Apr 28 – May 9, 2028

subject to change without prior notice, at the discretion of cruise director and captain Day 1: Arrive to the ILIKE at Sorong port. Day 2: Yangeffo Island and Dampier Strait Day 3: Penemu Island Day 4: Misool Fiabacet/ Boo Island Day 5: Misool Daram Islands Day 6: Koon Island Day 7: Banda Island Day 8: Banda Island Day 9: Banda Island
 Day 10: Nusa Laut
 Day 11: Ambon Bay
 Day 12: Disembark in Ambon Port Raja Ampat refers to an archipelago with more than 1500 islands with the four main islands of Waigeo, Batanta, Salawati and Misool and is part of the Coral Triangle making it one of the richest bio diversity of the world. Because his strategic location on the western Pacific Ocean, currents troughflows arriving to the archipelago from very deep water to shallow water, making stratospheric numbers more that 500 different species of corals in that area, ten times more than the Caribbean. Raja Ampat translates from the Indonesian language to Four Kings. Misool, the most southern island, has an abundance of marine life, a variety of underwater seamounts, smaller pinnacles, coral walls and coral gardens, covered in giant sea fans, soft corals in all colours, massive table corals and countless fish. This is a great place to find the elusive epaulette shark, or walking shark. It is a nocturnal shark that sneaks up on its pray by walking closer and closer to it. It is largely a marine park set up by Misool Eco Resort in cooperation with all the local villages, not to fish inside this area. It gets patrolled by the park rangers. The Dampier Strait, between Waigeo and Batanta, beautiful coral gardens, underwater pinnacles or seamounts, sandy bottom with coral heads and cleaning stations. Here we can find even more nutrients bringing in bigger predators like giant trevallies, yellow fin tuna, rainbow runners and even some sharks like blacktip, grey reef, white tip sharks. It is also one of the few places in the world where we can find two species of Manta rays on the same dive sites. Night dives are a joy in Northern Raja Ampat.
We offer you the opportunity to visit local villages or there hike up to one of the lookout points. The Banda Sea is spectacular as it is very remote due to its location and possibility of rougher seas. Crystal clear waters, bottomless dropoffs, colorful coral pinnacles and so much more. After the eruption (1988) of Gunung Api close to Banda Neira, the lava flowed into the sea covering and over throwing the coral below. You will be amazed by the fast recovery of the hard-coral garden that grew in its place. For the night/dusk dive we can see the ma- ting dance of the very colorful mandarin fish, search for frogfish, seahorses, razorfish and octopus. We offer you the opportunity to visit the old historic town of Banda Neira. Here you will find many remains of the Dutch and English spice trade. We will visit an old nutmeg plantation and have a little taste of how you can make great use of this famous spice that once was believed to cure the plague. The fort Belgica offers great views of the port and Gunung Api. Koon Island, again a very remote location that it lays between the Ceram, Arafula Sea the Banda Sea, feeding of very nutritious currents fish and corals thrive here like never seen before. Raja Ampat translated from the Indonesian language it
means Four Kings. it refers to an archipelago with more than 1500 islands with the four main islands of Waigeo, Batanta, Salawati and Misool and is part of the Coral Triangle making it one of the richest biodiversity of the world. More than 1300 different species of fishes and more than 600 different spices of corals are some of the
beauties from this Indonesian paradise. Ambon, the capital of the Maluku’s province. It is the most populated city in the area and its phenomenal muck diving is considered as one of the best in the world. The city is spit by an enormous Bay, that since recently is connected by a bridge.
Cuttlefish, seahorses, octopus and many other critters find their home in this deep Bay. It is muck diving in its purest
state. One of the most famous dive site is Twighligh in Laha village.
As the name says it feels like twighlight even in broad daylight. You may first wonder why your guide brought you
here, but than a whole new world opens to you.
Creatures that you have never seen before or even knew existed. Here we can find such critters as a harlequin
shrimp or hairy frogfish, flamboyant cuttlefish, seahorses, mototi, hairy, starry, wonderpus are just a few of the many different species of octopus you can find here.
Biggest highlights are rhinopias or the elusive psychedelic frog fish, other than in Bali it is never found anywhere
else in the world.
Don’t forget the beautiful coral gardens found outside the Bay. There is a huge natural rock bridge, called, Pintu
Kota. It is covered in beautiful and colourful soft corals, with great marine life.