Raja Ampat extension

[jjmochi]

I originally had 2 back to back liveaboards planned at the end of March, Tubbataha followed by Raja Ampat. With the coronavirus situation getting worse I have pretty much lost hope the Philippines will lift the travel ban against HK travelers in time. Since I almost definitely will not be able to go on the Tubbataha portion of the my trip I am thinking of doing a second week in Raja Ampat as I was really looking forward to having the full 2 weeks off. My husband is with me the first week and I will be solo the second week.

My Raja liveaboard is a 8D/7N trip on Carpe Diem that goes to central and north areas, ending April 12. Ideally I would like to see the south in the second week but 1) Misool eco resort is way too expensive with the single supplement, and 2) there doesn't seem to be any liveaboards departing April 12 that goes to the south.

The only liveaboard I see that starts on April 12 and is 7 nights or less is 1) Epica, which has great reviews but is honestly a bit too basic for what I would usually go for, 2) Sea Safari 8, which is full, 3) Benetta, which has no reviews. I am using liveaboard.com to check

Are there any homestay recommendations, especially in the south? Any alternatives to Misool Eco Resort? Any good land-based options in central Waisai area?

Thanks

 

[jjmochi]

Anyone? I'm about to pull the trigger with Papua Explorers, so just wondering if there is an alternative in the South side (couldn't find anything except Misool Eco Resort)

 

[Mike Veitch]

The Misool area (the south) really only has the Misool Resort as an option. There are a couple of local homestays but they are very, very basic. Have a look at the website stayrajaampat.com Liveaboard definitely the way to go, you can try piratesbaycruising.com as they will have some boats not listed on liveaboard.com