The Raja Ampat archipelago is located off the coast of West Papua. When arranging a trip to this amazing region, make sure you leave enough time to travel between islands and see all of the most beautiful sights. Whether you’re a diver or not, you won’t want to cut your trip short because Raja Ampat has so many great places to explore. Sorong is the main area your Raja Ampat trip. At first appearance, a trip to Raja Ampat appears to be rather expensive. Exploring Raja Ampat, even on a shoestring budget, is possible with a few pointers.
Raja Ampat Trip Budget
Raja Ampat liveaboard budget is an important point that you have to prepare. To take a travel package to Raja Ampat at least you have to spend a budget of around $2000. To save the budget, you can do a backpacker with friends or look for an open trip. If Jakarta is your starting city, flights to Sorong range from $118 – $200. A round trip means you need $400 for a plane ticket.
For lodging, the price offered varies depending on the facilities. For cheap accommodation, you can take a homestay with a budget of $21. Meanwhile, resort-class accommodations reach $210.
For backpackers, choosing an island to stay on based on proximity to the chosen activity is important to save time and money. The island, located in the Dampier Strait, is easily accessible from Waisai and provides excellent diving and snorkeling options.
Arborek has a small village in Papua which is close to a dive spot where you can meet manta rays. Kri Island offers pristine white sand beaches and is the best diving spot off the coast. Waigeo and Gam islands are perfect for trekking and wildlife viewing lovers.
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Many homestays will offer the opportunity to see stunning underwater views. Just a tip, make sure the guide is properly certified and the equipment is well maintained. With shallow coral reefs visible at all depths, snorkeling is an alternative for those of you who don’t want to dive.
You can take advantage of the trekking offer during your Raja Ampat trip. Seeing wildlife should be guided by a local guide who you can rent through the homestay.
While in Raja Ampat, don’t try to jam everything in. You might want to take a few moments to wander about and just take in the sights and sounds. Raja Ampat is unlike anywhere else on the planet.
If you’re diving, give your body some time to recover. While you may not feel it while diving, diving is similar to resistance training, and you may experience soreness, especially if you dive numerous times each day. Relaxing and recovering from diving can be as simple as going to the spa, sunning, and eating a wonderful dinner.
What to prepare
You also need to prepare various equipment needed while in Raja Ampat.
- Sunblock
- The weather in this area is also quite hot. Therefore, there is nothing wrong if you prepare sunblock first.
- Hat & sunglasses
- A hat is useful to prevent you from feeling too hot when doing island hopping or trekking to certain tourist destinations
- Waterproof camera
- make sure to prepare a waterproof camera before going to Raja Ampat. As an alternative, you can also bring a smartphone with a high-end camera that is waterproof
- outdoor shoes or sandals
- There are several tourist attractions, such as Pianemo or Wayag, which require you to do trekking with quite challenging terrain. With such conditions, like it or not, you have to wear appropriate footwear, either in the form of shoes or outdoor sandals.
- cash (ATM available in Waisai)
- You don’t just have to pay for boat rental, lodging and food. You have to pay a fee to pay the Environmental Maintenance Service Tariff (TLPL), which is IDR 500 thousand for local tourists and IDR 1 million for foreign tourists.
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