From the Spice Islands to the Whale Sharks - From Ambon to Kaimana

-On the first day of your adventure, you will be collected from your hotel after breakfast by out tour leaders and taken directly to the boat which will be waiting at anchor in Ambon Harbour.

-As soon as everyone is settled in and the captain gets clearance from the harbour master, we will raise anchor and head south the open sea crossing to the legendary Banda Archipelago.

We wake up in the Banda Islands. Famous for their natural beauty and cultural heritage, and the well-preserved remnants of an extraordinary history of imperialist rivalry, these islands are quite simply one of Indonesia’s highlights. Banda was originally the world’s only source of nutmeg and mace, valued for their rarity and high cost by aristocrats and elites.

Since conditions of wind and tide will determine the order in which we visit various Banda islands, our activities here can’t be assigned to a particular day. Here’s what we aim to cover. In the capital Banda Neira. It’s a pleasant stroll through the quaint colonial outpost’s characterful streets, inspecting notable residences, a museum, forts, churches and a waterfront market. Just across the harbour is Banda’s perfect, jungle-clad volcanic cone Gunung Api (‘Fire Mountain’ – 640 metres). The fit and ambitious might make an early morning ascent up a challenging track to the top for stunning views.

We choose from some of the other small islands of the Banda archipelago – Lonthor, Ai, Run, Hatta – each of them with its own remnants of old plantations, Dutch cemeteries and fortifications. The tiny outlying island of Run was the subject of an unbelievable real estate deal when in 1667, under the Treaty of Breda, it was ceded by the English to the Dutch in exchange for Manhattan. Yes, the Manhattan where New York stands.

On Lonthor we will enjoy the tranquil beauty of nutmeg groves, where the shapely fruit-bearing trees grow in the shelter of towering, gigantic kenari or native almond trees. We will observe the age-old technique of harvesting by hand, and can taste (and buy) baked goods, condiments and jams flavoured with fresh mace and nutmeg. The fruit enclosing the nutmeg seed is sold dried and has a unique and intense flavour. It is a delicacy rarely obtainable outside the Banda Islands. We will also climb up to fortress Hollandia and go on to meet the last of the perkeniers – the small-holder farmers who managed the plantations for the Dutch, on land parcels known as ‘perken’. You’ll learn of more recent wars and eruptions that shook these lovely islands, and value even more their current peace and tranquility.

There are some excellent coral reefs nearby and we should see some amazing marine life whilst snorkelling. Ironically, in the less-than-pristine waters of the harbour we have a good chance of seeing (at dusk) arguably the world's most stunning fish, the small but jewel-like Mandarin Fish.

Leaving Banda we will navigate through the Sonnegat (‘Sun’s gap’) between Neira and Gunung Api, possibly escorted by kora-kora – the big Moluccan galleys used traditionally for ceremony and warfare, propelled by banks of warrior-oarsmen.

We will wake up at Watubela island, of the coast of Ceram, and go ashore to walk through some inland lakes, as well as some trekking, snorkelling, kayaking, stand-up-paddle-boarding and beach activities.

Back to the boat, depart to Igar Island for some snorkelling.

We will do some dinghy exploration through karsts around Bair Island, snorkel, spend time on the beach with the SUPs and kayaks.

Back to the boat, depart to Adranan Island for an afternoon of snorkelling and water activities.

This is a great location for a beach BBQ, so if the weather is right it’s party time.

Later that evening the boat will depart to Tual in the Kei islands.

We will visit Tual, the main port of the region.

We can visit Ngurblaot beach (finest white sandy beach), and the Hawang cave which we can swim inside. Later we can visit Masbait Hill, this hill marks the highest point in Kei Kecil. It is known for its rotating statue of Christ, which many Catholics visit for pilgrimage.

We will also spend time explore the small islands and beaches and do lots of snorkelling.

Here we have a chance to explore this very remote island chain for three days. Located in the easternmost corner of Maluku, the flat, forested Aru Islands are just off the southwest coast of Papua.

They are rich in Papuan fauna, which includes kangaroos, cassowaries, palm cockatoos and four species of birds of paradise. Marine life is also very rich, and Aru's capital Dobo, situated o the small island of Wamar, has long been a busy regional trading centre for pearls, sea cucumbers, shark fins and the like. The local people are racially and culturally more Malukan than Papuan, but they still preserve some interesting traditions, and are among the friendliest in Maluku.

We wake up off the coast of Papua to a most serene and primal scene of a jungle waterfall where a roaring river surrounded by virgin rainforest pours into the sea.

Here we will swim and play in the waterfall and the sea as we take in this most tranquil tropical scenery. We will also have the chance to snorkel through the corals on a nearby reef.

Later in the day we will continue our journey east, stopping off late afternoon for another swim and snorkel on our way to see the whale sharks of Triton Bay.

Triton Bay is a place of unsurpassed natural splendour, where time and tides have sliced the limestone landscape into tall cliffs and numerous islands separated by lagoons and narrow channels. It is also home to fishermen who collect baitfish and keep them in nets attached to specially built platforms, also known as ‘bagans’. It is these and their fish that attract whale sharks.

We will head out in the tenders to see if the sharks are around, and if we are lucky, we will spend a couple of hours in the water with these magnificent creatures.

After lunch we will explore the bays and limestone outcrops aby tender, kayak, and paddle board as well as swim and snorkel from the beautiful white-sand beaches.

This evening we will have a beach BBQ with the crew, with singing and dancing late into the night.

We will spend the morning cruising through the undisturbed coves, caves, and lagoons before heading north through the Namatote Passage, where there is an impressive collection of ancient cave paintings high up on the cliffs.

The afternoon will be filled with more snorkelling, swimming, kayaking and paddling as we relax amidst the beauty of the surrounding jungle covered islands.

We will spend our final evening on the ship resting at anchor and enjoying a farewell dinner with our captain and crew.

In the morning, we will find ourselves at anchor in the harbour of Kaimana, and after an early breakfast our tenders will take you ashore for your transfer to the airport for your onward travel.

Our mission is to provide the best experience possible for our guests given the current conditions and when unexpected opportunities for adventure may present themselves along our cruise routes. Sometimes weather conditions, tides or other local factors dictate that we need to vary from the published route, and at times there are special opportunities to explore and discover new locations, events and activities. These explorations will always be a definite enhancement to the published itinerary and will be undertaken after discussion and agreement among guests. Ultimately, the boat captains and your tour leader will make decisions to maximize trip safety and your overall enjoyment, so please come prepared to be flexible!