The Complete Travel Guide to Raja Ampat, The Heavenly Beautiful Archipelago!
August 14, 2014After a long hiatus due to high load in my (boring) office, I decided to
write a post in my blog. Well, this post is NOT primarily about the usual
post—food—instead, I will share to you guys about my trip to Raja Ampat. Raja
Ampat is an archipelago located on West Papua Province, Indonesia. Well-known
for the coral reefs and numerous underwater creatures, its scenery is
undeniably a jaw-dropper. Well, I guess everyone already knew about this
beautiful Raja Ampat, the coral triangle, Diver’s Paradise and whatsoever, but
the frequently asked question: How to go there?
Worry no more, cause I will guide
you through this post.
First, you need to go to Sorong,
West Papua Province. This district is a gate to go to Raja Ampat. You could
reach Sorong by plane from several places. But I do realize most of the people
would go to Sorong from Jakarta, Denpasar, or Makassar. Here are the (several)
available flight to Sorong:
Jakarta – Sorong: Rate about USD
200++ one way
Jakarta – Sorong: Rate about USD
300++ one way
Denpasar – Sorong: Rate about USD
200++ one way
Makassar – Sorong: Rate about USD
180++ one way
And hey, you could book the
flight easily using the service from traveloka.com or tiket.com! I recommend to
take a flight with arrival time in Sorong on 06:30 AM, or at least before 02.00
PM, because you need to take a ferry from Sorong to Waisai, Raja Ampat. And the
ferry is only once a day, departs on 02:00 PM every day. There’s another option
to travel by a private boat, though, but it costs you much more than the ferry.
Ferry would cost you about USD 20 one way, while a private boat costs you about
USD 1000-2000 (capacity: up to 15 People). But using a private boat could give
you much more benefits. Other than it could carry up to 15 people, you could
explore Raja Ampat freely. Because, There are several places in Raja Ampat
isn’t accessible using public transportation. Besides, the ferry only brought
you to Waisai (biggest town in Raja Ampat), so if you want to explore another
part of Raja Ampat, you have to rent a boat from there or you could join the
fisherman’s boat or public boat (and don’t expect it would be on schedule).
Scenery From Friwen, Raja Ampat |
Jaw-dropping Surface |
When I went to Raja Ampat, I
stayed in Dive Lodge Resort. It’s a nice resort located on Mansuar Island. Room
Rates is about USD 250++/pax, (for min 10 people included Breakfast, Lunch, and
Dinner). If you’re a diver, you have to spend more pennies for rental equipments,
diving fee (USD 66++/pax for min 2 people), and Conservation Fee (USD 40++/pax).
To dive here, you need to fill the forms from Raja Ampat Dive Lodge, Diver
Certification, and min 50 log dives. These requirements are absolute, though,
so to any divers who want to witness the jaw-dropping underwater creature, you
better prepare yourself to be a qualified one!
Dinner, Snorkeling, and Breakfast in Dive Lodge, Raja Ampat |
These are the popular spot in
Raja Ampat, and I already step my feet on several destinations as listed below:
1. Friwen
2. Sawingrai
3. Arborek
4. Manta
Point
5. Wayag
6. Yepen
7. Pef
8. Hidden
Bay
9. Kabui
10. Saleo
11. Waiwo
12. Kurfarak
13. Mansuar
14. Manta
Sandy
15. Swanderek
16. Pasir
Timbul
17. Pyanemo
My recommendation, you have to go
to either wayag or pyanemo to be able to pose like this:
Taken from the top of Pyanemo Island - Go to Wayag if you want a harder track |
Another recommended place for me
are the rest of it, cause most of the places I listed are so beautiful, got a
white sand beach, and good for snorkeling and diving.
Ooh don’t forget to stop by at
pasir timbul. This is the place where the sand appeared when the water level
was low. And no doubt, it’s beautiful here!
Pasir Timbul, Raja Ampat |
If you’re interested and have a
plan to go to Raja Ampat, just contact me via email twitter or instagram @iaszZ
, I could help you J
For further information regarding Raja Ampat, you could refer to Indonesian Tourism Official Website here: http://indonesia.travel/en/destination/248/raja-ampat
For further information regarding Raja Ampat, you could refer to Indonesian Tourism Official Website here: http://indonesia.travel/en/destination/248/raja-ampat
Local Kid Climb a Coconut Tree and He Gave One of It for Me! Yummy :) |
1 komentar
Nice review and pictures. Makes me want to go there someday even more. Thanks.
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