Raja Ampat Hotel
Stay in a Bungalow Resort at Raja Ampat / West Papua. It’s a stunning archipelago comprising over 1,500 small islands, hosting thousands of species some of which are endemic to the region.
The Resort is located in the islands of Raja Ampat, which is on the northwest tip of the Bird’s Head Peninsula of West Papua. Raja Ampat translates into English as Four Kings and gets its name from a local mythology about four kings that occupy the four big islands: Salawati, Batanta, Waigeo and Misool.
It’s a stunning archipelago comprising over 1,500 small islands, hosting thousands of species some of which are endemic to the region. Some scientific surveys reveal that Raja Ampat has 603 hard coral species which represents more than 75% of all the species in the world. With its rich ecosystem and abundance of species, Raja Ampat is the bull’s-eye of the Coral Triangle in every sense.
We are located on the island of Gam and just along the coast of worldwide renowned Dampier Strait, only 10 to 15 minutes away from the most famous dive sites like Manta Point, Cape Kri. The Resort is constructed using traditional Papuan construction methods and local, natural materials.
Our water bungalows are designed to be in perfect harmony with the exotic surrounding, allowing the guests to feel the breeze from the rainforests, enjoy the songs of the tropical birds and soothe their souls with the flutter of the waves.
Our 300 m2, over-thesea restaurant and lounge is designed to offer a relaxing environment to enjoy various International and local dishes freshly prepared in our restaurant and to refresh and relax between the dives.
The little peninsula that Papua Explorers Resort is located on is home to the endemic Red Bird of Paradise. This unique bird and it’s amazing mating ceremony can be observed after an early morning hike in the rainforest. This is also an excellent way to observe the amazing plants and creatures of the rainforest.
Price Started From
The main entry point to Raja Ampat is Sorong, which can be reached from Jakarta, Manado, Ambon or Makassar via domestic flights. There are international flights to Jakarta, Manado and Makassar (Ujung-Pandang) and below are some alternatives for the connecting flights:
- Jakarta-Sorong direct flight: Express Airlines , Nam Airlines
- Jakarta- Sorong through Ujung-Pandang (Makassar): Sriwijaya Airlines, Merpati Airlines, Express Air, Garuda Airlines ,Lion Air.
- Jakarta- Sorong through Ambon: Lion Air
- Ujung Pandang- Sorong: There are international flights to Ujung Pandang from Singapore & Kualalumpur. This option requires one night stay in Ujung Pandang.
- Manado-Sorong: There are direct flights to Manado from Singapore. This option requires one night stay in Manado.
There are airport hotels in Jakarta and Ujung Pandang. Rooms can be booked for 6 hours upon request. The airport hotel in Jakarta is located on the second floor of Terminal 2, between gates D and E. The hotel can be accessed after going up 1 floor with the escalator.
The airport hotel in Ujung Pandang is located on the 2nd floor, right in the middle of the terminal. Transportation in Indonesia is a growing and improving sector; however the standards are still way below the Western world. Therefore, it’s important to mentally prepare yourself for the imperfections you may face during your travel. Be patient and stay positive, remind yourself that you will be in heaven soon.
We would highly recommend that you have travel insurance to cover any potential loss caused by the airlines. Don’t forget to lock your luggage and housing cases. Airplanes can be extremely cold in domestic flights. We’d recommend that you have a light jacket with you. Domestic airlines can be quite tolerant about over weight issues occasionally.
The cost for extra luggage is usually around USD 3-4/kg for Jakarta-Sorong flights. Domestic flight tickets can be arranged by Alex; a 20% booking fee is applicable on top of the ticket rate.
The Resort has scheduled transfers to the island from Sorong every Sunday and Wednesday with our own transfer boat. Our boat leaves at latest at 12:00 noon and we strongly recommend our guests to arrange their flights to arrive earlier than this. In case the guests cannot catch these transfers, we can provide special transfers at an extra cost.
Although we do our best to accommodate late arrivals due to flight delays, we may not be able to wait for long if there are other guests in the boat. In these cases, special transfers will need to be arranged for the guests that arrive late. Our guests will be greeted by our ground crew upon arrival at Sorong and taken for clean bathrooms and breakfast (free of charge) at a nearby hotel until the boat is prepared for departure and all the guests have arrived.
Our boat leaves the resort at 6:00 o’clock to reach flights departing from Sorong after 10:00 o’clock. Please kindly arrange your domestic flight tickets according these transfer times.
Please always take in account that we are operating at a remote area of the world, always try to plan your flights and connections leaving ample time for unwanted conditions that might arise during transfer. We would highly recommend travel insurance for all our guests.
Our Resort is constructed using local architectural techniques and natural materials. Walls are made from Daun Bobo, roofs are made from Daun Nipa, floors and window and door frames are made from teak wood. These are the typical materials used for traditional Papuan houses.
Our water bungalows are very spacious with their 72 m2 total area, which includes a 40 m2 room, WC, shower and hot water, and a 20m2 veranda. There are single or double rooms upon request. Each room has a bed with mosquito net, ceiling fan, desk and chair, a seating area consisting of a two seater sofa and a coffee table.
There are two sun loungers on each veranda as well as a hammock to enjoy the breath taking Raja Ampat sunsets.
There is a stairway straight to the ocean on the veranda. Towels, environmentally Friendly natural shampoo & shower gel and soap are provided.
We offer 3 boat dives and unlimited shore dives each day. Our boats leave at 08:00 usually for 2 dives (depending on dive sites to be visited) and 15:00 in the afternoon. All famous dive sites are included in our daily dive plans. Depending on the conditions we can also schedule boat dives for night and sunset dives to locations nearby.
Here some of this world renowned dive sites and our distance to them:
- Manta Point: 20 min Mike’s Point: 10 min
- Cape Kri: 15min Sardines Reef: 25 min
- Mioskon: 25 min Blue Magic: 25 min
- Odtima: 5 min Chicken Reef: 20 min
- The Passage: 45 min Hidden Bay: 30 min
Raja Ampat waters are highly rich in nutrients the Dampier Strait is especially nutrient-rich due its fast moving currents.
These currents attract a wide variety of species including migrating mammals and pelagic species. However, nutrient-rich means low visibility (typically 15-20 m) and the saying goes “no current, no fish”. All divers are required to bring their safety buoys and whistles with them when coming to our resort.
It is mandatory for all divers to have dive insurance to be able to dive with Papua Explorers. Waisai (45 minutes from our location by boat) has a Hyperbaric Chamber; however costs for treatment and further transportation can be extremely high in case of an emergency. Therefore, all dives are planned and executed without deco stops and it is mandatory for all divers to use a dive computer.
The Dive Team
Our dive team currently consists of:
- 11 skilled Indonesian dive guides, which are trained to up-to-date standards,
- 4 dive guide trainees from surrounding villages,
- 5 multinational PADI instructors, with various specialties,
- One free-diving (and yoga) instructor,
- 10 highly trained and experienced boat drivers,
- 10 helpful and attentive boat crew members,
- and 2 compressor technicians,
We are determined to employ and train a majority of local Papuan staff in all departments.
Our diving fleet is currently composed as follows: we have 4 daily diving boats (with a capacity of 6 divers per boat) and 2 diving-and-transfer boats (for 8 divers or 14 guests during transfer), all of which are equipped with DAN emergency oxygen sets, 2-way-marine-radios, emergency first response medical sets.
In addition, the guest transfer boats are equipped with GPS, life jackets, fire extinguishers.
On full day trips we equip the boats with satellite phones to provide extra safety. All our facilities and bungalows are equipped with fire extinguishers and we implement and on site and on board emergency action plan in multiple languages.
Please refer to the section ‘Technical Specifications’ for more detailed information.
If you’re not into scuba but interested in the marine life, then snorkeling is ideal for you. It is possible to witness a serious amount of the marine and coral reef life by snorkeling as well. We welcome snorkelers and ensure that our snorkeling guests are just as satisfied as our diving guests.
Snorkelers can enjoy our house reef any time and many of the dive sites we visit with our boats are absolutely fantastic for snorkeling.
In addition, the optional tours that we offer are a highlight for snorkelers as well as divers. On all boat trips our snorkelers will be accompanied in water by one of our experienced guides.
All package rates include Deluxe Water Cottage Accommodation with en-suite bathroom & hot water.
- Full board (international buffet breakfast, lunch and dinner)
- Afternoon tea/coffee and cakes
- Welcome drink
- Internet service & WiFi
- Laundry service once a week
- 50% off for children < 10 years old in parent’s room
The Diver Package additionally includes:
- 3 Boat dives plus unlimited house reef dives per day at various famous dive sites (Cape Kri, Mike’s
Point, Manta Point, Sardine Reef, Mioskon, etc), subject to weather condition. (We might use the boats for House reef or 4th dives.) -Scuba tanks, weight belts, guide, beach towel, water & fruits, hot tea, Nitrox - 1 Free “The Passage” and 1 Manta Point Trip
- Transfers: If the arrival/departure is on our scheduled transfer days. Sorong-Resort-Sorong (Sunday, Wednesday)
- Money transfer fees remain the responsibility of the guest.
Payments during your stay (on the last evening, e.g. canned drinks, excursions, souvenirs etc.): - All extra payments at the resort need to be paid in CASH. Rupiah, US Dollars & Euro banknotes are accepted.
- Deluxe Water Cottage Accommodation with en-suite bathroom & hot water.
- On full board basis (international buffet breakfast, lunch and dinner)
- Afternoon tea/coffee and cakes
- Welcome drink
- Internet service & WiFi
- Laundry service
- 50% off for children under 10 years old in parent’s room
Free transfer from Sorong airport to the resort and back on scheduled transfer days (see section “Transfers”)
3 Boat dives plus unlimited house reef dives per day at various famous dive sites (Cape Kri, Mike’s Point, Manta Point, Sardine Reef, Mioskon, etc), subject to weather condition. (We might use the boats for house reef or 4th dives)
Free “The Passage”-Trip
Rates include scuba tanks, weight belts, guide, beach towel, water & fruits, hot tea, Free Nitrox
Enquire now
