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Raja Ampat For Non Divers


Raja Ampat For Non Divers, Why Not ~ After days of research for our particular upcoming trip to Indonesia, I had almost given up. Raja Ampat looked as a diver’s paradise because I couldn’t see much else than pictures of colorful fishes and corals. Annually thousands of individuals from all over the planet arrived here to discover the diversity under the ocean ; what were non-divers like me, who had only snorkeled twice in much friendlier waters of Thailand before, to carry out there? It looked rather expensive too. But only one picture was sufficient to change our minds. It was eventually unlike anything we‘d seen before and wanted to witness it first-hand. Here is picture. 


Unfortunately, although we caused it to be to Raja Ampat, we missed Wayag Island due to unforeseen foggy climate in Raja Ampat. But Raja Ampat is really a place worth visiting a minimum of once inside a lifetime not for just its brilliant scenery but additionally for acquiring a taste of the civilization that’s devoid of modern-day distractions.

Where is Raja Ampat?

Upon the easternmost front of Indonesia lies the Papua region, perhaps one of the remotest locations in the planet. Raja Ampat is in West Papua and you‘ll need a permit to go into the region. Regardless of where in Indonesia you‘re flying from, you‘ll presumably result in the following stops :
Point of origin → Makassar → Sorong → Waisai → Your destination

That’s minimum 2 flights, a ferry, and also a boat ride, not counting the taxi rides in between. 

Is Raja Ampat a worthy spot to visit for non-divers? 

Absolutely. Actually, I type of regret having visited Raja Ampat so early on inside my life because It‘s spoiled me forever using its charm. I highly doubt that other island country can impress me more ; here’s why.

For the foremost part Indonesia has everything a traveler wants—scenic locations, greenery, good food, friendly locals as well as high-speed internet. Though it‘s only after visiting Raja Ampat which you discover the uniqueness from the country. 


Firstly, since It‘s almost entirely disconnected from the remainder of the world, you need to be ready to make a couple of adjustments within your lifestyle ; as an example, food. Surprisingly, there aren‘t any fruits or vegetables growing anywhere in Raja Ampat, so your diet will mainly include poultry, fish and rice. 

Your host will be your best friend because There‘s hardly anyone else (aside from other travelers ) to speak with. There isn‘t any electricity so most homestays operate generators through the night for a couple of hours, which suggests no TV, internet or hot water. However the natural beauty that Raja Ampat is endowed with will greater than constitute for these items.

Every island in Raja Ampat has something different to supply

Every island is unique in its own way. On Kri Island you will see the foremost several types of marine creatures and good diving spots. West Waigeo has corals, mangroves and bioluminescent plankton. Further north is Wayag Island which looks much such as the country of Palau. Regardless of which island / homestay you finally choose to remain at, There‘ll be surprises available for you personally. 

Snorkeling 

If like me you don’t intend to dive in Raja Ampat then you are able to always try snorkeling to discover the fishes and turtles up close. The very best part about my stay at Raja Ampat was that I didn’t need to venture too removed from my homestays to snorkel, every homestay is nestled directly in the middle in an ecological heaven.


However, snorkel gear Isn‘t available to buy or rent anywhere in West Papua, so you need to carry them wherever you‘re flying from. 

It’s the most important aquarium you‘ll ever see 

Because I didn’t dive, I spent the majority of my time upon the jetty of my homestay. Albeit I hadn’t joined another guests in diving in several spots, I‘d been told that I Didn‘t miss much, for I got a very good view around 70% from the species just from my homestay’s jetty.


The view below the jetty would get so exciting sometimes it didn’t really know what to pay out more attention to- the huge school of fish that just arrived, as well as dolphins dancing inside a coordinated fashion just meters away? ! It was eventually like nature’s own huge aquarium. 

A special homestay experience 

I would rather reside in homestays while travelling for several reasons. The most important advantage is which you get to reside as a local inside a friendly family which for me is the simplest way to have the place. Raja Ampat has only a few hotels, so it’s better to choose a homestay. Every evening I might hear the foremost interesting stories from the islands from my hosts.


The locals will teach the finest methods to do business with garbage and ways to make optimum use from the little resources available at their disposal. There‘s much to find out about a good way of life, food and culture and that is unique in numerous ways. A couple of days of no connectivity and also the purest air provides you with mind and body a lot need cleanse. 

P. S. : If non-AC accommodations, staying in bamboo huts with basic mattresses and no wifi aren‘t your thing then you’re more contented waiting until a couple of good hotels show up inside the area to visit Raja Ampat.

Raja Ampat For Non Divers

If you’re a diver, you most likely already know Raja Ampat can be as close as you’re ever visiting be able to arrive at heaven on this planet. The beauty of Raja Ampat’s marine environments is the fact that they are so diverse, rich and accessible which you don’t need to be a diver to become enthralled from the ever changing kaleidoscope of form and colour under the region’s waves. 

There’s an enormous choice of ocean life able to become explored on one lungful of air. Even pelagic species like manta rays could be found near shore in waters shallow enough so that they could be seen simply by donning a mask and snorkel and floating upon the surface… though there’s nothing quite like going for a breath and getting down amongst them ! 


Even though you can’t swim in the least, Raja Ampat’s tides cause it to be possible to discover an amazing choice of marine animals. For a couple of hours daily coral reefs and sand flats emerge coming from the ocean and can also be explored with ease. Coral, fish, rays and octopuses, squid, snakes, jelly and starfish – the shallows and pools created from the outgoing tides are almost as rich like the open ocean. Spend a moment looking down from almost any homestay jetty and you’ll be amazed. 

Above the waterline, the myriad islands from the archipelago present ornate landscapes conjured by wind, wave and rainfall from your ancient limestone. Draped in dense tropical forest and fringed by mangroves, the islands’ baroque topography creates ecological niches every bit as diverse and rich as those under the waves. 


Resounding with bird and insect calls, sheltering birds of paradise, cuscus and countless other kinds of terrestrial life, the jungles of Raja Ampat abound in trekking opportunities but still offer the prospect of encountering creatures and plants yet to become entered in a scientific taxonomy. 

Raja Ampat’s cultural heritage is rich and diverse too, starting from neolithic shell middens and prehistoric cave paintings, through relics coming from the era from the Four Kings who once ruled here and gave the region its name, to remnants of the more recent history such like the cave bunkers and seabed wreckage remaining coming from the Second World War. 

There’s plenty to discover and do in Raja Ampat, but simultaneously, you couldn’t pick a far better spot to stay away from all of it. Involving the jungle’s dawn bird chorus and also the ocean’s reflected sunset glow there’s nothing however the calm passing of another day, lost inside a tropical island paradise.

Raja Ampat Papua Indonesia

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