Raja Ampat Islands Located off the northwest tip of Bird's Head Peninsula on the island of New Guinea, in Indonesia's West Papua province. Raja Ampat or the Four Kings is an archipelago comprising over 1,500 small islands, cays and shoals surrounding the four main islands of Misool, Salawati, Batanta, and Waigeo and the smaller island of Kofiau. Raja Ampat archipelago is the part of Coral Triangle which contains the richest marine biodiversity on earth.
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| Raja Ampat Islands, Photo from www.indonesia.travel |
The name of Raja Ampat comes from local mythology that tells about a woman who finds seven eggs. Four of the seven eggs hatch and become kings that occupy four of Raja Ampat biggest islands whilst the other three become a ghost, a woman, and a stone.
History shows that Raja Ampat was once a part of Sultanate of Tidore, an influential kingdom from Maluku. Yet, after the Dutch invaded Maluku, it was shortly claimed by the Netherlands.
The first recorded sighting and landing by Europeans of the Ampat Islands was in the person of the Portuguese navigator Jorge de Menezes and his crew in 1526, on route from Biak, the Bird's Head Peninsula, and Waigeo, to Halmahera (Ternate).
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| Photo from http://www.indonesia.travel/sites/site/248/raja-ampat |
The English explorer William Dampier gave his name to Dampier Strait, which separates Batanta island from Waigeo island. To the east, there is a strait that separates Batanta from Salawati. In 1759 Captain William Wilson sailing in the East Indiaman Pitt navigated these waters and named one strait Pitt strait, after his vessel; this was probably the channel between Batanta and Salawati.
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| Raja Ampat | Mermaid Liveaboards |
Located in the heart of The Coral Triangle, Raja Ampat is known to have the richest coral reef ecosystem in the world. The four main areas offering itineraries are: Raja Ampat, Cendrawasih Bay, Banda Sea and Triton Bay. If you haven’t experienced the diving in this area, it is fantastic due to the diversity and abundance of marine life. The area of the Four Kings is comprised of over 1500 islands and home to 600 types of corals, 1,500 fish species and over 600 types of mollusks.
Getting There:
FLY TO: Raja Ampat (Sorong) There are several ways to fly to Sorong.
- Fly to Jakarta then connect with Garuda Airlines via Makassar or Lion/Wing Air to Sorong.
- Fly to Bali Ngurah Rai International Airport (DPS) in Denpasar Indonesia with Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, China Air, Eva Airways, Korean Airlines, or Qatar Airways. (an overnight stay may be required) Then fly to Sorong (SOQ) Dominique Edward Osok Airport in West Papua where you will meet the Raja Ampat Aggressor.
- Fly to Singapore then Manado to Sorong or Singapore then Makassar to Sorong.
Taxes and Fees
The port/park fee will be paid onboard the yacht in cash, Visa or MasterCard.
Raja Ampat: $207 USD per person
Raja Ampat & Cenderawasih Bay: $250 USD per person
Raja Ampat & Banda Sea: $250 USD per person
Getting There:
FLY TO: Banda Sea (Ambon) /Triton Bay (Kaimana) or Banda Sea (Ambon) /Raja Ampat (Sorong)
Fly to Bali Ngurah Rai International Airport (DPS) in Denpasar Indonesia: Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, China Air, Eva Airways, and Qatar Airways. An overnight stay may be required in Bali before boarding a flight to Sorong (SOQ) Dominique Edward Osok Airport, in West Papua or Ambon (AMQ) Pattimura Airport, in Central Maluku where you will meet the Raja Ampat Aggressor.
Fly to Jakarta or Makassar (also known as Ujung Pandang) or Manado then to Sorong Airport, or Ambon Airport.
Taxes and Fees
The port/park fee will be paid onboard the yacht in cash, Visa or MasterCard.
Raja Ampat & Banda Sea: $250 USD per person
Banda Sea & Triton Bay: $250 USD per person
Climate:
Air Temperature: 25 - 27C/78 - 89F
Water Temperature: 28 - 30C/82 -86F
Cenderawasih Bay Itineraries (7, 9, 10, & 12 nights)
Cenderawasih Bay
Cenderawasih Bay/Raja Ampat
Getting There:
FLY TO: Cenderwasih Bay (Biak) /Raja (Sorong)
Fly to Bali Ngurah Rai International Airport (DPS) in Denpasar Indonesia: Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, China Air, Eva Airways, and Qatar Airways. An overnight stay may be required in Bali before boarding a flight to Biak (BIK) Frans Kaisiepo Airport (also known as Mokmer Airport), in Papua, Indonesia or Nabire Airport (NBX), in Papua where you will meet the Raja Ampat Aggressor.
Fly to Jakarta or Makasser then Biak Airport.
Taxes and Fees
The port/park fee will be paid onboard the yacht in cash, Visa or MasterCard.
Cenderawasih Bay: $200 USD per person
Raja Ampat & Cenderawasih Bay: $250 USD per person Climate:
Air Temperature: 25 - 27C/78 - 89F
Water Temperature: 28 - 30C/82 -86F
Triton Bay Itineraries (10 nights)
Triton Bay/Raja Ampat
Triton Bay/Banda Sea
Getting There:
FLY TO: Triton (Kaimana) /Raja Ampat (Sorong) or Banda Sea (Ambon) /Triton Bay (Kaimana)
Fly to Bali Ngurah Rai International Airport (DPS) in Denpasar Indonesia: Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, China Air, Eva Airways, and Qatar Airways. An overnight may be required in Bali before boarding a flight to Kaimana (KNG) Kaimana Airport, or Sorong (SOQ) Dominique Edward Osok Airport in West Papua or Ambon (AMQ) Pattimura Airport, in Central Maluku, where you will meet the Raja Ampat Aggressor.
Fly to Kaimana, Sorong or Ambon from Jakarta, Makassar (also known as Ujung Pandang) or Manado.
Taxes and Fees
The port/park fee will be paid onboard the yacht in cash, Visa or MasterCard.
Banda Sea & Triton Bay: $250 USD per person
Triton Bay & Raja Ampat: $250 USD Climate:
Air Temperature: 25 - 27C/78 - 89F
Water Temperature: 28 - 30C/82 -86F
General Information:
Flights are offered by:
Sriwijaya Air, Merpati, Express Air, Batavia Air, Lion Air, Wings Air, Silk Air, Garuda Indonesia, Pelita Air.
Ports:
• Raja Ampat - main port: Sorong Harbor, Sorong City (West Palua Province), Indonesia
• Cenderawasih Bay - Biak Harbor, Biak City (Papua Province), Indonesia
• Nabire Harbor at Nabire City (Papua Province), Indonesia
• Ambon Harbor at Ambon City (Moluccas Province), Indonesia
• Kaimana Harbor at Kaimana City (West Papua Province), Indonesia
Passports & Visa Documentation:
Visitors must have a current passport, adequate funds to support themselves, and a return airline ticket. US citizens require a passport that must be valid for 6 months from date of entry.
** Passport Requirement
The Indonesia National Park Authority requires each guests passport information 2 weeks prior to departure to process a required diving permit. Your passport information will be taken from the GIS and sent to the yacht. Failure to complete this could result in being denied permission to dive on the charter start date.
It is the travelers’ responsibility to ensure they have the proper visa to travel into each country on his or her itinerary as well as for re-entry and return to their country. Since regulations vary by country, contact your consulate or embassy of your country for the requirement.
More visa information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_policy_of_Indonesia
Arrival/Boarding/Departure
For all itineraries, the flight arrival times are in the morning and afternoon. We highly recommend guests overnight the day before departure at a local hotel then guests will be picked up at 12 pm upon checkout (on day of charter departure) and transferred to the yacht as long as guests are staying in the vicinity of where the yacht docks.
Sorong/Sorong: Boarding 1 pm with yacht departure 4 pm; Check Out 8 am
Sorong/Ambon: Boarding 1 pm with yacht departure 4 pm; Check Out 8 am
Sorong/Biak: Boarding 1 pm with yacht departure 4 pm; Check Out 8 am
Ambon/Sorong: Boarding 3 pm with yacht departure 4 pm; Check Out 8 am
Biak/Biak: Boarding 1 pm with yacht departure 4 pm; Check Out 8 am
Nabire/Biak: Boarding 3 pm with yacht departure 4 pm; Check Out 8 am
Dinner is served onboard the last evening of the charter.
Hotels recommended are:
• Sorong - Marina Mamberamo - There are several reasonable hotels in Sorong should you wish to arrive early and overnight before your Raja Ampat cruise. Sorong is a small city and the airport and most of the hotels are located 10 minutes from the Sorong Harbor where you will board the Raja Ampat Aggressor.
• Ambon - Maluku Divers Resort and Dive Into Ambon Dive Resort are located 10 minutes from the airport and guests can embark and disembark safely from there. Dive Into Ambon is located 40 minutes away.
• Biak - Hotel Asana Biak Papua is the best hotel in town. It is located 3 minutes from the airport. The hotel is located 15 minutes from where guests will board the Raja Ampat Aggressor. Biak is a small town with no tourism or resorts and is connected daily with direct flights from Jakarta and Makassar.
• Kaimana - Kaimana Beach Hotel is brand new and the only hotel in town. It is located 45 minutes from the airport and 30 minutes from where guests will board the Raja Ampat Aggressor.For Kaimana trips, it is recommended to overnight in Ambon. There are daily morning flights from Ambon to Kaimana.
• Nabire - Hotel Nusantara II is located 45 minutes from the airport and the Raja Ampat Aggressor is located 10 minutes from the airport. It is recommended to overnight in Ambon or Jayapura then take a daily flight the next morning to Nabire.
Diving
Up to 4 dives a day will be offered including night dives (conditions permitting).
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raja_Ampat_Islands
http://aggressor.com/rajaampat.
http://indonesiad.com/raja-ampat-papua-the-amazon-of-the-oceans/
http://www.indonesia.travel/sites/site/248/raja-ampat
