Cruise Options:

5 NIGHT GREAT BARRIER REEF – Cairns to Brisbane

2013 Departure – December 8

Orion’s exploration of Australia’s World Heritage Great Barrier Reef is designed to ensure your experience of the Barrier Reef is like no other. Orion’s Zodiac safaris allow guests to snorkel and swim over a pristine and seldom visited section of Hardy reef, alive with corals and teeming with myriads of tropical fish. Hayman Island is Australia’s most celebrated private island destination, where guests will have access to many of the facilities of this luxury resort. On Percy Island you will enjoy kayaking in this idyllic setting whilst our attentive crew prepares a seafood beach BBQ you will never forget.

19 NIGHT GREAT BARRIER REEF, PNG & MICRONESIA – Cairns to Palau, Micronesia

2014 Departures – 11 April

Board National Geographic Orion for an extraordinary voyage, combining some of the world’s most beautiful islands from the Great Barrier Reef in the Coral Sea to some of the most diverse swimming, snorkelling and diving areas of the South Pacific. World War II battle sites, shipwrecks, isolated coral atolls and remote island cultures far from the tourist mainstream. Island life here is meditative, close to nature and lived in harmony with the land and the sea. Visit outlying islands where visitors are a rarity, even today. Meet the Satawal men, a fascinating and mysterious group of traditional navigators who steer by the sun, stars, and ocean swells. Explore remote areas of Papua New Guinea, a patchwork of mountains and jungle, home to some 700 Papuan and Melanesian tribes, each with its own language. Join friendly villagers to absorb their rhythmic, traditional dances. From virgin forests and the unique birdlife of Sorol to the cultural traditions of Yap Island, the coral-smothered sunken ships of Chuuk Island and the great reef systems scattered across Micronesia, you will be enthralled as we explore this oceanic wonder. Palau, with its famed Rock Islands, is a fitting conclusion.