The far flung Indonesian archipelago of Raja Ampat, 1,500 emerald islands scattered off the coast of Western Papua, are home to an incredible two thirds of the world’s coral species, more than 1,600 species of reef fish and 700 varieties of mollusc. It’s also possibly the most beautiful place I’ve ever been. I explored this incredible region on Aqua Blu, a former Royal Navy coastal survey vessel that’s been
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1. There are some places you can only reach by ship Antarctica, for example, or the Chilean fjords. Other places are simply best explored by small ship, like Australia’s wild Kimberley Coast, or Raja Ampat in Indonesia. On a small ship, you can get to otherwise inaccessible places and drop anchor in beautiful bays without another ship or human in sight. There’s no hassle of setting up camp every night
I’m standing on deck of the tall ship Star Clipper, in pitch darkness, sweltering in the humidity of the tropical night, hopping with excitement as the anchor chain rattles up and we prepare to set sail. The ship’s evocative sailing music, Vangelis’ theme to 1492: Conquest of Paradise, blasts out across the decks. There’s a mood of elation as the sails catch the wind and the 170-passenger ship takes off
Sunset in Bagan, a seat of Burmese royalty from the ninth to the 13th centuries. I’ve scrambled up to the top of the Shwesandaw Pagoda, one of 2,000 ancient monuments scattered across the plain on the bank of the Irrawaddy, and am perched on a ledge, next to a crowd of monks with iPads. The river glints in the distance as the sun begins its descent towards a row of
