New Guinea Odyssey
Cruises › South Pacific › Ponant
Featured Voyage
Sixteen nights from Cairns to Darwin along the north coast of New Guinea. Milne Bay, the Sepik river mouth, Cenderawasih Bay where whale sharks gather year round, and the karst islands of Triton Bay. An expedition route, not an island-hopping week.
From $15,970 per person · solo from $23,040
Why This Ship, Out Here
Le Soléal carries about 180 guests. She is small enough to enter lagoons and anchorages the larger ships cannot reach, which is the whole point of a route like this one, and she carries Zodiacs for landings where there is no pier at all.
Solo fares are listed beside the per-person price for every grade, so you can see the supplement rather than be told about it. The cheapest solo berth here is $23,040.
The Journey
The reef gateway, with the outer reef an hour offshore and the Daintree rainforest an hour north.
The gateway to Milne Bay, where the war turned in 1942, and now to some of the best coral in the Coral Triangle.
Drowned river valleys the locals call fjords, cutting deep into the coast below Cape Nelson’s volcanic cones.
A cluster of low islands off Finschhafen, known across the region for the carved wooden bowls their people trade.
A harbour town of islands and waterways, once called the prettiest in the Pacific, with wrecks and reef walls just outside it.
A village at the mouth of the Sepik, where the river meets the sea and the carving tradition is among the strongest in the Pacific.
The capital of Papua, on a steep bay near the border, with Lake Sentani and its stilt villages behind the town.
The largest marine park in Indonesia, where whale sharks gather year round beneath the fishing platforms.
A waterfall on the Mommon coast that drops straight off the limestone into the sea, reached only from the water.
Karst islands and soft coral gardens on the edge of the Bird’s Head, with prehistoric rock art on the cliffs above.
Pasir Panjang and the finest white sand in the Moluccas, powder fine and firm enough to walk a bicycle along.
The Top End capital, tropical and closer to Asia than to Sydney, and the gateway to Kakadu.
Scroll for the full journey
The Fare
A French ship, most of it in. Here is exactly where the line sits.
Your stateroom, all dining aboard, house wines, beer and soft drinks with lunch and dinner, and the Zodiac landings that make these itineraries possible.
Airfare, travel insurance, shore excursions and personal expenses. Air is the largest single cost on a route this remote, so we price the whole journey with flights before you commit.
Your Ship
About 180 guests, French at heart, and built to go where the big ships cannot.
Ponant build small, and it is the reason to sail with them out here. Le Soléal takes about 180 guests, carries a fleet of Zodiacs, and calls at islands where the only way ashore is off the back of the ship.
Every Stateroom on This Sailing
| Stateroom | Solo | Per person |
|---|---|---|
| Deluxe Stateroom Deck 3 | $23,040 | $15,970 |
| Prestige Stateroom Deck 4 | $25,560 | $17,650 |
| Prestige Stateroom Deck 5 | $26,820 | $18,490 |
| Prestige Stateroom Deck 6 | $28,310 | $19,480 |
| Deluxe Suite Deck 6 Waitlist | $39,410 | $26,880 |
| Prestige Suite Deck 5 | $53,240 | $36,100 |
| Prestige Suite Deck 6 | $56,010 | $37,950 |
| Owner's Suite Deck 6 Waitlist | $85,140 | $43,480 |
Fares are per person, cruise only, for the 24 October 2026 departure, pulled from Ponant direct. Solo is the total for one guest; per person is based on double occupancy. Waitlisted grades are shown greyed and cannot be booked. Where a solo fare reads On request, Ponant has not published a single rate for that grade and we will confirm it for you. Other departures price differently; the dates below carry their own fares. Airfare is arranged separately.
1 Departure
The day by day above follows the 24 October 2026 departure.
Ready When You Are
From $15,970 per person, solo from $23,040, and our planning from first question to the flight home.
Fares are per person, cruise only, for the 24 October 2026 departure as published by Ponant, including any Ponant Bonus. Airfare additional. Waitlisted grades cannot be booked. Fares are capacity-controlled and may change or be withdrawn without notice. Elevida Luxury Journeys is an independent affiliate of Travel Planners International.