A string of nearly six hundred islands play hopscotch from Bali in the west out to Alor in the east. These islands stretch across the Indonesian Archipelago with exciting ports of call lying in between, such as Lombok, Flores, Sumbawa and others. A variety of liveaboards ply these waters and venture up into the Flores Sea to the diving outposts of Tukang Besi and Tuka Bone Rate. Colossal drop-offs and magnificent coral reefs are home to diverse marine life. The further one travels from Bali`s verdant rice terraces, the more rugged become the volcanic landscapes, and the more diverse and unusual become the island cultures and traditions. Diving becomes more dramatic, as well, as one heads east from the shallow coral reefs ringing Lombok`s Gili Islands to the steep walls and off-shore reefs of Maumere Bay, Roti and more.