| Raja Ampat Islands | |
 | |
| Information | |
| Country |  Indonesia |
|---|---|
| Region | Papua |
| Area | 40 000 km² |
| Telephone prefix | 62 |
| Spindle | UTC 09:00 |
| Location | |
 0 ° 33 ′ 39 ″ S 130 ° 40 ′ 35 ″ E | |
The Raja Ampat Islands are an archipelago located in the "West Papua" region ofIndonesia.
Understand
Raja Ampat is a tropical archipelago of jungle-covered islands, white sandy beaches, hidden lagoons and turquoise waters. The main activity of this place is scuba diving or snorkelling. However, there are other activities such as bird watching or sea canoe trips.
Raja Ampat can be visited all year round. Be careful, however, many diving centers cease their activities between July and September, because the sea is too rough. To have calm waters and good visibility, prefer a visit between November and March. The period with the heaviest rains is from May to October, which can also make walking in the jungle difficult.
To go
- 1 Domine-Eduard-Osok Airport (IATA : SOQ, ICAO: WASS, Bandar Udara Dominique Edward Osok) (6 km southeast of Sorong) – is the best served in the region.
Then take the ferry from the 2 Sorong port for the 3 waisai harbor . The journey takes 2 h costs Rp 200,000. From Sorong to Waisai the ferry departs daily to 9 h and 2 p.m. From Waisai to Sorong, the ferry departs daily (except Saturday) at 9 h and 2 p.m. On Saturdays, departures are at 9 h and 12h.
Upon arrival, to access Raja Ampat, you will need to pay a fee of 1 million rupees per person in exchange for a pass valid for one year.
- 4 Marinda airport (IATA : RJM, ICAO: WASN, Bandar Udara Marinda) (5 km west of Waisai, on Waigeo Island) – Wings Air flies to Sorong Airport daily at 10:20 a.m. and to Manado daily at 3:05 p.m.
Circulate
Many small boats are available to go from island to island. Negotiation is possible especially if you plan a round trip. It is possible to include trips with diving trips. Please note, the offer is smaller on Sundays for religious reasons.
To see
- 1 Pianemo – offers a typical postcard landscape of Raja Ampat
- 2 Arborek – is a small island containing many home-stays. He is known for his diving spots with manta rays.
- 3 Kri Island – offers among the most beautiful diving sites of the archipelago (Cape Kri, the pier of the village Yenbuba ...)
- 4 Wayag – The most beautiful archipelago in Indonesia, in all of Raja Ampat's photos, the must-see for those on a budget (very remote, about 200 km of Sorong).
- 5 Yeben Island (Yeben Shallow) – An island close to Pianemo and Wayag, with the Yeben Shallow site which is a must for diving and snorkeling (coral, turtles, sharks, etc.)
Eat
If you are staying in a homestay, meals are often included in the price. However, it lacks variety: rice and fish.
Have a drink / Go out
It is rare to find alcohol as it is prohibited for sale in Papua. Some homestays will have Bintang beer, however. It is possible to get supplies in Waisai in some stores. Ask the driver to stop in town, take the opportunity to stock up on the cash essential for the stay on the different islands.
Housing
There are three types of accommodation in Raja Ampat: house boats (liveaboard), wooden seaside pagodas (homestay) which offers full board (breakfast, lunch, dinner) in somewhat rustic comfort and finally the resorts which offer a little more upscale packages with stays of one or two weeks.
Liveaboard
- Raja Ampat Liveaboard ,
62361282664, e-mail : [email protected] - Wicked Diving , 6281239641143, e-mail : [email protected]
- The Seven Seas , 62361759588, e-mail : [email protected]
- Shakti Raja Ampat , 628124838873, e-mail : [email protected]
- Wallacea Dive Cruise , 62 812-8616-6630, e-mail : [email protected] – French-speaking "diving" cruises. Two 33 m wooden boats (capacity: 16 divers in 8 double cabins). Free nitrox for certified divers
- Scuba Republic Raja Ampat , e-mail : [email protected]
- Large Komodo , 62361271538, e-mail : [email protected]
- KLM Insos Raja Ampat Liveaboard , 6282198498519
- Tidak Apa'Pa Liveaboard , 62 812 3761 5446, e-mail : [email protected] – Diving cruise in small groups with organic and photography enthusiasts. Comfortable boat, 4 double cabins, shared bathroom, new sundeck.
Homestay
The stayrajaampat site identifies homestays owned by Papuans and provides a very detailed list of possibilities. A short selection:
- 1 Papuarts alter-native stay , 6282198841907, e-mail : [email protected] – This homestay is run by a Belgian who speaks French. This is a practical stopover when you come from the port of Waisai and want to go to the island of Kri for example.
- 2 Kordiris Homestay , 6285244124338 – is a nice little homestay of a few bungalows run by a Papuan family. They also have a diving center which will take you to the most beautiful diving spots in the region.
- 3 Mangkur Kodong , 6285243359154 – is a homestay on the beautiful beach on the west of the island of Kri. Great view for the sunset!
- 4 Lumba Lumba , 6281281009244, e-mail : [email protected] – is a small homestay on a beautiful beach in the south of the island of Kri. Ask the staff to take you to see the sunset at the top of the hill, it is very beautiful but beware of mosquitoes! They also have a small dive center. It is possible to access larger dive centers in the north of the island but, be careful, the path climbs hard !
Resort
The name "resort" here is completely overused, it is more about homestays a little above average with clean sanitary facilities and, for some, air conditioning.
- 5 Sorido Bay Resort island of kri, 628114834614, e-mail : [email protected]
- 6 Raja4 Miscellaneous Pulau Pef, 628114857711, e-mail : [email protected]
- 7 Doberai Eco Resort , 6282112511763, e-mail : [email protected]
- 8 Papua Paradise Eco Resort
- 9 Scuba Republic Raja Ampat Dive Resort Waisai, e-mail : [email protected]
- 10 Cove Eco Resort (Yeben Island) Yeben Island (via boat schedule from the resort), 6282110008548, e-mail : [email protected]
- 11 Misool , 6281354060519, e-mail : [email protected]
