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It’s only been a few hundred years, but the “Spice Islands” region of eastern Indonesia (now known as the Maluku Islands) is once again in the spotlight.
Virtually off-the-grid for travelers around the world just 20 years ago, the archipelago and its hundreds of islands and several surrounding areas are now on the bucket list of travelers craving new and unusual adventures at sea, all equipped with the latest luxury amenities.
From companies best known for their luxury hospitality to luxury private yachts, there are more than a dozen options for exploring the island that sparked a “spice rush” of cloves, nutmeg and mace by Portuguese, Dutch and British merchants, who could then return to Europe and trade their flavorful goods for high prices. Most of these cruises also include trips to nearby areas such as Raja Ampat, often referred to as “Earth’s last paradise.”
“Indonesia’s far eastern islands are the true frontier,” says Jason Freedman, a hospitality consultant who works on the Kudanir Explorer, a luxury steel-hulled expedition yacht that can be chartered for $23,000 a night.
He says it’s full of amazing biodiversity and offers a truly remote feel that can only be explored by boat.
“This is a place where coral reefs sparkle with color, volcanoes rise from pristine seas, and ancient cultures thrive in isolation,” Friedman added.
“Every island tells a different story and has traditions and languages you won’t find anywhere else. Nowhere else on earth feels so wild, authentic and alive.”
Carolyn Coenen, Wilderness Travel’s Asia-Pacific regional specialist, says the region is becoming increasingly popular among people who want to be “blown away” by the incredible abundance of underwater life.
“These reef fish are found nowhere else and are abundant,” she explains. “It’s just sensory overload.”
Among the leading companies offering trips to eastern Indonesia is National Geographic Expeditions, which includes a two-week Spice Islands/Raja Ampat cruise on the 28-passenger Aqua Blue, once used as a private yacht for European aristocrats. All-inclusive rates ($27,000 per person) include upscale amenities such as Balinese massages, gourmet meals, scuba diving and other water sports, and a National Geographic-certified photography instructor to help you capture the perfect photo.
“With Aqua Blue, we made an intentional choice to offer an intimate yacht-style experience rather than a traditional cruise,” said CEO and founder Francesco Galli Zugaro.
“Most vessels in the region carry large groups and follow set routes. Aqua Blue carries just 30 guests and can access remote lagoons and less-visited islands that cannot be accessed by larger ships. We offer the perfect combination of scale, flexibility and service.”
Guests can spend more time in the water and explore on land without feeling like they’re being kept up with an agenda, he added.
“We’ve designed a relaxed yet highly curated ship and itinerary. Everything from our dive operations to our cuisine reflects the same level of care.”
Another option is the Indonesian finisi, a traditional two-masted ship used for centuries by traders, pirates, and fishermen of the Spice Islands.
Today’s pinisi are completely different from the boats of yesteryear. A prime example is the 14-seater Lamima, available for charter for $27,000 (excluding tax) per night. The vessel is made of wood and was built by traditional boat builders on the beaches of Sulawesi, before being fitted out with the latest safety features and luxury amenities in Bangkok by a team that included a British sailrigger and a German engine room specialist.
“Lamima has a soul because of the way the ship is built and the way she is run by an all-Indonesian crew,” says co-owner Dominique Gerardin, who came up with the idea to build the $50 million ship and saw it through to completion.
“From the beginning, we wanted this boat to reflect our Indonesian heritage.”
Lamima’s all-inclusive rate includes unlimited massages and beauty treatments at the onboard spa, yoga and meditation sessions, and a variety of watersports equipment from jet skis, underwater scooters, and e-foil boards to surfboards, paddleboards, and kayaks.
Michael Travers of SeaTrek Sailing Adventures, one of the region’s oldest travel companies, says boat travel companies have had to radically change their products over the years to appeal to luxury travelers with very high expectations.
“We started over 30 years ago as a small luxury backpacker operator with rooms with shared bathrooms and fans, at a time when there was no other way to tour and explore Indonesia,” explains Travers.
In the 1990s and early 2000s, Bali and Java were the only destinations easily accessible to most non-diving travelers, but he says his company has adapted to cater to travelers seeking more variety. “But while en suite bathrooms and air conditioning and quality gourmet cuisine are now standard equipment on our boats, our original spirit of adventure and the attitude that we are all in this together remains at the core of what we do.”
It’s not hard to see why eastern Indonesia attracts adventurous and wealthy travelers.
First and foremost, it offers a completely unrealistic blend of sea and land. It’s a mosaic of turquoise coves and lush islands that look more like something generated by computer graphics or artificial intelligence than an actual place on Earth.
Beneath the surface is a pristine coral reef teeming with millions of tropical fish and other deep-sea dwellers. These islands are home to small but vibrant societies that blend aspects of both Asia and the Pacific, with a unique culture not found elsewhere in Indonesia.
Raja Ampat, an archipelago of more than 600 small islands off the west coast of West Papua (the Indonesian half of New Guinea), borders the Spice Islands and attracts the most raves (and boat itineraries).
Declared a Global Geopark by UNESCO in 2023, Raja Ampat is a hotspot for biodiversity both above and below ground. Among its treasures are more than 1,000 species of fish and more than 500 species of hard coral.
SeaTrek’s Mr. Travers says there are several factors that make Raja Ampat so attractive.
“The remoteness, the beauty, the resilience and health of the coral, the fact that it’s so difficult to get to and as a result there are very few tourists. The only way to see it is by boat…It’s so vast that you can’t see it any other way.”
Diver training organization PADI and Dive Magazine rank Raja Ampat as one of the world’s best scuba spots. The archipelago also boasts a world record for species of fish discovered in a single dive. In 2014, 374 species were recorded during a 90-minute dive.
Covered in jagged jungle, the karst islands are known for their spectacular and colorful bird life, including photogenic species such as the black-bellied hornbill, the white-bellied sea eagle and the palm cockatoo.
“Raja Ampat’s water is crystal clear and it has one of the lowest rates of coral bleaching in the world,” says Geraldine.
“When you’re diving or snorkeling, or even from a paddleboard, you can see incredible marine life. You hear a sound, you look up and you see a big hornbill darting out of the jungle. Suddenly you don’t know where to look: up or down!”
Many cruises also include a visit to Komodo Island for an up-close look at the world’s largest lizards and bats (flying foxes), or a landing on Sumba Island, where local jockeys race along the beach on sturdy little sandalwood ponies.
Wilderness Travel, for example, offers six sailing itineraries around eastern Indonesia on three different ships. Its menu ranges from the popular Raja Ampat snorkeling cruise and expedition-style sailings between Komodo and Bali, to unusual journeys such as swimming with whale sharks in West Papua’s ultra-secluded Cenderawasi Bay and snorkeling expeditions to the Wakatobi Islands off the coast of Sulawesi.
“We pride ourselves on finding more off-the-beaten-path locations,” Coenen says.
“You drop anchor at night and sometimes you don’t see another ship during the day. Sometimes you don’t see anyone for several days. That’s one of the things people love about cruising around eastern Indonesia.”
Travers says that despite the growing popularity of eastern Indonesia’s islands, there are still many areas that are largely untouched by tourists.
“They are like the Kay and Aru Islands in the Arafura Sea between Raja Ampat and Australia.”
SeaTrek has designed an all-new trip for 2026 and 2027 that will visit both the remote archipelago and the Banda Islands, finishing in Triton Bay, West Papua, where you can swim with whale sharks.
“People come back from travel feeling changed on many levels,” Travers says. “At least that’s our goal.”
