Raja Ampat holiday: reefs, islands and colourful corals

Itinerary in brief: 

• 2 nights Ubud
• 1 night Sorong 
• 9 nights SeaTrek Liveaboard cruise
• 3 nights Sidemen

Day 1: Depart UK

Depart the UK from your chosen airport.

Included: International flights 

Day 2: Arrive Ubud

On arrival in Bali, you'll be met at the airport and driven to your hotel just outside of Ubud, checking in for two nights.

Included: Breakfast, transfers, 5* hotel

Day 3: Ubud

Ubud town is a maze of tiny boutique galleries, local silversmiths, craft shops selling wood carvings and sculptures, mixed in with some ancient temples and amazing restaurants. You’ll be staying in the countryside outside the main town but make sure you venture in for the morning to explore – discovering the water temple off the main street before a lunch of delicious babi guling pork is a fine way to spend the morning. 

The rest of your time here can consist of wandering through the local rice fields, meeting farmers as they plough their paddies and watching ducks paddle across the water. The village of Petulu is a wonderful end to a walk as the trees here are home to 20,000 white herons that come to roost here each evening. Ubud is also a wonderful place to try yoga or a cooking class – each activity will help you get under the skin of this unique island.

Included: Breakfast, 5* hotel

Day 4: Fly to Sorong

After breakfast, you'll be driven back to the airport for the flight to Sorong in Western Papua, where you'll be met and taken to your hotel for the night. Relax and start getting excited to embark on your Raja Ampat cruise tomorrow morning!

Included: Breakfast, transfer, 3* hotel

Days 5 & 6: SeaTrek Liveaboard cruise - Misool Archipelago

This morning you'll board the Katharina and settle into your home for the next week, where you'll be in your comfortable cabin on this 38m ship. With only 6 cabins for 12 passengers, this is the perfect small ship experience of Raja Ampat's remote islands. Head off and begin your voyage with some snorkelling before continuing south into the Misool Archipelago. This chain of jungle-covered limestone islets offers incredible snorkelling and you'll spend a couple of days trekking and swimming with colourful fish. You can also break out the kayaks and paddleboards for even more adventures amongst the islands. 

Included: All meals, transfers, tour, double cabin

Days 7 & 8: SeaTrek Liveaboard cruise - cave paintings

Swim in a mysterious stingless jellyfish lake, one of only a few in the world where these incredible creatures exist before heading out on tender boats to visit skull cairns and sea-cave cemeteries. You'll find prehistoric cave paintings up to 5,000 years old, depicting human figures, fish, hands and flowers. Head out on an early morning jungle trek to look for the Lesser Birds of Paradise, spotting them dancing around their 'lekking' trees. 

Included: All meals, transfers, tour, double cabin

Days 9 & 10: SeaTrek Liveaboard cruise - Central Raja Ampat 

Central Raja Ampat is a haven of underwater gems - you'll spend a couple of days exploring by cruise, snorkelling, paddleboarding and kayaking through the turquoise waters, spotting huge schools of fish, vast healthy corals and enormous sea fans clinging to the edges of the reef. 

Included: All meals, transfers, tour, double cabin

Days 11 & 12: SeaTrek Liveaboard cruise - limestone islands

Explore a small group of limestone islands filled with coves and reefs, before heading ashore for a short climb to a vantage point for spectacular views over the scenery. Enjoy an epic snorkel adventure at one of Raja Ampat's best reefs, where you'll find huge diversity of coral species and endless schools of shimmering fish. 

Included: All meals, transfers, tour, double cabin

Day 13: SeaTrek Liveaboard cruise - Birds of Paradise

Get up early this morning to head off into the forest in search of two unique birds: the Red Bird of Paradise and the Wilson’s Bird of Paradise. You'll walk for around 40 minutes, and arriving at dawn, if you are lucky, you will hopefully witness the incredible mating displays of these birds in the canopy of the rainforest. This is a David Attenborough moment if ever there was one! 

In the afternoon, you'll enjoy some final snorkelling at the famous underwater sea wall on the east of Gam Island - keep your eyes peeled for giant trevally, hawksbill turtles, sea horses and reef sharks. 

Included: All meals, transfers, tour, double cabin

Day 14: Fly to Sidemen

On the final morning of your cruise, you'll wake up anchored in Sorong and enjoy a hearty breakfast on board before waving goodbye to the wonderful crew and heading back to the airport for your flight to Bali. On arrival, you'll be driven to the picturesque village of Sidemen, where you'll check into your hotel for three nights, ready to relax after your incredible adventure cruise. 

Included: Breakfast, transfers, 4 * hotel

Days 15 & 16: Sidemen

You could spend your time in Sidemen in two ways – the first is by relaxing in the hotel and taking in the spectacular views over misty rice terraces, swimming in the infinity pool, read a book in the outdoor lounge or do some yoga on the grass in this peaceful landscape. The second option is to head out into the hills - you don’t need car to get out into the fields and hike through the lush countryside, meeting locals as you go and getting a glimpse into the real Bali.

Included: Breakfast, 4 * hotel

Day 17: Depart Indonesia

After breakfast you'll be driven back to the airport for your international flight home.

Included: Breakfast, transfers, international flights

Day 18: Arrive UK