Diving and staying in guest houses in Central Raja Ampat

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
9
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
8
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?
3
unique
How hard is it to have a similar experience in other places round the world?
6
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
82 *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
31st/457
Top 10%
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
$250 (typically $210 - $300)
Time of year visited
November
Primary Tags
Click on any of the tags to see all travel experiences with the same tag
Islands Isolation Scuba diving
All Tags
Adventure Beaches Bird spotting Cave diving Jungle Snorkeling Stargazing Sunsets Swimming Wildlife - Monkeys Wildlife - Parrots Wildlife - Sea Turtles Wildlife - Sharks
Wow Factor
Two scores: first is the wow factor which ranges from ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ to ⭐️, and a separate category for the truly "gash". The second is the more analytical travel experience score, which considers 6 varied criteria to give an overall score out of 100.
⭐⭐⭐

Summary

Raja Ampat is, in my opinion, the best scuba diving in the world (very closely followed by the Galapagos).  When combined with the stunning tropical paradise it is situated in and its remoteness leading to fewer fellow tourist numbers, it places it right near the top of any world travel experience, let alone purely for scuba diving.

 

I’ve experienced it in 3 very 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), and the focus of this review

2. On a live-aboard yacht, again in the Central area but with the luxury and flexibility for traveling to more remote spots with the yacht (US$4,500) – see the entry Live-aboard diving trip through Raja Ampat for more details

3. Staying at the famous Misool Eco-resort based in South Raja Ampat that is within its own protected marine reserve (US$5,500) – see A week diving at Raja Ampat’s Misool Eco-resort

 

The key question comes down to how much you’re prepared to spend.  If on a tighter budget, the homestays really are super cheap (USD900 including for all diving is a crazy cheap price even for SE Asia) and in a glorious setting right on the beach, but they will be some of the most basic accommodation you will have stayed in.  We went for this first time round as we were short on cash and, whilst it was at times difficult to sleep, it gave us that real Robinson Crusoe feeling in . . . well . . . paradise

 

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

Highlights

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#1 The white sand beaches . . . that you are staying literally ON for your stay in the homestay. They are very basic, but there is something amazing about waking up to this

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#2 The world class diving - often with fish so dense you can barely see through them

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#3 Seeing some of the "big stuff" - in this case a Black Tip Reef Shark and Napoleon Fish in the background

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#4 Seeing some of the "small stuff" - in this case the super rare Mandarin Fish

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#5 The glorious sunsets you can enjoy each night on the beach

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#6 Coming to the end of one of the epic drift cave dives, in this case The Passage

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#6 Chilling out by the beach in one of the shacks on stilts over the water

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#7 Taking the boat through some of the gorgeous island settings to find your perfect dive sites

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#7 Arriving to this

Travel Tips

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

Raja Ampat Homestays are super basic.  We stayed for a week at Yenkoranu Homestay on Pulau Kri, which is ideally located.  US$50 for 2 people per night for a private room and all meals.  US$35 per dive, including all equipment and the dive guide.  We had a fantastic time – the food and options for activities were great and the diving and location were simply stunning. We really did leave with some especially fond memories.  But for anyone planning on staying here, and to avoid disappointment after the considerable time and money you will have spent getting there, its worth being aware of two things:

  1. Again, it is super basic.  Not backpacker-style basic – that is typically air con, wifi, access to amenities like cold drinks, a proper building etc. Instead, the homestay is staying in a wooden / bamboo hut with no fresh water and rats on the roof at night style basic.  You’ll really only use the hut to sleep and spend the rest of the day at the beach, but do be prepared for a bit of a rough night.  That is unless you are the kind of person who enjoys camping / living like the local people of Papua or potentially one of the fortunate who genuinely don’t mind in anyway where you sleep
  2. The staff are truly shocking at confirmations of bookings!  Even if you’ve confirmed multiple times by email, phone, on their website and text, be fully prepared to arrive and it be the first they’ve heard from you.  When we arrived off the speed boat at they had no record and we were sent for the first nights to a homestay 10mins down the beach – and considering how remote the place is, it’s not like you have a choice.  We heard of multiple people having these problems, but, to be fair, we went in 2016 so may well have changed since then

If you can deal with the two above points – go for it

Getting there – you will need to fly to Sorong and then get the ferry to Waisai, which only takes 2 hours once it gets going, but give yourself plenty of time for delays leaving.  From Waisai, either have the transport arranged with your homestay or head to the Waisai Tourist Information Centre where there will most likely be a queue of other travellers looking for boats.  There they can put you on one and share the cost (around US$50) between the passengers

Diving-specific tips

Blue Magic, Sardines Reef and The Passage were world-class.  We dived in the following dive sites: Sawandarek; Cape Mansuar; The Passage; Koh Reef, Mike’s point; Yenkoranu house reef; Blue Magic; Sardines Reef; Chicken Reef.  They were all great in their own ways, but the ones that stood out for us were Blue Magic and Sardines Reef for the sheer amount of fish and big stuff; and the Passage for the fun of having to move in a drift through the caves.

Take responsibility for your own dive safety – the local dive guides have grown up diving so are super confident, including confident enough to make quick changes underwater.  Not all guests are though, so my advice is to 1. Make sure you check your dive gear thoroughly before each dive; 2. Generally be even more safety conscious that normal.  Typically on other dives, you rely to an extent on the dive guide.  In Raja Ampat, the dive guides have your best interest at heart, it’s just that they aren’t quite as obsessed with safety as other places.  Stay safe, because you’re a long way from the nearest decompression chamber.

There are actually some great spots just off the shore from the Yenkoranu Homestay.  I’d recommend a couple of days chilling by the beach and heading off with a snorkel.

Is Raja Ampat the world’s best dive location?

It’s very hard to split Raja Ampat and the Galapagos – they are both on a level of their own.  But in my opinion Raja Ampat just pips it for its sheer breadth of diving experiences to make it the world’s premier dive expertience.

 

Tier: World’s Best

RAJA AMPAT 🇮🇩 – THE COMPLETE PACKAGE
Pristine reefs, huge fish life, manta rays, sharks, world-class macro and an incredible variety of dive sites, all set among some of the most beautiful tropical islands on earth. Raja Ampat is about as close as diving gets to the complete package.

THE GALAPAGOS 🇪🇨 – BIGGEST WOW DIVING ON EARTH
So many hammerhead sharks you genuinely get bored of them, plus whale sharks, sea lions and marine iguanas, all in one of the world’s most extraordinary wildlife environments. The trip out to Wolf and Darwin makes this the single biggest wow diving experience on the planet. Scuba diving at Wolf and Darwin Islands in the Galapagos

Tier: Elite

TUBBATAHA REEF 🇵🇭 – REMOTE DIVING WILDERNESS
UNESCO-listed reef system in the middle of the Sulu Sea, only accessible by liveaboard.  Huge healthy reefs, big marine life and almost no other divers – everything feels wild, remote and untouched.  The pride of the Philippines. Tubbataha Reef liveaboard

KOMODO ISLANDS 🇮🇩 – BIG FISH & WILD DRIFT DIVING
Strong currents, huge schools of fish, manta rays, sharks and some of the most exciting drift diving in the world.  Plus the Komodo Islands themselves are one of the most beautiful locations to dive.  Not always easy diving, but when Komodo is good, it’s elite. Sailing the Komodo Islands in November

THE RED SEA 🇪🇬 – BEST EASY WORLD-CLASS DIVING
Incredible coral reefs, warm clear water, huge walls, wrecks and reliable conditions, all with relatively easy access. The Red Sea is probably the easiest place in the world to do truly world-class diving. Scuba diving in the Red Sea from Hurghada

SIPADAN 🇲🇾 – TURTLES, BARRACUDA & SHEER WALLS
A tiny island with spectacular wall diving, huge schools of barracuda, lots of turtles and very healthy reefs. Small, focused and very special — Sipadan is one of Southeast Asia’s standout dive sites.

Tier: Specialist Dives

MALAPASCUA 🇵🇭 – THRESHER SHARKS
One of the only reliable places in the world to dive with thresher sharks, seen regularly at Monad Shoal. Not a huge variety of diving, but for thresher sharks this is the place. Diving with Thresher Sharks at Malapascua Island

TULUM 🇲🇽 – CENOTES
Freshwater cave diving through crystal clear water, stalactites and beams of light – completely different from ocean diving and one of the most unique dive experiences in the world. Scuba diving the Cenotes of Tulum

BEQA ISLAND 🇫🇯 – TIGER SHARKS
The most intense shark experience in the world and one of the only places you regularly dive outside of a cage with tiger and bull sharks.  Not for the faint-hearted. Diving with bull and tiger sharks by Beqa Island

CAPE TOWN 🇿🇦 – KELP FORESTS
Cold water diving through giant underwater kelp forests with seals, dramatic light and a very different feel to tropical diving — more like an underwater jungle. Kelp diving near Cape Town

CORON 🇵🇭 – WWII WRECK DIVING
A collection of Japanese WWII wrecks sitting in clear water, making this the best wreck diving destination in the world.  Wreck diving in Coron.

Experiences nearby

Wow Factor Score Two scores: first is the wow factor which ranges from ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ to ⭐️, and a separate category for the truly "gash". The second is the more analytical travel experience score, which considers 6 varied criteria to give an overall score out of 100. LowHigh
  • Elite, unmissable
  • World-class, downsides
  • Meets the Wow Factor
  • Worth it
  • Meh
  • Gash

Other World-class Diving Experiences

Scuba diving at Wolf and Darwin Islands in the Galapagos

Diving with bull and tiger sharks by Beqa Island

Scuba diving the Cenotes of Tulum

Swimming with Humpback Whales and relaxing in paradise in Vava’u

Sailing the Komodo Islands in November

Diving the Blue Hole

Scuba diving in Cozumel

Diving with Thresher Sharks at Malapascua Island

Tubbataha Reef liveaboard

Live-aboard diving through Central Raja Ampat

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

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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