The Spice Islands to the Whale Sharks

You are picked up from your hotel after breakfast by the tour leaders and taken directly to the boat waiting at anchor in Ambon Harbor. Once everyone is on board and settled, the captain secures clearance from the harbor master. You then depart the harbor and begin heading south across the open sea toward the Banda Archipelago.

You spend your time in the Banda Islands, known for their natural beauty and cultural history. Activities are planned based on wind and tide conditions, so the order of visits may vary. You explore Banda Neira on foot, walking through colonial streets to see historic homes, forts, churches, a museum, and a waterfront market. If conditions allow and you are prepared for a challenge, you may take an early morning hike up Gunung Api for views over the surrounding area.

You visit selected nearby islands such as Lonthor, Ai, Run, or Hatta, each with remnants of plantations, cemeteries, and old fortifications. On Lonthor, you walk through nutmeg groves, observe traditional harvesting methods, and sample local products made from nutmeg and mace. You may also visit a hilltop fortress and meet local farmers to learn about plantation history and life on the islands.

During your stay, you have opportunities to snorkel near coral reefs and observe marine life. At dusk, you may see Mandarin fish in the harbour. When it is time to depart, you sail through the channel between Banda Neira and Gunung Api and continue your journey.

This version removes assumptions, keeps everything conditional where needed, and stays faithful to the original itinerary.

You 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 paddleboarding, and beach activities. Back to the boat, depart for Igar Island for some snorkelling.

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

Back to the boat, depart for 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 departs for Tual in the Kei Islands.

Visit Tual, the main port of the region.

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

You can also spend time exploring the small islands and beaches, and do lots of snorkelling.

Here you 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 on the small island of Wamar, has long been a busy regional trading center 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.

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

Later in the day, you continue your journey east, stopping off late afternoon for another swim and snorkel on your 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.

Head out in the tenders to see if the sharks are around, and if you are lucky, you can spend a couple of hours in the water with these magnificent creatures.

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

Have a beach BBQ with the crew this evening, with singing and dancing late into the night.

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 is filled with more snorkelling, swimming, kayaking, and paddling as you relax amidst the beauty of the surrounding jungle-covered islands.

You spend your final evening on the ship resting at anchor and enjoying a farewell dinner with your captain and crew.

In the morning, the ship anchors in the harbor of Kaimana, and after an early breakfast, the tenders take you ashore for your transfer to the airport for your onward travel.