New Guinea Odyssey

16 nights · Darwin to Cairns

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Featured Voyage

New Guinea Odyssey

16 nights12 portsDarwin to CairnsLe Soléal

Departure

Day-by-day and cabin ladder below are shown for the 28 September 2026 departure.

The New Guinea crossing run the other way, Darwin to Cairns. The same coast and the same Zodiac landings, reversed, which matters mainly for how you arrange flights at either end.

From $16,670 per person · solo from $31,527

Text Us

Why This Ship, Out Here

A Small French Ship

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.

Travelling Alone

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 $31,527.

The Journey

Day by Day

16 nights · 12 ports · itinerary as published for 28 September 2026

Day 1Darwin, Australia
Day 2Kei Islands, Indonesia
Day 3Triton Bay, Indonesia
Day 4Kitikiti Falls, Indonesia
Day 5Cenderawasih Bay, Indonesia
Day 6Jayapura, Indonesia
Day 7Kopar, Papua New Guinea
Day 8Madang, Papua New Guinea
Day 9Tami Islands, Papua New Guinea
Day 10Tufi, Papua New Guinea
Day 11Alotau, Papua New Guinea
Day 17Cairns, Queensland
At anchor, tender ashore Overnight or consecutive days in port
Darwin, Australia
Day 1
Darwin, Australia

The Top End capital, tropical and closer to Asia than to Sydney, and the gateway to Kakadu.

Embark

Kei Islands, Indonesia
Day 2
Kei Islands, Indonesia

Pasir Panjang and the finest white sand in the Moluccas, powder fine and firm enough to walk a bicycle along.

Ashore

Triton Bay, Indonesia
Day 3
Triton Bay, Indonesia

Karst islands and soft coral gardens on the edge of the Bird’s Head, with prehistoric rock art on the cliffs above.

Ashore

Kitikiti Falls, Indonesia
Day 4
Kitikiti Falls, Indonesia

A waterfall on the Mommon coast that drops straight off the limestone into the sea, reached only from the water.

Ashore

Cenderawasih Bay, Indonesia
Day 5
Cenderawasih Bay, Indonesia

The largest marine park in Indonesia, where whale sharks gather year round beneath the fishing platforms.

Ashore

Jayapura, Indonesia
Day 6
Jayapura, Indonesia

The capital of Papua, on a steep bay near the border, with Lake Sentani and its stilt villages behind the town.

Ashore

Kopar, Papua New Guinea
Day 7
Kopar, Papua New Guinea

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.

Ashore

Madang, Papua New Guinea
Day 8
Madang, Papua New Guinea

A harbour town of islands and waterways, once called the prettiest in the Pacific, with wrecks and reef walls just outside it.

Ashore

Tami Islands, Papua New Guinea
Day 9
Tami Islands, Papua New Guinea

A cluster of low islands off Finschhafen, known across the region for the carved wooden bowls their people trade.

Ashore

Tufi, Papua New Guinea
Day 10
Tufi, Papua New Guinea

Drowned river valleys the locals call fjords, cutting deep into the coast below Cape Nelson’s volcanic cones.

Ashore

Alotau, Papua New Guinea
Day 11
Alotau, Papua New Guinea

The gateway to Milne Bay, where the war turned in 1942, and now to some of the best coral in the Coral Triangle.

Ashore

Cairns, Queensland
Day 12
Cairns, Queensland

The reef gateway, with the outer reef an hour offshore and the Daintree rainforest an hour north.

Disembark

Scroll for the full journey

The Fare

What’s Included

A French ship, most of it in. Here is exactly where the line sits.

In the Fare

Your stateroom, all dining aboard, house wines, beer and soft drinks with lunch and dinner, and the Zodiac landings that make these itineraries possible.

On Top

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

Le Soléal

About 180 guests, French at heart, and built to go where the big ships cannot.

Le Soléal
Le Soléal
Ponant · 16 Nights · Darwin to Cairns

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.

  • About 180 guests, French flagged and French run
  • Zodiacs for landings where there is no pier
  • All dining and house drinks included

Every Stateroom on This Sailing

Stateroom Solo Per person
Deluxe Stateroom Deck 3$31,527$16,670
Prestige Stateroom Deck 4 Waitlist$35,061$18,440
Prestige Stateroom Deck 5$36,823$19,320
Prestige Stateroom Deck 6$38,903$20,360
Deluxe Suite Deck 6 Waitlist$54,443$28,130
Prestige Suite Deck 5 Waitlist$73,804$37,810
Prestige Suite Deck 6$77,686$39,750
Owner's Suite Deck 6$89,303$45,560

Fares are per person, cruise only. Airfare arranged separately.

1 Departure

28 Sep 2026 $16,670

The day by day above follows the 28 September 2026 departure.

Ready When You Are

Sail New Guinea Odyssey.

From $16,670 per person, solo from $31,527, and our planning from first question to the flight home.

Fares are per person, cruise only 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.