Corals & Cultures of Indonesia & Papua New Guinea

Fly by scheduled indirect flight.

Arrive and transfer to our hotel for an overnight night stay. The remainder of the day is at leisure.

Enjoy a leisurely morning at the hotel or explore the local area at your own pace. We will check out in the late morning and after lunch will transfer to the MS Island Sky moored in Benoa. Sail this evening.

After a morning at sea we arrive at diminutive Satonda Island, located between the large island of Sumbawa and the smaller Pulau Moyo. The island is wooded and uninhabited, with a fringing reef and a small but swimmable crater lake where the trees are decorated with ‘wishing’ stones, shells and pieces of coral. There will be an opportunity for our first snorkel here amongst the pristine reefs, colourful coral and abundant fish whilst guided walks inland will search for the local birdlife including the endemic island monarch and rufous chested flycatcher.

Today we visit Komodo to see the distant cousins of the dinosaurs, the Komodo dragons. These rare, huge lizards grow up to twelve feet in length and were only known to the western world in 1910 when a Dutch lieutenant first laid eyes on them. Escorted by the island’s wardens in the national park we will walk to the dragon’s feeding station, seeing the dragons in the wild. During our walk we also hope to see frigate birds, white buffalo and long tailed monkeys. Over lunch we will sail to Pink Beach, a beautiful sandy beach in the Komodo National Park renowned for its unique pink sand. Here you can relax on the beach, enjoy a nature walk or swim or snorkel from the beach.

Stretching south from the main island of Sulawesi into the Flores Sea is the stunning Taka Bonerate National Park. Spread out over 220,000 hectares this is one of the largest coral reef in Indonesia, rich in marine life and also habitat to a number of bird species. Using our small ship to navigate and our Zodiacs to land, we will find a suitable spot amongst the 21 islands of the park to spend the day. The crystal clear waters offer snorkellers a chance to explore the reefs where we find over 200 species of coral and almost 300 species of colourful reef fish, as well as dolphins and turtles. Alternatively enjoy a walk in the sand dunes where we will find many land, coastal and sea birds. We hope to meet with some of the National Park staff to learn about the coral transplanting and other conservation activities, as well as meeting the Bajo and Buginese ethnic groups that reside on the islands.

Legendary underwater explorer and conservationist, Jacques Cousteau is said to have called the Wakatobi Islands, then known as the Tukangbesi Islands, an “Underwater Nirvana”. Now a National Marine Park, it comprises a total of 1.4 million hectares, of which 900,000 hectares are decorated with different, colourful species of tropical coral reefs. There are fringing atolls and barrier reefs and the national park is the habitat of large and small fish species, the playground of dolphins, turtles and even whales. Meanwhile on land we will meet the local Bajau people, explore mangrove forests and see the historical ruins, cannons and fortresses that spread out over the main islands.

Enjoy a relaxing day at sea as we cross the Banda Sea. Maybe join a lecture in the lounge or find a spot on deck.

Since the first century the Banda Islands have played a major role in the spice trade, once being the sole producer of nutmeg in the world. Now these ten idyllic islands offer us a view into the past as well as some fine snorkelling sites. We will spend a day and a half here including time in Banda Neira, Banda’s main port and administrative centre. Remnants of an extravagant European lifestyle remain from the port’s heyday as a spice exporter in the Dutch era. It is a charmingly friendly place and almost devoid of tourism as it is so difficult to reach. We will visit the 1608 Dutch fortress of Benteng Nassau and hear of the tragic history. Next is Rumah Budaya Museum with its collection of Dutch artefact’s and historical memories. We hope to cross to Banda Besar, the largest island of the group where we will walk to the spectacularly located ‘capital’ village of Lonthoir. The central street is actually a flight of stairs that takes us up the hillside overlooking Gunung Api. We will discover the 17th century Benteng Hollandia fortress and the island’s fine mosque. Meanwhile on Pulau Ai there are still active nutmeg plantations, the remains of the 17th century Fort Revenge and colonial plantation mansions, although the main draw for many is the fantastic snorkelling from the sandy beaches.

Over the next day and a half we will explore the 1500 karst limestone islands which make up the archipelago of Raja Ampat, also known as ‘Four Kings’ after its four main islands, in the heart of the Coral Triangle. This area is renowned as having one of the richest marine ecosystems in the world and home to a huge variety of fish, turtles and coral reefs. Our itinerary will be flexible and in the hands of our Captain and Expedition Leader as we use our small ship and Zodiacs to find the best landing sites. We hope to visit the Misool Marine Reserve where we will be able to snorkel in the clear waters or take a walk in the forest of one of the many islands. During an island walk on Pulau Su we will find fruit bats in the trees while on Waigeo Island we can follow in the footsteps of the British naturalist, Alfred Wallace, who visited the island in 1860 to study the endemic birds-of-paradise. During a strenuous early morning hike we hope to see these lavishly attired birds whilst further walks may find kingfisher, lorikeets and parrots.

Relax on board as we make our way to the beautiful Padaido Islands.

This morning we will take advantage of our small ship and fleet of Zodiacs to explore the islands off the coast of Papua. Our itinerary will be flexible and be guided by our Captain, Expedition Leader and local weather conditions and we hope to visit the Padaido Islands, a chain of 31 mainly uninhabited islands and the site of some of the world’s most intact and biologically diverse coral reef systems. Padaido is a local word, meaning indescribable beauty and we will snorkel in the reefs which harbour 95 coral species and 155 fish species.

Our last call in Indonesia is at Jayapura, the capital and largest city in Papua. We will drive inland to Lake Sentani, one of the largest lakes which is still virtually untouched by tourism. The people who call the shores of this magnificent lake home still live in a traditional manner and are renowned for their woodwork and pottery. Enjoy an excursion by boat to a small island in the middle of the lake where we can visit the village of Assei. Here master craftsmen practice Papuan wood carving techniques using traditional tools. Return to the ship via the Cenderwasih Museum which is home to a range of Papuan artefacts including Asmat carvings.

Arrive into Papua New Guinea at the port of Wewak. After clearing immigration formalities we will continue our journey to our anchorage at the mouth of the Sepik River arriving in the late afternoon. The Sepik River is the longest in Papua New Guinea and central to life for the communities that live here being used for trade in dugout canoes, fishing and cooking. We will use our Zodiacs to explore the river system surrounded by lush forest on the lookout for wildlife. We will also travel upriver and visit a local village where we will receive a traditional welcome of song and dance before exploring the village. See the Men’s House, the place where important decisions regarding the village are made and initiation ceremonies take place, learn about the process of sago palms and see pieces of tribal art and crafts.

Spend the morning cruising to the Witu Islands, a small group of volcanic reef-ringed islands situated within the Bismarck archipelago. Arriving at lunchtime we will spend our final afternoon on the largest of these, Garove Island. The fringing reef surrounding the island offers fine swimming or you can enjoy snorkelling amongst multi coloured corals. Ashore we will be welcomed by the islanders who will show us around the village visiting the church, school and recently built community house.

We arrive this morning in the spectacular setting of Rabaul’s Simpson harbour. Six cone-shaped volcanoes ring Rabaul’s dramatic flooded-caldera harbour. Disembark this morning and transfer to the airport for our scheduled indirect flight to Singapore. Arrive this evening and transfer to our hotel for an overnight stay.

After breakfast in the hotel we transfer to the airport for our scheduled flight to London. Arrive this afternoon.

Itineraries are subject to change.