At the turn of the year we went to this diving paradise Raja Ampat. Raja Ampat is part of Indonesia and is located in West Papua. This area has around 1500 islands and its unique biodiversity and underwater life is among the richest in the world.
How do you get there?
This is the most fun part of the trip because Raja Ampat is really far away. It can take up to 40 hours to get there from the Czech Republic, and count on two or three flights depending on how your airfare works out. You will then need a taxi, ferry and boat/boat to your accommodation.
The first flight is to Jakarta (or from Bali – Denpasar), so if you want to split the trip into more parts and rest a bit between flights, I recommend staying in Singapore/Bali for a few days as we did. From Singapore we continued on to Jakarta, Indonesia and then on to Sorong, West Papua.
Upon arrival in Sorong, you need to get to the port. The port is about 15 minutes by car, ideally you should take a taxi which will set you back about 100,000 rupiah. It’s not very expensive, it’s about 6,56 USD. You can also call a local taxi (Grab), but you will have to leave the airport as they are not very welcoming at the airport.
If you arrive in the evening, you’ll have to stay overnight in Sorong as the ferries only run twice a day at 9am and 2pm in both directions. Ferry tickets are bought on the spot, but it’s not exactly easy – first you stand in one queue to pay for your tickets, then you’re sent to a second window to pay the port tax. You can’t pay by card, so it’s good to have cash.
The ferry has two classes – economy and VIP. Honestly, both classes aren’t great, but the VIP is better because it offers a little “better service” and more comfortable seating. The price is 250,000 IDR (16 USD). By better service, I mean that there are less local animals 🙂 .
The ferry ride leads to the town of Waisai on Waigeo, which is the largest island of Raja Ampat. Upon arrival in Waisai you will be directed to pay tourist tax , which works by paying the Raja Ampat Visitor Entry Ticket 300,000 IDR (19 USD) at one window and at the other you will be given an annual entry card and pay additional fees – Raja Ampat Marine Park Entry Permit 700,000 IDR (44 USD).
The prices of tourist fees are stable and do not change, but I recommend you check the official Raja Ampat website for up to date information.
If you have arranged a boat ride with your accommodation, they will pick you up. If not, you’ll need to arrange transportation locally. The price of boat transfer to accommodation is around 1 million rupiah, so about 66 USD. If you get someone to come with you, the price is split. There are groups on Facebook where travel arrangements are made together, so I recommend taking advantage of that if you’re going to be crossing more often, it’s definitely worth it.
Accommodation in Raja Ampat called Homestay
Book your accommodation in advance, as the better and nicer accommodations are booked months in advance. The best accommodations tend to be booked even for two years. When we wanted to book one of the most popular accommodations, they told us that the next available date was in 2027. Well, we can’t plan ahead like that, so tough luck.
Accommodation is mostly modest, don’t expect luxury resorts. It tends to be simple accommodation over the water, often chimneys of wood and palm trees. There are also a few “resorts” where there are concrete walls :). Sometimes you pay extra for a western style toilet! The electricity works mostly from sunset to breakfast, but there are places where it works more often because they have solar panels. Internet is pretty limited, but you can catch a signal. I tested Revolut APP and Airalo on e-sim and both worked. You have to remember that you are on islands, far from civilization, so don’t expect miracles. If you sign up through these links, you and I both get a bonus:) The accommodation is mostly over water, so if you ignore the simplicity of the accommodation, it feels like the Maldives 😀 Just jump in the water.
What to expect?
- No air conditioning, fans are only somewhere.
- Simple food – breakfast tends to be tapioca pudding or cake, rice with fish or chicken for lunch and dinner. A lot depends on who runs the accommodation (homestay). If it’s locals, it’s more modest. If the owner is a foreigner, he can usually arrange better service. Better internet (usually Starlink), electricity all day, better food and more variety.
- There are “no shops” here, if you want to bring something you have to do it in advance. The few small shops that are in the villages contain max biscuits, chips, drinks 🙂 Perfect place to lose weight.
Where did we stay?
– Raja Ampat Blue Sea – local owner, English so so, harder to arrange on trips/pickups, ideally push him and write it on the board
– Amoryg Resort and Dive Raja Ampat – Bungalows, place has potential but there are 100 and one thing that could be improved – starlink outage (poorly done eletric), one of the few places where there is a “beach” and you can walk. A bit lacking in price / performance ratio
– Nyande Raja Ampat – the owner is a foreigner, so the place is great. It just has a small quibble and that is that the toilets (private shower and toilet) are not part of the accommodation but you have to go on “land” which is a bit of a pain, even though it’s 20 metres away. Probably the best service, food.
Diving and snorkelling
Raja Ampat is an absolute paradise for divers and snorkelers. As soon as you jump into the water, you are immediately surrounded by huge coral reefs. We’ve never seen anything like it anywhere else. We kept wondering which was better, the diving or the snorkeling. Next time we’ll put Liveaboard on the plan with diving. Just a few days on the boat to get to the more remote places, because being on a motorboat for x hours is not much:)
I chose Mantastic Scuba – https://mantasticscuba.com/ to dive with and was with them for 4 days. Funny experience is that after New Year’s Eve they lost their captain and his keys (he got drunk on another island somewhere), so we had to “skip” one day. It doesn’t seem like it, but being in the water all the time takes a lot of energy.
Best dive sites
– Melissa’s Garden – beautiful coral gardens, perfect with a view of the Piaynemo!
– Cape Kri – the site with the most fish species per dive.
– Arborek – great for snorkelling.
– Manta Ridge/Manta Sandy – just waiting for manta rays 🙂
– Sawandarek etc. etc. etc.
Strong currents are common in December/January, so if you are planning on diving, it is recommended to have drift diving experience. It’s really a ride as the current takes you 🙂
One interesting thing that not everyone will appreciate is a cove full of jellyfish. They’re non-volatile and Raja Ampat is one of the few places in the world where this species is found. When we went in the water, we all remembered the movie Sphere 🙂.
What to see in Raja Ampat
Fish, lots of fish. We met Manta rays, big manta rays, turtles, sharks (locals say they are vegetarians:)), wogebong shark (endemic species in Raja Ampat), perutins, cuttlefish, underwater snakes (the most venomous in the world, but if you don’t squeeze them they are like pets), jellyfish, moray eels…just everything. If you’re lucky you’ll meet dolphins and especially Dugong!
Other activities in Raja Ampat
Besides diving, there are several other experiences:
- Piaynemo Lookout – an iconic view of the turquoise lagoon.
- Wajag Island – unfortunately we didn’t get to go there, it was quite far, but next time…
- Birdwatching, such as birds of paradise.
- Kayaking among the mangroves.
- Visiting local villages where you can see traditional life.
- Kalibiru (Blue River) – Raja Ampat
Practical information
– Payments – most places do not accept cards, but some accommodations and dive schools allow payment via Revolut and have a terminal
– Plenty of cash – trips cost between 250,000 and 400,000 per person depending on the availability of the boat, so I personally recommend about 500,000 per day/person. Don’t worry, you can exchange the excess money with someone:)
– E-sim – Revolut APP and Airalo both work or you can buy a sim at the airport but must have coverage in Papua.
– Book accommodation well in advance
– Prepare for less comfort but maximum experience.
– Check out the website: https://www.stayrajaampat.com/, but I would do accommodation through booking/agoda.
Is Raja Ampat worth it?
Definitely yes! Although the journey is not easy, the reward is untouched paradise, an amazing underwater world and unforgettable experiences. I can maintain that despite all the situations that happened to us 🙂 I drowned a drone. Lost the signal and just sent it plummeting into the ocean. I’m a bit sorry he didn’t get it on film, you can see the moment of the crash but not the impact into the water. So I pulled the drone out and gave it as a toy to the local kids. After the last dive, I downloaded the photos from the GoPro, and that’s when it decided the main display was going to go. I was a bit surprised by GoPro customer support, because I wrote them what happened (I had it for 2.5 years) and they sent me a new one! Yes, I pay for their subscription, but still! Cool.