Australia’s Coral Expeditions launches Asia programme

The company which was founded as Coral Princess Cruises in 1984 by Capt. Tony Briggs was bought by Kallang Capital Holdings at the end of 2014 and renamed Coral Expeditions in June last year.

It currently operates expedition cruises to the Great Barrier Reef, the Kimberley region, Cape York and Arnhem Land, Tasmania, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and the South Pacific.

General manager Mark Fifield said the new Asia itineraries will have special appeal to active and adventurous travellers who may have previously travelled through Asia but are now ready to explore in depth areas of the region that are only accessible by small ship.

The purpose-built Coral Discoverer carries 72 passengers and will undergo a major refurbishment to add a new class of Bridge Deck balcony staterooms and a Sun Deck bar-lounge when she arrives in Singapore on her first Asia cruise from Kalimantan in Indonesian Borneo, on November 5.

This eight-night voyage will include a visit to the Camp Leakey orangutan sanctuary and the Way Kambas National Park for endangered wildlife including elephants, rhinos and Sumatran tigers.

On November 25 and December 19 Coral Discoverer will operate 12-night voyages between Singapore and Yangon and will make the return journey from Yangon to Singapore on December 7 and December 31. These include sailings  through the Irrawaddy River Delta and the Yangon River.

The programme also includes a voyage from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi.  

In Februry 2017 she returns from Singapore to Darwin via the Indonesian archipelago.

‘Our Asia season will be one of the most exciting series of itineraries for Coral Expeditions,’ Fifield said.