New Guinea Circle

Board Coral Adventurer in the morning and leave Cairns behind as you begin your voyage toward Papua New Guinea. Take the opportunity to explore your new home and meet your fellow passengers, then enjoy the view at this evening's sunset drinks before sitting down to the first of many delicious dinners.

Spend the day at leisure as cross the Coral Sea. Get to know your traveling companions, or join your expedition leader and knowledgeable guest lecturer in the lounge for presentations and briefings on Papua New Guinea, ahead of your arrival into Samarai.

Rich in history, Samarai Island has been declared a National Historical Heritage Island. A colonial capital and provincial government headquarters until 1968, Samarai is now a historical highlight of Milne Bay, with the ruins of the old town providing photo opportunities.

Join your expedition staff on a walk to Dei Dei Hot Springs, where the people share their mythical and spiritual tales of these hot water and mud springs. Learn the history of the Kula Ring at Dobu Island and meet the local primary school children, who welcome you to a traditional dance performance. Snorkel the bubbling Springs Reef. 

Historically known as the "Islands of Love," the Trobriands offer a glimpse of the traditional culture largely unspoiled by outside influence. In the morning, visit the island of Kuiawa to witness traditional Trobriand dance performed by the colorfully costumed locals. Visit the local market, and enjoy a swim off the adjacent island beach.

Local guides paddle you in traditional canoes at Maclaren Harbour to their village in the rainforest. Be welcomed with dances, demonstrations and traditional crafts. Discover the scenic beauty of the rarely visited Maclaren Harbour. Over lunch, soak up spectacular views as you cruise close to the towering cliffs before entering Tufi Fjord. Enjoy a leisurely swim and snorkel over colorful fringing reefs, or visit the nearby resort for a relaxing time.

The Battle of Buna saw some of the fiercest fighting between American, Australian and Japanese forces during the final stages of WWII. Walk through the jungle with the local villagers and discover the fascinating history. After lunch, stopover at beautiful Sanananda to visit the War Museum, which the villagers have built to honor both sides. Meet the local village people and enjoy their lovely gardens.

Awake early and travel ashore for a morning of water activities at Fly Island, which has very colorful coral reefs. Snorkel, dive, or enjoy glass bottom boat tours. Visit the picturesque village of Lababia, gateway to one of the most important conservation areas in PNG, and enjoy welcome ceremonies and local dances. Paddle on local outriggers and enjoy a village walk and market.

Today, visit Dregerhafen in the Finschhafen district of Morobe, famous for Tami bowls and timber paddles. Visit the village of Gingala for a high-spirited PNG welcome. The markets are open and you will have a chance to walk through the village with the locals. After lunch, enjoy snorkeling, diving from a glass bottom boat, and kayaking in the waters of the lagoon. Finish the day with drinks on the sundeck and a delicious BBQ.

Enjoy a presentation from the guest lecturer as you steam toward the remote island of Tuam in the Siassi group. Tuam features two well-known and successful dance groups who perform as you wander through the village. Along the way, peruse the market stalls. Enjoy a guided walk with the locals, and finish the day with water activities in the crystal clear water.

Explore Madang, which sits on the peninsula surrounded by a number of picturesque islands and is famed for its waterfront setting and colonial history. Discover the surrounding area on a Madang tour and, after lunch, visit the markets, with the opportunity to purchase a large selection of local artifacts from the region.

At first light, the Coral Adventurer enters the mighty Sepik River. Your destination is the remote village of Bien, where the locals are famous for their arts and crafts. A true Sepik welcome awaits as you step ashore! Take the opportunity to purchase unique hand carvings the Sepik region is known for. As you depart from the great Sepik River, sail past the active volcano at Manam Island and enjoy the captain's farewell drinks.

Early this morning, arrive into the port town of Wewak. Wish farewell to guests departing this morning, and welcome new friends who join you for the remainder of the expedition.

Overnight, cross into West Papua waters ahead of your arrival in Jayapura, formerly known as "Hollandia" during World War II and now a melting pot of sights and smells. Visit Lake Sentani, home to villagers famed for their distinctive art, cruise on a longboat to see the stilt towns built over the tranquil lake. Locals in Asei Village will welcome you with their dance and traditional instruments.

Explore the river known as the Amazon of Papua. As the largest and widest river in Indonesia, it cuts the northern mountain range in two and forms the border between the eastern Foja Mountains and the western Van Rees Mountains, weaving its way deep into virtually unexplored terrain. Tribes here are almost completely uncontacted, and the vast biodiversity is incredibly preserved.

Spend a day at sea enjoying Coral Adventurer’s onboard facilities. Join the expedition team in the lounge for an informative introduction to Raja Ampat. Learn about the many wonderful experiences you can undertake over the coming days exploring the archipelago. Raja Ampat Islands are located in the heart of the Coral Triangle, the center of marine biodiversity in the world. The area is home to 75% of the world's coral reef types with 553 types of coral reefs and 1,437 kinds of reef fish.

Welcome to Raja Ampat. Experience the breathtaking views as you enter Wayag lagoon, then explore the magical maze of limestone karst "gumdrop" islands aboard the Xplorer and zodiacs. After lunch, enjoy water activities on the nearby beach or, for the very fit, climb to the top of Mt. Pindito for a panoramic view.

Make your way to Kofiau Island, another island of the Raja Ampat region. Be welcomed by local village dancers on a “flatform boat” as they lead you ashore to Kampung Deer. Local guides lead you through to explore the village. A local long-boat transfer takes you to the next village, Kampung Awat, where you enjoy an opening Sasi ceremony and a beach BBQ. Spend the afternoon snorkeling, bird watching and exploring other villages.

Raja Ampat’s literal meaning "The Four Kings" comes from the archipelago comprising over 1,500 small islands, cays and shoals being surrounded by four main islands: Waigeo, Batanta, Salawati and Misool. Today, visit Folley on the top east side of Misool. Take in the picturesque beauty that is Balbulol, where five high cone-shaped cliffs rise from the turquoise waters in a line like emerald Christmas trees. Enjoy swimming and kayaking water activities here.

More than 1000 ancient rock paintings have been discovered in Misool at over 60 sites. Red-colored rock paintings on several cliffs show a women’s hand with long tapering fingers. There are also paintings of marine fauna, such as sharks, tuna and dolphins, as well as several sticks, canoes, overlapping abstract images, lines and symbols of fertility.

After lunch, visit Yapap, the best natural pool in the world. This huge primordial pool is adorned with impressive karst formations, which look more like chess pieces than rocks. Its turquoise seawater is so clear that the sand and coral reefs on its shallow ocean floor are clearly visible from the surface. Swimming and diving here is incredible. We also visit Dafalen Love Lake. It is an excellent place for lovers, friends and family to swim together in this symbolic lake of love. You can optionally climb up into the summit of the rock to see the heart-shaped lake from above.

Visit Sawai – a little slice of paradise located on the central northern side of Seram Island, Maluku. Sawai is one of the oldest villages in Maluku, with houses that extend out over the water. Spend the day scouting and exploring the beautiful clear waters and reefs along with grand cliffs and valleys of Manusela National Park.

Buru Island is the third largest island within the Maluku Islands and has a diverse historic narrative. Between 1658 and 1942, the island was colonized by the Dutch East India Company and then by the crown of the Netherlands. During former President Suharto’s New Order administration in the 1960s–1970s, Buru was the site of a prison used to hold thousands of political prisoners. Buru is located at the boundary between the biogeographic zones of Australia and Asia. Its flora and fauna are unique and are the subject of national and international scientific research.

Mamala Island (also referred to as Molana Island) is an uninhabited private island, home to 85 species of trees, Pacific monitor lizards (Varanus Indicus), Moluccan scrubfowl (Megapodius Reinwardtii) and coconut crabs. Known since the Portuguese colonial era, the island still contains the ruins of a hospital built by the Dutch, on which construction was interrupted by Japanese occupation in World War II. Residing on a large reef cluster that emerges to the surface makes for rich marine life surrounding the island. Snorkelers can take advantage of the shallow corals and clear water with easy viewing of unique corals and plentiful fishes. Experienced lucky divers should keep their eyes out for the underwater cave that connects to a well in the center of the island.

After lunch, make your way east to Saparua Island, one of the legendary "Spice Islands’," where you are welcomed by merrily singing school children. The area holds an important spot in history books, which you learn at Fort Duurstede, a 17th-century Dutch fort with a complicated backstory that spans centuries. Here, men and boys demonstrate their war dance with shields, swords and cultural adornment. The Saparua street markets are known for their fresh food, such as fish, bananas, chillies and sago. Sago starch comes from the center of the sago palm tree and was once known as the "hidden white pearl" for its importance as one of Indonesia’s staple foods. Saparua takes full advantage of this cash crop, not only with the selling of fresh sago and sago baked goods, but also sago "fire" wood, which you often see drying along the shoreline.

Hatta Island is famous for its exceptional snorkeling and diving in clear turquoise water over a unique submerged lava flow. Enjoy an early morning dive, admiring vibrant corals and sea creatures of all shapes, sizes and colors at the wall drop just off the shoreline. Hatta is home to turtles, dolphins, sea horses, great coral gardens and plenty of fish. Later, there is the opportunity for a guided walk through the village, to visit school children, and then to explore a local plantation of pepper trees and nutmeg trees.

Today, explore the center of the Spice Islands, where the world’s supply of nutmeg and mace has been traded for over 2,000 years. See Gunung Api volcano and Banda’s famous Kora Kora canoes in action. At Banda town, guides introduce you to the sights and smells of this historic area. Wander past the remnants of mansions constructed during Dutch colonialism on a town tour and visit historic buildings before visiting the markets. Refresh onboard before joining the locals for a traditional dance and music performance while enjoying a glass of champagne on top of Fort Belgica.

Spend the day at leisure enjoying the onboard facilities as you cross the Timor Sea. Join your expedition team in the ship’s lounge for a recap of the expedition. Reminisce with your newfound friends at the captain’s farewell drinks before the last of many remarkable dinners.

This morning, arrive at Darwin’s Fort Hill Wharf, marking the end of your great adventure discovering New Guinea. Disembark at 10:30am.