Traveling to Raja Ampat Islands

Raja Ampat is an important destination for tourists who like tropical islands. They could enjoy swimming, scuba diving, snorkeling, freediving, see beautiful seascape of karst islets like Wayag, Piaynemo, Fish Lagoon, Kofiau, and Misool. It is also a highly recommended travel destination for people who like to explore rainforest and see its wildlife. 

Kabui bay

Getting to Raja Ampat

It is easy to travel to Raja Ampat. First, you need to fly from your country to Jakarta (the capital of Indonesia). After that, you need to take a domestic flight by flying to Sorong city. Airlines such as Garuda, Sriwijaya, and Batik provide regular flights to Sorong.

Arriving at the airport, you need to go by airport taxi to Pelabuhan Rakyat (People's harbor). The cost per taxi is 100,000 rupiahs. Remember, the price is not per passenger but per taxi. You need to spend around 10,000 to 15,000 rupiahs (depending on the number of passengers in the taxi) for entrance fee to the harbor. At the passenger terminal, you could buy tickets there. The price is 100,000 per passenger for regular seat and around 210,000 rupiahs for VIP. It takes around 2 hours to reach Waisai harbor of Raja Ampat.

Accommodation

There are hotels and simple lodges in Waisai town (the capital of Raja Ampat) which you could choose to stay during your holiday in the islands. However, most tourists prefer to stay in beach resorts and homestays in southern area of Waigeo island or in other islands such as Gam, Mansuar, Kri, Arborek of the regency. One that I recommend is Raflow beach resort. It is located in southern coast of Waigeo. The beach resort has got beautiful house reef. 

Observing Marine Life

White sandy beach in Raja Ampat

You could enjoy swimming and snorkeling over the coral reef to see a lot of species of fish such as butterflyfish, damselfish, parrotfish, wrasse, moorish idol, blenny,  anemonefish, and even the unique scorpionfish, and even the tasselled wobbegong. There are also Christmas Tree Worms, Sea Stars and Burrowing Clams. Make sure you bring a good underwater camera that can take pictures of the marine life. I personally use Fujifilm XQ2  with waterproof case and Nikon AW130.

Watching Tropical Birds
If you like to watch birds, you can do it in Raflow Resort. The trees around the Raflow resort are frequently visited by Beautiful Fruit Dove, Palm Cockatoo, Sulphur-creasted Cockatoo, Eclectus Parrot, Pinon Imperial Pigeon, Claret-breasted Fruit Dove, Willie Wagtail, Red Bird of Paradise, Spangled Drongo, Beach Kingfisher, Brahminy Kite, Mimic Meliphaga, Puff-back Meliphaga, Blyth's Hornbill, Lesser-crested Tern, Sooty Tern, Eastern Reef Egret, Wimbrel. 

Red Bird of Paradise

A good pair of binoculars such as the Nikon Monarch 7 10×42, Leica Noctivid, Swarovski EL 50, can greatly enhance the birdwatching experience. I often guide tourists to watch birds in Raja Ampat. I bring my Visionking 20-60×60 spotting scope to watch birds that sit in the branches of high trees. 

Visiting karst islets in Piaynemo, Wayag, Kabui is also a nice thing to do. You could ask other guests who also stay in the Raflow resort to take the tour so that the cost can be shared.

Booking

If you are interested in traveling to Raja Ampat and want me to be your guide and arrange your tour, please, contact me (Charles Roring) by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com or by whatsapp to: +6281332245180.

Also read:

• Birding and Snorkeling in Raja Ampat
• Watching Red Bird of Paradise in Raja Ampat
• Northeast Raja Ampat Tour

Wildlife Tour in Raja Ampat

Red Bird of Paradise

The rainforest of Waigeo island is a good destination for visitors who want to see the wildlife of Raja Ampat. From previous trips that I organize for tourists, we saw a lot of beautiful birds such as Red Bird of Paradise, Wilson's Bird of Paradise, Moluccan King Parrot, Eclectus Parrot, Palm Cockatoo, Beautiful Fruit Dove, Pinon Imperial Pigeon, Pied Imperial Pigeon, Blyth's Hornbill, and Common Paradise Kingfisher and a lot more. Birds are usually active in the mornings and in the evenings. To watch them, we need to bring binoculars and if possible spotting scopes. Sometimes we go birding and wildlife watching by car to reach remote areas in eastern and southern region of Waigeo island. For visitors who want to watch White-bellied Sea Eagle, Beach Kingfisher, and Spice Imperial Pigeon, they could take a tour to Kabui bay. I organize sightseeing and birding tour by boat to the bay. 

Anemonefish in Raja Ampat

For taking pictures of wild animals in the forest, we need camera with telephoto lens. In the past, I used Nikon P500, Nikon P600, Fujifilm HS50EXR. Now I use Canon 200 D with 150-600 mm lens. Visitors who want to buy camera for taking pictures and videos of wildlife could buy such cameras as Nikon Coolpix P900, Nikon Coolpix P1000 or Canon SX70HS. Professional photographers usually bring D-SLR cameras with telephoto lens.

This birding and wildlife watching trip to Raja Ampat is combined with swimming and snorkeling activities where participants can see anemonefish, butterflyfish, parrotfish, wrasse, moorish idol, surgeonfish and a lot more.

Birds are not the only animals which we can see in the forest of Waigeo. If we are lucky, we can see ikaheka white snake which is very venomous, Idea durvillei butterfly, cuscus possum and soa-soa lizard.

Soa-soa Lizard of Waigeo island

For plants, there are a lot of flowers which we could find in the forest including Red Pitcher Plant of Kabui bay, Beach Hibiscus, and the Tiger Orchid.

Most often the rainforest wildlife watching tour that I organize is combined with snorkeling activities where tourists can swim over coral reef area to see tropical fish such as moorish idol, grouper, lionfish, butterflyfish and even the tasselled wobbegong. There are several beach areas that are suitable for snorkeling including Warduwer beach, Gam Karst, Friwen, Mioskon and Five Rocks. Bringing a waterproof camera such as Gopro, Nikon W300 will enhance the snorkeling experience. I use Fujifilm XQ2 with water housing and Nikon 130.

The duration of the wildlife tour in Raja Ampat can be as short as 3 days to as long as 2 weeks.

If you are interested in visiting Raja Ampat and want me to organize your tour, please, contact me by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com or by whatsapp to: +6281332245180.

Also read:
Snorkeling at Warduwer beach of Raja Ampat
Raja Ampat Snorkeling
Birding Walk in Waigeo island

Snorkeling Tour in Raja Ampat

Snorkeling picture from Raja Ampat

I organize snorkeling tour for visitors who want to see the colorful fish and coral reef in Raja Ampat islands. There are a lot of species of fish which tour participants can see such as the anemonefish, wrasse, surgeonfish, butterflyfish, leopard blenny, sweetlips, parrotfish, and moorish idol. Some snorkeling sites that I recommend are:

• Warduwer beach - This is a beach that is located in southern region of Waigeo island. The reef flat area of the beach is flat and suitable for entry level snorkeler to enjoy the beautiful marine life of Raja Ampat. A beach resort called Raja Ampat Flow Resort is being built. Soon, it will be ready to serve tourists who want to visit the islands and stay in the resort.
• Mioskon - This is an uninhabited island near Waigeo and Gam Island. Visitors should come in a group of at least 2 to 4 people to share the cost. 
• Friwen
• Inner Gam
• Yenbuba strait
• West Mansuar
• Five Rocks

Snorkeling Gear - To enjoy snorkeling in Raja Ampat islands, I suggest that visitors bring their own snorkeling gears such as mask, snorkel, and fins so that they will be perfectly fit on to the faces, and feet of the snorkelers.
Underwater camera - Taking pictures of fish, and other marine creatures can now be done using waterproof cameras such as Nikon W300, Nikon AW130, Fujifilm XQ2 with waterhousing, Fujifilm XP80, Olympus TG-6. Action camera such as the GoPro Hero 7, or Sony Cybershot DSC RX0 II is an ideal photographic device for snorkeling enthusiasts.
If you plan to enjoy snorkeling and want me to be your guide, please, contact me by whatsapp to: +6281332245180 or by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com

Also read:

• Birding and Snorkeling in Raja Ampat

I Scuba Dived in Mioskon of Raja Ampat this morning

I had a nice diving experience in Raja Ampat today. I saw a lot of species of reef fish in the waters of Mioskon. It was a small uninhabited islet near Gam island. I and two American tourists, Bruce and Paige Hancock are staying in Raja Ampat Dive Resort. Our main goal of visiting Waigeo was to watch tropical birds in this beautiful regency. I work as their birding guide.

Scuba Diving in Raja Ampat

The night before we did the diving excursion, we had a long conversation during dinner time. We discussed about marine life, coral reef and scuba diving. Because Bruce and Paige like scuba diving, they offered me to scuba dive with them. Well, I could not reject their offer. So, I said, "yes."
The next morning (9 July 2019), we had breakfast at 07.00. After that we made some preparations. Our dive instructor gave us a short breafing about the dive plan. At 15 minutes after eight, we left our dive resort for Mioskon islet by a small speedboat. There were three dive guides who accompanied us plus one boat driver. It took around fifteen minutes for us to reach the islet.

Marine Life in Mioskon

We started to wear fins, weights, BCDs, and then tanks. I applied some liquid soap to my mask and then rinsed it with water to clear it from dirts and salt deposits. After wearing it, I put the mouth-piece of my regulator into my mouth. When everything was ready, we jumped into the water.
The dive guides asked us to go down. I pressed the deflate button and there I decended into the reef. The sea was calm and the visibility was very good. Slowly we paddled to deeper water. I held my camera in my right hand. I turned it on and began to take pictures and videos. There were anemonefish,  sweetlips, batfish, grouper, fuselier, blenny, and a lot more. As the we went deeper, the pictures that I made became bluish and darker. However, the Nikon AW130 that I used was quite good for taking underwater pictures. I encountered schools of sweetlips several times. I saw one Panther Grouper hiding under a leaf coral. There were also other grouper in the reef. I also made some video clips which I plan to edit and upload in youtube. Overall, the dive in Mioskon was a good experience. The coral reef was rich of marine life.
After diving in Mioskon, we continued our exploration of Raja Ampat seascape to Kabui bay. Here, we enjoyed snorkeling, sightseeing and birdwatching among karst formations. Some of the birds that we saw were Spice Imperial Pigeon, Little-pied Cormmorant, Lesser-crested Tern, Sooty Tern, Lesser Frigatebird, Singing Starling, Dollarbird, Moustached Treeswift, Striated Heron, White-bellied Sea Eagle, Torresian Crow, Eastern Reef Egret, and Sulphur-crested Cockatoo.
Raja Ampat is very beautiful especially for those who like swimming, snorkeling and scuba diving. It is also a nice destination for birding visitors. So, I highly recommend it to all nature lovers who like to see this marine and rainforest environment of Indonesia.
Someone has to be healthy in order to scuba dive. Because the temperature of sea water is different from the temperature of the air, a scuba diver needs to eat some carbohydrate to keep his or her body warm. Fruits that contain multi-vitamins will improve the metabolism and physical endurance of a scuba diver. I do not consume food supplements regularly so I eat food that can improve my physical health,. To keep the muscles in good shape, regular exercise is a must. - written by Charles Roring

Snorkeling in Waigeo Island Raja Ampat Regency

Waigeo island has got a lot of good places for snorkeling . Its nearby islands are also surrounded by coral reef. Raja Ampat as a whole is a nice place for snorkeling and freediving. The shallow water has a wide flat area which is safe for children who are learning how to swim. For adults, they can choose to swim in deeper waters where coral reef teemed with a lot of species of fish and other marine creatures can be seen there such as butterflyfish, moorish idol, anemonefish, parrotfish, tasselled wobbegong, and a lot more. There are also blue, brown, and orange sea stars, Christmas Tree Worms.

Marine Life at the beach of Waigeo island of Raja Ampat

The trees at the beach is the habitat of a lot of species of birds including Beach Kingfisher, Rufous-bellied Kookaburra, Spangled Drongo, Pinon Imperial Pigeon, Pied Imperial Pigeon, Palm Cockatoo, Willie Wagtail, White-breasted Woodswallow, Yellow-faced Myna, Beautiful Fruit Dove, Claret-breasted Fruit Dove, Channel-billed Cuckoo, Pacific Swallow, Torresian Crow, and etc.

There are beach resorts and homestays along the coastal area of Waigeo, Gam, Kri, Mansuar. 

Most of them can organize sightseeing boat tours to karst islands in the nearby Kabui bay or to such places as Piaynemo and Wayag. Guests who stay in the same resort or homestay can share the cost of the boat tours.

Snorkeling photo from Waigeo island of Raja Ampat

Visitors can bring their own snorkeling equipment such as mask, snorkel and fins  or rent them from the beach resorts where they stay. However, I recommend that tourists bring their own equipment that perfectly fit on their faces and feet.
I highly recommend that visitors bring a good underwater camera to take pictures or videos of the marine life. An action camera such as GoPro or a pocket camera such as Nikon W300 and Olympus TG-5 is a good choice as a snorkeling companion.
Waigeo is also a nice place for visitors who like birdwatching. The green vegetation that grow at the surrounding neighborhood is the habitat of a lot of birds including Pinon Imperial Pigeon, Pied Imperial Pigeon, Wompoo Fruit Dove, Claret-breasted Fruit Dove, Pink-spotted Fruit Dove, Beach Kingfisher, Sacred Kingfisher, Hook-billed Kingfisher, Rufous-bellied Kookaburra, Yellow-faced Myna, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Eclectus Parrot, Palm Cockatoo, Spangled Drongo, Singing Starling, Pacific Swallow Torresian Crow, Eastern Osprey, Brahminy Kite, White-bellied Sea Eagle, Lesser-crested Tern, White-breasted Woodswallow, and a lot more.

Booking
Please, contact me by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com or by whatsapp to: +6281332245180 if you want to visit Indonesia and enjoy your snorkeling holiday in Raja Ampat.