Edwina Lonsdale, from Mundy Adventures,
tips Raja Ampat in Indonesia as an adventure
cruise destination that’s set to boom. Here’s a
fascinating way to explore it — New Scientist’s
13-day, intriguingly named, In the Wake of
Alfred Wallace: Cruise Indonesia trip.
Wallace was a renowned naturalist — you
may know him as the guy who ‘discovered’ the
theory of evolution through natural selection,
had Charles Darwin not stolen his thunder.
He spent eight years studying in the Malay
Archipelago, and this trip will follow in his
footsteps, sailing through Raja Ampat and
Indonesia’s Spice Islands in the company of
no fewer than three specialists, including
entomologist and evolutionary biologist
Dr George Beccaloni.
The ship is the 22 -berth Ombak Putih, a
traditional small pinisi boat. Though it’s not as
fancy as the state-of-the-art ships that bigger
players are launching, its dinky size means it
can access bays they can’t, plus it’s a sailing
boat, to minimise environmental impact.
Your journey will take you to places where
Wallace made significant discoveries — and
you’ll make your own as you meet the resident
wildlife, from giant fruit bats flying overhead
to exotically plumed birds of paradise giving it
their all in courtship displays, plus enormous
golden birdwing butterflies, which Wallace
thought the world’s most beautiful. Activities
include snorkelling in this underwater
paradise. You’ll also get the chance to sleep
on deck under the stars.
New Scientist Discovery Tours offer the 1 3-day
In the Wake of Alfred Wallace: Cruise Indonesia
tour from £10,58 0 per person, including all
meals, activities and excursions, one night’s
hotel accommodation on day one, and transfers.
Excludes international flights. Departs 22
January 2024. newscientist.com/tours
NATURE LOVERS
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