+++Best of Banda & The 4 Kings+++

Liveaboard cruise Indonesia

Itinerary Nov 6 – 17, 2023

Mutiata Laut Special Itinerary from Ambon to Sorong

You will be picked-up at the airport of Ambon (AMQ) they of departure on November 6, 2023. We always recommend to arrive there a few days or at least one night before to be on the safe side. The next 12 days and 11 nights on board will lead you through the probably best dives site of Indonesia the Banda Sea and Raja Ampat. There is no exact itinerary. Based on weather conditions and animal sightings you will decide together with your group leader and the crew (especially the Captain) a day by day itinerary. Check-out will be after a stunning 11 nights on this beautiful vessel and after breakfast on November 17, 2023.

Mutiara Laut

Mutiara Laut is a classic 150ft two-mast schooner specifically designed to provide an idyllic charter experience in Indonesian waters.

The design of the vessel is based on that of an 18th century North Atlantic schooner, combined with some local Indonesian influence, that of the traditional “Phinisi’ boat”. MUTIARA LAUT accommodates up to 12 guests with a crew of up to 14 providing the highest level of customer experience.

THE MAIN DECK

The old-world charm of MUTIARA LAUT merges European and Asian craftsmanship, with a particular feature of the 60sqm open main
deck. This area is designed to be enjoyed to the full, from lounging on day beds to dining at the magnificent table. For informal dining, the BBQ area is well planned, and in addition, there are sunbathing areas and areas for relaxation in the shade.

MUTIARA LAUT benefits from a 36sqm saloon area, consisting of a sumptuous lounge and intimate dining to comfortably seat all guests onboard. A stately midship stairway, with hand-crafted pillars and exquisitely sculpted handrails, leads to the staterooms on thelower deck. The saloon is fully air-conditioned and equipped with a large LCD TV and library.

The vessel features seven guest cabins, all with en-suite facilities. The master suite is situated on the main deck and features a king-sized berth, elegant desk, large comfortable sofa and fully stocked bookshelves. Walk-in wardrobes provide more than enough storage for long passages at sea.

THE WHEELHOUSE
MUTIARA LAUT means ‘pearl of the sea’ and it is from the wheelhouse the captain will navigate the ‘pearl’ through the most idyllic waters. With over 850m2 of sail, combined with modern engines and the latest in safety equipment and navigation instrumentation,
MUTIARA LAUT will glide through the Indonesian archipelago, taking you, as their guest, to the most memorable locations. Explore popular areas and those off the beaten track to suit your taste.

CUISINE
The dishes created in the galley onboard MUTIARA LAUT are a delight. A fusion of Indonesian and western cuisine, with influences from Singapore and Thailand. Imagine the vibrancy of Singapore dishes, blended with the balance of Thailand’s cuisine, the perfect harmony of sweet and sour, hot and salty with pungent herbs and fragrant spices. Indonesian dishes bring complex flavours to the table, savoury, hot and as spicy as the guest wishes! One focus from all these influences is that food is better when its eaten together; the dining experience onboard will be held as treasured memories.

The Banda Sea is the deepest of the numerous seas that make up the beautiful Indonesian archipelago. Typically, with depths over 4,500m, and the deepest point being over 7,300m, it is a very large body of water stretching for over 1,000 km East to West, and 500 km North to South.

Papua Barat, located at the western tip of New Guinea, is one of the few hotspots of underwater biodiversity on earth. In the whole area scientists have counted more than 1800 different species of animals, more than anywhere else in the world

Raja Ampat (The 4 Kings) is a group of four big islands (Waigeo, Batanta, Salawati and Misool) and a large number of small of sand and rock islands west of Sorong. When you are descending on the plane towards So- rong you can see Raja Ampat below in shades of blue, with many green, jungle covered islands and white sandy beaches with thousands of Isles. The 4 Kings is real- ly two destinations, the north and the south. It is possible to see both in one trip but you’ll only barely see the highlights.

If you have the time it really makes sense to visit twice or do back-to back trips with different itiner- aries. The 4 Kings is all about diversity – not only diversity of species, but also of dive sites. There are some areas where soft corals and sea fans dominate, others with amazing diverse hard cor- als, seagrass beds, mangroves, shallow reefs, drop offs, caves, white sand…Then there are the fish, lots of them, in more shapes and sizes than anywhere else in the world. Not only are there loads of fish, but all the levels of the food chain are well. The reefs in Raja Ampat just buzz with life! Raja Ampat is huge, 50,000 sq km, with hun- dreds of islands and an astounding diversity of habitats, which translates to wildly different diving experiences from pelagic drift dives to magic muck dives and even some habitats that are special to Raja Ampat such as clear water mangroves with coral growing right next to them! There are thou- sands of potential dive sites. Exploration is still continuing, and on every trip there are chances for new and amazing discoveries.