A new expedition program will add more departures across Australia’s remote north and the Indo-Pacific, including additional Great Barrier Reef and Torres Strait sailings, refreshed Papua New Guinea itineraries and new charter flight connections.
Pearl Expeditions has released its 2028 calendar aboard Paspaley Pearl, with voyages across the Kimberley, Arnhem Land, Tiwi Islands, Torres Strait, Great Barrier Reef, Raja Ampat, East Indonesia, Borneo and Papua New Guinea.
The 30-guest vessel will operate a mix of seven- to 11-night itineraries, with expanded charter access designed to simplify travel to harder to reach regions.
New services will include Cairns connections for Papua New Guinea departures and Darwin to Sorong charter flights for Raja Ampat voyages.
Sarina Bratton, Pearl Expeditions Executive Chair, said the additional flights and itineraries were intended to improve access while maintaining the small ship approach of the program.
“These new itineraries and charter flight connections have been developed to make remarkable, hard-to-reach regions more accessible for our guests, without compromising the respect, sensitivity and local relationships required to visit them responsibly,” Ms Bratton said.
The Great Barrier Reef program will increase to three departures in 2028, including new voyages focused on Torres Strait Islander communities and culture.
Papua New Guinea will also receive an expanded program, including three refreshed 10- and 11-night itineraries packaged Cairns to Cairns. A new New Britain circumnavigation will combine village visits, Second World War history, volcanic landscapes and marine experiences.
In Indonesia, new and revised voyages will include Raja Ampat, the Tanimbar and Kei islands and a wildlife focused Borneo itinerary combining orangutan viewing in Tanjung Puting National Park with whale sharks and Komodo dragons.
The Kimberley season will continue with seven- and 10-night options, incorporating rock art sites, waterways, pearl farm visits and the opportunity to fly aboard a Paspaley Mallard flying boat.
Mick Fogg, Pearl Expeditions General Manager, said the program had been shaped around cultural and wildlife experiences specific to each region.
“Guests might travel by local klotok riverboat through Tanjung Puting in search of endangered orangutans, spend time with Torres Strait Islander communities on the far-northern reef, explore carved ancestral villages in the Tanimbars, or sail into Arnhem Land with local insight guiding the experience,” Mr Fogg said.
Bookings for the 2028 season are now open, with seven-night expeditions priced from $14,995 per person twin share. Paspaley Pearl has 15 staterooms and is also available for private charter.
