Forgotten Islands

Liveaboard Cruise with SEVEN SEAS

From: Maumere/Flores  Disembark: Saumlaki/Maluku

Cruise Rate start from 7.700 US$ – 15 Days / 14 Nights

Seven Seas Boat Details    All Cruise Destinations    Cruise Schedules 2022 & 2023

The rate will be US$ 550 per person per night. There will not be any price increase from July 2022 into the end of 2023. New prices will be announced for the period 2024 once a schedule has been developed for that season.

There are currently NO EXTRA FUEL SURCHARGES and NITROX is FREE OF CHARGE. Any and all port clearance and conservation fees are INCLUDED in the above pricing. NO SURCHARGES.

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Indonesia’s “Forgotten Islands” – also known as the Southeast Moluccas (Maluku Tenggara) – are not a single destination, but rather a 1,000 km long chain of archipelagos stretching from Timor to West Papua on the island of New Guinea. Undeveloped, distant from population centers and far off any beaten path, these “Forgotten Islands” have been largely isolated from the rest of Indonesia and the world.

The terrain of these islands varies from forested mountainous peaks in the Inner Banda Arc of islands (Wetar, Roma, Damar, Nila), with peaks as high as 868 m (on Damer) to essentially flat islands of the easternmost Aru and Kei island groups, dominated by savannah, mangroves and broadleaf forests.

The Inner Arc islands are volcanic, while the island groups in the Outer Banda Arc (Leti, Luang, Sermata, Babar and Tanimbar islands) are mostly up thrust coralline limestone, often characterized by terracing resulting from periodic uplift and changes in sea level.

Together, the islands of Maluku Tenggara make up the eastern end of the bio-geographic province of Wallacea, a transitional region between continental Southeast Asia and Australia-New Guinea, with flora and fauna of the easternmost islands the most similar to New Guinea.

Culturally, most of the Austronesian peoples of the islands of Maluku Tenggara appear to be closely related, sharing similar languages, myths, and traditional beliefs. They are known for their powerful woodcarvings and sculptures depicting ancestral figures, distinctive hand woven ikat fabrics, and plaited bamboo and palm baskets.

The Forgotten Islands offer some of the best diving in Indonesian waters. Attractions include gin-clear waters, patch reefs and coral bommies, spectacular wall dives and unbelievable drop-offs. On our inaugural trips to the Forgotten Islands in 2010, our excited visitors enjoyed seeing schools of massive Bumphead parrotfish, tornadoes of Big-eye trevallies, Giant trevallies, Spanish mackerel, schooling barracuda, hammerhead sharks and a whale shark to mention a few highlights only.

Since 2012 we are offering three expeditions to the Forgotten Islands each year between late October and early December. The first trip each year starts in Maumere (Flores), heads East through the Forgotten Islands, and ends in Saumlaki, in the Tanimbar Group. The second cruise starts in Saumlaki and circles around the outer and inner Banda Arcs to returns to Saumlaki after a full circle of the South East Maluku archipelago. The third and final cruise of the season starts in Saumlaki, hits all the best spots of the Forgotten Islands, and then crosses the Banda Sea via a number of stops at remote sites to head further north via Koon at East Seram and through the South East Misool area of Raja Ampat, to end this epic trip in Sorong. Detailed itineraries in this area will vary according to weather and diving conditions and other factors.

CLIMATE INFORMATION

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15 Days/14 Nights – Forgotten Islands/Maluku Dive & Exploration Liveaboard Cruise

Seven Seas does not provide a day by day cruise itinerary for it’s cruises. Seven Seas reserves the right to change the travel itinerary or any agreed services, if force majeure, unforeseen or unavoidable circumstances require to do so.