A land-based mini-tour of Raja Ampat... itinerary assistance pls..

[jeremyl]

I've had it in my mind for a while to do a land-based tour of Raja Ampat... and I think the time has come. I'm visiting Perth so I've already made the long trek from the US of A, and I have time on my hands. I finish in Perth at the end of Jan so it's prime RA4 season. I've just started to piece together specifics but mostly wondering how far and wide to go.

I've been to Raja 2X before, both on Mermaid LOB's... in 2015 and 2018... long overdue to return!

So far it seems basing myself on/near Kri for a bit is a must. And probably a bit on Arborek Island, and around the Pam Islands. And prob one or two more spots.
Unfortunatly the better-rep'd dive shops and resorts are fairly booked up since I'm very late in planning. From the '10 weeks' TR I got some great ideas on OP's to pick from, but very much welcome more recommendations (or warnings). As with that report, I do not value luxury, but I do not mind spending a bit more for comfort.... a happy medium if you will. I will have to rent gear so an OP with good gear is a must. I have mask/computer/torch. I might pick up a reg before going as mine is due for an upgrade, but gear in Australia is spendy.

As far as the root of the post goes, I'm looking for advise where to base myself in central RA for variety in diving. Bouncing around a few of the main central islands for perhaps 5 dive-days each seems most appropriate.

I'm travelling solo so I do get lonely... being at less isolated spots/resports is nice in that regard. Also they sometimes wont go out with few guests, or charge more. I also speak only English.

I am considering a S. Raja LOB just ot make the trip complete (going there and not diving Misool could be a MisTake! There are two LOB's that fit my timing and are 'budget' - one being Big Blue... which is a Southern itinerary with 6 of 10 days in Misool, and the other is Ilike on a 12D Triton Bay / Raja trip (20% discounted currently) so I would add another destination... but even discounted it is not inexpensive.

I don't know of land-based Misool OP's besides the the spendy ones... but it seems they have been popping up, and there is now a daily public boat. So perhaps I can make that part land-based and really stretch the budget. But OVERALL as I'm typing this it seems going on Big Blue might be a good idea.. it would be at the end of my trip.

Let the ideas pour forth!
Thanks,
Jeremy

 

[stepfen]

Would you stay in a homestay ( www.stayrajaampat.com ) ?

Accommodation usually is pretty basic. Rooms are wooden huts on the beach with a mattress and a mosquito net. Shared shower/toilets. Electricity runs only for few hours a day (6 to 11 pm or so).

There are several well established homestays throughout the area that offer diving too. They are not cheap (for what they offer) but you get accommodation and diving for a fraction of the cost that you would pay at a resort.

If interested, go through stayrajaampat.com to see what is available and read reviews. You can then send booking and transport requests through the site.

Good luck.

 

[jeremyl]

Yes my plan is to stay in homestays or land based dive op's with their own lodging - but in general homestays. I am very awayre of stayrajaampat. My question is for specific recommendations for homestays/dive ops and some suggestions on which islands to base on to get a good variety. Central RA is not a 'huge' area, and I know an op on Kri will take a day trip further out, but Im looking to optimize my experience. And as I said many of the top shops are booked up. I think I can get in at Tarzan on on Gam Is. Probably somewhere on Kri, but most well known ones are booked. And I think I can stay at Arborek Dive Centre for a bit. I think staying in the Pam (Fam) Islands would be good but not sure a good recommendation there.

 

[Centrals]

Trip Report Thread 'Raja Ampat [10 weeks diving with 9 different operators]'

Feb 3, 2024

My wife and I had the good fortune to have 10 weeks of diving in Raja Ampat, starting end of October 2023 with our last dive on the 3rd January 2024. We did approx 100 dives with nine diving operators, consisting two liveaboards, two dive centers, and five diving homestays:

• Liveaboards: You know the score - lots of diving and live onboard
• Dive Centres: Dive Centre offering diving and diving courses. The more established ones will generally have better boats and take out more divers than the homestays.
• Diving Homestays: Homestay accommodation that offers diving facilities...

• carono6333
• Replies: 69
• Forum: Indonesia

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[stepfen]

I've stayed in Corepen (on Gam island) for 3 weeks in total (over two trips) and for a homestay diving op it was amazing. It was before Covid though, so I'm not sure if things are still top notch (look for recent reviews to get an idea of how things are now).

They (used to) dive the area from Saporkren to as far as Sauwandarek jetty (including of course all the highlights of the central area like Cape Kri, Blue Magic, Sardine/Chicken reef etc) on a regular basis. They know the area better than the back of their hand as they dive the same spots for years and years now.

They don't usually dive manta sandy, Arborek, or the area around Piaynemo (eg Melissa's garden) due to the distances and the amount of gear/weight on the boat. They do day trips to these areas for sight seeing only when enough guests request it and share the extra cost and these trips are quite pleasant.

If you want to dive these more remote areas, there are dive ops further away (eg on Arborek) that dive there, or I'd suggest a LoB (there are some budget friendly ones like Epica) or if you are that determined Scuba Republic use to offer a dive safari that reach that far (although last time I did this, the boat they used was not very comfortable - see here for more details: Urgent help required for Komodo - don't worry about the title - that specific post is about the said dive safary offered by Scuba Republic in Raja Ampat).

I hope these help.

 

[JustinJRL]

I stayed at corepen in October and they are still top notch as a homstay dive op. We did Melissa's garden and Fam wall as part of a day trip, with top up costs of course. Excellent homestay.

 

[jeremyl]

Thanks! Corepen does indeed still get active great reviews, and I will put them on my list above Tarzan depending on availability. Gam and Kri seem fairly easy to find top-quality operators and homestays. Being closer to Melissas Garden or other Pam Island area spots seems to be difficult, but there are a couple for me to look into.

 

[jeremyl]

Just an update - and req for perhaps more upscale but not $300/nt resort.... I am piecing together the trip, but unfortunately being so late in planning most things I would like are booked. The nicer stays, and most dive ops have very limited space. I worry a bit I am focused too much on the Gam/Kri area. I plan on 3 dives per day, and so far the plan is 4-5 dive days on each of Aborjek (Aborjek Dive Center), Gam (Tarzan) and Kri (Soul Scuba). This would be ~45 dives in this fairly small area so I am sure there would be lots of overlap. I am thinking to move part of this to Pam Islands but timing doesnt work well with the op's there. I may just shift a fair bit to spend ~5+ dive days with Andau Dive Resort instead of Gam but waiting to hear for availability.

I would love to find a mid-tier operator... ~$100ish USD/nt for lodging but I cant find any with openings.

 

[stepfen]

Sorry I can't help you with your request per se, but just to comment on your plan: 4-5 days (10-15dives ) on Arborek sound too much to me. There are indeed few "must do" dive sports near there (eg manta sandy) but not as many. I'd guess that eventually you will have to spend few days diving further out (eg to Pam), but if you plan to stay on Pam anyway this won't make sense as traveling distances/times are not short, at least for the usual kind of boats used.

On the other hand, the area around Kri (including Gam etc) has 10s of "top class" sites within say 20mins of transiting and one can easily dive there for weeks (if not months or even years ).

I hope these help...

 

[jeremyl]

Thanks this is helpful. Maybe I will spend more time around Kri/Gam. Right now I have booked 4 days (or 5 depending on transport) on Arborek. I certainly don't need 5 dives at Manta Sandy, but hopefully there are enough. I will then go to Gam for 5 dive days. Right now I have it open-ended after that. Soul Scuba has openings after that time if I want to go to Kri. I have put this on hold, but thinking still if I will get tired of homestay life, or decide to go to Pam.