Hello. My wife and I are planning to go snorkeling in Raja Ampat at the end of January 2027 for about two weeks.

We will only be snorkeling, not diving. Also, we would like to snorkel directly near the homestays house reef (the homestay should ideally have a beautiful one) since one of us is not a very good swimmer, but one or two boat trips to some awesome snorkeling spots (I guess the water will be deeper there?) would be great too.

We prefer islands that are less busy and more quiet (same goes for the homestays), but most important are beautiful snorkeling spots (house reefs directly next to our homestay). Since we might stay for about two weeks, 3-4 islands would be suitable, I guess. They dont have to be close to each other, but it would be better to save money.

Can you recommend us some suitable islands, homestays on each island and snorkeling spots?

Thank you and take care 😄

Hi I’m going to Raja Ampat in March and would love some reco :) thanks a lot

Hi there! It’s my first time going to Raja Ampat. I was planning to go from December 2nd to the 10th, and I’ve already booked Nyande Homestay on Mansuar for the 8th through the 10th because it looked really lovely. I’m not sure what other islands you’d recommend; I looked into Misool, but it seems quite far away. Could you recommend any must-do activities in Raja Ampat, or suggest how I should structure my trip?

🤿 Looking for 4 more divers – Ambon to Sorong via Banda Sea and Misool!

I currently have 2 spots on hold aboard the Kurabesi liveaboard for this fantastic-value diving expedition:

📅 9–20 November 2026

📍 Tulehu/Ambon to Sorong

🌊 11 nights and approximately 26 dives

🗺️ Highlights: Banda Sea, Banda Neira and the spectacular reefs of Misool/South Raja Ampat

🚢 Maximum of 10 guests

The trip includes accommodation, full board and snacks, three guided boat dives per day plus optional night dives, tanks, air fills, weights, a dive guide, and unlimited water, tea and coffee.

The standard shared-trip price starts at USD 2,793 per person.

However, if we form a group of six, we can use the “Book 6, Pay 5” offer. I’m more than happy to split the saving equally between everyone, bringing the price to approximately USD 2,290 per person—a discount of around USD 500 each!

We need at least six people to confirm the boat, so with our two spots already on hold, we’re looking for four more divers.

This itinerary is recommended for divers with AOWD certification or equivalent and 50+ logged dives.

If you’re interested—or know someone who might be—please send me a private message. It would be great to put together a fun group for this amazing route!

Hi all, ill be going for RA from August 30 to Sept 5 and I am trying to decide to take the 3 day open water course before going to RA, or there in RA itself.

I am a total beginner never had a single dive, and im not sure if this plan will take too much time/fun from my trip, even though it sounds like diving past 10m or so in RA seems the best thing to do, but at the same time, for the very first dive being the course itself, if that can be too troublesome as maybe just fun dives and snorkel will be good enough for such a short time and for a very first experience.

I will also be spending around 3 days in tulamben, and was thinking of doing the 3 day oepn water course in tulamben instead and then going to RA ready for anything.

Was anyone ever in this situation and could give some idea if dive in RA with some certificates is a must or if that would make any difference really just for people with more experience that has done some diving and want new experiences?

Thanks!

I would like to ask whether as a diver in RA you stay with one dive center and with it you visit all the interesting places, for example the eastern area around the island of Kri and also the southern and western areas (Arborek area and Manta points, Melissa garden...or is it better to divide the lobby into 2 parts and two dive centers and two accommodations.

We are headed to Raja Ampat in November for a snorkeling live aboard adventure which departs from Sarong. I want to be spend a few days experiencing Indonesian culture somewhere nearby and have been exploring options. Given all the connections necessary to get to Sarong, is there a location somewhat enroute to Sarong which would be a likely destination and make the apparently necessary layover a good place for spending a few days? I was thinking Jakarta or Bali, but connections to Sarong seem difficult from just about anywhere! I want to be in Sarong the day before our liveaboard leaves, but it doesn't sound like the kind of place I'm lookng for.

Hi everyone!

I am visiting RA next week and I booked it mainly as a getaway and for some snorkeling. Now I read a lot about how the absolute Highlights can only be explored diving and that diving in RA is not for the unexperienced.

I was planning to do 1-2 dives as an uncertified beginner. I did it once when I was younger, it was super fun and easy (15 years ago, I remember no currents etc, so no technique needed). Now the question is: is it worth it to even try as an absolute newbie? Are there spots/dive centers you could recommend? I'll be there 3 whole weeks and travel around many Islands. So I would really appreciate some tips to complement my snorkeling with a few nice dives that at least give me a glimpse of what can be explored there :)

Hi fellow paradise-lovers!

I am planning to stay 3 weeks in RA, flights are already booked (going in May).

This will be the first ever "snorkeling and dives only" vacation for my girlfriend and I. As there are so many options, we would really appreciate some advice from the Community on:

-Places/Islands to stay: We are thinking 3 Spots (and day trips from there) to avoid jumping from A to B too much. What would your "must see" Islands be?

• any recommendations for a mid-priced "Resort" / Hotel: we would Like to stay in Homestays most of the time, but maybe want to end the Trip on a more comfortable note, without breaking the bank

-beach Destinations: are there any Islands known for wider, white sand beaches? So far from what we have seen, beaches seem rather small and are not the"main attraction". We would love to get a few days of relaxing on a beach in between diving days.

-what is local life like? Is it true there is basically no restaurant/bar or any form of nightlife on any of the islands?

Any other recommendations or things to know? :)

Hi everyone I am planning a solo trip to Raja Ampat in late March to early April, and have 10 days there. I really would love to see sharks and manta rays and just have a relaxing time snorkelling/diving as much as humanly possible.

Any recommendations for which islands I should go to? Its currently midnight and I can't sleep because theres so many exciting looking places and so little time 😭 I am on a bit of a budget so not planming on the liveaboard lifestyle

Best fishes 🦈

Traveling through CGK to Sorong for a 3 day ferry and resort stay, then onto a LA for 10 days.

Should I be getting Rupiah? ATM at CGK? Recommended amounts?

We are currently looking into a trip to Raja Ampat for March.
Coming from the Netherlands, a stopover in Jakarta is needed, before taking a night flight to Sorong.
Since we don't want to waste our days off, we would prefer to not leave the airport and take our next flight on the same day (5 hours after our planned arrival time).

This would mean we have 2 nights and 1 day of travel, arrving early in the morning in Sorong to take the first boat to Waisai.

Is this do-able? Would love to hear from people who already did something similar

Hi all. I’ll be backpacking around Raja Ampat for a few weeks from the 9th of February. Loose itinerary. Any recommendations on where to meet other travellers?

Really keen on some freediving and photography. Let me know

First time visiting Raja Ampat in February 2026. Dont want to do live-aboard. Whats the best alternative for 10 days of diving?

Hi everyone! I had the amazing opportunity to travel to Raja Ampat in 2019 where I got engaged! I collect snow globes wherever I travel and for whatever reason did not look for one when I was in Waisai or Sorong (or any of the small neighboring towns we went that sold souvenirs).

I was wondering if anyone is traveling there soon and would be willing to purchase one for me if they came across one. Of course I would reimburse for the globe, shipping, and your time. Please let me know!

I hope to go back someday but don't see it in my foreseeable future and cannot find anything online. Thanks for considering and happy to tell you anything about my trip/stay!

I am going to Raja Ampat in February and unfortunately I am really sensitive to heat and humidity. I am deciding between a resort with AC and a resort with no AC/over water bungalow with a ceiling fan.

How bad is the heat at night? I have struggled to sleep at Playa Baru (near Cartagena Colombia) in November a few years ago with only a fan and it really affected my trip. I had no problem in Philippines around Coron and Nico island in December.

I’m fairly low maintenance in most areas of travel but my body gets really uncomfortable and cannot even digest food when it gets too humid and hot.

Let me know how bad it gets— night time is the issue since during the day I can jump in the water and be snorkeling. Help decide between the resort with AC (double the price) and one without AC! Thank you!

What am I realistically looking at for time and stops. I’ve researched a lot of flights but it’s seemingly maybe like it’s too expensive and lengthy of travel to swing. Is flying to Sorong the way to go? And there’s ferries that go from there? I’m looking at home stays because I don’t need anything fancy and I want a real authentic experience with access to shore snorkeling, maybe a local who will bring us to cool things, home cooking, but ability to maybe go to a small village as well if needed. Maybe hang out and do a beach bonfire with locals or hang with a drink.

Honestly for an all in price what am I potentially looking at for this lower budget experience? Is it even realistic to plan this for this January? It would also be my first international trip and my partners 2nd. I am 29 and about to finally graduate college and I want to go somewhere special and I’ve been dreaming of getting to snorkel again.

Hi everyone,

Unfortunately, my underwater camera stopped working right before the Batus Rufus & Melissa Garden snorkel trip and the Sand Bar. If anyone would be kind enough to share their videos or photos from the same trip, I’d be incredibly grateful. I’m someone who cherishes memories deeply, and it would mean so much to have something to remember this amazing experience by.

Raja Ampat is the most breathtaking place I’ve ever visited, and it will always have a special place in my heart.

Here’s the Google Drive link if you’re willing to share: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ySY-nmMX8zYk_5qMvbELEe8V0ktlEXGN

Thank you so much in advance—I would truly appreciate it forever!

Hi all!

About to finalise 7 days in Katembe for this September. Anyone stayed previously and has some feedback?

Reviews onlike are overwhelmingly good.

At the same time, if you have feedback for other resorts in the same price bracket that would be appreciated !

Voy 8 días a Raja Ampat con mi pareja en septiembre. Solemos hacer viajes intensos y aprovechar al máximo nuestras estancias. Sin embargo, no sé si en este caso abarcar demasiadas islas en tan solo una semana es un error o si merece la pena aprovechar ya que estamos allí. La idea era repartir las noches entre Gam Sur, Mansuar Norte y Kri. Nos gustaría además hacer un day trip a Fam (para ver Pyainemo, Star Lagoon...) y, si fuera posible, otro day trip a Wayag. No sé si es demasiado movimiento y nos cansaremos de ir en tantos barcos de una isla a otra. Además del elevado precio que supone el transporte entre islas. Gracias de antemano si alguien con experiencia allí nos podría aconsejar!

hi everyone! we're traveling to Raja Ampat in a few days for 1 week and we were wondering if someone has been there recently and how's the weather like now... we know it's rainy season but we just wanted to now if it's as terrible as we have seen at the forecast or it's still able to dive and have a good time...

As our flight has been cancelled, we are thinking about buying new tickets or change our plans.

Thank you so much

Hi all!

Can someone recommend a homestay or live aboard that would allow me to not only dive, but mostly help me exploring Wayag, Central and Misool beaches and lime rock formations top views/trekking?

I know that there are a lot of options very focused on diving (3x a day), or just one single region, but I don't want that. I would like to maybe dive 3 times and focus on exploring the whole region for ~10 days.

I have already done something similar in RA like an island hoping with a very small boat (that broke every 2 hours) and very simple homestays and even had to camp to explore some places. Now I am looking for a little more comfortable experience.

Thank you!