Everything you need to plan a trip to Raja Ampat, from getting there and the two entry fees to when to go, where to stay and how much diving experience you need, plus every guide I’ve written to the islands.
Raja Ampat was ten years in the making for me. I’d wanted to dive there for about a decade before I finally spent a week in May at Papua Paradise Eco Resort, on tiny Birie Island off Batanta. I paid my own way, logged 11 dives, swam with turtles over some of the healthiest coral I’ve ever seen, watched well over 100 hornbills fly in to roost at sunset and climbed the steps to the Piaynemo viewpoint, which looked even better than the postcards.
It’s also one of the most remote places I’ve ever travelled to, and it takes real planning: an overnight flight, boats that run to fixed times, two separate entry fees and a sea that changes with the seasons.
This page brings together the essentials, with links to my detailed guides, and every Raja Ampat article on the site is listed below.
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October to April is the best time to go, with the calmest seas and the best visibility, and January and February are the peak months. From roughly June to September, south-easterly winds make the sea rough, worst in July and August, when some areas close and even the resorts that stay open may cancel dives.
I went in May, a shoulder month that’s good but changeable, and had bright, clear weather for most of the week. My Raja Ampat diving guide goes into the seasons for divers in more detail.
Where you sleep decides which reefs you can reach. A dive resort gives you a comfortable base, a house reef and the freedom to take days off; a liveaboard reaches far-flung areas such as Misool; homestays are the budget option. I chose a dive resort, and I’d recommend one to anyone getting back into diving or travelling solo. These are the three places I stayed, all paid for myself.
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Raja Ampat is a diving destination first, but you don’t need to be an expert. I hadn’t been in open water for about five years before this trip, and there was plenty I could do, because dive centres match sites to your ability. Currents are common and can be strong, though: the dive centre steered me away from one of the famous current-swept sites, and I found the Fam Islands wall dives hard work. If you’re rusty, book a refresher before you go. My favourite dive of the week was Sawandarek, a village jetty site off Mansuar with turtles. My diving guide covers every site I dived.
Non-divers can snorkel the house reefs, take a sunset cruise to watch the hornbills fly in to roost, climb to the Piaynemo viewpoint and book a massage, and my one-week itinerary shows how to fit it all in. But most of what you’re paying to reach is underwater, so if you won’t spend time in it, read my honest verdict on whether Raja Ampat is worth it first.
Raja Ampat is expensive, a long way from anywhere and hard work to reach. It’s also home to some of the healthiest reefs I’ve ever…
Raja Ampat sits at the heart of the Coral Triangle, the richest stretch of reef on the planet. It’s also remote, with no public boats…
Turtles, coral gardens in full colour and huge balls of fish swirling all around you: diving in Raja Ampat lives up to the hype, but…
Raja Ampat is one of the most remote places I’ve ever travelled to, and getting there is a journey in itself. This guide breaks it…
Jungle-topped karst islets scattered across a turquoise lagoon: the view from Piaynemo is the one you’ve seen on every Raja Ampat postcard. This guide covers…
Papua Paradise Eco Resort sits on tiny Birie Island, off Batanta in Raja Ampat, with thatched bungalows built out over the water, a house reef…
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