The remote archipelago of Raja Ampat lies off the western tip of the great island of Papua, in the far east of Indonesia. This is the very epicentre of marine biodiversity, with the richest coral reefs in the world. There are more species of corals and of reef fish here than anywhere else on the planet. Which makes for some extraordinary snorkelling.
Many of the islands have dramatic karst scenery, and most remain cloaked in tropical forest, home to a wealth of birdlife. This includes the gorgeous Red Bird-of-Paradise and extraordinary Wilson’s Bird-of-Paradise.
Offshore there are plenty of seabirds, while the deep-water channels between the islands are prime habitat for cetaceans. A particular attraction is Omura’s Whale, with the Raja Ampat archipelago being possibly the best place in the world to watch this rarely seen species.
The name Raja Ampat means ‘Four Kings’, in reference to ancient rulers of the four largest islands in the group, but there are many, many more islands to explore. All of our cruises are slightly different, taking best advantage of conditions at the time. On some cruises we head north to savour the extraordinary karst scenery around Waigeo, on others we head south and west to the beautiful but little-visited Kofiau islands. Whichever way we sail, all of our cruises around the Raja Ampat islands typically start and finish at the port city of Sorong, on the western tip of the great island of Papua. And all visit sites for Birds-of-paradise, offer world-class snorkelling and provide plenty of cetacean-watching opportunities.
Day 1. Start of cruise from Sorong. Board MV Mermaid at Sorong port, mid-morning. Depart around lunchtime. We usually see Omura’s Whales and Spinner Dophins soon after leaving port. Cruise towards Waigeo Island, looking out for other cetaceans en-route. After sunset tonight there will be an orientation talk, and on most other nights there will be a slide show.
Days 2-8. Cruising Raja Ampat. We will wend our way slowly through the Raja Ampat islands, looking out along the way for whales and dolphins, flying fish and seabirds. There will be opportunities for snorkelling on the coral reefs, probably including at least one site with Manta Rays. And we can also expect opportunities for island visits, including a Birds-of-Paradise excursion.
Day 9. Back to Sorong. Another full day, with during which we can expect a morning snorkel or island visit, and plenty more time for whale and dolphin watching. We should arrive back at Sorong port in the late afternoon.
Day 10. Disembark. After breakfast we will sadly have to disembark and transfer to accommodation ashore or to the airport for flight home.
MARINE MAMMALS
The waters around the Raja Ampat islands are home to large numbers of Spinner Dolphins and Spotted Dolphins. This also seems to be a particularly good location for Pygmy Killer Whales. However, the big draw here are the good numbers of tropical whales. Indeed, this may be the best location in the world to see Omura’s Whale, a species described as new as recently as 2003. In addition, Dugongs occur around Batanta, and we have been lucky enough to see up to 3 on
previous trips.
Omura’s Whale Balaenoptera omurai
Bryde’s Whale Balaenoptera brydei
Sperm Whale Physeter macrocephalus
Dwarf Sperm Whale Kogia sima
Spinner Dolphin Stenella longirostris
Spotted Dolphin Stenella attenuata
Bottlenose Dolphin Tursiops truncatus
Indo-pacific Bottlenose Tursiops aduncus
Fraser’s Dolphin Lagenodelphis hosei
Rough-toothed Dolphin Steno bredanensis
Risso’s Dolphin Grampus griseus
Shortfin Pilot Whale Globicephala macrorhynchus
Melon-headed Whale Peponocephala electra
Pygmy Killer Whale Feresa attenuata
False Killer Whale Pseudorca crassidens
FISHES
Raja Ampat is the very centre of coral reef biodiversity, and the number of reef fish species
that can be seen here quite extraordinary. We see hundreds of species while snorkelling, so
much so that keeping track of all the different species seen is all but impossible! Manta Rays
are common. We frequently see Oceanic Manta Rays jumping out at sea, while Reef Mantas
can be found at one particular snorkel site. In addition to fishes, we regularly spot both Green
Turtles and Hawksbill Turtles while snorkelling. And the reefs themselves are home to nearly
600 different species of coral.
BIRDS
Highlights will include an excursion on Waigeo Island to look for both Red Bird-of-paradise
and Wilson’s Bird-of-paradise, two of the most extravagantly plumed of all birds. Other land
birds that we see regularly include Dusky Scrubfowl, Pinon’s Imperial Pigeon, Spice Imperial
Pigeon, Channel-billed Cuckoo, Papuan Hornbill, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Eclectus Parrot,
Common Paradise-kingfisher, and many more. At sea: Streaked Shearwater, Tahiti Petrel,
Brown Booby, Red-footed Booby, Black Noddy, Brown Noddy. Black-naped Tern, Lesser
Frigatebirds, and more.
“Another superb trip – the snorkelling has been out of this world! Birds of paradise, dugongs, breaching mantas, Tahiti Petrel and frigatebirds. Wow!” K&MC, UK
“So pleased to see Omura’s Whale and Pygmy Killer Whales, and the Wilson’s Bird of Paradise was a joy to watch.” MS, UK
“What a fantastic trip aboard the superb ‘Mermaid’! The snorkelling was amazing and the number and variety of cetaceans was fabulous.” BM, Australia
“Fantastic combination of cetaceans and snorkelling.” GH, UK
“You are an amazing team and we are definitely in your fan club now. You looked after us so well, and we learned so much, and enjoyed ourselves so much.” RH, UK
“This holiday was snorkelling in luxury. So much practical help. Thank you for all you have taught me.” WA, UK
The remote archipelago of Raja Ampat lies off the western tip of the great island of Papua, in the far east of Indonesia. This is the very epicentre of marine biodiversity, with the richest coral reefs in the world. There are more species of corals and of reef fish here than anywhere else on the planet. Which makes for some extraordinary snorkelling.
Many of the islands have dramatic karst scenery, and most remain cloaked in tropical forest, home to a wealth of birdlife. This includes the gorgeous Red Bird-of-Paradise and extraordinary Wilson’s Bird-of-Paradise.
Offshore there are plenty of seabirds, while the deep-water channels between the islands are prime habitat for cetaceans. A particular attraction is Omura’s Whale, with the Raja Ampat archipelago being possibly the best place in the world to watch this rarely seen species.
The name Raja Ampat means ‘Four Kings’, in reference to ancient rulers of the four largest islands in the group, but there are many, many more islands to explore. All of our cruises are slightly different, taking best advantage of conditions at the time. On some cruises we head north to savour the extraordinary karst scenery around Waigeo, on others we head south and west to the beautiful but little-visited Kofiau islands. Whichever way we sail, all of our cruises around the Raja Ampat islands typically start and finish at the port city of Sorong, on the western tip of the great island of Papua. And all visit sites for Birds-of-paradise, offer world-class snorkelling and provide plenty of cetacean-watching opportunities.
Day 1. Start of cruise from Sorong. Board MV Mermaid at Sorong port, mid-morning. Depart around lunchtime. We usually see Omura’s Whales and Spinner Dophins soon after leaving port. Cruise towards Waigeo Island, looking out for other cetaceans en-route. After sunset tonight there will be an orientation talk, and on most other nights there will be a slide show.
Days 2-8. Cruising Raja Ampat. We will wend our way slowly through the Raja Ampat islands, looking out along the way for whales and dolphins, flying fish and seabirds. There will be opportunities for snorkelling on the coral reefs, probably including at least one site with Manta Rays. And we can also expect opportunities for island visits, including a Birds-of-Paradise excursion.
Day 9. Back to Sorong. Another full day, with during which we can expect a morning snorkel or island visit, and plenty more time for whale and dolphin watching. We should arrive back at Sorong port in the late afternoon.
Day 10. Disembark. After breakfast we will sadly have to disembark and transfer to accommodation ashore or to the airport for flight home.
MARINE MAMMALS
The waters around the Raja Ampat islands are home to large numbers of Spinner Dolphins and Spotted Dolphins. This also seems to be a particularly good location for Pygmy Killer Whales. However, the big draw here are the good numbers of tropical whales. Indeed, this may be the best location in the world to see Omura’s Whale, a species described as new as recently as 2003. In addition, Dugongs occur around Batanta, and we have been lucky enough to see up to 3 on
previous trips.
Omura’s Whale Balaenoptera omurai
Bryde’s Whale Balaenoptera brydei
Sperm Whale Physeter macrocephalus
Dwarf Sperm Whale Kogia sima
Spinner Dolphin Stenella longirostris
Spotted Dolphin Stenella attenuata
Bottlenose Dolphin Tursiops truncatus
Indo-pacific Bottlenose Tursiops aduncus
Fraser’s Dolphin Lagenodelphis hosei
Rough-toothed Dolphin Steno bredanensis
Risso’s Dolphin Grampus griseus
Shortfin Pilot Whale Globicephala macrorhynchus
Melon-headed Whale Peponocephala electra
Pygmy Killer Whale Feresa attenuata
False Killer Whale Pseudorca crassidens
FISHES
Raja Ampat is the very centre of coral reef biodiversity, and the number of reef fish species
that can be seen here quite extraordinary. We see hundreds of species while snorkelling, so
much so that keeping track of all the different species seen is all but impossible! Manta Rays
are common. We frequently see Oceanic Manta Rays jumping out at sea, while Reef Mantas
can be found at one particular snorkel site. In addition to fishes, we regularly spot both Green
Turtles and Hawksbill Turtles while snorkelling. And the reefs themselves are home to nearly
600 different species of coral.
BIRDS
Highlights will include an excursion on Waigeo Island to look for both Red Bird-of-paradise
and Wilson’s Bird-of-paradise, two of the most extravagantly plumed of all birds. Other land
birds that we see regularly include Dusky Scrubfowl, Pinon’s Imperial Pigeon, Spice Imperial
Pigeon, Channel-billed Cuckoo, Papuan Hornbill, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Eclectus Parrot,
Common Paradise-kingfisher, and many more. At sea: Streaked Shearwater, Tahiti Petrel,
Brown Booby, Red-footed Booby, Black Noddy, Brown Noddy. Black-naped Tern, Lesser
Frigatebirds, and more.
“Another superb trip – the snorkelling has been out of this world! Birds of paradise, dugongs, breaching mantas, Tahiti Petrel and frigatebirds. Wow!” K&MC, UK
“So pleased to see Omura’s Whale and Pygmy Killer Whales, and the Wilson’s Bird of Paradise was a joy to watch.” MS, UK
“What a fantastic trip aboard the superb ‘Mermaid’! The snorkelling was amazing and the number and variety of cetaceans was fabulous.” BM, Australia
“Fantastic combination of cetaceans and snorkelling.” GH, UK
“You are an amazing team and we are definitely in your fan club now. You looked after us so well, and we learned so much, and enjoyed ourselves so much.” RH, UK
“This holiday was snorkelling in luxury. So much practical help. Thank you for all you have taught me.” WA, UK
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