From the magnificent grandeur of the ancient Hindu temples of Yogyakarta and the rich cultural traditions of Bali to the stunning beaches of Lombok or Sumba and the otherworldly wildlife of Komodo or Sumatra, Indonesia is a vacation destination unlike any other. With vast megacities, historic ports, luxury beach resorts, and rugged jungle trekking, it’s a country offering astonishing experiences for almost every kind of traveler. Perhaps most importantly, Indonesia is home to some of the most gorgeous hidden gem islands in the world, with stunning paradise beaches, crystal-clear waters, and astonishing wildlife hiding in the deep jungle interiors.
Indonesia also boasts some of the world’s prettiest diving locations, like Nusa Penida off the coast of Bali, and Lembeh in North Sulawesi. You can find magnificent dive sites and exquisite coral reefs almost everywhere you go in this remarkable country. But Raja Ampat, a remote archipelago of breathtakingly beautiful islands scattered off the northwest tip of Bird’s Head Peninsula in West Papua, stands head and shoulders above the rest as a scuba diving destination.
A big part of Raja Ampat’s extraordinary attraction comes from how secluded, and therefore how hard to get to it is. Located in the Coral Triangle, the meeting point of the Pacific and Indian oceans, it remains one of the most remote and difficult to reach places in Indonesia, accessible only by a ferry running twice a day from the city of Sorong in Southwest Papua. Getting to Sorong usually means flying to Sorong International Airport, but you can also arrive by boat from Maluku or Sulawesi. Don’t forget that scuba diving before a flight can be dangerous, so it’s worth planning your return journey carefully.
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Astonishing underwater encounters
Scuba diver and a school of silver barracuda – Kitjapat Film/Shutterstock
With over 1,500 islets and cays, it can be overwhelming to know where to start with Raja Ampat. For many years, the best (and only) way to dive this amazing tropical underwater paradise was by joining a live-aboard dive boat tour, spending a week or two sailing from dive site to dive site and eating, sleeping, and socializing with a small group onboard. These days the archipelago has opened up a little more, and there are guesthouses and homestays to be found on many islands scattered across the region.
Choosing where to go as a diver in Raja Ampat is a challenge, as there’s just so much variety, and nearly every corner has world-beating diving of one sort or another. If you want to swim with vast, ghostlike manta rays, then Manta Ridge, between Mansuar and Airborei islands, is ideal. You might decide to go for sheer volume of sea creatures at Cape Kri, reef sharks and barracuda at Sardine Reef, or the enormous schools of sweetlips at Lao Lao. Or perhaps you’re a fan of weird and wonderful macro critters, in which case the muck diving off Saporken Jetty on Waigeo is perfect, with seahorses, clownfish anemones, colemani shrimp, and loads more in plentiful supply. This site is also one of the most accessible, as it’s very close to the capital of Wasai.
Whatever your diving preference, Raja Ampat has something that will exceed your expectations, from walls and drop-offs to lush coral gardens and dramatic underwater ridges. It’s also one of the few places in the world you can see a wobbegong shark, one of the most bizarre inhabitants of the world beneath the waves.
How to explore Raja Ampat
Aerial view of Love Lagoon, a stunning heart-shaped lagoon in Raja Ampat – OGrimm/Shutterstock
The first thing that’s important to know about exploring Raja Ampat is that it isn’t going to be a cheap vacation — this isn’t like backpacking around Bali or island-hopping in Thailand. The archipelago’s remote location means almost everything in Raja Ampat, from accommodation and boat transport to food and drink, is relatively expensive. It’s also important to remember that it’s a vast expanse of water and land — over 27,000 square miles — so it’s worth choosing one spot as a base, and exploring from there.
In the past, live-aboard boat tours used to be the only feasible option for divers, and they are still a great choice, enabling keen underwater explorers to visit far more of the region’s amazing dive sites than they would otherwise be able to. However, these days there are dive shops on a number of the archipelago’s islands, so a more DIY (and affordable) approach is now perfectly practical. And while diving is, without a doubt, the biggest attraction of Raja Ampat, it’s also a staggeringly beautiful area to explore without going underwater, with charming tropical islands, gorgeous beaches, and stunning landscapes, including the impressive Mount Piaynemo.
Cash is king in Raja Ampat, so don’t forget to take plenty out from an ATM in Sorong before heading out to the islands. It’s also worth stocking up on luxuries and essentials that you might not find in the small communities and homestays of the archipelago. Cell service exists, but can be temperamental, and most places tend to be powered by a generator, so electricity is only available at certain times of the day.
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