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Raja Ampat in Indonesia: Dream trip to the last island paradise on earth

Raja Ampat in Indonesia
Discover Raja Ampat – Indonesia's hidden gem, where coral reefs meet lush jungle and wildlife reveals rare wonders.
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Raja Ampat in Indonesia: Dream trip to the last island paradise on earth: is written by Lars Sandager Ramlow.

Raja Ampat map - travel

Undiscovered paradise in Indonesia

12.000 kilometers, approximately.

It is the direct distance from Copenhagen to what is often described as the last paradise on earth. The paradise is called Raja Ampat and is located in the Indonesian part of Papua just north of Australia.

Raja Ampat is an archipelago in the heart of the so-called Coral Triangle, which is an extensive geographical area Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Phillipines, Solomons og East Timor. It is the most species-rich marine area on earth. The triangle area has been given top priority as worthy of conservation by the World Wide Fund for Nature.

Raja Ampat itself consists of more than 1500 islands. Sandbars and coral reefs rise above the sea level at low tide. The archipelago's marine national park is known for the largest marine biodiversity in the world with over 1600 different fish species and as habitat for 75 percent of the world's various known corals.

This place in Indonesia researchers are still finding new animal species. There are tribes living in the jungle that we know very little about. And the adventurous may be lucky enough to find plane wrecks that have been untouched since World War II.

They are either hidden by the jungle or under the surface of the sea. Because Raja Ampat is in many ways still undiscovered. There is no mass tourism here, because the place is both difficult and relatively expensive to get to.

  • diving
  • Diving with find nemo fish
  • Raja Ampat Indonesia
  • Raja Ampat
  • Raja Ampat Indonesia

Birds of paradise and the most fish in the world 

My wife, Lisa, and I are experienced scuba divers, and Raja Ampat had been on our wish list for many years as a dream trip. Now it had to be, and we had been recommended the resort Sorido Bay on the island of Kri.

Just off the coast of the resort is the place on earth where the most variety of fish have been recorded in a single 90 minute dive. 374 is the number, and if you know a little about diving - then it's pretty crazy. And the diversity of the sea quickly opened up for us.

We saw, among other things, pygmy seahorses, turtles, bearded sharks, manta rays and dolphins. And on land the magic continued.

Chalk-white Robinson Crusoe-sand beaches completely devoid of people and with dense jungle as a background. Azure blue water that has just the right holiday and photo color. Mangrove forests that grow on coral reefs, which provide an absolutely indescribable diving or snorkeling experience.

There are waterfalls, rivers and a birds and wildlife of another world. All within affordable boating range.

Ornithologists and photo enthusiasts go to Indonesia's Raja Ampat to see the special and very beautiful birds of paradise. Of course, we also wanted to see them, so we arranged a boat trip to one of the neighboring islands, where the birds, among other things, live.

  • Shark - diving
  • sea ​​turtle - raja Ampat in Indonesia

Free diving

Sorido Bay has its own dive center with guided dive tours in the area every single day. In addition, as certified bottle divers, we could also just grab some diving bottles and jump in the water at any time of the day. All that we endured within the safety limits of diving. 

At the end of the resort's jetty – or boat bridge – is a so-called 'blue hole', which is a limited lagoon area with a depth of 20-30 meters surrounded by coral reefs, where there is only approximately 1-2 meters deep. 

In this blue hole alone there were both reef sharks, turtles and giant clams up to half a meter long. At sunset you could also dive for the impressive and beautiful mandarin fish, which are relatively rare to see.

Shark Sanctuary in Raja Ampat

On the edge of the blue hole and about a minute's boat ride from the jetty, there is a hut on stilts on the coral reef. Inside we were presented with nothing less than a world event.

The cabin and the area around it is a shark reserve. With donations from organizations and foundations as well as goodwill from the Indonesian government, a unique hatchery area with aquariums and oxygen and purification plants has been built right here in Raja Ampat.

Eggs from leopard sharks are hatched here. The eggs are brought in Australia and shipped all the way to the archipelago in Indonesia. The whole project is based on the 'hatched' leopard sharks then having to grow big. The last part takes place in the water just outside the cabin, where a fairly large protected area has been created in the blue hole.

Here in Raja Ampat, the young sharks must learn to hunt - without being part of other sharks' menu. And when the leopard sharks have grown large enough, they are released into the local area. This has never been achieved before anywhere in the world

Clear green ocean in Raja Ampat with small sharks in an exotic environment with a wooden bathing bridge Clear green ocean with small sharks in an exotic environment with a wooden bathing bridge

We jumped right down to the sharks

Back on land and along the beach, the guests' seven bungalows are located on a string of pearls and approximately 10-15 meters from the water's edge, where a daily sighting is around 20 black-tipped reef sharks of 1,5-2 meters in length.

In undefined patterns, the sharks 'patrol' the reef, and they are quite harmless - at least to humans. There has never been a personal attack, although the resort's guests both swim and snorkel side by side with the sharks. In fact, we jumped into the water to be close and to photograph the sharks.

With snorkels we sat under the jetty with plastic bottles in hand. By twisting the bottles, a sound is created that reminds the sharks of crunching fish bones. Anyway, they got curious and came right up close to us to see if there was food in the water.

Despite assurances from the staff, we were initially a little nervous that the sharks might accidentally mistake us for food, but fortunately the nervousness was unfounded.

A meter from us they turned around or slipped past. Even after dark we had unique shark experiences. One evening we took our snorkels, diving masks and a couple of underwater lights and went 'hunting' for them the epaulet sharks – walking sharks in English.

They last only a stone's throw from the bungalows in shallow water. These approximately one meter long sharks emerge from their hiding place when it gets dark, and the special thing about them is that they 'walk' on the seabed.

Another animal attraction in Raja Ampat is the couscous bears that crawl around in the trees, where you can also spot, among others, the kingfisher, black manukud, laughing birds, parrots and white cockatoos – all from the hammock on the veranda. On the ground there are coconut crabs, lizards, lizards and snakes. However, none of the animals are dangerous to humans.

Each bungalow is 40-50 square meters with its own bathroom and toilet. There is a fridge and air conditioning, and as travelers we were pleased that the details were taken care of. Nothing was missing. Yes, more time and more money. We would have liked to have stayed a few more weeks, because it was almost 'stressful' that there was so much to see and experience.

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Clear blue ocean with exotic small green islands in Indonesia, Raja Ampat Blue clear ocean with exotic small green islands

That's how we came to be resorts Sorido Bay on the island Kri Island in islandgroups Raja Ampat

  • Flight from Copenhagen to Singapore – approximately 12½ hours
  • Flight from Singapore to Jakarta in Indonesia – approximately 2 hours
  • Flight from Jakarta to Sorong in West Papua – approximately 4 hours
  • Ferry from Sorong to Waisai – approximately 2 hours
  • Private boat from Waisai to Sorido Bay on Kri Island – approximately ½ hour

A total of 21 travel hours. Overall, the journey takes one and a half to two days each way, including other transport, transit and waiting times.

Really good trip to Indonesia and the beautiful island paradise of Raja Ampat.


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About the author

Lars Sandager Ramlow

Lars is a trained journalist and has been editor of a daily newspaper for many years. He calls himself travel-crazy and a passionate scuba diver, and together with his wife Lisa, he most often chooses destinations where experiences await both above and below sea level. Among other things, it has taken them to the turtle paradise Lady Elliot Island, which is part of the Great Barrier Reef, to wild cave diving in the Cenotes at Tulum, Mexico, and to northern Sulawesi, Indonesia, where the local market sold roasted rats, snakes and bats, and where the waters of the Lembeh Strait offer some of the world's wildest creatures. In addition to the exotic travel destinations, Lars also loves big cities such as London, Singapore and San Francisco.

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