Indonesia - Banda Sea Cruise 2025

12 Sep 2025 - 29 Sep 2025 (18 days)

USD11,895 - Spaces Available

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Tour Leader: Adam Walleyn

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Tour Leader: Nigel Redman

Tour price (Per person): USD11,895 * GBP9,498 * EUR11,451 * AUD19,101

Single Supplement: USD9,995 * GBP7,981 * EUR9,622 * AUD16,050

Flight costs: USD580 * GBP463 * EUR558 * AUD931

Can be linked with: Indonesia - Kai Islands Extension 2025

Indonesia - Banda Sea Cruise 2026

12 Sep 2026 - 29 Sep 2026 (18 days)

USD12,400 - Spaces Available

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Tour Leader: David Hoddinott

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Tour Leader: Forrest Rowland

Pricing notes : *Prices are estimated and dates may change*

Tour price (Per person): USD12,400 * GBP9,901 * EUR11,937 * AUD19,912

Can be linked with: Indonesia - Kai Islands Extension 2026

This very special island-hopping cruise through the seldom-birded, far eastern Indonesian islands has been specially designed to maximise our chances of locating the regions unique endemic birds. During part of the next 3 weeks, we will cruise our way across some of our planet’s least explored seas and the myriad of jewel-like islands, including Tanahjampea, Kalao, Kalaotoa, Pantar, Alor, Wetar, Leti, Damar, Babar and the Tanimbars that host an amazing number of endemics and many little-known birds. This will be expedition cruising at its very best! Except for a handful of recent observations, very little is known about the avifauna of these rarely visited islands. The main tour, followed by an extension to the seldom explored Kai Islands, bodes well in finding most of the endemics and future endemic species too. We can expect to encounter a wide array of Asia’s least known and most exciting and sought-after species!

The world's sixth largest nation, Indonesia supports around 12% of Earth's tropical forests and a vast storehouse of biological wonders and ethnographic curiosities. Of special interest to us, Indonesia hosts a total of some 1,700 species of birds including around 400 currently recognised endemics (but as many as 600 endemics if taking the new Birds of the Indonesian Archipelago into account!); at least 130 of which are considered globally threatened. The eastern islands are among the least explored of all with many having been visited by less than a handful of western ornithologists and it is these islands and their remarkable birds that will be the focus of our attention.

The extensive Indonesian archipelago that comprises the slightly enigmatic nation of the Republic of Indonesia encompasses some 17,000+ islands that girdle the equator for more than 6,000km. Like a string of emeralds adrift in seas adorned with myriads of turquoise coral reefs and blessed with dazzling beaches and deep, mysterious forests host to untold avian gems. Our journey will take us from Flores all the way across the south-eastern edge of the mighty Banda Sea to the fabulous Tanimbar Islands, still host to vast areas of primordial forest. Cruising east our first island stop will be the little explored and seldom visited Tanahjampea where we seek out Tanahjampea Monarch and Tanahjampea Blue Flycatcher – both only rediscovered in 1993 after their initial collection in 1927! The islands of Kalao and Kalaotoa, largely unbirded since 1895, will definitely excite our spirit of adventure too. Next up is the island of Pantar and very poorly known Alor where several specials await us such as Olive-headed Lorikeet, Timor Stubtail, Alor Myzomela, newly rediscovered Javan Bush Warbler and an undescribed Macropygia which is currently subsumed within the Little Cuckoo-Dove complex. Further genetic studies should give rise to a new species in the future – Eucalyptus Cuckoo-Dove! We then spend a day at sea, which has great potential for large numbers of seabirds and cetaceans before arriving at the large and quite mountainous island of Wetar. Lowly populated and still covered in large areas of lovely forest we will be in seventh heaven uncovering this island’s offerings. Further east we will pop into the island of Leti for one of Wallacea’s least known specialties - Grey (Kisar) Friarbird. Our next island is Damar, home to the endemic and at one stage mythical Damar Flycatcher, which was only rediscovered in 2001 after its initial discovery in the 19th century. Lastly, we will call in at the island of Babar before our final stop at Yamdena on the Tanimbar Islands where we spend the remainder of our time enjoying a further array of endemics.

Just some of the birds we hope to encounter include: Tanimbar Megapode, Bulwer’s Petrel, Wetar Ground Dove, Wallace’s Fruit Dove, Elegant and Timor Imperial Pigeons, Flores Green Pigeon, Tanimbar Corella, Little (Pied) Bronze Cuckoo, Flores Sea Cuckoo-Dove, Cinnamon-banded Kingfisher, Blue-streaked Lory, Iris Lorikeet, Jonquil Parrot, Yellow-crested Cockatoo, Tanimbar Boobook, Moluccan Scops Owl, Elegant Pitta, Black-necklaced Honeyeater, Cinnamon-tailed Fantail, Black-bibbed Monarch, Damar and Timor Blue Flycatchers, Wetar Figbird, Wetar Oriole, Timor Stubtail and Slaty-backed, Orange-banded and Fawn-breasted Thrushes. Add to this a wealth of other localised endemics, a rich variety of seabirds, cetaceans, reef fishes and some wonderful butterflies and you have all the ingredients of an extremely exciting and memorable adventure.

 

Top Birds

Flores Sea, Timor, Tanimbar, Black & ‘Eucalyptus’ Cuckoo-Doves; Black-naped, Wallace’s, Rose-crowned & Banded Fruit Doves; Flores Green Pigeon; Wetar Ground Dove; Pink-headed & Timor Imperial Pigeons; Tenggara (Blyth's) Paradise Flycatcher; Elegant Pitta; Damar, Tanahjampea Blue, Timor Blue, Broad-billed & Mangrove Blue Flycatchers; Tanahjampea & Black-bibbed (Banda Sea) Monarchs; ‘Babar’, Rusty-breasted & Fawn-breasted Whistlers; Arafura Fantail; Rufous-sided Gerygone; Tanimbar Megapode; Orange-footed Scrubfowl; Black-fronted Flowerpecker; Flame-breasted Sunbird; Wallacean Cuckooshrike; Alor & Tanimbar Boobooks; Moluccan (Lesser) Masked Owl; Moluccan Scops Owl; Large-tailed Nightjar; Javan Bush Warbler; Rusty-breasted Cuckoo; Alor, Banda & Crimson-hooded Myzomelas; Chestnut-backed, Orange-sided, Orange-banded & Sunda Thrushes; Red-legged Crake; Flores Hawk-Eagle; Yellow-crested Cockatoo; Tanimbar Corella; Jonquil & Great-billed Parrots; Olive-headed Lorikeet; Black-necklaced Honeyeater; Wetar Figbird; Timor Stubtail; Tricolored Parrotfinch; Sunda Zebra Finch; Five-colored & Black-faced Munias; Grey & Tanimbar Friarbirds; Tanimbar Oriole; Mistletoebird; Cinnamon-banded Kingfisher; Metallic & Violet-hooded Starlings; Streaked, Wedge-tailed & Heinroth’s (rare) Shearwaters; Red-tailed Tropicbird; Tahiti & Bulwer’s Petrels; Matsudaira’s Storm Petrel; Red-footed & Abbott’s Boobys; Great & Christmas Frigatebirds.

Top Mammals

Blue, Short-finned Pilot & Sperm Whales; Indo-pacific Bottlenose & Risso’s Dolphins.

Habitats Covered

primary and secondary moist lowland forest, hill forest, scrub, secondary woodland, islands, coastlines, mangroves, pelagic

Expected Climate

hot and humid with tropical showers in the lowlands. Cooler in the mountains, rain and mist possible

Max Group Size

10 with 2 Rockjumper leaders / <9 with 1 Rockjumper leader

Tour Pace & Walking

easy to moderate with some longer walks. Early mornings to maximize the best time of day, but midday breaks back at the boat when it heats up. Otherwise time spent cruising

Accommodation

comfortable ship cabins & lodgings

Ease of Birding

easy to moderate with some tricky species

Other Attractions

pristine forests, unspoiled reefs, snorkeling, swimming, visiting remote, little explored islands and seeing their associated local communities

Photographic Opportunities

good

What our clients say about us

Glen Valentine
JB - Lesser Sundas 2022

Although the tour was a little more strenuous than I had anticipated, it was a fantastic tour. All of the endemics except for two very rare ones—more than I’d hoped to see in my wildest dreams. Glen is an excellent guide, the local guide a very positive addition, and the driving crew was just fabulous. And when things went awry with the cancelled flight and the steep increase in the fee for Komodo, Glen, our local guide and crew handled it in complete transparency to us, so that we didn’t miss a beat. Hats off to all involved!

David Hoddinott
MT, Indonesia 2022

This is a fantastic tour and it gave us a rare, unique and unforgettable experience. We are in awe of the complex logistics required to make this tour run so smoothly. Everything ran like clockwork. The leaders, Lev and David, the ship’s crew, the local teams of guides and the lovely drivers were amazing. Everyone was so friendly. The efforts that everyone went to to find the special birds of these remote islands were above and beyond! The food was very good throughout, in summary the experience was amazing!

Glen Valentine
JA & DR, Remote West Papuan Islands 2018

Glen Valentine and Adam Walleyn were superb guides — honestly, they saw birds before they appeared! The local guides were outstanding and the logistics and accommodations were exceptional given our locations.

Glen Valentine
CM, Remote West Papuan Islands Cruise & Buru Extension 2017

This was a fabulous tour! Living on the Seahorse and going ashore each day to explore, in many cases, remote and under-birded locations was a truly exciting and wonderful experience. In addition, it was a fabulous and memorable experience to have Glen and Keith Valentine as leaders. They teamed seamlessly and ensured that everyone had a wonderful and got on to the birds. Oh, and of course, the sight of at least 4 male Wilson's Birds-of-Paradise displaying to multiple females was the stuff of dreams! Truly spectacular! And the local guides and drivers were all great, not forgetting the Skipper and crew of the Seahorse! The Buru extension for the Madanga and some of the owls was also so memorable, as were the few days in West Papua. All things considered, a truly wonderful and memorable tour!

Lev Frid
EL, Indonesia 2022

This was an adventure to be sure. The places we traveled were indeed remote and with the exception of larger cities like Ambon & Sorong inhabited by few people. This was my first trip to Indonesia and was an adventure to even get to Ambon. However, the Indonesian people must be the kindest most helpful people in the world. The boat was lovely and this amazing trip had so many interworking pieces -- moving from the Indo Seamore to the shore for the next adventure, disembarking at various kinds of dock, piers, rocks, etc, meeting up with our vehicles for rides up into the hills -- everything worked like clockwork. We saw so many fabulous birds thanks to our super guides, David Hoddinott and Lev Frid. The two guides were so helpful and informative; I would gladly travel with either of them or both in the future. However, I have to say that this trip was just about at the limit of my ability. I would never have seen the birds I did without the help of David & Lev and our various local guides and drivers. I think only Rockjumper could have pulled this tour off.

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