Papua New Guinea Cruise

15 day cruise/tour - October 19, 2028

Exciting NEW cruise to parts of the world rarely experienced by American tourists.

This is a special opportunity to travel to Papua New Guinea and its islands on a luxury yacht. Fun For Less Tours chartered the whole ship. It will only have our passengers on it, along with Michael Wilcox as our guest educator. With only 60 passengers, you will sail through the Coral Sea, the Solomon Sea, and the Bismarck Sea. In many of the areas and islands you will visit, the people and their customs have not changed in hundreds of years. Our small yacht allows us to visit areas and villages that large ships can’t land or sail into. The colors, the costumes, the culture will be a memory you will keep forever. This truly is a once-in-a-lifetime cruise and tour.

Embark on a unique expedition cruise aboard the comfortable Coral Discoverer along the northern coast of Papua New Guinea through the Bismarck Archipelago and to the mysterious Sepik River. Witness archaic customs, masked dances, black magic and wild drum sounds. Above you and around you there are fire-breathing volcanic giants, colorfully shimmering birds of paradise and parrots – below you is one of the most beautiful underwater worlds in the entire Pacific Ocean. The authenticity and warmth of the Papuans make this trip the trip of a lifetime!

Papua New Guinea Cruise on Private Yacht

Your Special Chartered Yacht

We spend 11 days sailing to special islands, inlets, fjords and rivers in Papua New Guinea. You are going to be using words like, phenomenal, spellbinding, mind-blowing, breathtaking, profound, awe-inspiring and unforgettable to describe this unique experience our passengers are going to have. This is a rare opportunity to visit ancient tribes with their stunning costumes, where little has changed in 100’s of years. Here is a partial list of what you will enjoy on our special chartered yacht to Papua New Guinea and its islands:

Sail up the Septic River in Papua New Guinea to the village of Bien.
Mountain of Fire in the Sea: Karkar Island – Volcano islands on the horizon at times erupt and are stunning at night. This will also be a great place to snorkel on beautiful coral reefs.
The Island of Umboi – some of the first places Christian missionaries visited, but today most still believe in mystical creatures.
The Kingdom of the Bird of Paradise and the Tufi Fjords. Canoes decorated with flowers and local rowers will take you across the deep green fjord to their village. Where you be met with song with everyone wearing beautiful Birds of Paradise feathers.
The Island of Love – Trobriand – different culture – their ancestors are Polynesians.
The Fergusson Island, known for the impressive Dei Dei geysers and nutural thermal springs.
The Dobu Island – is feared by neighboring islanders as a place of witchcraft and magic.
Samarai – you will love the colorful painted bodies and costumes.
Everywhere you turn you will be amazed at the color and customs of the many villages we will visit on this special chartered luxury yacht cruise.

Package Price Includes:

Important Information:
Ship itineraries can be round-trip from a specific port or one-way from one port ending at a different port. When you compare itineraries, you always experience and see more in one-way sailings. With a one-way sailing, there are no wasted days at sea trying to get back to the original port the ship left from. We wanted to see and experience as much as possible and not waste several days at sea trying to return to the port we left from. That is why we have arranged a one-way sailing between Cairns in Australia and Madang on the other side of Papua New Guinea. We will be arranging a Charter flight between Cairns and Madang. The price of that flight is not included and will be added about 9 months before our cruise begins.

Package Price Includes:

11 days on a Private LUXURY Chartered Yacht – the Coral Discovery.
- Limited to between 50 and 60 passengers.
- Main deck cabins with porthole windows.
- All taxes and port charges and ship fees.
- All shore excursions.
- Snorkeling equipment.
- Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.
Luxury Hotel Cairns, Australia.
Transfers, if you booked our group airfare or your flight arrives on or before and departs on or after our group flights.
Guest Educator Michael Wilcox.
Fun For Less Staff throughout.
Option to purchase Solomon Islands with JW Marriott Surfers Paradise Pre-tour.
Option to upgrade cabins.

Package Price: $11,995*

*Package price is a cash or check price based on double occupancy.
Does not include Solomon Islands pre-tour – International Airfare into and out of Australia or a chartered flight between Cairns and Madang, tips & visas.

Cabin Upgrade Pricing:
Promenade Deck with picture window: $2,500 per person
Bridge Deck, larger cabins with balcony: $7,500 per person

6 Day 5 Night Optional Pre-Tour of Solomon Islands and Surfers Paradise

Near Papua New Guinea are the Solomon Islands. Since you’re already in the neighborhood, why not add a few extra days and experience the Solomon Islands. Our tour will include indigenous tribes, along with WW II sites that Michael Wilcox will discuss with you. We have also added our owner’s favorite resort hotel in Australia to your pre-tour itinerary. Whenever they are in Australia, they make sure to spend time at the JW Marriott on Surfers Paradise. In fact, they will be there again this year when they are in Australia. The JW Marriott at Surfers Paradise is the perfect resort. In addition to being a beautiful hotel with stunning grounds and large swimming pools, it also has its own sandy beach that connects to a large lagoon filled with beautifully colored tropical fish you can snorkel with.

Adding our 6-day 5-night extension will be a treat. Three of the nights will be on the Solomon Islands with all the touring; the other 2 nights will be at our owner’s favorite resort – the JW Marriott. After this fantastic pre-tour, you fly to Cairns to join the regular group for your Papua New Guinea Cruise.

Optional Pre-Tour Includes:

3 nights 4 Star Deluxe Hotel Solomon Islands.
2 Nights 5-Star Luxury JW Marriott Surfers Paradise.
All tours in the Solomon Islands.
Transfers in the Solomon Islands and to Surfers Paradise hotel. If you booked our group airfare or your flight arrives on or before and departs on or after our group flights.
$830 in two airfares.
- Solomon Islands to Brisbane – near Surfers Paradise.
- Brisbane to Cairns.
Michael Wilcox as Guest Educator.
Fun For Less Tours Staff throughout.
$2,690 per person

The following day-by-day itinerary is subject to change at any time.

Day 1: October 19: Fly from the United States to Cairns, Australia
Our group will start and end this wonderful expedition in Cairns, Australia.

Day 2: October 20: Crossing the International Date Line – losing a day
Flying to Cairns, Australia

Day 3: October 21: Cairns
After arriving in Cairns, we will transfer to a wonderful 5-Star luxury hotel.

Day 4: October 22: Cairns
This morning, we will take a 1.5-hour cable car ride to Kuranda to enjoy the markets. Kuranda is famous for its markets. Stalls offer a wide range of Aboriginal artifacts, handmade leather goods, wood, and jewelry.

Day 5: October 23: From Cairns to Madang
Today we fly from Cairns to the small town of Madang, Papua New Guinea, where your MV Coral Discoverer is waiting for you. This will be your home for the next 11 days and 10 nights. After a warm welcome from the crew, settle into your cabin and enjoy the departure from Madang. Overnight: Coral Discoverer (BD)

Day 6: October 24: On the Sepik River
It is worth getting up early today. At sunrise, your small expedition ship approaches the mouth of the mighty Sepik River. If the river becomes too shallow, we will transfer to the expedition boats. Travel through dense mangrove forests and past ornate palm huts, accompanied by local outrigger canoes. In the village of Bien, walk ashore to the school, where the children welcome you with cheerful singing. The nearby market offers a wide selection of the artistic wooden masks for which the Sepik region is famous. Back on board, sail out of the Sepik Delta and into the Pacific. Stay on deck as the fire-breathing volcano of Kadovar Island rises from the sea; with luck, you may watch its eruptions from the ship. Overnight: Coral Discoverer (BLD)

Day 7: October 25: Mountains of Fire in the Sea
The stratovolcano on Karkar Island is one of the most active volcanoes in the South Pacific and still holds religious significance for the local population. When you land, the islanders await you on the palm-fringed beach. Several sing-sings and the local mambo band provide an unforgettable welcome. Karkar’s soils are exceptionally fertile. In small groups, explore a plantation of coconuts, cocoa and tropical fruits. The plantation is managed by Barbara, a German woman who emigrated from Nuremberg for love more than twenty years ago and still lives here today. In the afternoon, explore the island’s beautiful coral reefs while snorkeling. This afternoon we return to the ship, as we continue eastward through the Bismarck Sea, watch for volcanic islands on the horizon; you may even witness an eruption, particularly impressive after dark. Overnight: Coral Discoverer (BLD)

Day 8: October 26: In the Bismarck Archipelago
Today you anchor off the island of Umboi. Some of the first Christian missionary efforts in Papua New Guinea took place here in the 1850s, and the Lutheran mission station at Lab Lab bears witness to this history. The missionaries may have time for a conversation about everyday life in the Bismarck Archipelago. Despite the attempts at Christianization, archaic customs and myths persist on Umboi. The islanders believe in the Ropen, a mythical flying creature said to glow in the darkness. Overnight: Coral Discoverer (BLD)

Day 9: October 27: On the Trail of German Colonists
In 1884, the German explorer Otto Finsch discovered a natural harbor on the east coast of New Guinea. The following year, Finschhafen—today’s Dregerhafen—was established as an outpost of the German New Guinea Company. A house of the Lutheran Missionary Society from the German colonial period still stands here. After a musical welcome, walk with the villagers to the market, known for carved paddles and ritual wooden bowls, and visit the village school. In the afternoon, swim and snorkel in the turquoise lagoon. Overnight: Coral Discoverer (BLD)

Day 10: October 28: In the Kingdom of the Bird of Paradise
Early in the morning, your ship reaches the fantastic world of the Tufi Fjords in southeastern Papua New Guinea. The arrival itself is a special experience as you board outrigger canoes decorated with flowers and local rowers take you across the deep-green fjord to shore. The most spectacular sing-sing of the entire journey awaits: a festival of colors and forms. Bird-of-paradise feathers rise and fall to the rhythm of drums, while flower wreaths and tapa cloth made from mulberry bark adorn colorfully painted bodies. Learn how to light a fire, heal with traditional medicine, weave mats, create tattoos or prepare sago. In the afternoon, choose between snorkeling in the deep-green fjord or hiking to a viewpoint high above the water. Along the way, pass carefully tended fruit and vegetable gardens and visit a small butterfly farm. Overnight: Coral Discoverer (BLD)

Day 11: October 29: The Islands of Love
The little-developed Trobriand Archipelago is a world of its own. The islanders are related to Polynesians and maintain a strong yam-root culture. Their welcoming ceremony differs markedly from those in other parts of Papua New Guinea. From afar, see flower-decorated canoes accompanying you with songs to the beach of tiny Kuiawa Island, where the sing-sing is particularly colorful. Stroll through the village, experience everyday island life and see the characteristic yam houses. Browse the handicrafts offered by local residents or simply relax on the palm-fringed beach. Overnight: Coral Discoverer (BLD)

Day 12: October 30: Kula Ring and Black Magic
Today you anchor off large, mountainous Fergusson Island, known for the impressive Dei Dei geysers and natural thermal and sulfur springs that periodically release steam. Colorful pools are framed by carnivorous pitcher plants and bizarre orchids. In the afternoon, travel to Dobu Island, feared by neighboring islanders as a place of witchcraft and magic, although the welcome is entirely peaceful. Dobu still plays an important role in the Kula Ring, a ritual exchange of predominantly red and white shell necklaces that sustains long-term ties among the islands. End the day by swimming and snorkeling at a nearby reef, among colorful fish and corals, while thermal springs bubble up from the seabed. Overnight: Coral Discoverer (BLD)

Day 13: October 31: Samarai
When you get up, you may rub your eyes in wonder: dozens of traditional outrigger canoes gather behind the ship with fresh fruit, fish and vegetables, forming a floating market. At the far southeastern tip of Papua New Guinea lies Samarai, once an important trading hub between Australia and East Asia. On landing, the locals greet you with a traditional sing-sing. Walk with the colorfully painted and richly decorated islanders to a colonial building overgrown with tropical vegetation, then enjoy panoramic views of the lagoon and neighboring islands from a hill. Overnight: Coral Discoverer (BLD)

Day 14: November 1: The Coral Sea
Today you cross the Coral Sea toward Australia. Enjoy the service and comfort on board the Coral Discoverer, reflect on the extraordinary encounters of the past days and spend time with your fellow travelers. On-board lectures provide further insight into the nature, history and cultures experienced during your expedition through Papua New Guinea. Overnight: Coral Discoverer (BLD)

Day 15: November 2: Arrival in Cairns
In the morning, the green mountains of Queensland appear on the horizon as the Coral Discoverer approaches Cairns. After breakfast, it is time to say goodbye to your expedition ship and its friendly crew. Disembark in the port of Cairns, where your expedition from Madang along the northern coast of Papua New Guinea and across the Coral Sea comes to an end. Today you fly home. (B)

OPTIONAL – 6-DAY PRE-TOUR TO SOLOMON ISLANDS AND SURFERS PARADISE

Adding our 6-day, 5-night extension will be a treat. Three of the nights will be on the Solomon Islands with all the touring; the other 2 nights will be at our owner’s favorite resort – the JW Marriott. After this fantastic pre-tour, you fly to Cairns to join the regular group for your Papua New Guinea Cruise.

Approximately one year before departure, we will have the detailed itinerary for this optional pre-tour.