Katharina: Raja Ampat, 9 nights, Sorong return

Home to some of the world’s best and most healthy coral gardens and species numbers of corals, fish, invertebrates, and birds, Raja Ampat is renowned for its biodiversity and beauty, and it’s no accident that it attracts snorkellers, divers, and bird and nature lovers from around the world. Its remoteness and inaccessibility have kept the location relatively tourist-free, allowing us to show intrepid SeaTrek adventurers some fantastic experiences.

How does gliding through a dreamy fairy tale landscape of karst limestone spires, mysterious caves, ancient rock paintings, and endless secret coves filled with corals and fish of every colour sound?

How about floating in body-temperature water, watching endless species of fish swim below over the backdrop of kaleidoscope corals, or rolling over and floating on your back when you hear the screech of a sulphur-crested cockatoo flying past, highlighted against the backdrop of a lush green landscape?

Maybe the otherworldly experience of drifting among masses of rare stingless jellyfish in an actual forest pool of evolution?

Or for a more terrestrial experience, how about an early morning cool and misty forest walk to see the secret and seductive dancing of the iconic birds of paradise?

If this sounds like you, then let us bring you to one of the real Jewels of Indonesia – the islands of Raja Ampat.

On the first morning, you will be greeted by your SeaTrek tour leaders at your hotel and taken to the boat, and after an alfresco lunch, we will stop off for our first swim and snorkel of the voyage on a coral reef, before continuing on our way south.

The Misool archipelago is a picturesque chain of jungle-covered limestone islets with spectacular coral reefs offering some fantastic snorkeling. We will spend the day exploring the many inlets, bays, and beaches with some trekking, swimming, and snorkeling. We will also break out the kayaks and paddle boards for some seaborne adventuring.

We will swim in a mysterious stingless jellyfish lake, one of only 20 in the world where these amazing creatures exist and swim amongst the many thousands of stingless animals.

Using our tenders, we will visit prehistoric cave paintings, estimated to be between 3,000 to 5,000 years old and depicting various human figures and huge human hands, fish, and flowers.

Experience an early morning jungle trek to look for the Lesser Birds of Paradise in the wild, an unforgettable experience for anyone lucky enough to see them as they dance around in their ‘lekking’ trees.

Central Raja Ampat stores many magical underwater gems. Exploration and lots of waterborne opportunities await as we cruise, we snorkel, and get the paddleboards and kayaks in the water.

Snorkel around one of the best coral reefs in the world with a large school of fish hanging out in the deep, masses of healthy corals, and large sea fans clinging to the reef walls.

Explore a small group of limestone islands filled with coves and beautiful reefs, and we will go ashore for a short climb to a vantage point where we can survey our beautiful surroundings, before heading out to snorkel on the beautiful reefs.

We will have an epic snorkel adventure on one of Raja Ampat’s best reefs, where hundreds of species can be found, including large schools of fish of all sizes and a massive diversity of coral species.

A super early awaits as we head off into the forest in search of two incredible birds: the Red Bird of Paradise and the Wilson’s Bird of Paradise. The walk takes about 40 minutes, and as we arrive at the bird site at dawn, if we are lucky, we will see the incredible mating displays of these birds in the canopy of the rainforest. This is a David Attenborough moment if ever there was one.

Enjoy more great snorkelling in the famous underwater sea wall on the east of Gam Island.

On the last day of our adventure, we will wake up anchored in Sorong and have one last hearty breakfast on board before saying farewell to our crew and your fellow travellers, and making our way to the airport or hotel for the next phase of your journey.