The warm Pacific Ocean breeze was sweeping across the deck of the yacht as I readied my snorkel and mask. We slipped into the sea, met by a color wheel of pinks, oranges, purples, and reds. Corals and fish pulsed around us as black and brown blobs inched along the bottom. Suddenly, one of them heaved itself upward toward me, a sea cucumber rising to stare us down. It was just the latest unexpected delight on my visit to the pristine seas of Palau.
And that was only day two of my stay on the Four Seasons Explorer, a newly refurbished, 11-cabin vessel that sails around the more than 300 islands of Palau. The tiny tropical country, with a population of just 22,000, sits north of Indonesia and east of the Philippines, near what’s called the Coral Triangle. In Palau, low mountains rise from cerulean seas and, beneath the waves, the drama is just as pronounced. Among divers and snorkelers, it’s regarded as a life-list destination, with crystal-clear water, 1,500 species of fish, and reefs that are among the world’s most spectacular.
Courtesy of Four Seasons
What fascinated me about the Explorer, which is operated by the luxury hotel company, is how it felt by turns like a traditional resort or a cruise ship, depending on the moment. For example, there’s no fixed “departure”; guests can check in and out on any day. To reach the Explorer, new arrivals are transferred, like they might be in, say, the Maldives, by speedboat from Koror, home to Palau’s international airport. (During my five days aboard, several couples cycled through.)
But there’s also plenty of cruising. On my visit, we sailed through the Rock Islands Southern Lagoon, a UNESCO World Heritage site, with a couple of days spent around Mecherchar and Ngeruktabel islands, which are both surrounded by dive sites. Every day, we had a choice of following either the Diver or Explorer program. Scuba enthusiasts got at least two, and often more, opportunities daily, accompanied by a staff marine biologist. Those on the Explorer track had the option to snorkel or to head ashore, perhaps for a guided walk through one of Palau’s many small villages or for a cultural program about, say, traditional dance.
While the daily itineraries were packed, they were also flexible, with plenty of room for modification. One word to Abdul Latheef, the cruise director, and I could be whisked away for a massage, spend the day on a stand-up paddleboard, or enjoy a picnic lunch on a secluded beach. (While there were no kids aboard during my trip, Explorer does welcome children as young as eight years old, with programming tailored to their needs and interests.)
In the evenings, we all got back together for meals in the ship’s main dining room. The satisfying choices included plenty of nods to our location, including chicken satay, Vietnamese summer rolls, Indonesian stir-fried noodles, and a whole fish wrapped in a banana leaf. As a vegetarian, I was never overlooked and had plenty of excellent options.
After dinner, a DJ would sometimes spin low-key tunes for us, but I was more enthusiastic about what Four Seasons calls the After Glow. Each night, the staff would play a quick cut of the video footage that the guides and crew had captured during the day’s adventures — a mini-movie recap of all that we’d seen and done. We got to see the couple from San Diego swimming through a World War II–era shipwreck, one of many in these waters. Then came a clip of me, snorkeling alongside tens of thousands of (non-stinging) golden jellyfish in a lake on Mecherchar Island. Seeing the video after another thrilling day helped drive home the fact that, like Palau, the Explorer is one of a kind.
5 More Adventure Ships
Top cruise lines, including Seabourn and Viking, have recently launched small expedition ships. At the same time, niche operators are going even smaller — while still going big on excitement.
Learning in Ecuador
After an extensive refurb, the six-cabin Galápagos Explorer from andBeyond has been brought up to five-star standards. The ship does a pair of eight-day itineraries in the famed archipelago, one focused on the east, the other on the west.
Birding in Rwanda
The conservation-minded Mantis Collection operates the comfortable, 10-cabin Kivu Queen uBuranga on two- and three-night itineraries around the lush islands of Lake Kivu, where sensational birdlife abounds.
Cruising in Croatia
Active-travel specialist Butterfield & Robinson offers weeklong trips aboard the Agape Rose, a 12-cabin yacht loaded with e-bikes and kayaks, with departures from Dubrovnik or Split that visit the Kornati Islands, a national park.
Hiking in Australia
Luxury Lodges of Australia recently unveiled Odalisque III, a seven-cabin power catamaran that sails the waters off Tasmania, with four- to six-night expeditions and shore excursions that include guided hikes and beach time.
Exploring in Peru
Abercrombie & Kent has announced a 12-cabin ship, slated to set sail in 2025. Pure Amazon will travel its namesake region, with two cabins specifically for solo travelers, plus expert guides leading three- and four-night trips on rivers in the Pacaya Samiria National Reserve.
A version of this story first appeared in the October 2024 issue of Travel + Leisure under the headline “Just Dive In.”
