Magnificent RAJA AMPAT & Spice Islands Cruise
Kararu Cruising and Culture Voyages
11 nights
Discover the beauty of Raja Ampat, the Banda and the Seram Sea aboard the Sea Safari VII. The Eastern Archipelago of Indonesia offers such a diversity of stunning, beautiful islands, towering mountains, dense jungles, cascading waterfalls, huge limestone cliffs and crystal clear waters. Astonishing islands with picturesque beaches, blue lagoons and coves are a feast for the eye - and every photographers dream. Be captivated by the colorful, spirited and very friendly local people, their cultures, crafts and customs - when visiting coastal villages & remote settlements. Lifestyle is simple and years behind. Discover rare wildlife as the black cockatoo, the Red Bird of Paradise, Cassowaries, even a Cuscus - a cuddly, small, tree-dwelling marsupial or watch some hornbills flying by - while relaxing on deck. We welcome you aboard for a cruise of a lifetime!
Day One
After embarkation aboard the majestic SEA SAFARI VII, we will sail towards the Island of Mansuar, northern Raja Ampat. Enjoy your first experience of these awesome surroundings - as white sand beaches, crystal clear waters, gigantic reefs with abundance of fish and other marine life invites for snorkel and swimming – all set with a background of thick forests. We will spend the night here at anchor .
Day Two
Early morning dawn, we will sail towards Batanta Island and the day will start with a trek from an exquisite waterfall through thick rain forest. With any luck, we will spot the “Bird of paradise” and other rare extraordinary wildlife.
Sea Safari VIII
Day Three
Sailing on to the charming Boo islands, which are rich in vegetation and a birder's paradise. We drop anchor at the horseshoe bay on Boo Kecil and invite you to swim and snorkel around the bay. Apart from parrots, many other seabirds can be seen flying past.
Overnight sailing to Misool Island.
Day Four
Misool island is surrounded by numerous uninhabited islands with beautiful white sand beaches and coral reefs. We spend the morning snorkeling or exploring the islands. After several stops, we sail onward to the East of Misool – an area of unsurpassed natural beauty. Karst formation have cut the chain of islands into hundreds of coves, lagoons, high cliffs and limestone overhangs, narrow channels and inlets, caves and jagged rocks as well as countless shaded beaches. These reefs are mostly untouched with many underwater caves waiting to be explored. We will enjoy incredible scenery and a fair chance of spotting exotic birds, including large hornbills.
Sailing on in the evening, heading towards to Fak Fak.
Day Five
On the way to Fak Fak, we will stop at the uninhabited Pisang islands – encounter astonishing beaches with the purest white sand. We invite you for some more swimming & snorkeling, later we will prepare a BBQ at one of the beautiful beaches.
Mid-morning we disembarked in our tenders for the charming port of Kokas, a prosperous fishing town of 3,000 residents. Kokas was strongly fortified by the Japanese during World War II. The remains of tunnels, bunkers, and artillery emplacements were apparent when we landed on the pier. The islanders had built a leaf-roofed sun shelter in the outdoor pavilion in preparation for our visit, but the lashing rain forced us to relocate into the nearby spacious town hall. A presentation consisting of dancing to harmonic songs and drumbeats introduced us to their cultural heritage. The highlight for all was the Gabagaba dance, a stick dance in which two women jumped between clicking sticks from the sago palm.
During lunch, we sailed eastward into Bintuni Bay were we embarked on a scenic tender cruise in the late afternoon. The landscape was dotted with beautiful small islets of karst. We stopped to observe numerous orchids and a pair of copulating tortoises. It is here that we were able to visit one of New Guinea’s premier displays of ancient Papuan rock art, featuring predominately red, iron-rich hematite and white, ground-limestone pigments depicting hands, fish, boomerangs, and part animal-part human figures.
Day Six
Early morning arrival at Was island at the foot of the Fak Fak mountains. After meeting some of the local families, we will offer a coastal exploration with the tenders. Midday sail to Karas island in the Sebakor bay. Visit of coastal villages or laze around on the secluded beaches. Then we sail westward to the Gorong Archipelago, stretching out into the Banda Sea.
Day Seven
Arrival at Manawoka - one of the Gorong Islands. Take a leisurely stroll through an old nutmeg grove and a visit to the Raja of Manawoka, we will sail to the eastern tip of the island. There we find two lakes with a small tunnel connected with the sea. It's a special experience to swim and snorkel in these lakes. From Manawoka we sail in the evening southward to the Watubela archipelago.
Day Eight
Kurkap, one of the Watubela Islands would be the dream vision of paradise – countless coconut trees, white sand beaches – coral reefs dropping to down deep sea.
Day Nine
As our journey will lead us to remote and virtually unchartered areas, we have added a “spare day” to our itinerary. We will enjoy this day as it comes, either exploring new area, re-visiting or maybe purchasing more supplies – as we also like to be open to the unexpected. This day is being planned, so if any delays have previously occurred, we can be flexible to absorb any such bad fortune.
Day Ten
Early morning, we will arrive in the Banda Archipelago, famous for its natural beauty, lush rain forests. The people are incredible friendly, one can smell history in each corner, sightseeing or a visit to a Nutmeg plantation is worth a trip on its own.. We start of at the Island of Ai with a walk to the remains of Fort Revenge. Here you will get a first glimpse of the famous Banda reefs. After lunch, we sail through the enchanting 'Sonnegat' and moor in Bandaneira, the main town and island of the Bandas. Once it belonged to the HQ of the Dutch VOC, but now is a sleepy town under the smoke of the active volcano Gunung Api. Strolling through town, you will see the old forts and planter's houses, some are even nicely restored. The original population fled these islands in the 17th century, as you can learn, when visiting the local museum. The Dutch had to bring in slaves from other islands to work on the plantations. Now the population is an interesting racial mixture. You can buy spices as nutmeg, Kenari nut cookies and even nutmeg jam.
Numtmeg
Mangos
Kenari Nut
Nutmeg Kenari Nut
Day Eleven
Today we visit the last nutmeg plantation still in operation and we will experience how the nutmeg is grown, harvested and processed – same way as in the old days. The high rising Kenari tree with its umbrella shaped foliage still provides the shade for the nutmeg tree. This day concludes by sailing towards Ambon.
Day Twelve
After Sea Safari VII’s arrival in Ambon and a delicious breakfast, you may say farewell to the crew and transfer to the airport for flight to Bali.
NOTICE
Participants are informed that itinerary of our sea voyages might occasionally be modified due to factors beyond our control, as unfavorable weather conditions, delay in processing harbor clearances, changes in schedules of domestic flights. The cruise directors and captain will adjust the program accordingly to the best interest of all. Please note that the domestic flights are not included. The KARARU team would be glad to arrange them for you.
available cruises for this itinerary
2011 cruisesNo available cruises in 2011 for this itinerary |
2012 cruisesNo available cruises in 2012 for this itinerary |
2013 cruisesNo available cruises in 2013 for this itinerary |