Manila to Darwin

Manila, the capital of the Philippines and the most densely populated city in the world, is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay, on the western side of the island of Luzon. This metropolis has certainly come a long way from being a fortified settlement and renowned trading centre in the 13th century. The city attracts over one million visitors from all over the world annually. Read more about Manila, Philippines

Read more about Apo Reef, Philippines

San Fernando is a small port on the NW coast of northern Luzon, the largest island in the Philippines. The port provides access by coach to the City of Baguio with its subtropical highlands climate, 1500 m above sea level. Interestingly, on September 3, 1945, it was here in Camp John Hay that the Japanese Imperial Forces surrendered at the end of WWII. Read more about San Fernando, Philippines

Bohol is the tenth largest island of the Philippines, and is famous for its ‘Chocolate Hills’. These are mounds of limestone formations that turn brown during summer, making them look like ‘chocolate kisses’. They can be best seen either by climbing to the highest point or by air via ultralight airplane tours. Read more about Bohol, Philippines

Sandakan is the second largest city in Sabah, East Malaysia, on the NE coast of Borneo. While perhaps being best known as the Gateway for Ecotourism in Sabah, the area is also remembered for WWII events. After its complete destruction and rebuild 1948-1955, it has become a main port for oil, tobacco, coffee, sago, and timber exports. Read more about Sandakan, Malaysia

Pare Pare is a port town located on the SW coast of Sulawesi, about 155 km north of the provincial capital Makassar. It is one of the major population centres of the Bugis people, and is possibly most famous for being the birth place of Jusuf Habibie, the third President of Indonesia. It is a hilly city with plenty of greenery, and is sometimes used as a stopover between Tana Toraja and Makassar. Read more about Pare Pare, Indonesia

Palopo, a city port, is the provincial capital of regency Luwu, and the third-largest city in the province of South Sulawesi in Indonesia. It is the location of South Sulawesi's oldest mosque. Built from blocks of white coral, with a three-tiered roof representing the ancient Austronesian cosmos, the Mesjid Jami is said to have been built during the reign of Sultan Abdullah. Read more about Palopo, Indonesia

Satonda Island is a small island located off the northern tip of Sumbawa, in the middle of the Lesser Sunda Islands chain. It is in the province of West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. It is a beautiful volcanic island featuring an idyllic crater lake with salt water to swim in, just several hundred metres from the beach. Read more about Satonda Island, Indonesia

Bali is an Indonesian island at the western-most of the Lesser Sunda Islands, lying between Java to the west and Lombok to the east. It is one of Indonesia’s 33 provinces, with the provincial capital at Denpasar towards the south of the island. Bali is home to the most of Indonesia's Hindu minority, and also the largest tourist destination in the Archipelago. Read more about Denpasar (Bali), Indonesia

Komodo Island may be closed to visitors throughout 2020, following which numbers may be limited to 5000 annually. The decision will be made in mid 2019. Komodo Island lies in the Wallacea Region of Indonesia, identified by Conservation International as a global conservation priority area, and is located in the centre of the Indonesian archipelago between the islands of Sumbawa to the west and Flores to the east. Read more about Komodo Island, Indonesia

Read more about Lamalera, Indonesia

Alor is the largest island in the Alor archipelago, located at the eastern-most end of the chain of islands that runs through southern Indonesia. The island is of volcanic origin with very rugged terrain, and the only town, Kalabahi, is located on the flat area facing the main harbour. The archipelago offers some of the best snorkelling and diving in Indonesia, but due to intriguing and often very strong currents it is best to snorkel or dive with someone who knows the area well. Read more about Alor Island, Indonesia

Kupang is the capital of the Indonesian Province of Nusa Tenggara. It is the southernmost city of Indonesia, on the island of Timor, with a population of 350,000. (The NE half of the island is the independent country of Timor Leste.) During the 1600s the Dutch and Portuguese colonials vied for power and trade, dominated by the Dutch East India Company. Read more about Kupang, Indonesia

The new Darwin cruise ship terminal at Fort Hill Wharf is adjacent to the convention centre, only one kilometre from Darwin’s CBD. Modern amenities, hotels and parking are there, plus a mini-market with beautiful local productions – Aboriginal art and crafts, diamonds and opals, and eateries, distinctive of the Top End. Darwin is a home port for the small luxury vessels Coral Princess and Coral Discoverer that explore the Kimberley coast to Broome. Read more about Darwin, Australia