The tide has pulled back far enough. Your horseman checks the water, nods, and you ride the pony down the wet sand into the Indian Ocean at Nihiwatu Beach. There is no saddle.

The anchor drops outside Misool, the water turning legible with soft coral and a reef shark on the drop-off. Days later, a Komodo dragon crosses the trail ahead of a ranger.

The air is thick with the scent of clove and sea salt. A fisherman’s song drifts across the water as the sun rises, shining a soft light...

Imagine gliding silently through a jungle river, the mist lifting to reveal an orangutan swinging through the treetops. Days later,...