A week diving at South Raja Ampat’s Misool Eco-resort

Nature
The wow factor for nature - does it show nature at its best? Doesn't need to be the wildebeest migration or diving with hundreds of hammerheads. Rather make you pause as you realise just how awesome the natural world can be
10
Culture
How much does this experience showcase some of the better and finer things that us humans can offer? Sure, it can be ancient ruins and renaissance churches, but it can also be festivals or soaking up some of the great modern cities of the world
3
Fun factor/activity
Very simple - was it fun? This is usually linked in with doing some kind of activity - i mean, walking along some cliffs is nice, but paragliding from them, now that is fun. Its a vastly underrated factor in a truly great experience
10
Avoid the crowds
Big tour groups and being surrounded by loud fellow tourists can sap the life out of even the greatest of travel experiences. This score is to reflect just how much you can avoid this. But. . . The score also takes into account if the crowds actually add to the experience, such as with a party town or a bustling local market
10
World famous
How world famous is the experience?
2
unique
How hard is it to have a similar experience in other places round the world?
9
Overall TE Score
The overall travel experiences score:  fun factor + avoid the crowds + (best of nature or culture) + (best of world famous or unique). Then convert into a score out of 100
97 *What the scores mean and where do they come from
RANKING
How this travel experience ranks compared to all the other experiences on this site, based on the travel experience (te) score
2nd/454
Top 1%
continent
Asia
country
Indonesia
Length of time
Around a week
Typical daily price
This gives you a rough idea of the daily price based on 2 people travelling where they can split costs like accommodation. It excludes travel there and back, and factors in inflation the numbers in brackets show the price range for the full time of the experience (so not necessarily daily). It is a range to reflect different budget vs higher end
$1030 ($5,000-$6,000 in 2023 prices)
Time of year visited
May
Primary Tags
Click on any of the tags to see all travel experiences with the same tag
Fabulous hotel Islands Scuba diving
All Tags
Beaches Boat trip Isolation Jungle Wildlife - Dolphins Wildlife - Manta Rays Wildlife - Sea Turtles Wildlife - Sharks
Wow Factor
The wow factor reflects just how much you’re likely to say “wow”. As there’s a lot of experiences in the world, and a lot of wows, i’ve gone with a simple ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ to ⭐️ score, and a separate category for the truly "gash"
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Summary

Raja Ampat is, in my opinion, the best scuba diving in the world (very closely followed by the Galápagos). But even if you removed the diving entirely, this part of Indonesia would still be a “wow” destination – a spectacular tropical paradise of limestone islands, turquoise lagoons and empty white-sand beaches.  It’s also hard to get to — and that effort is exactly why it remains so unspoilt, with far fewer tourists than places of comparable beauty.

There are three main ways to experience Raja Ampat (see below for details on all 3), but the most unique is the eco-resort of Misool in South Raja Ampat. Misool combines extraordinary diving with conservation, and the deepest sense of remoteness.  It’s the option that best captures what makes Raja Ampat special: pristine nature, near-total isolation, and the feeling that you’re somewhere the rest of the world hasn’t quite found yet.  An incredible story, and an incredible travel experience.  Maximum Wow-factor score.

 

Diving in Raja Ampat at the Misool Eco Resort

 

Table of Contents

Highlights of Raja Ampat’s Misool

Raja Ampat diving at Misool Eco Resort - #1 The beautiful setting of the resort itself - idyllic

#1 The beautiful setting of the resort itself - idyllic

Raja Ampat diving at Misool Eco Resort - #2 The insanely crystal clear water. A dream to dive in

#2 The insanely crystal clear water. A dream to dive in

Raja Ampat diving at Misool Eco Resort - #3 Seeing many many sharks. A testament to the wonderful conservation work Misool have done as, before the Eco-Resort, sharks had seen a dramatic fall in numbers

#3 Seeing many many sharks. A testament to the wonderful conservation work Misool have done as, before the Eco-Resort, sharks had seen a dramatic fall in numbers

Raja Ampat diving at Misool Eco Resort - #4 Regularly seeing dolphins on your boats to and from the resort, and catching glimpses / hearing them when on a dive, here at Magic Mountain

#4 Regularly seeing dolphins on your boats to and from the resort, and catching glimpses / hearing them when on a dive, here at Magic Mountain

Raja Ampat diving at Misool Eco Resort - #5 Seeing some of the large Oceanic Manta Rays coming through the cleaning stations right by Misool Resort

#5 Seeing some of the large Oceanic Manta Rays coming through the cleaning stations right by Misool Resort

Raja Ampat diving at Misool Eco Resort - #6 The giant schools of fish that are just about everywhere. In this case, Boo West

#6 The giant schools of fish that are just about everywhere. In this case, Boo West

Raja Ampat diving at Misool Eco Resort - #7 Your unrestricted, disgusting ocean view from your very own beach cottage

#7 Your unrestricted, disgusting ocean view from your very own beach cottage

Raja Ampat diving at Misool Eco Resort - #8 The food - they really do look after you here

#8 The food - they really do look after you here

Raja Ampat diving at Misool Eco Resort - #9 Taking one of the speed boats . . . any day . . . to one of the nearby remote islands for . . . another . . . taste of paradise from . . . another paradise island

#9 Taking one of the speed boats . . . any day . . . to one of the nearby remote islands for . . . another . . . taste of paradise from . . . another paradise island

Raja Ampat diving at Misool Eco Resort - #10 Watching conservation at work - in this case the enclosure they have made is for a leopard shark they brought in from Las Vegas Aquarium to try to help with the re-introduction of the species to the Misool Waters

#10 Watching conservation at work - in this case the enclosure they have made is for a leopard shark they brought in from Las Vegas Aquarium to try to help with the re-introduction of the species to the Misool Waters

Raja Ampat diving at Misool Eco Resort - #11 Getting bored of sea turtles

#11 Getting bored of sea turtles

Raja Ampat diving at Misool Eco Resort - #12 Jumping on a sea scooter and zipping round the island. Seriously fun compared to the slow pace of normal scuba diving

#12 Jumping on a sea scooter and zipping round the island. Seriously fun compared to the slow pace of normal scuba diving

How to Experience Raja Ampat

 

The 3 Options

 

I’ve experienced Raja Ampat in 3 different ways:

 

  1. Staying in very basic local homestays that are dotted around the Central Raja Ampat islands and represent the cheaper option (US$900 for a week including all diving costs) – see Diving and staying in guest houses in Central Raja Ampat for the review.  Wow ⭐️
  2. On a live-aboard yacht, again in the Central area but with the luxury and flexibility for traveling to more remote spots (US$4,500) – see the entry Live-aboard diving trip through Raja Ampat for more details.3. Wow Wow Wow ⭐️⭐️⭐️
  3. Staying at the famous Misool Eco-resort based in South Raja Ampat (US$5,500) that is within its own protected marine reserve, is one of the most highly regarded eco-resorts in the world, appeared on Planet Earth 3 as a blueprint for how to protect a tropical marine ecosystem, and the focus for this review.  Wow Wow Wow ⭐️⭐️⭐️

 

Raja Ampat Misool Eco Resort - crystal clear water and tropical reef

 

Which is the best?

 

Firstly, Central and South Raja Ampat are both sensational – you won’t go wrong with either.  In addition, each of the 3 ways of experiencing Raja Ampat are wonderful – the homestay is CRAZY good for the budget and those who don’t mind basic; and the liveaboard represents what is almost always the premier way to see a place like Raja Ampat . . . but Misool just shades both an overall experience for 3 reasons:

 

  1. Its unique story – right from getting off the boat you feel part of it as they explain the resort’s purpose for the local community and marine life.  You learn how the founder brought in a German guild carpenter to use nothing but driftwood to build the resort, how the profits go into the protection of the no fishing-zone, and how the locals are employed, cared for and proud to work there.
  2. The diving is just that shade better – granted, you’re differentiating between a 9.9 and a 10.0, but Misool seemed to have just that slightly clearer water, just a few more wow dive sites and, because it controls who enters its protected zone, the dive sites are never busy with other divers.
  3. The way the resort is run – accommodation, food, dive organisation, staff, activities are all 10/10.

 

Diving in Raja Ampat at the Misool Eco Resort. North Lagoon Villa Tabisasu

 

If an adventurous diver, Raja Ampat, however you do it, is a must.

Travel Tips

 

Key Tip

 

  • Key tip – Raja Ampat really is remote.  Don’t expect roads, shops, cell reception.  Do expect jungle islands, beaches, shacks and world class diving.

 

The Resort itself

 

  • Hard to go too overboard as the place really is like a little piece of paradise.  Misool has plenty of chill out areas (both inside and outside), and is all connected via a wooden board walk that follows the outline of the shore all around.  We stayed North Lagoon Villa Tabisasu which was heaven, but I don’t think it particularly matters which villa you take.

 

  • Trips to do – definitely take the day trip for Stand-up Paddle Boarding around the mangroves and for having lunch on one of the nearby tropical paradise islands.  Also, the sea scooters are seriously fun.

 

Raja Ampat Misool Eco Resort - day trip to nearby tropical islands

 

The Dives

 

Just about every dive in Raja Ampat is a 8+ / 10.   We dived in the following dive sites: Magic Mountain, Boo West, South West Babbitim, Tank Rock, plus many of the reefs immediately off the shore of Misool Resort:

 

Magic Mountain and South West Babbitim are some of the best diving I’ve done.  Magic Mountain is the famous one – a mountain sat just below the sea surface and what feels like the middle of nowhere, but huge amounts of fish and the spot we saw multiple dolphins and manta rays. South West Babbitim was less about the big stuff and more feeling like you’re on the set of the Little Mermaid.

 

General

 

  • Book very early, but keep an eye out as well for openings.  It seems to be booked up for 2 years or so, but we were lucky and got an opening around 6 months out as we were flexible.  Have a look on the site for availability – Misool Info.

 

  • The journey there – the private ferry that departs from Sorong is luxurious, rapid and takes 4 hours through some beautiful scenery.  Don’t bother with Sarong.  You’re there for the resort and surrounding area, Sorong is just the airport.

 

Experiences Nearby

The below map shows experiences nearby with a colour that reflect the Overall Score of those experiences

Other World-Class Scuba Diving Trips

Island hopping through the main Galapagos Islands
⭐⭐⭐

Tubbataha Reef liveaboard
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Diving and staying in guest houses in Central Raja Ampat
⭐⭐⭐

Diving with bull and tiger sharks by Beqa Island
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Scuba diving the Cenotes of Tulum
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Diving the Blue Hole
⭐⭐⭐

Diving with Thresher Sharks at Malapascua Island
⭐⭐⭐

A week in Cape Town
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Wreck diving in Coron
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Score Detail

The scores above are the real point of this site.

Over 20+ years and 100+ countries, I’ve tried to rank the world’s best travel experiences — from genuinely mind-blowing ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ to the properly gash.

Every one of the 500+ places on this site has both a Wow Factor rating and a more analytical Travel Experience (TE) score based on the things that actually make travel memorable.

If you're curious about the thinking behind it, head to the About page.

Otherwise, explore the map above or on the Home page and see which places truly deliver maximum wow.

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