Raja Ampat, a Fantastic Voyage

Overview

  • 16
  • From $8,300.00*
  • 12 (Approx.)
  • 11
  • PW0W0R
Please contact us to check availability dates.

Overview


27 Feb - 10 March 2023 One cabin left

26 Feb - 8 March 2023 Book now


Price 2023

  • From US$5,890 per person twin share (unlimited diving)
  • From US$5,301 per person twin share (non-diving)

Price 2024

  • From US$6,490 per person twin share (unlimited diving)
  • From US$5,841 per person twin share (non-diving)


The value of a liveaboard trip is measured in the diversity and depth of experiences. With a 1:1 crew to guest ratio, three tenders and over 25 years of experience, this trip on Pindito is the best way to explore some of the 1,800 islands that make up Raja Ampat "the Four Kings". Price includes every activity, all drink and alcohol (excluding wine), expert guides to find whales, dolphins, manta rays and birds of paradise. You can do as much or as little snorkelling as you want to, or up to 3 dives a day if you wish (NITROX is included). All your meals and any excursions are also covered. We run a flexible itinerary to maximise the chance of seeing as much as possible and can accommodate the interests of every guest. Download the brochure and find out more about this extraordinary trip.   

Equally suitable for snorkellers and divers

One of the things I love about these trips is that we have a boat and crew all to ourselves. Village visits, snorkelling, diving, paddle-boarding ... even water skiiing ... can all be done on request. There's plenty of time and people on hand to help. This is the flexibility of experience a liveboard can offer.  Simon Mustoe. 


Tim Harvey guiding a snorkeler over lush coral reef

Ten full days of whale and dolphin-watching, snorkeling and photography in placid blue-water mangroves and coral reef. You'll see rarely encountered whales and dolphins of species you may never have heard of (and some you have). You'll snorkel on some of the most precious and beautiful coral reef in the world, while cruising in luxury on a converted wooden sailing ship around a World Heritage listed region and one of the world's most extraordinary landscapes.    

We will live aboard the comfortable Pindito with one of Raja Ampat's most experienced crews.

The presence of naturalists on board with presentations of what we were seeing and thus helping us learn more about the water world we were experiencing made this trip unique. While the kind of wildlife trip is not uncommon for land based learning, the sea based that we had with Wildiaries beats anything else of which I have knowledge. It was truly a unique experience and one worth repeating." -Susan, US

This program is led by Wildiaries’ founder, photography and whale and dolphin expert Simon Mustoe and Sea Turtle Foundation’s Tim Harvey. It offers a rare opportunity to encounter rarely seen whales and dolphins including possibly Orcas, Pilot Whales, Sperm Whales, Bryde's whales, Spinner and Pan-tropical Spotted Dolphins.

Guides

Simon Mustoe

Simon is a passionate advocate for wildlife and conservation. He founded Wildiaries in 2012 as a way to connect people to nature, an organisation that has built a reputation among tens of thousands of regular readers of its online magazine.  Simon is a professional conservationist, does communications and marketing for the Blue Octopus Foundation's #50Villages project,  has written hundreds of articles, produced dozens of short films and is passionate about wildlife, in particular whales and dolphins. Simon has visited Raja Ampat numerous times and lends his personal knowledge of its people and places to helping visitors find the right trip but also fully appreciate the significance of this place. 

Raja Ampat isn’t merely the best place in the world to go snorkelling or diving, it’s a place to discover the origins of life and learn more about yourself.  

Tim Harvey

Tim Harvey, co-founder of the Sea Turtle Foundation, was recently named one of Traveller Magazines "Heroes of Nature". For several years, Tim was the manager of the research station on Heron Island on the Great Barrier Reef and got to work with the likes of David Attenborough. Tim has an infectious knowledge and enthusiasm for wildlife and a unique perspective on the way we interact with the world around us. Tim has co-led trips to Raja Ampat with Simon Mustoe on board PINDITO for several years. For most of the rest of the year he either leads trips on luxury small ship cruises or he is at home in Australia or Wales (UK) working on his homes (formative years were spent with time split between the two countries).    

During a trip to Raja Ampat, you can see stunning scenery, visit breathtaking locations, observe birds of paradise, be surrounded by beautiful reef fish and
seen all sorts of other marine wildlife. 

Raja Ampat

Raja Ampat is considered one of the most beautiful and diverse marine habitats on Earth. You’ll discover an underwater world filled with a mind-blowing diversity of soft and hard corals, sponges, colourful fish and marine mammals. 

You'll even get to see Red Birds of Paradise displaying ... one of nature's most extraordinary experiences and one that any guest will find hard to relive.  

Heading along the Dampier Strait, we will explore an area known for its high density for marine mammals (and frequently manta rays as well). The itinerary will allow plenty of time for  multiple hours each day in the water - and suit any degree of expertise.


Whales and Dolphins

Along the way, we’ll learn about and see an array of marine mammals - we’ll also take lots of photos - under the guidance of our experts.  We'll also use our hydrophones to listen underwater ... to locate them and learn how they communicate.  


Pindito

The Pindito is quite a tranquil environment. Because it’s a home as well as a ship, there is an open-bridge policy. Crew and guests get to know each other well.  She is an extremely quiet vessel. On the top-deck you can hardly hear her engines. She’s twin-stabilised - we use free-standing telescopes on tripods to observe whales! 

Accommodation

Pindito has eight teak-panelled 3x3m cabins. All have individual air-conditioning and recently-refurbished ensuite bathrooms and five 220v AC electrical outlets (European 2-pole plugs), available 24/7. Cabins are cleaned daily with fresh towels, as necessary. 

Pindito offers six double cabins and two twin cabins, creating very comfortable accommodation for up to 16 guests. 

In our double cabins, We will happily add an upper bunk to accommodate a family with one child or two people who just want an extra surface on which to place their gear. We are very happy to accommodate single travellers with another same-sex traveller. 


Communal Areas

There are two decks, with comfortable loungers and ample space for guests to enjoy some private time for relaxation. The galley is fully equipped with facilities for tea and coffee making, juice and snacks. There is a fridge stocked with Bintang and a range of spirits, that guests are free to enjoy in the evenings. There is a large flat-screen TV for movies which doubles as our presentation centre.



Details

Includes

  • Transfers from/to airport Sorong to/from the MV Pindito
  • Accommodation in a double or twin bed cabin with en-suite shower bath, toilet and AC
  • Full board including all drinks on board (excluding wine)
  • Up to 2 dives per diving day and one down or night-dive (no diving on departure/arrival day)
  • NITROX fillings for whole cruise
  • Multilingual guides on board

Excludes

  • Park fees (currently US120 pp)
  • Airport taxes for domestic flights and departure fees (payable at the airport)
  • Tips for the crew (discretionary but normally recommended at per guest/day USD 20.00)
  • Travel insurance (we strongly recommend)
  • Dive insurance (from 2013 onwards mandatory for all cruises)
  • Harbour fees (US$75)

Getting there and away

Read our guide ... click HERE


Itinerary

Includes

Excludes

Highlights

Payment Terms





1. RESERVATIONS Reservations are confirmed on receipt of a non-refundable deposit of $A500 per person or per booking, or the amount specified on your booking. On receipt of your reservation form and deposit, we will, subject to availability, reserve your place on your selected travel module. Additional deposits may be required and will be advised at time of booking. Final payment of land costs are due at least* 60 days prior to arrival and all reservations will be cancelled if full payment is not received by the due date, with loss of deposit. On receipt of your payment, we will send tour information and vouchers. Please ensure that you receive the information before you travel. Bookings made at least* less than 60 days prior to departure must be paid in full. Due to time constraints, tour information and vouchers may be collected on the first day of departure with Wildiaries from its tour guide. These arrangements will be confirmed to you in writing prior to travel. Every reservation amendment will incur an AUD$50.00 charge, subject to availability. Note that if travel documents have been issued, the fee will be AUD$100. *Special conditions may apply to some trips. You will be notified if this is the case. 2. CANCELLATIONS All cancellations must be made in writing to Wildiaries, and all tours are subject to the following cancellation charges based on the number of days before tour departure: Over 60 days:   No refund of tour deposit Between 0 and 60 days:   No refund of tour cost There is no refund for any unused portions of the tour once the tour has commenced. [Please note that if the reason for cancellation falls within the terms of any holiday insurance policy which you hold, then any such charges will normally be refunded to you by the insurance company, subject to the terms of your insurance]. Any cancellation fees imposed by hotels, ground operators or other principals or suppliers of goods and services will be charged to you in addition to the cancellation amounts stated above. 3. BAGGAGE Baggage restrictions may apply to charter air travel and small group tours and must be strictly adhered to. We recommend that you ensure you adhere to any weight restrictions indicated. 4. WILD ANIMALS Please be aware that travel may take you into areas of extreme weather conditions [eg. heat] or bring you in close contact with wild animals. Cases of dehydration and attacks by wild animals are rare, but no tour can guarantee that this will not occur. Neither Wildiaries, its contractors, agents or staff can be held responsible for any injury or incident on your tour. Neither does Wildiaries guarantee sightings of any wild animals, even if these are listed as animals possible to see on a tour. 5. PASSPORT, VISAS & DEPARTURE TAX The onus is upon you to ensure that passports and visas are valid. Wildiaries, their contractors, agents or staff cannot be held liable for any visas etc. not held by you. The onus is on you to ensure departure tax is included when the airline ticket is purchased prior to arrival in any country. 6. RESPONSIBILITIES Wildiaries, its contractors and agents act only as agents for the passenger with respect to services provided, including, but not limited to hotels, restaurants, touring, and all forms of transportation. Wildiaries shall not be liable for any loss whatsoever arising from any cause whatsoever, and without restricting the generality of the foregoing, shall particularly not be responsible for loss or damage arising from any errors or omissions contained in its brochure or other literature, late or non-confirmation or acceptance of bookings, loss or damage caused by delays, sickness, injury or death, whether occasioned by negligence or not. In addition Wildiaries shall have the right at any time at its discretion to cancel any tour or the remainder thereof or make any alteration in route, accommodation, price or other details, and in the event of any tour been rendered impossible, illegal or inadvisable by weather, avalanches, strike, war, government or interference or any other cause whatsoever, the extra expenses incurred as a result thereof shall be your sole responsibility. Wildiaries may at its discretion and without liability or cost to itself at any time cancel or terminate the passenger’s booking and in particular without limiting the generality of the foregoing it shall be entitled to do so in the event of the illness or the illegal or incompatible behaviour of the passenger, who shall in such circumstances not be entitled to any refund. The person making any booking will, by the making of such booking, warrant that he or she has authority to enter into a contract on behalf of the other person/s included in such a booking and in the event of the failure of any or all of the other person/s so included to make payment, the person making the booking shall by his/her signature thereof assume personal liability for the total price of all bookings made by him/her. 7. CHANGES TO SCHEDULES Although every effort is made to adhere to schedules it should be borne in mind that Wildiaries reserves the right to alter any tour arrangements due to local conditions while providing similar tour inclusions. 8. REFUNDS Whilst Wildiaries uses its best endeavours to ensure that all anticipated accommodation is available as planned, there shall be no claim of any nature whatsoever against Wildiaries for a refund either in the whole or part, if any accommodation or excursion is unavailable or the passenger was unable to use that service. [Please note that if the reason for cancellation falls within the terms of any holiday insurance policy it is your responsibility to refer the matter to your insurance company to seek a refund]. 9. INSURANCE You must take out comprehensive insurance cover before travel for cancellation, medical expenses, personal baggage and money. This should be arranged at the time of payment of the deposit to cover you for cancellation at that time. 10. PRICES We will do the utmost to keep to the prices published. Should increases be forced on us by tour operators, etc. Wildiaries reserves the right to surcharge without notice. All tour costs are based on all known costs at the time of publication. 11. This agreement is made subject to and shall be governed by and construed according to the laws of Australia. 12. Wildiaries cannot be held responsible for any inaccuracies or changes which may occur after that time. All materials contained in any brochure and web site including text, maps, graphics and photographs remain the property of Wildiaries and may not be copied or reproduced. 13. Clients with special dietary problems are advised to warn us in advance of departure. 14. For flight information on how to get to the starting point of your tour, contact your travel agent. Please ensure that you re-confirm all your flights prior to air travel. 15. It is vital that persons with medical problems make them known to us well before departure. The tour leader has the right to disqualify anyone at any time during a tour if he or she feels the tour member is incapable and/or if a tour member’s continued participation will jeopardise the individual involved or the group. Refunds are not given under such circumstances. The tour leader’s decision is final and neither Wildiaries nor the tour leader shall be subject to any claims or liability in respect of such disqualification. 16. MEDICAL & HEALTH Hospital facilities in remote locations are often unavailable and evacuation can be difficult and expensive. Wildiaries assumes no liability regarding provision of medical care. A Medical Certificate must therefore be filled out and returned to Wildiaries. If you are aged 65 or older, the Medical Certificate must be signed by your physician. Once you have been confirmed on a trip, normal cancellation penalties apply if your doctor does not approve the Medical Certificate. 17. CONSENT The payment of the deposit OR any other partial payment for a reservation on a tour constitutes consent to all provisions of the conditions and general information contained in this brochure. The terms under which you agree to take these tours cannot be changed or amended except in writing signed by an authorised officer of Wildiaries. PLEASE NOTE (a) Share Basis for Single Travellers Accommodations (both hotels and tented) are usually based on double occupancy. If you are travelling alone and wish to share accommodations, we will assign you a room-mate if possible. If there is no one with whom you can share, or if you prefer single accommodations, you are requested to pay a Single Supplement Fee. (b) Tour Information Whilst Wildiaries makes every effort to ensure accuracy in tour information and descriptions, we are reliant on the tour operators and accommodation providers providing us with accurate data. Since tour operators and accommodation providers are constantly changing facilities and services, we cannot be liable for any errors or omissions herein. If any feature is of critical importance to your holiday, it is your responsibility to ask Wildiaries to check whether such features will be available at the time of occupancy. NOTE: Payment of your deposit is acceptance of terms and conditions. I/we understand that by sending the deposit(s) on behalf of myself and everyone in my party is acknowledging that we have read and accept the Wildiaries Terms & Conditions.

Booking Guide