The Coral Triangle

Our Destination Guides dip into this unheralded destination in greater detail. They will explain why there is only one way to experience Raja Ampat’s colossal biodiversity: by small vessel. Raja Ampat may be accessed from Sorong port on West Papua Island, although cruises may approach from the west, maybe from the vast island of Sulawesi. Meaning ‘Four Kings’ in Bahasa-Indonesian, Raja Ampat’s four largest islands are Waigeo, Misool, Batanta, and Salawati. 

Vessels require a shallow draft and operate with the highest standards of ecological integrity. Fewer cabins mean guests can pursue snorkelling and diving without overcrowding the spellbinding reefs. For divers, the vessel may be a liveaboard - specialist dive boats or yachts, which in Raja Ampat appear in the vernacular style of wooden Indonesian sailboats or phinisi. The marine hotspots include the Misool Archipelago and an arc of islands around Waigeo. The islands may be flat white sand atolls or mountainous, smothered by tropical rainforests. The small communities of West Papuan villagers live simple sea-based lifestyles.

Other voyage itineraries around the Coral Triangle explore northern Papua New Guinea, on either side of the port, Rabaul, a coastline rich in Papuan culture and World War II heritage. It’s also home to one of the world’s great river cruises into the Sepik – home to worshippers of a crocodile cult. The Solomon Islands is a tropical undeveloped Melanesian paradise, while the marvellously diverse Sulawesi features the unique Toraja people who follow a cult based around funeral rites.