Raja Ampat, Heaven Hidden in the Land of Papua

Raja Ampat, Heaven Hidden in the Land of Papua

Raja Ampat is a district with an area of ​​more than 4.5 million hectares, and is located west of the bird's head of West Papua. 85% of the regency is ocean, the rest are more than 600 islands. Of the 600 islands, there are 4 large islands, namely Misool Island, Waigeo Island, Batanta Island, and Salawati Island. Besides these 4 islands, only 35 islands in the Raja Ampat Islands are inhabited, the rest not inhabited by humans. Only around 400 islands in the Raja Ampat Islands have been explored, the rest are still untouched by humans.

Raja Ampat Islands residents mostly work as fishermen. They live in a small village that is separated from other villages because of different islands. These island communities are friendly and kind people. They want to receive guests from outside with a happy heart. The inhabitants of the Raja Ampat Islands partly embraced Christianity, and partly converted to Islam, but they remained harmonious despite different beliefs. My advice, bring sweets and areca nut to give to them because they think the item is a sign of peace.

The name Raja Ampat comes from the story of the local community. According to the story, there was a woman who found 7 eggs. The eggs then hatch, 4 of which hatched to become princes, while 3 other eggs hatched into a woman, a stone, and a ghost. 4 The prince later became the king in each of their islands, namely Misool Island, Waigeo Island, Batanta Island, and Salawati Island so that they were eventually referred to as Raja Ampat.

Raja Ampat Islands have extraordinary natural tourism potential. This tourist spot in West Papua is very famous for its underwater tourism which is one of the best dive sites in the world because of the completeness and diversity of its underwater flora and fauna. Based on research results, Raja Ampat Islands has 75% of all coral species in the world. No other place in the world has that many coral species in one relatively small location. With so many coral species in the Raja Ampat Islands, automatically there are also many species of reef fish. In addition you can also meet with manta rays, mermaids, sea horses, barkuda, coral sharks, turtles, tuna, and others. You can also find remnants of the second world war in the waters of the Raja Ampat Islands, for example the wreckage of a warplane near Wai Island.

Generally, tourists who come to visit the Raja Ampat Islands are divers who mostly come from outside Indonesia. In addition to diving tourism, those who cannot dive can also enjoy beautiful beaches, cultural tourism, see prehistoric relics in the form of handprints, see maritime festivals (usually in August), enjoy the natural panorama, enjoy the rural atmosphere, culinary tours, see birds of paradise , climbing coral hills, and others.

You will be faced with 2 choices when you want to enjoy the natural attractions of the Raja Ampat Islands. That choice is the choice to stay in a resort, or stay in a modified pinisi boat. As for my suggestion, it's better to choose to use a pinisi boat, because it is very common to stay at a resort, while staying for a few days on a typical Indonesian boat will be a unique experience. To be able to enjoy Raja Ampat tours for 1 week by using a pinisi boat, you have to pay more than 100 million Rupiah, and the ship can accommodate up to 14 people.

If you want to travel to the Raja Ampat Islands, it is not enough just to be desperate, as backpackers often do. Traveling to tourist attractions dubbed underwater paradise requires a strong desire, adventurous spirit, a passion for diving, and a fairly large capital. If you expect the price of a tour to the Raja Ampat Islands will fall in the near future, you should throw away your expectations because there are regulations that limit the number of resorts and ships. It aims to maintain the natural conditions of the Raja Ampat Islands that are second to none in the world. The high price also serves to filter visitors, so that only qualified and educated visitors come, so they will realize how important this location is as one of the most comprehensive centers of flora and fauna in the world.

How to Reach the Raja Ampat Islands

Raja Ampat Papua

Actually to reach the Raja Ampat Islands right now is not difficult, but it will take quite a long time and quite a big cost. If you are in Jakarta, then you must buy a plane ticket from Jakarta to Sorong. The flight will take more than 6 hours and will usually transit first in Makassar or Manado. After arriving in Sorong, you have to use a boat to reach the Raja Ampat Islands, it will take around 3 hours.

The cost of boat rental for transportation in the Raja Ampat Islands is quite expensive, I suggest to go in groups, ideally 1 group containing 8 people, according to the capacity of ships commonly used in the Raja Ampat Islands. That way, you can share the cost of boat rental with your group and make savings.

If you want to save more, you can choose to use a boat from Jakarta to Sorong with a ticket price of only around 400,000 Rupiah. Although cheap, this method will take a very long time, because you will stop in several big cities. Travel time by boat from Jakarta to Sorong is around 1 week.