This 15-day extraordinary adventure on board the Coral Discoverer takes you to some of the most remote and hardly visited areas in Papua New Guinea and Indonesia, with the highlights being the rare chance to experience a total solar eclipse in northern Indonesia on 9 March 2016. Adventurers and nature lovers certainly enjoy getting close to some of the most incredible wilderness on the planet: observe the colorful Bird of Paradise, snorkel in the Raja Ampat region and see some of the world’s most pristine and wildlife-rich coral reefs, discover traditional markets on Indonesia’s Spice Islands, and visit villages that have only become exposed to the modern world recently. An amazing, genuine and moving experience!
Highlights
Snorkel in Raja Ampat and see some of the world’s most pristine reefs
Experience a total solar eclipse in Northern Indonesia
Observe the colorful Bird of Paradise and rich wildlife
Explore some of the most incredible wilderness on the planet
Involves minimal physical effort and is typically associated with leisurely activities. Activities are low-intensity or last less than a few hours each day.
Today board the Coral Discoverer in the city port of Wewak and commence your adventure in the afternoon. Capital of the West Sepik province, Wewak is a picturesque port city that used to be Japan’s major airbase during WWII.
Your ship crosses into West Papua waters overnight to reach the busy town of Jayapura. Visit Lake Sentani, the location of General Douglas MacArthur’s main base during WWII and home to villagers renowned for their unique artifacts and bark paintings.
Today explore the Padaido Islands located in the south-east of Biak and famous for their gorgeous white-sand beaches and colorful coral reefs. This afternoon enjoy some water-based activities including scuba diving, snorkeling, and kayaking and explore the islands’ wildlife-rich rainforests.
Board the Explorer and head to the island of Mansinan for more opportunities to snorkel and scuba dive near spectacular WWII wrecks just off the island’s shores. Enjoy an informative afternoon talk about Raja Ampat on board the vessel, one of your destinations in the next few days.
Your destination today is the island of Fam and its traditional fishing village. Later in the day, reach the archipelago of Raja Ampat, also known as the Paradise Islands: the abundance of plankton in the area makes it feeding grounds for the giant manta rays. Have the opportunity to swim with these magnificent marine creatures.
This morning, wake up near Pulau Jiew which is the eclipse center line. Be prepared for an unforgettable experience as you join an expert Guest astronomer on the sun deck and watch this magical natural phenomenon. Later in the day continue on to Wayag Island, part of the Raja Ampat archipelago.
Explore Wayag Island, known as one of the Raja Ampat region’s ‘Four Kings’. Head for the white sand beach and breathtaking maze of limestone karst islands for some water-based activities. The most adventurous have the option to climb Pindito Peak for some amazing vistas of the island’s lagoon.
Today cruise the Dampier Straits, named after the famous explorer William Dampier. Join a local Papuan guide before embarking on a walk through rainforest to reach the Sawingrai village. In the afternoon, take a guided tour of the South Seas Pearl Farm.
Onboard the Explorer, travel along the narrow channel that leads to Hidden Bay on Gam Island. Enjoy some free time to kayak, take a glass-bottom boat tour of the coral reefs, or follow your expedition team on a nature guided walk. Later in the afternoon sail towards your viewing spot for tomorrow morning's total eclipse and join the guest astronomer for an informative talk.
Today reach the Misool Islands, another one of the ‘Four Kings’ of the Raja Ampat region. The islands feature breathtaking scenery, stunning diving and snorkeling sites, and palm-fringed white sand beaches. Take a nature-guided walk on Wagmab Island and also take a tour of the surrounding waters, home to the pygmy seahorse and the most gorgeous and colorful coral gardens. In the evening join the Captain on the sun deck for a sunset barbecue.
Board the Explorer and travel to the island of Mesemta for more exploration and exciting bird-watching. Continue on to the island of Pelee for great snorkeling and scuba diving excursions.
Reach the Banda Sea, ready to explore the Spice Islands. These small islands were at the center of the Spice Island trade network, attracting traders from almost 2,000 years ago. As the ship sails closer to the shores of Banda Island, spot the Gunung Api Volcano in the distance and witness oarsmen in the famous Kora Kora canoes gliding through the waters. In the afternoon explore Fort Belgica, built in 1611 during Dutch colonization. At sunset, you are joined by the locals and their traditional dance and music performances as you enjoy a glass of champagne at the fort.
Today have a chance to take in the colors and aromas of the islands. Spend some free time to explore the towns, rich with Dutch colonialism heritage. Visit the museum, the Governor’s Mansion, and stroll through the spice markets. In the afternoon, depart the Spice Islands and start sailing toward Darwin.
As your ship crosses the Timor Sea, enjoy your day at leisure on board. In the evening you are invited to join the Captain and his crew for farewell drinks and dinner.
Day 15: Disembark in Darwin
1 Breakfast
Arrive in Darwin in the morning and dock at Darwin’s Fort Hill wharf for the end of your adventure.
Apologies for the inconvenience. Prices for not yet published. Below per person rate based on previous season. Contact us to confirm upcoming season pricing.
Prices for are estimated based on inflation. Contact us to confirm pricing and availability for your desired departure date.
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Main Deck B
Averaging 195 sq. ft. Three cabins located on the Main Deck, equipped with twin portholes, desk, sofa, telephone and your choice of Junior King or twin bedding.
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Main Deck A
Averaging 195 sq. ft. Six cabins located on the Main Deck, equipped with twin porthole windows, desk, sofa, telephone and your choice of Junior King or twin bedding.
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Promenade Deck B
Averaging 160 sq. ft. Four cabins located on the Promenade Deck, equipped with picture windows, desk, telephone and Junior King bedding.
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Promenade Deck A
Averaging 195 sq. ft. Eighteen cabins located on the Promenade Deck, equipped with picture windows, sofa, desk, telephone and your choice of Junior King or twin bedding.
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Bridge Deck
Averaging 195 sq. ft. Five cabins located on the Bridge Deck, equipped with picture windows, sofa, desk, telephone and your choice of Junior King or twin bedding.
Notes
Solo Travelers:
Solo cabin occupancy is limited and based on availability in Promenade Deck B cabins only. Single supplement is an additional 50%.
Important Fare Information:
Rates are posted based off of the current exchange rates from Australian or New Zealand Dollars. Please contact us for current exchange rates.
Initial deposit is variable, and most travelers will call our office and pay the deposit with a credit card.
Final payment is due 70 days prior to departure by bank transfer, check or credit card. All final payments by credit card may be subject to a surcharge and maximum of $20,000 charge
Our guide and driver were very good with their knowledge and were very helpful with our questions. It was a very pleasant visit that would have been impossible to do on our own. Hotels and restaurants were fantastic. The special places we got to go to, like the kitchens, were great. Enjoyed the entire trip!
Meyer Smolen
TrustScore 4.8 | 175 reviews
TrustScore 4.8 of 5
Based on 175 reviews on
7 hours ago
The response from Adventure Life to my first inquiry was prompt and promising. I worked with Jamie Broeckel, Trip Planner, via text, email, and phone calls- always extremely responsive and thorough with information and explaining the process to arrange a private tour for me to Malaysia Borneo. Within about week, the booking was complete and I made decisions because of Jamie's great customer service , friendly manner, and overall competence on behalf of the company's travel expertise. Now I have an itinerary, additional Trip Planner Assistants, several links for vital information for traveling to Maylasia, etc. Still many details for Sept. trip, but now the heavy lifting is done and I can enjoy the rest of the anticipation and research!! Thanks Jamie- you are amazing!!!!
Susan Campo
2 days ago
The trip was not only memorable for the amount of animals we saw but also for the people and accommodations at the two camps where we stayed. Our first guide, BK, was a wealth of information about the animals, landscape and down to the plants and what they were used for. Everyday out was a learning experience with him. All the people at the camps were gracious and the food was excellent.
Our second camp in the Okavanga was just as good as the first as far as the staff, accommodations, food and animals. After our experience at the first camp we amazed that the high quality remained the same. Our guide, G, made sure we were able to enjoy every experience including a rush through the bush to witness a cheetah and an ensuing hunt that he heard over his radio.
In both camps there were enough guides out that if they saw something the other guides were informed which helped in seeing as much as possible. It was also nice that the concessions were large enough that we did not have vehicles following each other throughout the day.
Normally there is always something in a trip of this length that we think could be improved upon but this is the rare case where we cannot think of anything. From the time we left the States to when we returned it was one of the most hassle free vacations we took.
Perhaps emphasizing the use of the laundry facilities at the camps would be useful because of the luggage restrictions would be the only thing I can think of as an improvement to future clients.
Kenneth Dropek
3 days ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.
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