Looking for recommendation in Raja Ampat land based

[Living4Experiences]

I spent three weeks in Raja Ampat in February and March of this year. You will be very disappointed to dive in the Dampier Strait (central) and the north because it's very bleached, especially all the sites around Kri Island. Kri Island is located in the Dampier Strait. There are about 140 liveaboard boats in Raja and they don't go to Kri Island anymore. I wrote trip reports:

Trip Report Thread 'Raja Ampat-Cove Eco-February 2025'

Mar 27, 2025

About Me. I am on a two-month dive trip to four countries, flying with nine airlines. I’m a solo traveler with 600+ dives, and this is an independently planned trip with the help of Bluewater Travel for dive and stay package pricing. In order of travel by country: Indonesia (Raja Ampat), Philippines (Puerto Galera), Western Australia (Exmouth/Ningaloo & Perth), and Fiji (Viti Levu). In Raja Ampat, my stays were one week at Cove Eco (Yeben Island), one week at Raja Ampat Dive Lodge (Mansuar Island), and one week on White Manta liveaboard round trip from Sorong.

For context...

• Living4Experiences
• Replies: 20
• Forum: Indonesia

• 

Trip Report Thread 'Raja Ampat Dive Lodge-March 2025'

Apr 5, 2025

This is week number two for me in Raja Ampat. I stayed a week at Cove Eco (CE) on Yeben Island and this week was spent at Raja Ampat Dive Lodge (RADL) on Mansuar Island, an hour north of Yeben. I posted a trip report for Cove Eco, so I won’t repeat that content, but I will do a comparison of the two stays.
I was transferred by boat from CE to RADL. I arrived in the morning and my cabin was ready for me. The grounds are well manicured with lots of flowers and plants and are quite beautiful. They...

• Living4Experiences
• Replies: 9
• Forum: Indonesia

• 

Cove Eco Lodge is on Yeben Island and the closest non-homestay place that gets you to the southern sites like Melissa's Garden. I'm not a birder, so I can't help you there. Homestay is rugged, backpacker-type lodging with no amenities. You'll want to really research this option. What is the source of their drinking water? Do they cook with tap water or bottled water?

How reliable is their gas mix? If you or your wife are sensitive to mosquitoes, you might consider staying somewhere with A/C. Homestays don't have A/C. Do they have electricity? Is it 24-hour electricity? Some homestays only give you electricity at certain hours of the day. Do they have running water or do you use buckets for bathing? How do you use the bathroom?

All trash and raw sewages goes into the ocean here, so be prepared to dive with trash, plastic bottles, shoes, tires, fishing line, etc. The stayrajaampat.com website is not up to date, so the information may not be reliable or current.

I have attached a map of where Raja Ampat Dive Lodge is located on Mansuar Island and where I dived. All the sites with a check mark are bleached or dead. All the sites with a straight line have good diving.

Edit: The map was in a brochure of RADL in my room, so I presume it was created by RADL and certainly not to scale.

 

[JustinJRL]

Yes any southern gam, mansaur, or Kri homestay will dive the main dampier sites (cape Kri, Lao Lao, sardine, chicken, blue magic etc). No need to stay on kri if you don't want to. The post above raises some good points about risks of homestays, although i can say anecdotally that if a homestay has issues with safety or sanitation, it will rise to the surface on stayrajaampat. Reviews are as up to date as the date listed on the review.

The map above however is not at all to scale and has some simplified or exaggerated features.

 

[gwiazda79]

I spent three weeks in Raja Ampat in February and March of this year. You will be very disappointed to dive in the Dampier Strait (central) and the north because it's very bleached, especially all the sites around Kri Island. Kri Island is located in the Dampier Strait. There are about 140 liveaboard boats in Raja and they don't go to Kri Island anymore. I wrote trip reports:

Trip Report Thread 'Raja Ampat-Cove Eco-February 2025'

Mar 27, 2025

About Me. I am on a two-month dive trip to four countries, flying with nine airlines. I’m a solo traveler with 600+ dives, and this is an independently planned trip with the help of Bluewater Travel for dive and stay package pricing. In order of travel by country: Indonesia (Raja Ampat), Philippines (Puerto Galera), Western Australia (Exmouth/Ningaloo & Perth), and Fiji (Viti Levu). In Raja Ampat, my stays were one week at Cove Eco (Yeben Island), one week at Raja Ampat Dive Lodge (Mansuar Island), and one week on White Manta liveaboard round trip from Sorong.

For context...

• Living4Experiences
• Replies: 20
• Forum: Indonesia

• 

Trip Report Thread 'Raja Ampat Dive Lodge-March 2025'

Apr 5, 2025

This is week number two for me in Raja Ampat. I stayed a week at Cove Eco (CE) on Yeben Island and this week was spent at Raja Ampat Dive Lodge (RADL) on Mansuar Island, an hour north of Yeben. I posted a trip report for Cove Eco, so I won’t repeat that content, but I will do a comparison of the two stays.
I was transferred by boat from CE to RADL. I arrived in the morning and my cabin was ready for me. The grounds are well manicured with lots of flowers and plants and are quite beautiful. They...

• Living4Experiences
• Replies: 9
• Forum: Indonesia

• 

Cove Eco Lodge is on Yeben Island and the closest non-homestay place that gets you to the southern sites like Melissa's Garden. I'm not a birder, so I can't help you there. Homestay is rugged, backpacker-type lodging with no amenities. You'll want to really research this option. What is the source of their drinking water? Do they cook with tap water or bottled water?

How reliable is their gas mix? If you or your wife are sensitive to mosquitoes, you might consider staying somewhere with A/C. Homestays don't have A/C. Do they have electricity? Is it 24-hour electricity? Some homestays only give you electricity at certain hours of the day. Do they have running water or do you use buckets for bathing? How do you use the bathroom?

All trash and raw sewages goes into the ocean here, so be prepared to dive with trash, plastic bottles, shoes, tires, fishing line, etc. The stayrajaampat.com website is not up to date, so the information may not be reliable or current.

I have attached a map of where Raja Ampat Dive Lodge is located on Mansuar Island and where I dived. All the sites with a check mark are bleached or dead. All the sites with a straight line have good diving.

Edit: The map was in a brochure of RADL in my room, so I presume it was created by RADL and certainly not to scale.

Thank you for your take,
We went through Madagascar diving, with no AC, barely working regs etc, really not great food and close to poisonous water supply, same in Mozambique. So I don’t think it can get that worse. We will chance the Homestay.
Yea bleaching is a problem alright, so I will try to do more of research and thank you for telling it needs to be book far in advance, didn’t expect it will be that busy land based.
Thanks for the map also. This was last February correct? So can expect this next winter again I guess.
if we go to Fam to do Melissa’s garden and whatever is good around, how many days do you think we should stay there? Would 3 days be okay? Then 7 days in Gam. And will figure out the rest.
Thank you!

 

[gwiazda79]

Yes any southern gam, mansaur, or Kri homestay will dive the main dampier sites (cape Kri, Lao Lao, sardine, chicken, blue magic etc). No need to stay on kri if you don't want to. The post above raises some good points about risks of homestays, although i can say anecdotally that if a homestay has issues with safety or sanitation, it will rise to the surface on stayrajaampat. Reviews are as up to date as the date listed on the review.

The map above however is not at all to scale and has some simplified or exaggerated features.

Great, thank you Justin! Even better to be based in southern Gam, so we could do birding and diving same time and no need to be based on Kri.

Would anyone have any info about the big island Waigeo? Is there any diving around or would they just bring you to the Dampier Strait?

Thank you!

 

[Centrals]

@gwiazda79
Homestay is the only way to dive R4 especially if you prefer flexibility. But it does help to book all your accommodation before arrival. Transfer between the island is pretty straight forward as long as you do not mind to pay.

 

[BigDaddyGlad]

I am currently researching for a May 2026 trip for myself and 2 buddies. We are all late-50s and have done the majority of our diving (85/150/250+) in the Caribbean. We've decided to take the leap and travel the distance to Raja Ampat.

We're looking at Cove Eco vs Papua Explorers, leaning towards PE, though Cove Eco looks like it would be about CAD$2000 less per person over a 10-day stay.

Before I pull the trigger and start making reservations, are there any red flags I may have missed? Should I reconsider the choice of Papua Explorers?

 

[Luko]

We're looking at Cove Eco vs Papua Explorers, leaning towards PE, though Cove Eco looks like it would be about CAD$2000 less per person over a 10-day stay.

Before I pull the trigger and start making reservations, are there any red flags I may have missed? Should I reconsider the choice of Papua Explorers?

Both are recommandable.

Cove Eco does have AC bungalows, on its own island, more family oriented (half of the customers are snorkelers) although great dive organization. Good food with a french (if you like a croissant at breakfast) and asian twist. They have their own manta site where nobody goes, although not much choice for a 3rd dive except of you go out for long day trips.

Papua Explorers is closer to the classic sites in central Dampier, very knowledgeable for divers and photographers, no AC though, good food as well. More sites around and more choices for a 3rd dive.

I have hardly heard anybody disappointed with either option (there's always a grumpy person somewhere ...).

 

[BigDaddyGlad]

Both are recommandable.

Cove Eco does have AC bungalows, on its own island, more family oriented (half of the customers are snorkelers) although great dive organization. Good food with a french (if you like a croissant at breakfast) and asian twist. They have their own manta site where nobody goes, although not much choice for a 3rd dive except of you go out for long day trips.

Papua Explorers is closer to the classic sites in central Dampier, very knowledgeable for divers and photographers, no AC though, good food as well. More sites around and more choices for a 3rd dive.

I have hardly heard anybody disappointed with either option (there's always a grumpy person somewhere ...).

Thanks for the feedback!

I've received quotes from both properties, and Papua Explorers is literally double the cost of Cove Eco Resort. When I get quotes like that for things like home repairs, I always ask myself not why option A is so expensive, but why option B is so much less.

This is likely to be the only trip us old fogeys make out to Indonesia, so I want to make the right choice. But if I can save €2500, is Cove Eco Resort a bad choice?

 

[outofofficebrb]

Thanks for the feedback!

I've received quotes from both properties, and Papua Explorers is literally double the cost of Cove Eco Resort. When I get quotes like that for things like home repairs, I always ask myself not why option A is so expensive, but why option B is so much less.

This is likely to be the only trip us old fogeys make out to Indonesia, so I want to make the right choice. But if I can save €2500, is Cove Eco Resort a bad choice?

Papua Explorers shouldn’t be double the cost. I checked out Cove Eco for 7 nights (double occupancy, assuming 4 dives a day…$2800 USD) to compare to about what my single occupancy rate for the same number of nights and it’s more but not close to double. Cove looks like a great option and I like that they have AC! I don’t know anyone that has been there so can’t provide feedback. But, it looks nice to me and I’d be down to try it! Bonus if you save money…..as far as room goes, and that’s the reason for the delta in price, I’m usually only there to sleep. So food, diving, guides, are more important to me.

Papua Explorers includes round trip transfers to/from Sorong directly if you check in and out on their standard transfer days instead of via the Waisai Ferry. (I think Cove does transfers to/from Waisai and includes ferry ticket.)

I highly recommend nitrox for Raja Ampat because of the depth profiles and repetitive diving, especially if you’re an experienced diver with good air consumption.

 

[gwiazda79]

Last question if I may,

So we will be diving with Tarzan on Gam 5-6 days, and then Arborek, question is would they go to Fam islands for dives, if not how many days should we stay there, is 3 days diving enough and then head over to Pam islands and dive there?
Thank you all for the help!