Discovering Raja Ampat: A Paradise for Divers and Nature Lovers

Nina and Tom spent 10 days in Raja Ampat during their world trip and share their experiences regarding the journey, accommodations, as well as the diving and snorkeling spots in this travel report. Raja Ampat is the perfect destination for anyone planning a trip to Indonesia and looking for a hidden gem. Dive into a fascinating underwater world and a simple island life.

Imagine waking up in the morning and hearing nothing but the sound of waves. You push aside the mosquito net, step out onto the balcony of your wooden bungalow right by the sea, and see colorful fish, a small shark, and corals in the crystal-clear water before you. That's how our days in Raja Ampat began. To experience this paradise, you don't need to book a luxury hotel in the Maldives, just study our travel report on Raja Ampat. Our tips will help you get a quick overview of what to expect in Raja Ampat and whether this paradise in Indonesia might be the right destination for you.

Geographically, Raja Ampat belongs to West New Guinea (also known as West Papua), which in turn belongs to the continent of Australia. Politically, West New Guinea is part of Indonesia, while the eastern half forms a separate state called Papua New Guinea. In total, more than 1,500 islands belong to Raja Ampat, most of which are uninhabited. The four inhabited main islands of the archipelago are Waigeo, Misool, Salawati, and Batanta. Our travel report on Raja Ampat focuses on the region near Waigeo, which is the most well-known since it has the most diving spots and accommodations.

Raja Ampat is originally - very original! On the numerous islands, there are only a few small villages, homestays, or small resorts. Usually, there are no cars, no continuous electricity supply, no mopeds, no large supermarkets or restaurants. The main mode of transportation is by boat.

When planning our trip, we spent a long time pondering the question of when the best time to visit Raja Ampat is. Is there a rainy season? Does it affect visibility while diving? When is manta season in Raja Ampat? There are several factors, so the best time to travel to Raja Ampat cannot be answered definitively. Basically, there is no strong rainy season like in other parts of Indonesia. In Raja Ampat, it is tropical warm year-round with high humidity.

The sunniest and driest weather, thus the best time to visit Raja Ampat, is from October to the end of April, with January to March being the best months. Another bonus: that's also when manta season occurs. However, visibility while diving varies during this time. Under particularly good conditions, it can reach up to 40-50 meters.

Our experiences in early April in Raja Ampat, however, were not quite as good. At best, visibility was 20-30 meters, but often only 10 meters. On 5 of our 10 days it rained (though not continuously), and at night there were sometimes storms. When diving, the rain often doesn't affect the experience, as weather conditions above water do not necessarily influence visibility underwater.

From May to September, tropical storms frequently pass over the islands, and it rains significantly more. Liveaboards also pause their dive safaris during this time. The summer is thus much quieter in Raja Ampat, but there are still tourists. However, a German diver who spends several months a year in Raja Ampat told us that visibility underwater can even be better in August. The diving conditions are therefore good year-round, but the sea is stormier in the summer.

During the day, temperatures in Raja Ampat average around 31 degrees Celsius throughout the year, which feels even warmer due to 83% humidity. Even at night, temperatures never drop below 25 degrees. The only reason for wearing long clothes is to protect against mosquitoes. With water temperatures ranging from 27 to 30 degrees, you won't get cold even during longer snorkeling or diving excursions.

The journey to Raja Ampat is unfortunately long and arduous, even if you are already in Indonesia. Those traveling from the United States to this island paradise usually fly with a layover in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, or in Singapore.

We briefly summarize our journey from Jakarta:

In addition to the Visitor Entry Ticket, you also need a Raja Ampat Marine Pass (Cost: 700.000 IDR / about 44 €, as of April 2023), which is usually organized through the accommodation or dive school and must be carried for certain dive spots.

There are also no ATMs in Raja Ampat, so it's best to withdraw enough cash at the Sorong airport to pay for accommodations and excursions, as card payments are often not possible.

What can you do in Raja Ampat? Besides diving or snorkeling, you can also visit various viewpoints. Some accommodations also rent out kayaks or SUPs, allowing you to explore the surroundings. So you see, you have to love the sea and be eager for a slower island life when visiting Raja Ampat. If it rains, the only retreat is your accommodation, where you can relax and chat with other travelers.

The main reason most people come to Raja Ampat is diving. The coral reefs around the islands are incredibly beautiful and colorful, where you can see some interesting small marine creatures (e.g., pygmy seahorses) as well as numerous schools of fish (e.g., tuna, mobula, barracuda, and reef fish). Additionally, octopuses, blacktip and whitetip sharks, turtles, and mantas (during manta season) await you underwater.

As mentioned earlier, our travel report on Raja Ampat focuses on the surroundings of Waigeo, which include Kri Island, Gam, and Fam Island. Here, we can recommend the following excursions and dive spots:

These were just our favorites. Of course, there are many other cool dive spots that you can best read about on the websites of the dive schools. On the snorkeling excursions, prices are often quoted per boat. But don't worry, you can always find someone in the accommodation during peak season who wants to share the costs for a boat.

Our tip: Book diving days with dive schools in Raja Ampat especially early during peak season. Many dive schools have limited capacity and require reservations in advance. For the second half of our stay, we reserved three diving days with Soul Divers on Kri Island and had to pay for them in advance. You can give a kind of wishlist regarding the dive spots, but these are not guaranteed.

Another way to explore Raja Ampat is via liveaboards, that is, large boats that allow you to take a sort of mini-cruise through Raja Ampat to explore the best dive spots. Such dive safaris usually include 3-4 dives per day.

In our travel report on Raja Ampat, tips for accommodations are essential. Choosing the right place to stay is indeed very important in Raja Ampat because here you not only get full board, but the accommodation will also assist you in booking day excursions or dives. Since there are usually no restaurants on the island, you'll have three meals a day. In general, you can choose between two price categories: an expensive resort or a more affordable homestay. We tested both.

This small, affordable resort is an absolute dream. There are only seven over-water bungalows with private bathrooms on the island, a small restaurant, and a dive school. We spent four nights here and were able to really unwind and enjoy ourselves. The chef here is amazing, and daily freshly prepared meals and a very tasty buffet were served. You can snorkel right in the bay at the bungalows, plan diving trips, or paddle around the island in a kayak or SUP.

For the remaining five nights, we opted for a simple homestay on Kri Island since it has the most beautiful reef for diving and snorkeling, as well as a beach and a long sandbank. The island itself is beautiful, but we had some bad luck with our homestay Yenbuba, which is located directly next to the Soul Divers dive school. Homestays are often simpler than resorts, but after talking with other guests, we realized that there are better homestays on Kri Island. Those booking a homestay should be ready to forgo luxury, often sharing bathrooms, but pay less than in resorts.

Of course, there are many more accommodations, but these places we have either visited ourselves or received recommendations from other travelers on-site.

Even though Raja Ampat is located in Indonesia and the homestays may appear quite simple, it is not a low-budget travel destination. Just the flight from Jakarta costs about 400 € per person (round trip). A resort like the Katembe Private Island Resort starts at 250 €/night for two people. A simple homestay costs between 60 - 70 €/night for two. The prices (as of April 2023) always include full board, but some expenses still arise.

A dive day (including two dives) costs an average of between 80 - 100 €, with independent dive schools usually being cheaper than those in resorts. Additionally, there are the two entry fees (Visitor Entry Ticket and Raja Ampat Marine Pass) which alone amount to nearly 90 €. Excursions and transfers tend to be expensive, as fuel needs to be purchased inconveniently in Waisai. For the 30-minute transfer from Kri Island back to Waisai, we paid 40 € (as of April 2023).

We hope our travel report has been helpful in planning your trip to Raja Ampat. Personally, we believe Raja Ampat is rightly called the 'Last Paradise'. Whether it truly is the 'last' one, we don't know for sure. We are certain there are still more undiscovered beautiful places in this world. But it is definitely paradise here. It's important to mention that it is safe to travel to Raja Ampat, as political unrest occurs in Papua on the mainland and not in Raja Ampat. In case of a medical emergency, the nearest hospital is in Waisai.

The long journey can be draining, but in our opinion, it is also good, as this is the only way this island paradise remains untouched by mass tourism. Unfortunately, there is no easy way to get to Raja Ampat. Those wishing to dive into the unique underwater world must endure some hardships and possibly forgo some luxury. But it is worth it in our view. Mobile reception in Raja Ampat is quite good thanks to Telkomsel's 4G network, but the Wi-Fi in the homestays leaves much to be desired.

During our world trip, we spent nearly two months in Indonesia and explored other islands such as Java and Lombok. More information about this can be found in our articles "Highlights in East Java" and "Lombok: Beaches and Travel Tips".