Mysterious Papua New Guinea is, in the truest sense, one of the last great wilderness areas on Earth and there is simply no better way to experience these magical and rarely-visited lands than aboard the state-of-the-art small ship Coral Discoverer. Board in Cairns for an outstanding 13-day expedition to Rabaul and discover for yourself the outstanding cultures and scenic beauty of rarely-discovered Papua New Guinea.
Highlights
Witness a traditional Trobriand dance performed by costumed locals
Explore the rarely-visited Tufi Fjords, the only fjords in Papua New Guinea
Enjoy water activities in some of the best of Fly Island's coral reefs
Cruise the Sepik region, renowned for its unique artifacts
Involves minimal physical effort and is typically associated with leisurely activities. Activities are low-intensity or last less than a few hours each day.
After boarding Coral Discoverer at 10:00 am for a departure at 11:00 am, leave Cairns on the start of your great adventure. Take the opportunity to explore your new 'home' for the next thirteen days. Enjoy an evening sunset drink before sitting down to the first of many delicious meals.
Having passed through the Great Barrier Reef, cruise northeast towards the China Strait. Enjoy the facilities and get to know your traveling companions. This evening, join Guest Lecturers for a presentation on Papua New Guinea ahead of your arrival in Alotau.
Enjoy waking up to the scenery of China Strait as the ship approaches the first Papua New Guinea landfall - Alotau. Experienced Guest Lecturers interpret the traditional welcome dances prior to leading a tour of historical Alotau. Reboarding Coral Discoverer, cruise Milne Bay and see the World War II military history of this region before the Captain’s Welcome Aboard Drinks.
A flotilla of canoes greets the ship while approaching the Dobu anchorage. A Guest Lecturer shares the history of the Kula Ring where Dobu Island was a pivotal link between the north and south Kula trade routes. Local primary school children perform a traditional dance. After lunch, join the Expedition Leader on an excursion to the Dei Dei Hot Springs where the landowner shares the mythical and spiritual tales of these hot water and mud springs.
Historically known as the 'Islands of Love', the Trobriands offer a glimpse of traditional culture largely unspoiled by outside influence. On the island of Kuiawa witness traditional Trobriand dance performed by the colorfully costumed locals, then sail to Kitava to meet the local villagers.
Local guides paddle you on traditional canoes at Maclaren Harbour to their village in the rainforest. Be welcomed with traditional dances and garden markets. Later, discover the scenic beauty of the rarely-visited Tufi Fjords. Similar to Nordic fjords and featuring 25 individual canyons with sheer basalt cliffs, these are the only fjords in Papua New Guinea and offer a wealth of sightseeing opportunities. Soak up the spectacular views as you cruise close to the towering cliffs before boarding Xplorer to travel ashore to meet the friendly locals. Then, enjoy a leisurely swim and snorkel over spectacular fringing reefs.
Learn about the Battle of Buna, some of the fiercest fighting during the final stages of WWII. Walk through the jungle to honor the past at the World War II monument and stopover at Sanananda to visit the War Museum. Later, meet the local people of the Girewo village.
Awaken early and travel ashore for a morning of water activities at Fly Island, which has some of the best coral reefs in all of Papua New Guinea to discover through snorkeling, SCUBA diving, glass bottom boat tours, and kayaking. Visit the picturesque village of Lababia, gateway to one of the most important conservation areas in PNG - the Kamiali Wildlife Management Area.
Today visit Dregerhafen, famous for Tami bowls and timber paddles. Head ashore to Tuam in the Siassi group of islands, which offer a mix of both mainland and Bismarck Archipelago cultures. Peruse prized trinkets and decorations which include dog’s teeth, spondyllus shells, and wonderful balsa wood and sago bark headdresses. Witness the locals perform their traditional welcome dances and savor the warm village hospitality.
Explore Madang, which sits on the peninsula surrounded by a number of picturesque islands and is famed for its diving, with excellent visibility and many World War II wrecks. Discover the town, including the markets where there is the opportunity to purchase a large selection of artifacts from the Sepik region.
Enter the mouth of the mighty Sepik River – one of the world’s great river systems, and cruise well up into the middle Sepik region, renowned for its unique artifacts. Visit the remote village of Bien where the locals are amongst the greatest primitive artists on earth and take the opportunity to purchase unique hand carvings. On departure from the great Sepik, pass the active volcano on Manam Island and enjoy the sunset.
Cruise to Garove Island, the largest in the Witu group and view the flooded caldera, opened to the sea through a narrow breach. Learn about the traditional village lifestyle which still exists on subsistence principles, and take the opportunity to swim from the ergonomic ship platform.
Day 13: Disembark in Rabaul
1 Breakfast
Enter magnificent Simpson Harbor early in the morning, passing the striking islands known as the Beehives. Arrive in Rabaul at 8:00am, marking the end of the voyage of exploration and adventure. If time permits, explore the 'ghost town' of Rabaul that lies under volcanic ash deposited when Mt Tuvurvur erupted in 1994.
This itinerary is no longer available. For other trip ideas, please visit Papua New Guinea Cruises.
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.
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.
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.
Promenade Deck B
Averaging 160 sq. ft. Four cabins located on the Promenade Deck, equipped with picture windows, desk, telephone and Junior King bedding.
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.
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 15%, and most travelers will call our office and pay the deposit with a credit card.
Final payment is due 100 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
Everything was amazing! The planning with Adventure Life went smoothly. The actual trip was fantastic! One of the best trips I have experienced. The cruise staff members were knowledgeable and attentive. I will be writing more about this on the blog!
Our agent Jessica was very helpful with the whole process and always responded in a timely way to all of our questions.
K Van
1 day ago
Chern was very patient snd helpful.
CaBaba
2 days ago
Cruse ship was great. Fantastic food and service. Cruise itinary got changed so not what we expected, but not an major issue. Japan portion was great. Drivers/guides arranged by 80 Days were great. Hotels were mostly ok. Did not know that most hotels outside of major cities do not allow shoes to be worn in the hotel. again a minor inconvenience. Overall a great trip. Adventure Life communications were timely and much appreciated as far as changes/requests.
Peter Goff
3 days ago
We were a group of three that initiated our research by independently searching for the best agency to help us in the somewhat complex experience of traveling to the Galapagos. We chose adventure life because they were the most responsive in the website provided the most comprehensive overview of the trip. Their reviews were also very good.
Adventure, life splits up its booking process in two parts. First Jeff, the booking agent helped us decide which experience best suited are interests. We chose a small 14 to 16 group sized yacht. Once the booking was made with Jeff, we were handed off to Coleene, who oversaw the complex process of assembling all of the necessary documents and making sure we had everything we needed to make the trip go smoothly. The adventure, life website, then becomes your personal place of reference for all things related to your trip from door to door. It’s a lot of information to assemble, especially for three travelers, but the website makes it easy and Colleen‘s gentle reminders kept us on track. In all, from the beginning, we had four months from the time we started our research till the time we departed. We felt that was, a good amount of preparation time and don’t think it would be wise to do it in less than four months. Mostly because I think you have more options with that amount of time. There were others on our trip that took six months and more from the time they started planning.
The trip itself was outstanding. We ended up on an excellent yacht (Galapagos Angel II) with a great group of guests that we were able to connect with and put together a really nice google photos album to share.
Jed
1 week ago
Mary was very helpful. Quick to reply with helpful information and closure on arrangements.
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