Bush Luxury, Whale Sharks & Papua New Guinea

Welcome to Darwin!

On arrival you will be met and transferred to your accommodation. The rest of the day is at your leisure. Tonight we'll re-pack our bags for a 4 night adventure and leave our main bags at the Darwin hotel as only soft bags are allowed on the charter flight. 

Hilton Darwin

After breakfast we will transfer to the airport for our private charter flights to Bamurru Plains.

On arrival we will be met by the Bamurru Plains staff and transferred to our oasis for the next 4 nights, the journey begins! Tonight we'll enjoy welcome drinks and dinner. 

Bamurru Plains (B/L/D)

The wildlife on show at Bamurru Plains is some of the most impressive in Australia. The guides will reveal it to you on fascinating excursions across the property.

Bamurru Plains (B/L/D)

Bamurru has over 300 square kilometres of private concession to be explored by just a few lucky guests. So large is the property that there are four distinct habitats – floodplains and wetlands full of magpie geese and big crocs; stunning melaleuca forests, savannah woodlands where you might bump into brumbies, buffalo, dingos and wallabies; and finally a riverine environment where the silver flashes of fish or sunbathing crocs will catch your eye as you cruise slowly by.

Bamurru Plains (B/L/D)

The expert field guides are the key to unlocking Bamurru’s wild secrets when you explore the property via airboat, open top safari drive, walks, quad bikes and more. 

Bamurru’s signature experience is a thrilling ride across the floodplains by airboat. This wildlife-packed journey takes you from wide open grasslands to a lagoon surrounded by peeling paper bark trees.

Bamurru Plains (B/L/D)

Today we will bid farewell to our sanctuary at Bamurru Plains and fly to Darwin.

On arrival in Darwin the remainder of the day and evening is at your leisure. Enjoy one of the many restaurants Darwin has to offer. Tonight, we'll repack our bags ready to embark Silver Explorer. 

Hilton Darwin (B/L)

At the scheduled time we will transfer from your hotel to the port to board Silver Explorer and the beginning of our adventure.

Silver Explorer (B/L/D)

Days at sea are the perfect opportunity to relax, unwind and catch up with what you’ve been meaning to do. So whether that is going to the gym, visiting the spa, whale watching, catching up on your reading or simply topping up your tan, these blue sea days are the perfect balance to busy days spent exploring shore side.

Silver Explorer (B/L/D)

Tual and Pulau Nai are two small islands in the Indonesian archipelago, here you will be able to snorkel in the crystal clear waters or enjoy a cultural performance and traditional dances at a local village. 

Silver Explorer (B/L/D)

On the southern coast of West Papua, Indonesia lies the small Aiduma Island, an oceanic paradise and a destination for divers and snorklers. The coast off of Aiduma Island is home to diverse and lovely soft coral forest. Below the surface of Aiduma’s aquamarine waters live technicolor coral reefs that are home to a beautiful array of reef fish, including schools of large blue-ring angelfish, clownfish, striped angelfish and lionfish. Triton Bay is home to Whale Sharks, weather and conditions permitting, today we'll swim with one of teh largest fish on the planet!  

Silver Explorer (B/L/D)

The Den Weg Islands are known for their ancient rock art, drawn on canyons, which are visible only by boat. The drawings were made using naturally red materials, resembling human blood. The locals call them ‘blood paintings’, and consider the very sacred. Some of the paintings depict human skeletons, which reference the ancient custom of placing the bodies of their ancestors in the rock cliffs and caves.

Silver Explorer (B/L/D)

Today is a day at sea, a perfect opportunity to take in a lecture or relax in one of the lounges throughout the ship.

Silver Explorer (B/L/D)

Almost totally covered in coconut palm trees, Pulau Miossu is the western and smaller of the two Su Islands. Located at the eastern entrance of the Dampier Strait and within sight of West Papua’s north coast, the Su Islands were used for a short time by Allied Forces at the end of WW II to have P-38 fighter planes stationed there. Today, little remains from those days and even the former airfield is covered by vegetation.

Silver Explorer (B/L/D)

The Auri Islands lie within the Cenderawasih Bay (Indonesian for Bird of Paradise Bay), is a large bay on the northern coast of West Papua, New Guinea, Indonesia. When this area was part of the Dutch East Indies the bay was called Geelvink Bay, after a Dutch ship. Cenderawasih Bay is dotted with hundreds of small islands and atoll’s that are home to some of the most pristine hard coral reefs in Indonesia with one of the highest concentrations of endemic fishes in the Pacific Ocean.

Silver Explorer (B/L/D)

Kwatisore Bay is a 2 km wide bay located west of Kwatisore Peninsula at the southwestern end of the wide Cenderawasih (bird of paradise) Bay. An area of 1,453,500 hectares, a great part of the bay, has been declared a national park. Within the national park is Indonesia’s largest marine national park. Some dive companies claim that Cenderawasih Bay is the whale shark capital of the world, and the area near Kwatisore Bay is one of the few places in the world where encounters can almost be guaranteed. 

Silver Explorer (B/L/D)

During your day at sea, make the most of the many services and activities on board. Treat yourself to a moment of relaxation in the spa or stay in shape in the fitness centre. Depending on the season, let yourself be tempted by the swimming pool or a spot of sunbathing. 

Silver Explorer (B/L/D)

Only about 30 kilometers (19 miles) from the Indonesian border, Vanimo is the capital of the Sandaun (or Sundown) Province. It is one of only two towns in this remote region of Papua New Guinea. Although the Sepik River originates in the province, it bypasses Vanimo far to the south. The Sandaun Province is relatively undeveloped, but Vanimo has lovely beaches and some picturesque villages in the vicinity. The interior is covered in rainforest and logging is an important activity putting to use Vanimo’s port and protected bay.

Silver Explorer (B/L/D)

Ali Island is one of the four islands located close to Aitape, off the northern coast of Papua New Guinea. The eastern shore of Ali Island has a beautiful white sandy beach and offers swimming and snorkeling. The five villages on the island connect via well-maintained trails that lead to the school and Catholic church closer to the northern end of the island.

Silver Explorer (B/L/D)

Kopar is a small village of no more than 200 inhabitants at the mouth of the Sepik River. The inhabitants make a living through subsistence hunting and gathering and go out in traditional canoes to look for suitable sago palms to produce their staple food. Since the Sepik meanders through swampy areas, the locals have cut narrow channels through the swamps to be able to connect more easily with their neighbours. 

Silver Explorer (B/L/D)

Banana-shaped Tuam is an uplifted coral atoll covered in palm trees. The only village is located on the lower eastern side of the island. Highly exposed to the trade winds, the islanders have set up protective walls made out of palm-branches giving the village the look of a fortified castle from a distance. A trail marked by white sand leads from the landing site to the settlement area of neatly organized wooden huts and houses with pandanus-thatched roofs. 

Silver Explorer (B/L/D)

A traditional village experience awaits travellers to Wagifa Island. Few overseas visitors reach this island so the excitement of locals in their canoes and on shore is infectious. This island group is volcanic in origin with eroded peaks, especially on larger land masses. The people of the village live a mainly traditional lifestyle, obtaining food locally.

Silver Explorer (B/L/D)

Dobu is a small island in the D’Entrecasteaux Group next to Fergusson Island and Normanby Island. The island was formerly feared because of black magic and the local “witch” doctors cursing the healthy or treating the sick. An anthropological study was done by Reo Fortune in the 1930s which resulted in the book “The Island of Sorcerers”. A stroll through the main village on the northwestern tip will show the school and church and trails leading along the shore passing traditionally thatched houses and gardens.

Silver Explorer (B/L/D)

Samarai is a tiny island south of Papua New Guinea’s southeastern peninsula dwarfed by neighbouring islands. Once a famous trading port and the second-largest settlement in the Territory of Papua (the Australian-administered southern part of what today is Papua New Guinea), Samarai used to be Milne Bay Province’s capital until 1968 when administrators were moved to mainland and the town of Alotau. The relocation was necessary as the 29-hectare (72-acre) island was simply overcrowded.

Silver Explorer (B/L/D)

A day at sea is the perfect way to catch up that book you were going to read, sleep in, sit in a deck chair and watch the world go by. Enjoy a BBQ lunch on deck or take a dip in the pool - today is for you.

Silver Explorer (B/L/D)

On arrival into Cairns we will disembark and transfer to the Shangri La hotel. The rest of your day and evening is at leisure. Enjoy complimentary evening drinks in the club lounge. 

Shangri-La Cairns (B)

Today is a day at leisure to enjoy Cairns and its surrounds. We can arrange tours for you to explore the region. 

Tonight we will come together for our farewell dinner to toast the end of an unforgettable journey!

Shangri-La Cairns (B/D)

Today after check out you will transfer to the airport for your onward flight.

Shangri-La Cairns (B)