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Melanesia, Solomon Islands & Vanuatu ABOARD THE ISLAND SKY

PACIFIC OCEAN

Port Moresby PAPUA NEW GUINEA

M E L A N E S I A

This epic journey reveals the extraordinary diversity of landscapes, marine life, and people in far-flung Pacific outposts. Your adventure begins in Papua New Guinea, a land of magic and spirits, steaming volcanoes and coral atolls, and fascinating cultural traditions. Continuing to Bonarua, Laughlan, and the D’Entrecasteaux Islands, you’ll be welcomed with songs, snorkel and dive off sand bars and reefs, and hike to hot springs and mud pools. In the Solomon Islands, enjoy incredible birding opportunities, underwater adventures in turquoise waters, and time-honored cultural traditions. And in the Santa Cruz Islands, visit mangrove forests by Zodiac and stroll through welcoming villages. Your journey ends in Vanuatu, where song and dance are a way of life.

DAYS 1-7 ISLES OF PAPUA NEW GUINEA Fly to Port Moresby and visit the National Museum, then embark and cruise to Bonarua, where a local choir welcomes you ashore. The jewel-like D’Entrecasteaux Islands are capped by active volcanoes, and you’ll hike to a series of hot springs and bubbling mud pools, snorkel or dive in marine-rich waters, and visit a tranquil fishing village. Traditional canoe building is a specialty of the Laughlan islanders, and you’ll enjoy a stroll through a village of palm-thatched houses, snorkel off a pristine sandbar, or dive on the outer reef. DAYS 8-12 SOLOMON ISLANDS Snorkel or dive over pristine reefs of hard and soft corals, from delicate seafans to staghorn formations. This is one of the most biodiverse reefs in the world and an important nesting site for green, leatherback, and hawksbill turtles. You’ll step ashore to visit with locals and learn about life in this tropical paradise, while nature enthusiasts search the environs for birds and other wildlife.

Tetepare Is.

SOLOMON ISLANDS

Malaita

Fergusson Is.

Utupua

Bonarua Is.

D'ENTRECASTEAUX ISLANDS

Ureparapara

Tikopia

Ambrym

CORAL SEA

Port Vila

VANUATU

DAYS 13-18 SANTA CRUZ ISLANDS / VANUATU Besides snorkeling and hiking excursions, you’ll enjoy remarkable cultural interactions on both the Santa Cruz Islands and Vanuatu: stroll through prolific village gardens, watch animated dances, hear schoolchildren harmonize songs of welcome, and witness a performance of “water music.” Disembark in Port Vila on Day 17 and fly home via Brisbane, Australia, on Day 18. 500 km 500 mi

DATE Sep 10-27, 2020

TRIP COST From $14,480 Price is per person and depends on cabin type

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