Great Barrier Reef Luxury Expedition Cruise cabin booking 7 days 6 night

Day 1: Sail to Cid Harbour

1. Hamilton Island Marina
   4h · Admission ticket included
   Depart Hamilton Island Marina & sail to Cid Harbour, a magnificent calm anchorage on the western side of Whitsunday Island. The crew will take you ashore for a bushwalk through dense rain forest from Sawmill Beach to Dugong Beach. This is a one way walk because the crew will pick you up at the second beach.

Day 2: a leisurely cruise to Langford Reef for snorkelling and reef walking.

1. Whitsunday Passage
   3h · Admission ticket included
   At this location as the tide abates, a massive drying reef joining two islands and a sand spit is revealed. Those wanting to take advantage of Lynne’s expertise in nature will be guided around the reef before we all enjoy a superb lunch on the aft deck next to this coral cay. Turtles are often seen at this location both in the water and those that have been stranded on the reef at low tide.

Day 3: Blue Pearl Bay on Hayman Island

1. 3h
   A gentle 20 knot south east wind blows today, so we head out into the Whitsunday passage for an exhilarating sail. Lunch is served while under sail and we arrive at Blue Pearl Bay on Hayman Island to snorkel over the wonderful coral reef.
2. 2h
   For the first time we see the underwater world through the large glass bottom of the dive tender “Sundance Kid”. John steers us skilfully over the crystal clear water and colourful corals, whilst Lynne explains the names of the numerous fish and corals, before we excitedly leap overboard to take an even closer look!!

Day 4: Butterfly Bay and Manta Ray Bay

1. Whitsunday Islands
   3h
   On arrival, we dinghy ashore for a stroll amongst the dense tropical foliage and thick canopy of native trees behind a white coral beach to see thousands of butterflies which fascinate our guests…and yet another snorkel for those inclined over exceptionally colourful corals. Lunch is served on the aft deck in this stunningly beautiful bay.
2. Whitsunday Islands
   2h
   we visit Manta Ray Bay where the corals are spectacular and hundreds of fish are so friendly that they gather around under our glass bottomed boat on arrival to welcome us. We watch with excitement when “Albert”, the friendly resident Maori Wrasse (over 1 metre long) stares up at us through the glass bottom, together with hundreds of Sergeant Majors, Fusiliers, Moon Wrasse and many other extremely colourful fish.

Day 5: Bait Reef on the Outer Great Barrier Reef

1. Heart Reef
   1 day
   we will sail to Bait Reef, which lies on the Outer Reef, and is about three hours from Manta Ray Bay. Our guests relax under sail comfortably either lying on the air bed or on the inflatable armchairs, occasionally looking up to see if there are whales leaping out of the water or dolphins swimming at the bow.
2. Whitsunday Passage
   1 day
   we see humpback whales (mother & calf) & the mother is teaching her calf how to leap out of the water. It is an awesome experience to be so close and we feel privileged to watch nature at its’ best! Some guests love to learn navigation and are ably assisted in lessons from the Captain! On arrival at Bait Reef (in the middle of an open ocean) we proceed through an opening between the coral boulders into a perfectly protected lagoon. The water turns from deep blue to bright turquoise as we move to a mooring in shallower waters.

Day 6: Whitehaven Beach and Hill Inlet

1. Whitehaven Beach
   3h
   TripAdvisor has rated this beach to be amongthe ten best beaches in the world
2. Hill Inlet
   2h
   One of the most photographed views in Australia, a must for all visitors.

Day 7: a sad farewell

1. Whitsunday Passage
   Pass by
   We will return to Hamilton Island around 10 am or earlier if any guests are on an early flight

• Public transportation options are available nearby
• Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
• Not recommended for pregnant travelers
• Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
• Suitable for all physical fitness levels