• Students are met at Padang International Airport in West Sumatra and driven directly south along the coast to the point where our adventure begins. After a delicious lunch and group bonding session on the beach, we set sail in traditional outrigger canoes (sampans) on our voyage of discovery.

• Any number of marine animals may be encountered as we cruise along this wilderness coast – dolphins, sea turtles, frigate birds, sea eagles, hornbills and more. We stop to explore a mangrove forest where trees set roots out over the sea, germinate their seeds before they leave the parent tree, and shed excess salt through a variety of intriguing ways. In the mangroves we may encounter mudskippers, fiddler crabs, crab-eating macaque monkeys and mangrove snakes.

• Upon reaching our destination island, we get settled in to our beach bungalows, set up our hammocks and get into the groove of our Robinson Crusoe-style weekend. Sipping juice from green coconuts while we barbeque fresh seafood on the beach and make shell necklaces is a good start.

• Lessons in celestial navigation using the constellations as guides will be offered if the night sky is clear.

Overnight: Beach bungalows