YOUR SMART TRAVEL GUIDE FOR EXPLORING RAJA AMPAT 2024 EDITION (Part 2)

YOUR SMART TRAVEL GUIDE FOR EXPLORING RAJA AMPAT 2024 EDITION (Part 2) 2024-07-19 00:30

Spectacular Aerial View from Wayag 1

Raja Ampat is becoming increasingly popular, not only among divers. However, many people still don't know how to properly plan an exploration there, which can lead to an inefficient and wasteful trip that doesn’t give you your money’s worth. People who have never been there and don’t understand the conditions often confidently buy promo plane tickets to Sorong (the gateway city to Raja Ampat) on their own, without any friends or travel companions. Only to find out that getting around Raja Ampat requires renting a speedboat, which costs millions of rupiah, with a trip to Wayag costing at least 15 million rupiah. It’s a very hefty sum to shoulder alone. Not to mention, Raja Ampat doesn’t have a daily join tour system yet. The join tours that are available only run on Saturdays or Sundays, and only if the minimum participant quota is met. And these are just day tours. Of course, you might get lucky and find another group willing to let you join and share the cost, but the chances are quite slim and not guaranteed at all. So, before you decide to head there, you might want to check this smart travel guide for exploring Raja Ampat first.

Read Part 1 here.

Wayag 2

Wayag 1

TRANSPORTATION IN SORONG

There are no taxis in Sorong city. But don't worry, as soon as you step out of the airport building, you'll find many drivers offering their services. Most of them use Avanza cars. In MyTrip's experience over the years, the fare for "airport taxis" has never increased, remaining at just 100,000 rupiah to anywhere in Sorong city, but it's a one-way trip without stops. If you need to make a stop, even for a short while and at just one place, the fare increases to 150,000 or 200,000 rupiah. Feel free to contact MyTrip's regular driver in Sorong, Rahim Ahmad, at 0821 9976 0927.

Online taxi services like Grab are available in Sorong as well, but they cannot pick up passengers at the airport; you'll need to walk to the roadside outside of the airport for that.

TRANSPORTATION IN WAISAI

Waisai, the capital of Raja Ampat, is a small town located not far from Waisai Port. Typically, guests of resorts or those who have booked tours will be picked up at Waisai Port by car or speedboat, depending on where they're staying. For Trippers arriving in Waisai and need transportation for exploring the area or finding tour options, feel free to contact Denis at 0822 3886 1582 or Opan at 0813 4457 1021. They offer Avanza and Innova Reborn cars for rent. Additionally, their services extend beyond Waisai, as you can also rent their cars for trips to Warsambin, the entry point to Kali Biru. The rental rate for an Avanza to Warsambin is 600,000 rupiah.

Welcome to Waisai

GETTING AROUND AND EXPLORING RAJA AMPAT

The only way to explore Raja Ampat is by renting a speedboat, since the exploration mainly involves visiting islands, and there are no public boats serving tourist routes. The rental prices for speedboats from Waisai for a round trip (with a capacity of 10-12 passengers and a minimum engine power of 2 X 85HP), including tourism retributions, are as follows:

- To Mansuar or Arborek: 5-6 million rupiah

- To Kabui Bay: 5-7 million rupiah

- To Piaynemo: 7-10 million rupiah

- To Wayag: 15-25 million rupiah

This is the type of speedboat available

The price range for renting a speedboat to tour around Misool is about 3.5-5 million rupiah per day.

ISLANDS/AREAS TO EXPLORE:

To MyTrip's knowledge, of the four main islands in Raja Ampat, only Salawati Island remains unexplored by tourists to date. Ironically, it is the closest island to Sorong, separated only by the Sele Strait from Papua Island.

Batanta Island boasts many pristine waterfalls, and there are also several homestays on the island. However, it has yet to gain popularity as a tourist destination.

The most explored island is undoubtedly Waigeo, the largest island in Raja Ampat. However, exploration is mainly concentrated along the southern coast and Mayalibit Bay (where Kali Biru is located), as well as the Wayag Islands, situated far to the northwest of Waigeo Island.

Wayag 1

The second most explored is Misool Island, in the southern region. However, people also mainly explore the area (small islands and waters) around the eastern and southeastern sides of Misool Island.

Love Lagoon Karawapop, one of favorite spots in Misool

ACTIVITIES TO DO:

- Diving

Highlights: wobbegong (carpet shark), walking shark, manta ray, pikachu nudibranch, giant clam, electric clam, pygmy seahorse, schooling sweetlips fish, underwater caves, swim-throughs.

Favorite dive sites: Blue Magic, The Passage, Mios Kon, Cape Kri, Chicken Reef, Mike’s Point, Melisa’s Garden, Manta Point Sandy, Shadow Reef, Boo Window, Wayilbatan, Farondi Cave, and many more.

Wobbegong (carpet shark)

- Snorkeling: at Arborek Island, Friwen Wall, Sawundarek Island, Manta Sandy, Putus Cape.

Snorkeling in Manta Sandy

- Bird watching: watching birds of paradise in Sawinggrai Village or Wakesi.

- Enjoying aerial views: at Wayag (with 2 climbable hills), Piaynemo (with at least 4 climbable hills including Star Lagoon), Kabui Bay (with Kabui Peak and Gendong Rock), Harfat Jaya Dapunlol Hill, Love Dafalen Peak, Love Karawapop Peak.

Aerial view from Piaynemo

Aerial view from Love Lagoon Dafalen

- Island hopping: Pasir Timbul, Hidden Bay, Kabui Bay, Mansuar, Rufas Island, Fam Lagoon, Yeben Island, Mios Mandun, The Passage, Soa Soa Island, Yapap, Balbulol, Namlol, Banos Island, Gamfi Beach, Magic Tunnel, Kaleg Beach.

Pasir Timbul (sand bar)

Soa Soa Island

Yapap

Balbulol

Kaleg Beach

- Playing with sharks: Shark Post Beach (Conservation International/CI Beach), Yelit Beach.

Playing with sharks at Shark Post Beach

- Swimming with harmless jellyfish: at Lenmakana and Tomolol, both in Misool.

Swimming with harmless jellyfish

- Viewing ancient rock paintings: at Serpele Village, Pef Island, Sumbayo, Sunmalelen.

Ancient rock paintings at Sumbayo, Misool

- Trekking and swimming: at Kali Biru in Mayalibit Bay.

Swimming at Kali Biru

- Exploring caves: Genes Cave, Blue Cave, Keramat (Sacred) Cave 1, Keramat Cave 2, Putri Termenung Cave, Wagmab Cave.

Keramat (Sacred) Cave 1

- Seeing unique rock formations: Pencil Rock, Face Rock and Gendong Rock in Kabui Bay, Genital Rock in Mayalibit Bay, Sail Rock, Penis/Corn Rock, Camel Rock, Turtle Rock, Heart Rock, Bride Rock, Patah Rock, and many more in Misool.

Face Rock in Kabui Bay