Aurora Itinerary

Manta Trust Expedition: Raja Ampat - 9N

10 days / 9 nights

About Aurora

  • Eight to 12-day adventures in Indonesia’s Raja Ampat, Komodo, and other remote regions
  • Spacious solid teak cabins complete with all the comforts of home
  • Intimate and adventurous voyages with 18 guests onboard
  • Outstanding facilities for photographers with a dedicated indoor camera room

Operated by the world-renowned Dune Fleet, Aurora offers intimate, adventurous voyages to some of Indonesia’s most exceptional diving destinations, home to pristine coral reefs, mighty mantas, minuscule macro, and everything in between. This sailing phinisi features a passionate and professional crew, outstanding diver and photographer-friendly facilities, and all the comforts of a modern boat - without losing its traditional charm. And, with a nearly 1:1 staff to guest ratio and less than 20 explorers onboard, you’re guaranteed highly personal experiences at sea - both above and below the waterline.


Itinerary details

10 days / 9 nights
15 - 20
Open Water - Minimum 50 dives
Required

Highlights

  • Circular itinerary hitting all the very best spots in Raja Ampat
  • Encounter both reef and oceanic manta rays at renowned dive sites
  • Visit unspoiled hard and soft coral gardens
  • Discover the vibrant reefs and dramatic underwater landscapes of Misool
  • Dive the remote Daram Island group
  • Explore the swim-throughs and caves of Goa Farondi
  • Cruise Piaynemo’s lagoons and capture that classic Raja Ampat photo
  • Dive into the well known and action-packed Dampier Strait
  • Search for a walking shark on a night dive

Day 1: SORONG
Our crew will pick you up from Sorong airport and take you to the ferry port ready for the ferry over to Wasai where the boat will be waiting. It is very important to ensure that all domestic flights arrive early in the morning at Sorong, to be able to transfer guests from Sorong to Waisai by ferry for the cruise departure. For your information, there are only 2 ferries daily from Sorong to Wasai: 9.00am and 2:00 pm; so we highly recommend booking flights with arrival into Sorong early in the morning, so in the case of a delay on arrival, there is still the opportunity to catch the 2:00 pm ferry.

Days 2-8:
During this expedition we will explore both the centre and the remote southern Raja Ampat offering you a stunning variety of dives, wildlife and especially the chance to dive world famous manta sites such as Blue Magic, Manta Sandy and Magic Mountain, the latest being a special site where you will have the unique chance of seeing both species of manta rays at once - the giant oceanic manta, Mobula birostris, that grows up to 7m wide in wingspan, and the smaller reef manta, Mobula alfredi. You might also see both colour variations of manta here, the chevron and the black morph. 

On this expedition, you’ll have the opportunity to experience and participate in cutting edge conservation research to protect one of the ocean’s most majestic animals. Manta Trust scientists will be collecting photographic identification images of all mantas encountered throughout the expedition - a task that guests are welcome and encouraged to participate in. All new manta rays will be added to the database and guests will be invited to name these new mantas.

Day 9: KRI
On our way back to Sorong Harbor, we will make our last 2 dives in front of Kri Island. We end our diving cruise with superlatives!

Day 10: SORONG
Aurora will organise the transfer from the boat to Sorong airport, depending on the flight schedule of our guests.

Sample itineraries are for guidance only. Actual itineraries may differ slightly due to factors such as weather, wildlife, logistics and local regulations.

Transfer details

Departure

11:00am

Sorong

Sorong Airport: SOQ

Return

08:00am

Sorong

Sorong Airport: SOQ


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