RAJA AMPAT – THE LAST PARADISE

Forget Bali! Have you heard about Indonesia`s last paradise?

Everybody goes to Bali but have you heard about this place? Remote, authentic and wild.

Raja Ampat has been on the list for many years and we`re glad we finally made it here. However, it can be a bit intimidating at the beginning, as it is quite remote and there are many things to plan and to consider before hand. But this article is meant to provide as much useful information as possible.

For those who don`t know it, Raja Ampat is a pristine archipelago in the far east of Indonesia, off the coast of Western Papua. It is called the last paradise because its natural beauty has been preserved, with pristine beaches, clear turquoise waters, and verdant jungles that are a testament to nature’s beauty.

Raja Ampat overview ( for beginners ) – MUST READ

The entry point into Raja Ampat is Sorong and there are two main directions from there: Waisai and Misool. Waisai is the closest one ( about 2 hrs by ferry ) and it is the most popular. Also, it is closer to other destinations in the archipelago. Misool is quite unique in terms of landscape but much further away ( 8 hrs by night ferry ) and therefore harder to reach. There are also only 2 ferries per week to Misool.

From any of these islands you need to take other boats to your specific destination/ homestay.

The famous Google photos of Raja Ampat are actually taken in Wayag and Piaynemo. Wayag is far away and very expensive to get ( aprox 15,000,000 IDR – 1000 $ per boat ) while Piaynemo is closer and more reachable ( 6 – 7, 000, 000 IDR per boat ).

The boats are expensive due to the price of fuel and the strong currents leading to greater fuel consumption. Plan accordingly.

There are 3 main ways to stay in Raja Ampat:

• Homestays – exactly how it sounds, staying with a family. The most basic but authentic way of staying. Also, the cheapest one.
• Resorts – due to the remoteness of the place, all the resorts are super expensive, with a few exceptions. Also, there is a very limited number of resorts and a lot of them don`t have great reviews
• Liveaboard – basically you live on a bigger boat. Usually they are quite expensive but cheaper than the resorts and the conditions are quite nice, from what we`ve seen. They tend to sell out fast, so try to book in advance. However, from an ethical point of view, they don`t seem to be very popular among the residents of Raja Ampat, as they frequently take anyone who pays and don`t take care of nature. However, we cannot speak from own experience.

The most popular islands are: Kri ( the closest ), Gam, Fam, Arborek, Rufas. Will give more details later about each one. Keep reading.

How to get there

Getting there involves a bit of a hassle but nothing impossible to be done. The best way is to take a plane to Jakarta and after that to book a domestic flight to Sorong, which takes about 4 hours. There are few airlines doing that flight but we found Pelita Air to be the most affordable. All the flights leave at night and land over there in the morning.

!!Useful tip: we had issues paying for Pelita Air flights with our Romanian cards/ Revolut but it worked with an Irish card. This can happen in other online transactions in Indonesia as well, such as paying for the Marine Card.

Once in Sorong airport, you have to take a taxi ( about 100,000 IDR – 7 $ ) to Sorong harbour and take the 2 hours ferry to Waisai. There are 2 ferries per day, which leave from both destinations at 9 AM and 14 PM. Tickets cannot be booked in advance and can only be paid in cash. The cost is 125,000 IDR ( 8 $ ) for a standard ticket and 250,000 ( 16 $ ) IDR for a VIP ticket.

From Waisai you need to arrange pick up by boat to your accommodation. Most if not all homestays/ resorts can provide this for you. This will take 1-2-3 hours, depending how far is your homestay.

Visa

The only visa you need to apply is Indonesian visa, in case your citizenship requires it. The process is quite simple and can be done online. We did it online, after we arrived in Jakarta, just to skip the queues. It costs 500,000 IDR ( 35$ ).

Park fees

In order to entry to Raja AmpaT Marine reservation, you will need to pay 2 tickets: Marine Card ( 700,000 IDR ) and Visitor Entry Fee ( 300,000 IDR ). We paid the Marine Card online here and the visitor fee upon arrival in Waisai harbour, by card. However, I noticed that there was the possibility to pay the Marine card over there, as well. The Marine Card has a validity of 6 months.

Getting around

Obviously, the only way to get around is by boat. As mentioned before, the boat transfer prices are high, due to the high cost of fuel and the elevated fuel consumption due to the currents. There are 2 main ferries from Sorong: to Waisai and to Misool. Waisai is the most popular. ( mentioned above ).

From Waisai, you need to arrange the transport with your homestay/ resort. Prices vary from 800,000 IDR to a few millions, depending on the distance. Usually, all homestays have transfer options and the prices are much cheaper than in the resorts.

Where to stay

Probably one of the most important questions. 🙂 This is information based on personal experience and a lot of personal research. Please read carefully.

As I mentioned before, there are 3 main types of accommodation in Raja Ampat: homestays ( the most popular, authentic and cheap ), resorts ( few in number and very expensive ) and liveaboards ( living on a boat, can be pretty expensive as well ). Ocasionally, there can be some places which are in between, offering better conditions than a homestay but cheaper than a resort. All types of stays have an all meals included regime, for the simple reason that there are no stand alone restaurants on the islands.

Because Raja Ampat is such a remote place, expect that standards are lower than in other tropical destinations. Regardless if it is a homestay or a resort, usually there is limited electricity, limited or no WIFI, limited or no hot water ( but you really don`t need it as it is super nice and warm ), limited food/ food options, insects, limited toiletries ( bring own soap/ shampoo/ wipes ), sometimes rats ( yes, apparently there are a lot of rats on the islands but we personally have not seen any :)) ). However, nature makes up for everything and you will realize how little you actually need.

In general, accommodations can be booked mainly via Booking.com, Whatsapp ( if you have the contact of the house ) and https://www.stayrajaampat.com/. The last one is a local but popular link, very useful but not so user friendly and requires the payment to be made in advance.

In general, homestays require the payment to be paid in cash ( unless paid online through any of the links above ) and a lot of them don`t have anybody that speaks English.

Before booking anything, regardless which type and where you book it, LOOK FOR PLACES WITH REVIEWS AND READ ALL THE REVIEWS. MAKE SURE THAT ARE GOOD REVIEWS. I cannot emphasize this enough! This is the only way to not ruin your vacation. I cannot say how many reviews I saw where people where complaining about: dirty homestays, not enough food for everybody, people not speaking English and not being able to communicate, owners not showing up for boat pick up, resorts being expensive but providing very basic services, rats in the accommodations ( which I don`t mind but I understand not anybody likes them 🙂 ), broken mosquito nets, transportation and trips prices not being transparent and so on. The only way to prevent this is by checking the reviews.

Personally, I think it is a must to stay in a homestay. At least for few days. Even though the conditions are very basic, this is the authentic way to experience Raja Ampat: meeting local people, eating local food, seeing the insects and engaging with nature. You will not have much but you will not need much, either. Sometimes, waking up with the ocean waves and birds singing is enough.

We opted for both a homestay and a cheaper resort, in order to experience both. After a lot of research, we found Gibran Homestay and Wai Resort and I can reccommend these places 100%.

Gibran Homestay belongs to a local family but currently there are 2 Spanish girls that speak english and manage the communication with the guests. Based on all the reviews and our personal experience, it seems quite a fair accommodation, offering simple but clean and decent water bungalows, shared bathroom, enough food ( quantity can be a problem ), unlimited coffee/ tea/ water and even beer ( you don`t find this often here ), no rats anywhere as the bungalows are over the water. The location is quite good, the beach is decent, there is a nice reef for snorkeling close by, a lot of sardines swimming below the bungalows and some other fish, as well. You can find the accommodation both on Booking or by contacting them directly on Whatsapp at +34 675302902.

Wai Resort is a hidden gem in my opinion. It is a combination in between a homestay and a resort in the sense that it is more confortable and fancier than a homestay but way cheaper than a resort. The resort has its own island and has everything you need ( bungalow with private bathroom, hot water, kayaks and SUPs free of charge, all meals and unlimited coffee/ water/ tea ). There are only 12 bungalows and it is not crowded as well, but it obviously sells out fast. The only downside would be the boat transport price, which is more expensive than in homestays but the best way to do it is: either request transport to/from Waisai only ( aprox 2,500,000 IDR one way ) or ask another homestay to bring you ( we asked Gibran House to drop us off there ). Anyway, this place is AMAZING! You can find it on Booking.com.

Other places that I researched and looked really nice but found no availability can be found below. There are both homestays and some resorts which were a bit less expensive.

• Rufas Homestay – a blue lagoon inside a circular island – https://www.stayrajaampat.com/accommodation/rufas-homestay/
• Lagoon Homestay – next to Rufas Homestay, there are actually only these two stays inside the lagoon – https://www.stayrajaampat.com/accommodation/lagoon-homestay/
• Mangkur Homestay – on the best beach area in Kri, in my opinion – https://www.stayrajaampat.com/accommodation/mangkur-kodon-homestay/
• Bongso Homestay – next to Mangkur – Google Maps contact +6285254532620
• Katembe Private Island – next to Waisai Island, looks great but quite expensive though – https://www.katemberajaampat.com/
• Raja Ampat Eco Lodge – very close to Katembe and more affordable – https://www.rajaampatecolodge.com/your-stay
• Agusta Eco Resort – similar to Wai island – Booking.com

Raja Ampat islands – which one to choose?

If we disregard Misool ( we have no experience with that ) and focus on northern area which can be reached from Waisai, there are few options:

1. Kri Island – is the closest and one of the most popular. The western tip looks really nice ( white sand beach and turquoise water ), has some nice reefs, forest and a cool diving center: Soul Scuba. We spent 5 days here, we even got our diving licences and we would definitely return. The only downside is that there is a lot of trash washed away here, but unfortunately this is a big problem here due to the currents. The best place to stay is on the western tip, close to Soul Scuba. Another nice looking place is the small island in between Kri and Mansuar ( where is Ransiwor homestay ).
2. Mansuar Island – very close to Kri, almost walking distance in low tide. However, much bigger and not too different. Has less beaches and more jungle. Has more accommodation options.
3. Wai Island – by far our favorite. Altough it looks more similar to Maldives than the clicheistic Raja Ampat scenery, the white sand beaches and crystal clear turquoise water are amazing. On top of that, there is only one resort, so you will have the whole island for yourself. As a bonus, you will have the chance to encounter the famous couscous marsupials and a big population of flying foxes. ( Which migrate to Batanta island at night for feeding )
4. Augusta Island – just south of Mansuar, very similar to Wai island from the pictures ( but I think Wai is better )
5. Fam ( or Pam ) Islands – very popular among travelers as well but further away. Haven`t been there but they look very nice from the pictures, seem to have bigger beaches. There are nice diving spots, too. However, there are more basic homestays and no diving center ( just local ones renting gear ). An advantage is that they are close to Piaynemo and Rufas.
6. Rufas Island – a unique island with a lagoon in the middle; it`s becoming increasingly popular nowadays; it only has 2 homestays in the middle, which get filled up pretty quickly; however, you can see it as part of the trip, as we did.
7. Gam Island – the big island close to Waisai; popular for the jungle and birds of paradise trips ; doesn`t have too many beaches
8. Arborek Island – a small island in between Mansuar and Piaynemo; Arborek jetty is famous for the huge schools of fish that shelter beneath it, and also for the colourful soft corals that cover its piles. There’s good snorkelling from almost anywhere on the island, but the reefs around the island’s eastern end are particularly rich.
9. Wayag archipelago – the famous photos on google of Raja Ampat are taken here; however, this place is far away ( few hours by boat ) and there are no homestays nearby; so the only options to get here is either by a long and expensive day trip ( aprox 1000 $ per boat ) or by liveaboard.

What to visit

Basically all resorts and homestays offer day trips with plenty of spots to visit: from reef spots to small islands and sand banks. Apart from the main islands mentioned above, such as Piaynemo, Rufas , Wayag and so on, there are some other stuff: the Blue river ( Kalibiru ) on Waigeo island , Pulau Dua sand bank ( day trip from Wai ), as well as local fauna ( bird of paradise, cuscus, flying foxes )

How much time you need

Obviously the more, the better. Although many people come here and spend 20 -30 days, sometimes it`s not possible. So, as a minimum, I would say 10 days it is quite enough to have an idea of how Raja Ampat is like. And this is because it takes a lot of time to get in between planes, ferry and other boats. Also, divide the days in between 2 to maximum 3 islands and spend 3 days at least on each.

We had exactly 10 days and was all right. We chose 2 islands, Kri and Wai, spending 5 nights on Kri and 4 nights on Wai.

Useful info

• Use REEF FRIENDLY SPF PLEASE!! – the standard SPF lotions are damaging the reef, as well as ourselves, so please do some research and bring your own reef safe cream; in general, the mineral/ zinc oxide sunscreens are good but there are many apps that can help to choose which SPF is safe; alternatively you can check this website; we have personally used BADGER brand and that was really good. Moreover, the zinc oxide is also good as anti-ageing, so you get a double benefit.
• Bring cash – a lot of homestays, if not all of them, can`t take card payments ( in the resorts it should be fine to pay by card )
• Bring your own snorkel / mask – the gear here is sometimes too worn or missing, so it is better to have yours
• Book in advance – accommodation, dive trips etc; we started booking 2 months in advance and it was barely enough; ensure you have plenty of time
• Have medicines with you – being such an isolated place, it will be extremely difficult you get any medicines, in case you need; make sure you have plenty of pain killers, some antibiotics, cold tablets ( even though it is warm weather, staying wet on a high speed boat can have this effect ), diver drops and antibiotic ear drops ( in case of ear infections from diving ), food poisoning medicines, tea tree oil and other stuff for insect bites
• Malaria – officially this is a malaria risk area, however, the risk is not high because there are not enough human hosts; however, bring DEET spray ( > 40% DEET) but make sure you wash before entering the water as this substance is also damaging the reef
• Life jackets – after almost dying in a storm on a small boat, having no life jackets, we learnt that this is something you need to pay attention to
• Dive Insurance – being such a remote place means that it will be harder to get assistance in case something does happen; while some dive centers won`t even allow to dive without an insurance, it is good practice to have one; some of the best companies to get it from are DAN and DIVE ASSURE

Best time to go

It is said that Raja Ampat is a year round destination. However, there are different opinions. Many travel guides suggest that the best time to visit Raja Ampat is from October to April. Indeed, from October to April, the likelihood of rain in Raja Ampat decreases, but when it does rain, it tends to be heavier. Some people we met there suggested October, while others suggested May.

Being right below the equator, be aware that it is quite humid and rainy all year round, so you can always get a mix of everything. More info here.

What to expect

Apart from amazing nature and underwater wildlife, adjust your expectations. After all, it is a remote place with very basic conditions sometimes. However, you will realize that you won`t need much.

• Basic accommodation – shared bathroom, shared shower, cold water
• Food – while resorts serve international food, most homestays serve local food, which is quite basic ( because it is hard to find a lot of things there ); while at Gibran house we didn`t have any issues, I have seen some reviews of people mentioning the food was not enough in some homestays; also, breakfast is very basic ( like, fruits and cake )
• A lot of insects – expect cockroaches in the bungalows :))
• Possibly rodents – less likely on water bungalows but very possible on land bungalows; don`t leave any food in your luggage, just in case
• Plastic pollution – unfortunately the currents here bring a lot of trash – it is only a reminder of what people do to this planet 🙁

Diving

Recognized as one of the best diving destinations in the world, situated in the middle of the coral triangle. If you came all the way to here, it would be a pity not to see the underwater beauty.

Make sure, however, that the diving center you choose has serviced equipment and professional teams. We also decided to do our open water diving course here and we chose Soul Scuba in Kri island. Although thet already had good reviews on Google, we found later on that is one of the best stand alone centers in the area, in terms of safety and proficiency. Be aware that if you are staying in Turtle Dive some stay and a few more others, they will not be able to serve you.

In terms of diving October to May is considered the best season for diving in Raja Ampat when you’ll find less rain, calmer seas, and better visibility. You will be able to visit all the main diving hot spots from northern Wayag to southern Misool Island. The monsoon season in Raja Ampat runs from mid-June to mid-September.

Don`t forget about the dive insurance mentioned above: Dive Assure and DAN

Next, we hope that our photo gallery will inspire you. We used our Sony A7III and A7IV cameras ( 35 mm, 85 mm ) and DJI Mavic 3 Classic drone.