Indonesia Cool Combo: Raja Ampat & Sulawesi

You have a longer layover before your flight to Sorong, which leaves just after midnight, so we can arrange a day room at a hotel or access to an airport lounge for you during this time.

You will be met in arrivals by your driver and transferred to the port for a two hour speedboat transfer to your resort. Keep your eyes glued to the horizon as your whiz past emerald islands; if you're lucky you may even get dolphins playing in the boat's wake.

Hoorah! You've arrived into paradise! Get settled in to your overwater bungalow, located on the doorstop of the house reef. From the deck keep an eye out for the resident dugong bobbing below.

Spend the rest of the day becoming well acquainted with your surroundings, be it snorkelling on the house reef or relaxing on the deck of your bungalow. Be sure to visit the dive centre to organise your diving for the coming days.

Start at Friwin Island, which is a relaxed, shallow site with plenty to see. The island is surrounded by coral, as well as featuring a small cave which often has whitetip sharks resting on ledges along the wall.

Next head to Cape Kri, known as the 'record breaker', a real highlight in the area. This site is known for having the highest number of different species seen on one dive anywhere in the world. Search the corals for critters such as shrimps and pygmy seahorses, while looking out for turtles, rays and sharks passing by.

After a delicious fresh lunch back at the resort, head to Manta Sandy, a manta cleaning station which attracts dozens of mantas at a time. Watch from a distance as they effortlessly glide around each other in dazzling displays akin to Cirque du Soleil.

Blue Magic is a deep pinnacle in the middle of a channel and one of the most famous sites in the area. The currents can be quite strong so try to shelter behind rocks and look out for huge oceanic mantas, which use this site as a cleaning station.

For your second dive stop by Sardines Reef which, as the name suggests, is famous for the huge schools of sardines circling around the reef. These sardines attract predators such as barracuda, Spanish mackerel, trevallies, jacks and grey reef sharks.

After a surface interval refuelling on lunch, head back beneath the waves to explore Chicken Reef. This is a shallow reef covered in corals with a huge school of fusiliers swimming over the top. Within the corals look out for pipefish, pygmy seahorses, nudibranchs, shrimps and more.

You will swim among mangrove roots where the ocean meets the jungle and where lots of creatures take shelter. Look out for macro life such as nudibranchs, shrimp and flatworms, as well as juvenile fish hiding between the roots. Next, onto Urai which is an excellent macro site with lots of frogfish and pipefish among the vibrant corals.

This afternoon snorkel on the house reef or relax on the deck of your bungalow, before heading out for a night dive just after sunset. Keep a good look out for wobbegongs (walking sharks), which become active at night.

This area is home to several beautiful coral gardens pulsating with marine life, including Melissa's Garden and Penemu Wall. Between dives you can hike up a mushroom-shaped islet to get an amazing view over the surrounding islands and reefs.

On the way back to the resort, you will have a chance to stop at the inhabited island of Arborek, where you can visit the local village as well as dive or snorkel under the jetty where thousands of fish take refuge.

Visit local villages, walk to waterfalls and go on the look out for birds of paradise, which are endemic to this region. If the pull of the ocean is too much, borrow a kayak or paddle board and hit the waves or simply snorkel on the house reef.

In the evening watch the sunset with a cocktail in hand before feasting on dinner under the stars. Don't have a late night though as you have an early start tomorrow.

You will be met in arrivals by your driver and transferred to the jetty, taking around 90 minutes, from where you will take a 10-minute speedboat ride to the resort.

Settle into your bungalow looking over the Lembeh Strait before indulging in a delicious lunch at the restaurant. In the afternoon, there's a wonderful spa nestled into the hillside, which is well worth a visit to knead out any residual knots.

Start at Nudi Falls, where the bottom is a combination of sand and rubble around which lots of critters hide, including colourful ribbon eels and mantis shrimps. Swim a little further and you'll reach a coral reef, which is covered in animals including cowries, rhinopias, pygmy seahorses and lots of nudibranchs after which the site is named. Keep your eyes peeled for anemones as they are often home to Banggai Cardinalfish, which is a particularly rare species endemic to this area.

For your second dive head to Hairball, which is home to lots of hairy frogfish as well as long arm octopus, leafy filefish, flamboyant cuttlefish and more. Spend the afternoon relaxing back on land before heading out on a night dive to Pante Abo. The site has several coral patches in a shallow area, which are home to warty frogfish, wonderpus, robust pipefish and lots of nudibranchs.

Each area starts with a shallow sandy flat area, which then slopes down to 20 metres. Here you can expect to see coconut octopus, painted frogfish, ornate pipefish, seahorses and flamboyant cuttlefish.

For the second dive head to Pulau Abadi, which sits pretty in the middle of the strait. Here you can expect to see sponges, algae and seafans where blue-ringed octopus, wonderpus, pygmy seahorses and painted frogfish live.

This evening head out for a night dive at Air Prang, a sandy slope where you might come across giant frogfish, rhinopias, paddle-flap, wonderpus and broadclub cuttlefish. Other animals to look out for, particularly at night, include the bobbit worm and tiny bobtail squid.

On the sloped, sandy bottom there are several coral outcrops covered in sponges. This is a great site for spotting frogfish (you're likely to see several in one dive), nudibranchs, mantis shrimps and ribbon eels. Back in the shallows there is a patch of staghorn corals alongside which several anemones lie, where you can spot cardinalfish and mandarinfish. This is one of only a few places where you can actually see mandarinfish during the day rather than at dusk, but be patient as they are very shy.

For your second dive head to Rojos, which has a mix of coral and sandy bottom. This site is particularly good if you like cephlapods as you are likely to see mimic octopus, long arm octopus and flamboyant cuttlefish, as well as frogfish and dragonets.

For your final dive stop at Tanjung Tebal, which is a stunning site characterised by huge boulders, creating canyons and shelves that stretch out into the strait. Look out for pygmy seahorse, wonderpus and rare crabs.

Take a guided tour to Tangkoko National Park, which is one of the oldest nature reserves in Indonesia. Led by a local expert, learn about the wonderful wildlife you spot in the area, including black macaques, hornbills and other rare species of endemic birds, flying draco-lizards and the world's smallest mammal, the tarsier, which is only found in a couple of places in the world.

Back at the resort, savour your final sunset and dinner before your trip home tomorrow.