Where to Stay in Raja Ampat?

Who doesn’t know Raja Ampat? The island is one of favorite tourist destinations in Papua (Indonesia) for those who love marine adventures. The beauty of marine parks is one of the most complete spots in the world. The enchantment of Raja Ampat seems not enough to be enjoyed for two days. Commonly, foreign tourists stay for many days to explore more islands. Unfortunately, to reach Raja Ampat needs around 2 hours from Usaha Mina Sorong Port by speedboat. Here are some resorts you can choose when you visit Raja Ampat.

Pictures Rajaampatislands.com

·        Waiwo Dive Resort

Waiwo Dive Resort lies at the capital of Raja Ampat, Waigeo Island. The concept of resort is ‘closer to nature’ and it has 12 cottages with ethnic nuance. Each cottage consists of 2 – 3 beds and a bathroom. The wall and the floor are made from wood to create peaceful and tranquility moment. The problem is that the cottages are not equipped by AC. It is one of goal of the owner because the concept of Waiwo is from jungle get down to the ocean. Waiwo Dive Resort combines beach atmosphere with harmony of jungle. You will see the cottage built under the tree but close to the coastline.

If you stay overnight there, you will be spoiled by voice of birds, insects and wave of water. Apart from that, the resort has restaurant and bar but it is separated from cottage. To stay in Waiwo Dive Resort, there is difference rate between local and foreign tourists. For foreign tourists, they have to pay US$55, besides local tourists, they have to pay US$45 per person per night. For children, they have to pay half. The rate including milk and snacks three times. Besides cottages, Waiwo Dive Resort provides you snorkeling and diving facilities, plus feeding fishes in the Waiwo Pier. There are two package of diving and the rate is around US$45 – US$55 per diving with guide and equipment.  If you like to snorkel, you only need to pay US$5 per snorkeling.

·        Raja Ampat Dive Lodge (RADL)

Raja Ampat Dive Lodge or RADL lies at Mansuar Island. It is well-known lodge in Raja Ampat because it provides you the nuance of Balinese ethnic in the middle of tropical forest and white sand of beach in Raja Ampat. To enter RADL, you will have to cross small port that connects wooden bridge toward the lodges. From the port, you can enjoy the scenery of island which is covered by green tropical forest combines with clear water. Along the path from port to RADL, you will be spoiled by underwater life. Colorful reefs and fishes can be seen from the surface. 

The guests in the lodge are dominated by American. It has 27 rooms, including 20 bungalows and 7 standard rooms. For bungalow, the rate is divided into three types, i.e. single US$165 per night, double US$230 per night, and triple US$315 per night. For standard rooms, you will have to pay US$190 per night with double beds. For single bed, you will have to pay US$125 per night. Children from 9 – 12 years will get 40% free, 5 – 9 years will get 50% free, and free charge for baby. Each room in Raja Ampat Dive Lodge is completed by AC or fan, queen bed or twin bed, mosquito net, bathroom, hot water, hair drier, and bathroom’s equipment.

Just like other hotels, each room in RADL is also equipped by closet and storage box to keep your stuffs. The other peculiar facility in this lodge is that each room is separated by trail so that it will avoid you from sand. However, if you don’t want to stay overnight, you still can taste delicious dishes in RADL. There are two packages of dishes, i.e. lunch package which is charged US$15 and dinner package which is charged US$20. Most of dishes in this lodge are seafood, such as lobster, shrimp, and fish.

When you stay overnight here, you also can get diving and snorkeling facilities. There are many snorkeling and diving spots around RADL. For snorkeling, you have to pay US$0 per day, besides for diving, you have to pay US$35 per day without dive computer. If you want it, you have to pay US$15 extra.  

·        Acrophora Cottage and Restaurant

Acrophora Cottage and Restaurant lies at Waigeo Island and it was built by local government. This cottage consists of many bungalows with nuance of local ethnic. The rate to stay here is variety from US$50 – US$62 per night. Each bungalow is divided into 4 rooms, i.e. two bedrooms, living room and bathroom. Each bedroom is completed by two beds and AC. The living room is consists of two chairs, water dispenser, mini bar, closet, and a television. Beside the bathroom is equipped by bathroom equipment without hot water. 

·        Homestay in the Villages

Besides hotels and cottages, some tourists love to stay in the home stay. Actually, there are many villages in Raja Ampat that provides you home stay, i.e. Arborek Village and Sawinggrai Village. Home stay in Sawinggrai Village is built near port’s village above the sea and it is supported by wooden foundation. There are two home stay and consists of some rooms, i.e. living room and bedroom.

Tourists who want to stay in Sawinggrai Village have to pay US$55 per night. This is including meal three times, bonus of recreation such as feeding fishes, snorkeling and watching traditional dancing. And when you decide to stay in Arborek Village, you will have to pay US$36 per person per night, including snorkeling, meal and exploring the village.

Waigeo Island, an Island in Raja Ampat with an Incredible Panoramic View

Waigeo Island is the largest island of the four main islands in Raja Ampat. Waigeo is also usually called Amberi or Waigiu Island. Just like the three main islands, Waigeo is also home of various species, both the surface and under water. The various species on this island allow you to explore when you visit the island. When you visit the island, you will find many wild jungles. Most of them are unexplored and inaccessible. 
Thus, the island offers a good oppurtunity to do exploration and observation about the species living in the jungle. Many wild species found in the jungle, such as frilled and giant monitor lizards, honeyeaters, plumed herons, snakes, opposumes and tortoises. 

Pictures Allindonesiatravel.com

Location

          To reach the island, you need to fly to Sorong first. Once you have arrived at Sorong, you can then go by boat to the island. It will take about 2 to 3 hours to reach Waigeo Island. You can then rent a motorbike to reach the homestay or the hotel you will spend the night. The scenery along the journey is awesome. You can enjoy the panoramic beauty of the island. Although the journey towards the island is quite long, you will not get tired. This is because of the magnificent view of the island. You can enjoy the chrystal clear of the sea water or the green mountains on the small islands stretching from Sorong to Waigeo. The journey of 2 to 3 hours will feel so fast.  

Activities

          Waigeo Island offers great adventures and exciting excursions to visitors. The island may be small, but the experience you will get when exploring the island will be unforgettable. Other than adventures or exploration to the island, you can do water activities. Most tourists choose diving as their main activity. In this island, you can find many beautiful dive spots, such as Waisai, Waiwo Beach, Saonek Island, Saonek Munde and Maylibit Bay. You can also do birdwatching and hiking when visiting the island. You can see bird of paradise or brush turkeys. They are very interesting creatures. Hiking is also a fun activity to do. As the island is a home of many species of birds, hiking will be exciting as you may see various birds on your way.  

Accommodations

          There are some resorts and homestays you can select to spend the night in Waigeo Island. Most resorts are directly faced the beach. Hence, you can imagine how beautiful the scenery must be. Among the resorts you can select include Waiwo Dive Resort, Waisai Indag, Penginapan Najwa Indah, Maras Risen Hotel and Acrophora Cottage. All these hotels offer you the best service and accommodations. You can enjoy the meal consiting of either western or local menu. When you don’t do any activities, you can simply lie on the bed and enjoy the peaceful atmosphere of the island.

          Waigeo Island is one of the most popular islands in Raja Ampat. Hence, never miss this beautiful island when you visit Raja Ampat, West Papua.

Papua Diving Resort, An Eco Resort with Panoramic View in Raja Ampat

Papua Diving Resort has been regarded as one of the best dive spots and resorts in the world. The dive spot around the resort is home of biodiversity worldwide. A scientist, Dr. G. Allen, did a research in this spot on April 2012. The result was he found about 374 different species in its underwater. 
This is what makes the dive spot around the resort gains popularity around the world. As a result, the resort is well known as well. Especially, the resort always gives the best service for the guests. The guests who want to dive will be guided by a professional guide. The guide will take the guests to the most interesting places underwater.  

Pictures Rajaampatscubadiving.com

Location

Papua Diving Resort is situated in Raja Ampat, West Papua, Indonesia. Precisely, the resort lies in Mansuar Island. To reach the resort, you should pass Sorong. Sorong is the gateway to almost all tourist destinations in West Papua. From Sorong, you can go to the resort by boat. It is better if you join a tour package to the resort. However, to safe budget, you can fly from whatever you are, such as Jakarta or Makassar to Sorong. Then, go by speed boat or a long boat to the resort. The speed boat usually can hold 10 passengers with the cost of Rp3,200,000 ($334.00) for one trip. It takes about 3 to 4 hours to reach Mansuar Island. 

Activities

          There are many activities you can do in Papua Diving Resort. As the resort is known for its biodiversity, the most popular activities you can do here is diving and snorkeling. Diving in the dive spot near the resort will give you the most challenging adventure as you can see various species of creatures. Many of the species may be new for you. Many rare species have been found in Raja Ampat, including pristine reefs of soft and hard corals. When you dive, you must always remember that the spot is designed as an eco resort. It means all the living species are protected. You must not take away any creatures from underwater, otherwise you will get trouble.   

Accommodations

Papua Diving Resort consists of two resorts, i.e. Kri Eco and Sorido Bay. Both resorts are low impact resorts, which blend in with the surrounding area. When building the resort, local materials were used. The design of the resort combines traditional and modern one. All the walls and the roofs are made of woven palm leaves. Thus, the traditional design concept offers comfort and relaxation to is guests. The rate to spend the night in the resorts is about Rp900,000 ($94.00). The resorts also provide a dive package. You need to pay for Rp360,000 ($38.00) for one dive. Almost all the staffs serving the guests are local Papuan. The resorts have given many job opportunities to local people.  

Knowing that the resort is an eco resort, you can imagine that the place has a natural beauty. No guests are allowed to bring or harm the creatures there. Hence, Papua Diving Resort has exotic and panoramic view that you may not find anywhere else.

Salawati Island, the Beautiful Remote Island in Raja Ampat

Salawati Island is one of the four main islands in Raja Ampat. The area of this island is 1623 km². The island is so beautiful. The beauty is so popular around that it attracts many tourists to visit the island. Together with the other three main islands in Raja Ampat, i.e. Misool, Batanta and Waigeo, the island has become the most attractive tourist destination in West Papua. Many developers are interested in developing the four islands. They have built many beautiful resorts along with its facilities. These resorts have made the islands attract more tourists to visit the islands.

Pictures Rajaampat-liveaboard.com

Location

          Geographically, the island is situated in Salawati District, Raja Ampat Regency, West Papua Indonesia. To reach the island, you must go by boat. You can first fly to Sorong, from either Jakarta or Makassar. Depending on where you are, you can take a flight to Sorong. Once you have arrived at Domne Eduard Osok, Sorong, you can continue your journey by taxi or rental car towards the port. The rental car costs about Rp400,000 to Rp500,000 ($42.00 to $52.00) per day depending on the type of the car. From the port, you can then go by speed boat or long boat towards Sukawati Island. It takes about two hours from the port to the island. On your way, you will see many small islands without inhabitants. The small islands are so beautiful, especially because they are virgin island needed to be developed. 

Activities

          Sukawati Island is a remote island. The island is so quiet and peace. However, a lot of tourists come and gone. Most tourists are foreigners, but some others are domestic ones. Most of them visit the island to enjoy the beauty of the island. Some others come to the island to do some researches. The island has many potentials to develop. Hence, many scientists come to the island to do a research. They mostly do observation about the species. The biodiversity of the island has interested many researchers in doing some observations. However, many tourists come to the island simply because they want to do water activities. They especially want to dive or snorkel. The scenery of the underwater life is so fantastic. There are many bunkers left from World War II sinking in the sea around the island. They become interesting spots to dive.   

Accommodations

          When you are about to visit Sukawati Island, you need to prepare everything carefully. You will not find any restaurants or resorts around the island. Hence, you need to bring enough food from Sorong. If you really need to stay overnight in this island, the only option for you is to stay at the local people’s house. However, you don’t have to worry as most people here are friendly. You can even ask them to guide you when you want to explore the island or do water activities. 

          To visit the island, you must bring enough food and equipment needed to do your activities. With careful preparation, your journey to the island will be more fun and exciting. Sukawati Island is one of the best islands you should visit when you are in Raja Ampat.