Raja Ampat: Nature’s Richest Realm Small Ship Cruise

Board the Paspaley Pearl in Southeast Asia’s youngest nation, where Portuguese colonial architecture features in the waterfront town of Dili, serving as your gateway to the Indonesian islands and Raja Ampat. Once aboard, the evening unfolds with introductions to crew and fellow guests over dinner as the vessel departs for the Banda Sea crossing.

Travel through one of the world’s great ocean passages where depths exceed 5,000 metres as you cross the Banda Sea. During this crossing, four onboard naturalists will introduce the journey ahead, explaining the ocean and environmental systems that create the extraordinary marine life found in Raja Ampat. They’ll also share the history of the Banda Islands and the conflict-ridden spice trade.

The Tanimbars lie in the far south of Maluku, some 65 islands set between the Banda and Arafura Seas, with the port town of Saumlaki on the largest of them, Yamdena. We go ashore here and travel up the east coast to Sangliat Dol, a village built around one of the great megalithic sites of eastern Indonesia. A stone stairway climbs from the beach to a ceremonial platform laid out in the shape of a boat, its prow turned toward the sea, carved with spirals and fish and understood as the vessel that carried the first ancestors to these islands. It remains the ritual centre of the village. Tanimbarese carving, goldwork and ikat weaving are among the finest in Maluku, and the forested hills behind the coast hold birds found nowhere else on earth.

Arrive at The Kei Islands, where white sand beaches meet clear water over shallow fringing reef systems. Enjoy a traditional welcome ceremony from local communities that trace back to migrations from Java and Bali during the expansion of the Majapahit Empire. Here, rich cultural practices have been maintained across generations and continue to thrive today.

Today offers the chance to explore the Mommon Peninsula, where the KitiKiti waterfall cascades from rainforest-covered cliffs into the ocean. A refreshing contrast forms where cool freshwater meets the warm tropical sea, creating distinct temperature layers that can be felt while swimming near the falls. Make use of kayaks and paddleboards to explore the coastline and glide above coral reefs that flourish beyond the reach of freshwater. From the surrounding rainforest, you’ll hear the cacophony of endemic bird calls only found in New Guinea’s western regions.

Spend the next five days exploring the wonders of the Raja Ampat archipelago, with each day offering new adventures. Visit Manta Sandy, where manta rays with wingspans exceeding three metres gather, and Cape Kri, home to a world-record breaking dive documenting 374 distinct fish species in a single dive. Snorkel through vibrant coral gardens with visibility often exceeding 30 metres, drifting from shallow reefs to dramatic vertical wall systems plunge into the deep blue.

Disembark Paspaley Pearl at Sorong with memories of limestone islands rising sheer from the water, reefs holding more coral and fish species than anywhere else on earth, and villages reached only by sea. The port sits at the western tip of the Bird’s Head Peninsula, the crossing point between Papua and the trade routes of Maluku for centuries before it was a town at all. From here a short transfer takes you to your charter flight back to Darwin.

Itineraries are subject to change.