duraon of totality app 2 min 12 secs. 

Palu—maximum duraon of totality app 2 min 50 secs. 

Ternate—maximum duraon of totality app. 2 min 44 secs. 

Tidore—maximum duraon of totality app. 3 min 05 secs. 

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Sulawesi and

The Maluku Islands 

East of Borneo and north of Java, these

remote islands were known in earlier

mes as the Celebes and the Mullucas

Islands. The Mullucas were the original

Spice Islands where rare spices such as

nutmeg, mace and cloves could be found. 

The classic Phinisi Schooners which date

from those early days sll ply their trade

from the ancient port of Makassar in the

south of Sulawesi and the “longboat”

houses of the dominant Burgis people are

a reminder of their dynamic seafaring

tradion. On these islands you will nd a

complex mix of diering cultures and

tradions. The stone graves in the clis,

for instance, are a unique pracce of the

Tana Toraja people and the many villages

all have their own colourful rituals and

tradions. 

Apart from Manado, tourists are sll a

rarity on the islands and it is easy to step

away from the present visualise the

places as they were over half a century

ago. 

Manado 

The city of Manado, capital of North Sulawesi Province will be the start point for both the Sulawesi and Mulucas

projects. The facilies at our Manado base hotel will allow an extensive presentaon and brieng on the upcoming

eclipse and other interesng features in the

southern night sky. 

Manado’s main aracon for visitors is the fabulous

bay, surrounding the volcanic island of Manado

Tua. The warm, clear waters of the bay are a

paradise for snorkelling and scuba diving with some

of the worlds best coral reefs and myriads of exoc

coloured sh and marine life. 

Manado has now developed beyond a dive resort

and can oer a range of idyllic small hotels with

very high standards of service and facilies. You

will be able to extend you stay either before or aer

the eclipse trip and take in some serious relaxaon

in the area. 

Manado 

Palu 

The Mulucas 

Makassar 

16th Century

map of the

Spice Islands 

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The Eclipse from Palu 

Our site on Sulawesi will be in a valley south of the small town of Palu.

The hills on the eastern side of the valley form a barrier to the prevailing

wind and reducing any cloudiness it may bring. A local micro-climate like

this is always a good feature! 

This programme will start in Manado, the main hub of North Sulawesi

and the base for our eclipse seminars before seng o for the

observaon sites. 

Core Inerary 

5th March 2016 

Day 1  Depart from London (or your home city).  

Day 2  Arrive Manado, transfer to your hotel. 

Day 3  Morning at leisure, aernoon and evening eclipse seminar and brieng. 

Day 4 

A short ight to Palu, transfer for two nights hotel accommodaon in the

town. 

Day 5  Eclipse Day—an early start to travel south to a point close to the eclipse

centreline. 

Day 6  Explore the Palu area. 

Day 7  Fly to Makassar in South Sulawesi. 

Day 8  A short ight to Torajaland this morning, connue with a tour of this

remarkable region. 

Day 9  Full day tour returning to Makassar overland. 

Day 10 Join your return ight. 

Day 11 Home landing. 

Tour Cost £2,174 

Price is per person in twin room, single room supplement £395 

Price includes return ights from London, airport transfers, all hotel accommodaon,

breakfast and dinner throughout, all local tours as indicated. 

Excursion 

On Day 3 there is an opon of a half day excursion to the beach on Bunakan

Reef for diving or snorkelling (addional cost). 

Tour Extensions 

You can extend your holiday to Indone-

sia, by adding an extension shown on the

Tour Extensions page. 

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The Eclipse from Ternate

and Tidore 

Around 180 miles east of Manado, the remote islands of

Ternate and Tidore oer very good weather prospects and

Tidore has the longest duraon of any reasonably praccal land

observaon base.

Ternate is the capital of North Muluku Province so it is the

gateway to the region. We y in from Manado and base

ourselves at a hotel in Ternate. The eclipse can be observed

from Ternate, but for the more adventurous a 30 minute

speedboat trip south to the island of Tidore will oer a

potenal increase in the eclipse duraon to over three minutes. 

Core Inerary Departs 5th March 2016 

Day 1  Depart from London (or your home city).  

Day 2  Arrive Manado, transfer to your hotel. 

Day 3  Morning at leisure, aernoon and evening eclipse seminar and

brieng. 

Day 4  A ight to Palu, transfer for two nights hotel accommodaon

on the island. 

Day 5  Eclipse Day—an early start to travel to the port and join your

speedboat for the trip across to Tidore. On Tidore we use

chartered local buses to take us to the observaon site on the

south of the island. 

Day 6  Return ight to Manado for overnight hotel accommodaon. 

Day 7  Join your return ight (or add an extension to your

programme). 

Day 8  Arrive back in London (or your home city). 

Tour Cost £1,769 

Price is per person in twin room, single room supplement £295 

Price includes return ights from London, airport transfers, all hotel

accommodaon, breakfast and dinner throughout, all local tours as indicated. 

Excursion 

On Day 3 there is an opon of a half day excursion to a beach on

Bunakan Reef for diving or snorkelling (extra cost). 

Tour Extensions 

You can extend your holiday to Indonesia, by adding an extension

shown on the Tour Extensions page. 

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Grand Indonesia 

This opon combines various parts of our eclipse programme into a complete

inerary to oer a unique inclusive tour of the highlights of this extraordinary

country. 

Day 1  Depart from London (or your home city).  

Day 2  Arrive Manado, transfer to your small beachside resort hotel. 

Day 3  At leisure to enjoy the snorkelling or diving or just soak up the sun. 

Day 4  A full day visit to Tangkoko Rain Forest Reserve and transfer to our conference hotel in

Manado for the next two nights.  

Day 5  Morning at leisure, aernoon and evening eclipse seminar and brieng. 

Day 6  A ight to Ternate, transfer for two nights hotel accommodaon on the island. 

Day 7  Eclipse Day—an early start to travel to the port and join your speedboat for the trip across to

Tidore. On Tidore we have chartered local buses to take us to the observaon site on the

south of the island. 

Day 8  Return ight to Manado for overnight hotel accommodaon. 

Day 9  Fly from Manado to Makassar, the old port town in South Sulawesi. 

Day 10 A short ight to Torajaland this morning, connue with a tour of this remarkable region.

 

Day 11 Full day tour returning to Makassar overland. 

Day 12 Fly to Yogyakarta in Central Java.  

Day 13 Full day tour, including the 9th century Hindu sites of Borobudur and Prambanan  

Day 14 Overland tour through East Java to Mount Bromo 

Day 15 Sunrise visit to the spectacular volcanic valley overlooking Mount Bromo, aernoon connue

to Surabaya. 

Day 16 Short ight from Surabaya to Bali, overnight on Bali.  

Day 17 Fly from Bali to Labuan Bajo on the island of Flores 

Day 18 Full day visit to Komodo by Phinisi boat. 

Day 19 Return ight to Bali for two nights at a beachside hotel.

 

Day 20 At leisure on Bali. 

Day 21 Join your return ight. 

Day 22 Return to London (or you home airport).  

Tour Cost £4,095 

Price is per person in twin room, single room supplement £895 

Price includes return ights from London, airport transfers, all hotel accommodaon, breakfast and dinner

throughout, all local tours as indicated. 

Manado 

Ternate 

Makassar  

Torajaland 

Yogyakarta 

Mount Bromo 

Bali  Komodo 

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The Eclipse from Belitung 

Belitung 

Belitung is one of the increasingly rare places which

have an unbelievable wealth of features that have

drawn tourists to other parts of the world, but this

island has somehow been overlooked. The beaches are

world class, with white sand, blue water and

undamaged coral directly o the beach. There are

uninhabited small islands which can easily be reached

on the colourful shing cra. Inland you can take a trip

to a waterfall and bathing pool or just explore the mix of

cultures in the small villages. There are no large resorts

(yet) but tourist services are willing if rather low key.

We reach the island from Jakarta or there are direct

through connecons from Singapore if you want to

sample a megacity on your way.

Belitung — Core Inerary 

Departs 5th March 2016 

Day 1  Depart from London (or your home city).  

Day 2  Arrive Jakarta, transfer to your hotel.  

Day 3  Fly to Belitung and transfer to your hotel for three

nights accommodaon. 

Day 4  At leisure on Belitung, eclipse brieng in your hotel

this evening. 

Day 5 

Eclipse Day. You can relax and enjoy the eclipsedirectly from your, or we will have a charter coach available

in case the weather makes it necessary to move to ensure a

clear view. 

Day 6  Return ight to Jakarta for overnight hotel

accommodaon. 

Day 7  Join your return ight (or add an extension to your

programme). 

Day 8  Arrive back in London (or your home city). 

Tour Cost £1,310 

Price is per person in twin room, single room supplement £195 

Price includes return ights from London, airport transfers, all hotel

accommodaon, breakfast and dinner throughout, all local tours as

indicated. Tour Extensions 

You can extend your holiday to Indonesia, by adding

an extension shown on the Tour Extensions page. 

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Tour Extensions 

Manado 

You can extend your holiday in Manado by travelling out before the main programme. We oer a choice of 3 or 5 day

extensions at 3 alternave hotels. These extensions all include airport transfers, a tour of the Tangkoko Rain Forrest and full

board accommodaon. Diving and snorkelling programmes are available at all these locaons. You will transfer to our

conference hotel and join the main party at the start of the Core programme. 

A 4 day extension to add on aer your

main inerary, vising south and central

Sulawesi including the ancient port of

Makassar and Torajaland. 

Gangga Island Resort Siladen Resort Thalassa Dive Resort  

Tana Toraja  Borobudur

and Mount Bromo 

Bali 

The original

“island of the

gods”, Bali is

now many

things to many

people but our

preference is to

avoid the tourist

hotspots and

enjoy a more

original

experience. We

have a pre-

arranged 5 day

package, ying

on to Bali aer your main inerary or we

can x any duraon you wish. 

A 5 day extension aer your main

core inerary, ying to Yogyakarta in

Central Java and including a full day

tour of the 9th century Hindu sites

of Borobudur and Prambanan.Connue overland tour through East

Java for a sunrise visit to the

spectacular volcanic valley

overlooking Mount Bromo and on to

Surabaya. 

Bali and Komodo 

A 5 day extension which includes a

ight to Bali and an onward to theisland of Flores, with a voyage on a

Phinisi boat to visit the dragons of

Komodo. Return to Bali for a couple of

nights before your homeward ight. 

Grand Indonesia 

The programme on Page 6 has an inerary which includes all the extensions

shown here, with an overview of how they can connect together.

www.astro-trails.com  +44 (0) 1276 21709