Exclusive expedition charter of the Coral Discoverer (2026/2027)

starting at 9.990 €

Today, you will fly to Australia with one stopover. Your destination is Cairns in the state of Queensland. The deluxe hotel where you will be staying for the next three nights is just a kangaroo jump away from the harbor and the palm-lined waterfront promenade!

Enjoy a day off in tropical Cairns on Australia's Gold Coast. Fancy a shopping trip in the pedestrian zone, a stroll along the artificial lagoon, or a detour to the colorful aquarium? If you wish, you can take a boat trip to the world-famous Great Barrier Reef. Snorkel, swim, or take a glass-bottom boat to experience the incredible underwater world of this UNESCO World Heritage Site! In the evening, get to know your fellow travelers at a welcome dinner. (FA)

Marvel at the lush green rainforest from Kuranda from a breathtaking perspective: on a nearly 2-hour train ride along spectacular gorges, past picturesque waterfalls to Kuranda and back, even from a bird's eye view – via Skyrail cable car above the treetops of the rainforest! (F)

In the morning, your comfortable expedition ship, the Coral Discoverer, will be waiting for you in the port of Cairns, your floating home for the next ten nights. After a cheerful champagne reception, you can settle into your cabin. But don't miss the departure maneuver as your ship leaves the port of Cairns and Queensland's green mountains gradually sink behind you into the Pacific Ocean. (FA)

Today you will cross the Coral Sea. Enjoy the service and comfort on board the Coral Discoverer and get to know your fellow travelers. Exciting lectures on board will whet your appetite for your great adventure: ahead of you lies an archaic world – the myth-shrouded Papua New Guinea! (FMA)

When you wake up, you rub your eyes in amazement: dozens of traditional outrigger boats laden with fresh fruit, fish, and vegetables have gathered behind your ship to form a floating market! Here, at the southeastern tip of Papua New Guinea, lies Samarai. The small island was once an important trading hub between Australia and East Asia. When you disembark, the locals welcome you with a traditional sing-sing. Then you walk with the colorfully painted and richly decorated islanders to a colonial building overgrown with tropical greenery and enjoy the panoramic view of the lagoon and neighboring islands from a hill. (FMA)

Today you will anchor off the large, mountainous Fergusson Island. The island is known for the impressive Dei Dei geysers, natural thermal and sulfur springs that emit steam at regular intervals. Everything is bubbling and bubbling! The colorful natural pools are lined with carnivorous pitcher plants and bizarre orchids. In the afternoon, you will cross over to Dobu Island, which is feared by the inhabitants of the neighboring islands as a place of witchcraft and magic. However, the welcome is extremely peaceful. To this day, Dobu plays an important role in the Kula Ring, a ritual barter trade involving mostly red and white shell necklaces, which ensures permanent contact between the islands. A special experience awaits you at the end of the day: swimming and snorkeling at the house reef – with colorful fish and corals amid bubbling thermal springs that bubble up from the seabed. (FMA)

The largely undeveloped Trobriand Archipelago is a world unto itself. The islanders are related to the Polynesians and have a fairly open attitude toward premarital sex and a cult surrounding the yam root. The welcome ceremony is very different from the welcome rituals in other regions of Papua New Guinea. You can see the flower-decorated canoes from afar. Their drivers accompany you singing to the beach of the small island of Kuiawa. Here, the Sing-Sing is particularly colorful! As you stroll through the village, you will experience the everyday life of the inhabitants and see the typical yam houses. Keep an eye out for handicrafts offered for sale by the islanders. Or simply relax on the palm-fringed beach. (FMA)

Early in the morning, your ship reaches the fantastic world of the Tufi Fjords in southeastern Papua New Guinea. Even the welcome is a special experience, as you transfer to flower-decorated outrigger boats. Local rowers take you across the deep green fjord to shore. Here, the most spectacular sing-sing of the entire trip awaits you: a festival of colors and shapes! Birds of paradise feathers rise and fall to the rhythm of the drums. Flower garlands and tapa cloths made from the bark of the mulberry tree adorn colorfully painted bodies. Here you will experience how to light a fire or heal with traditional medicine, weave mats, tattoo skin, or prepare sago. In the afternoon, you have a choice: either snorkel in the deep green waters of the Tufi fjords or hike to a viewpoint high above the fjords and enjoy the fantastic panorama. Along the way, you will pass carefully tended fruit and vegetable gardens and see how these colorful insects are bred on a small butterfly farm. (FMA)

In 1884, German explorer Otto Finsch discovered a natural harbor on the east coast of New Guinea. The following year, Finschhafen, now Dregerhafen, was established there as an outpost of the German New Guinea Company. The Lutheran Mission Society building from the German colonial era still stands today. After the welcome ceremony, you will walk with the villagers to the local market, famous for its carved paddles and ritual wooden bowls, and visit the village school. In the afternoon, you will swim and snorkel in the turquoise blue lagoon. (FMA)

Today you will anchor off Umboi Island. The first Christian missionary attempts in Papua New Guinea took place here in the 1850s. The Lutheran mission station Lab Lab bears witness to this. Perhaps the missionaries will have time for a little chat and tell you about everyday life in the Bismarck Archipelago today. Despite all attempts at Christianization, archaic customs and myths persist on Umboi Island. For example, the islanders believe in the mythical creature Ropen – a flying demon that glows in the dark. (FMA)

The stratovolcano on the island of Karkar is one of the most active volcanoes in the South Pacific and still has religious significance for the local population today. When you disembark, the entire population will be waiting for you on the palm-lined beach. Several singing groups and the local mambo band will give you an unforgettable welcome. Karkar's soil is extremely fertile. In small groups, you will explore a plantation of coconuts, cocoa, and tropical fruits. The plantation is managed by a German woman: Barbara, who is from Nuremberg, emigrated here for love over twenty years ago and still lives here today – an exciting encounter! In the afternoon, you will explore the island's beautiful coral reefs while snorkeling. As you cross over to the mainland, keep an eye out for the volcanic islands on the horizon. It is quite possible that you will witness an eruption on board – especially impressive at night! (FMA)

It's worth getting up early today: at sunrise, your small expedition ship will enter the mouth of the mighty Sepik River. If the river becomes too shallow, you will transfer to dinghies. On the journey through dense mangrove forests, past ornate palm huts, you will be accompanied by the locals' outrigger boats. In the village of Bien, you will go ashore and walk to the school accompanied by the villagers. Here, the assembled children will greet you with cheerful singing. The market next door offers a large selection of ornate wooden masks, for which the Sepik region is so famous. Back on board, you will sail out of the Sepik Delta into the Pacific Ocean. Be sure to stay on deck, because soon the fire-breathing volcano of Kadovar Island will rise out of the sea. You can watch the eruptions with the naked eye from on board – a magnificent natural spectacle! (FMA)

In the morning, you will reach the port of Madang, which was founded in 1891 during the German colonial period as Friedrich-Wilhelmshafen. After breakfast, it's time to say goodbye to your expedition ship and its friendly crew. On a short tour, you will visit the museum, the lighthouse, and the market. Then, you will travel in minibuses along bumpy roads into the green hinterland. In the pottery village of Bil Bil, you will be greeted one last time with a traditional sing-sing. Afterwards, the villagers will give you an insight into the production of artistic clay bowls. Guests who have booked the extension to the highlands (travel ID: 2908) will say goodbye to the group here. All other guests fly back to Cairns in the afternoon, where a transfer to the comfort hotel awaits. (B)

After breakfast, you will have some free time before heading to the airport and flying back home with a stopover. If you have booked the extension to Australia's golden east coast (travel ID: 2802), you will travel to your hotel in Port Douglas today. (B)