The Raja Ampat archipelago in Papua is a rare destination in cruise itineraries. The French cruise line Ponant visits the archipelago in the Indo-Pacific with the luxurious Le Soleal, also heading to the Spice Islands.
On the island of Banda Neira, two longboats, known as Kora-Kora, escort the Le Soleal to the harbor, each with around two dozen rowers and a drummer setting the pace.
A farmer on the hill breaks open a nutmeg fruit, revealing a scarlet-red mantle around the dark kernel, which contains two spices: nutmeg and mace, both coming from the same fruit.
The Le Soleal, built by the Italian shipyard Fincantieri in 2013, is 142 meters long and features 132 cabins and suites, presenting itself as an elegant boutique ship. It offers excursions using Zodiac motorized inflatable boats, as well as lectures and snorkeling equipment, all included in the trip price.
In Misool, the expedition guide Jacky Yu steers the Zodiac under vegetated karst walls, which were once underwater, now home to around 600 coral species, three-quarters of all known species. Marine biologist Mathilda Bates has researched the archipelago for a year and a half. After a heatwave in December 2024, 72% of the most common corals bleached at one reef in the Dampier Strait, with only 19% remaining eleven months later.
At Cape Kri, where 374 fish species were counted in a single dive in 2012, passengers snorkel among peacock emperor fish and Napoleon wrasse. They have the opportunity to explore the diverse marine life of the archipelago.
The ship’s captain, Pierre Ducournau, who started as a cadet at Ponant 18 years ago, now leads a crew of 158 members from 17 countries, with the motto “Happy crew, happy cruise”. Stabilizers and a skilled crew ensure a smooth journey, while onboard languages are English and French, and lectures by marine biologists, geologists, and ornithologists are offered on sea days.
Ponant does not disclose the anchorages in Raja Ampat in advance, as some locations, like the lagoon of Wayag, have been closed by local residents since last summer. Instead, passengers visit Piaynemo, climbing a few hundred steps to see the iconic karst peaks, which appear on the back of the 100,000-rupiah bill.
The Kei Islands are the final stop of the 11-night journey, where a yellow coconut leaf on a stick indicates a closed reef, protected by a local tradition until the village decides to reopen it. On Kei Besar, descendants of the Bandanese live, who fled here in 1621 from the Dutch East India Company, completing the circle of the nutmeg’s history.