RAJA AMPAT

Raja Ampat, “four kings” in the Indonesian language is remote, exotic, beautiful, and literally pulsing with life. It takes its name by the four biggest islands Waigeo, Misool (which is home to ancient rock paintings), Salawati, and Batanta, and encompasses a large area just west of the island of New Guinea, in an Indonesian province called West Papua. More than 1500 islands make up the Raja Ampat archipelago and their seemingly untouched surrounding coral reefs, contain the richest tropical marine bio-diversity found anywhere in the world. The wide area of pristine blue water contains millions of reefs and fishes, many that you will never find anywhere else. It’s home to more than 1,500 species of fish, 700 species of mollusks and some 540 species of hard corals, 75% of the world’s total! Larger marine life includes sperm whales, baleen whales and even orcas coming through this area, which also boast enormous schools of fish and regular sightings of sharks, such as wobbegongs. Manta Rays are common too and there are amazing dive sites such as Manta Ridge and Manta Sandy to spot them! The very rare dugong has been spotted several times too and from the boat it is not rare to see dolphins playing or a whale passing by.

Certain locations such as Wayag, Panemu or Misol are famous for their panoramic views and bays filled with small mushroom islands which are accessible by our tenders and sea kayaks.

Raja Ampat is all about diversity – not only diversity of species, but also of dive sites. There are some areas where soft corals and sea fans dominate, others with amazing diverse hard corals, seagrass beds, mangroves, shallow reefs, drop offs, caves, black sand, white sand…Then there are the fish, lots of them, in more shapes and sizes than anywhere else in the world. Not only are there loads of fish, but all the levels of the food chain are well represented – from pygmy seahorses to top predators. In many places brightly colored soft corals can be found close to the surface which, illuminated by natural sunlight, make these dive sites spectacularly colorful. The reefs in Raja Ampat just buzz with life.

There are thousands of potential dive sites. Exploration is still continuing, and on every trip there are chances for new and amazing discoveries. Even on a 12 days trip you will only have a chance to see part of what Raja Ampat has to offer.

Birds of Paradise still live here in the wild and have been the topic of attraction for National Geographic for many years, as well as King Cockatoo.

The Misool route will show you an abundance of the undersea world. Its beauty will carry you away! Thousands of isle, which have been pushed up throughout the thousands of years and build a wonderful scene. Everywhere you come across caves, or caverns, you´ll find rocks as big as cathedrals, over hangs that all together improve the dramatic sight of this breathtaking landscapes. You come across caves, or caverns everywhere. Of course these sights will continue in no less impressing views under water. Misool is one of the places on earth where you´ll find the most various species of fish, hard and soft corals, sponges, sea cucumbers, nudibranchs, shrimps, crabs and all kind of non-vertebrates, cattle fish and octopus, giant clams as well as fantastic tiny shells.

Mantamae crew knows this region since many years. All isles, channels, rocks and caves had been explored throughout the years and they will make you discover every secrets of this Paradise.

Day 1. Sorong – Black Rock

Pick up at the airport of Sorong, Dominik Osok, by our crew for a short transfer to the peer and embarking. As soon as all guests are on board and are holding their welcome drink You will be introduced to the rest of the crew and you will be shown around in order to start feeling at home on the Mantamae, while the boat will sail to Black Rock for the check dive.

Day 2. Penemu – Fam Island

At early morning, we’ll arrive at the beautiful Fam Islands to explore by kayak the hidden bays and sheltered blue lagoons and to dive in one of the most beautiful coral gardens in the region. In the late afternoon, we will take a sunset hike where you can reach the highest point on one of the islands and admire the panoramic views of this iconic place.

Different dive sites can be chosen, Melisa’s garden, famous for its extensive hard coral reefs as well as Galaxy, a large reef with a lot of marine life, or My Reef, very impressive with strong current.

Early morning we’ll set up sails to Wayag Island.

Day  3 – 4  Kawe – Wayag

One of the closest island to the Equator in Raja Ampat, Kawe offers spectacular white sand beaches and beautiful scenery including a lovely waterfall on the western side of the island. Diving and snorkelling here too where you will find impressive coral formations teeming with schools of fish and sometimes with manta rays. Eagle Rock one and two, The Meze Equator, One tree Island and Razor Rock are the most beautiful dive site here.

Upon arrival to Wayag archipelago, the jewel of Raja Ampat, you’ll enjoy a day amongst the region’s most iconic scenery and it’s well worth making the effort to climb one of the many island peaks for breathtaking views of the stunning landscapes. Wayag is completely different to what you have seen so far. White beaches with black coral gardens, sweetlips, catfish and different kinds of rays are part of these dives. Rising abruptly from the sea, small groups of uninhabited islands form a spectacular panorama of jagged limestone cliffs that tower over tiny dome-shaped rocks topped with a wild profusion of trees and vines.  Dive site profiles in the north are diverse, and range from leisurely swims through lovely hard coral gardens to adrenaline-charged drifts past sloping walls arrayed in Raja Ampat’s signature purple soft corals and glassfish. We’ll dive at Ikan Campur and Magic Rock.

Kayaking along the shoreline of the dramatic limestone islands on sunset will give you a kind of emotions you won’t forget for a long time. In the evening we can enjoy cocktails and dinner barbecue on the beach.

Day 5.  Pulau Wofoh – Gam Island – Arborek

Wofoh island is a perfect place for all kind of water sports and bbq on the beach. Multiple dive sites offer a mix of hard coral, barrel sponges and soft corals teeming with colourful fishes. You will have the opportunity to see the wobbegong and epaulette sharks, which are unique to this region while the reef here, dressed up in red, it’s is breathtaking scenery.

A birdwatching hike on Gam Island might take you through scenic forests, past fragile orchids growing from cracks in the stone, and finally to the unforgettable experience of witnessing male birds of paradise doing their elaborate courtship dances to attract females.

In the morning we’ll dive at Wofo Tembok, a wall dive, and in the afternoon at Citrus Ridge, and Mayhem or Baracuda in Pulau Yangefo. With good conditions, you can expect some of the highest voltage diving in Raja Ampat, with currents bringing massive schools of barracudas, three species of fusiliers, trevallies, batfish, bump head parrotfish, wobbegongs, as well as black and white tip reef sharks.

Late afternoon Mantamae will continue the journey to Arborek island where we’ll have a night dive.

Day 6. Arborek – Dampier Strait

We can choose some of the most famous dive sites in Raja Ampat such as Mioskon where you can see Wobbegong Sharks as well as tiny Pontohi Pygmy Seahorses on the coral rocks, or Cape Kri where the steep slope has absolutely everything on display. The coral fields play host to an accent of colour, provided by swarms of Fusiliers, Damsels, Surgeons and Anthias. Dogtooth Tuna, Barracuda, Mackerel, Trevallies, Bumphead Parrots, Napoleon Wrasse, some very big groupers as well as Grey Reef, Blacktip Reef and White Tip Reef Sharks are frequently seen patrolling the area. Blu Magic is a dive site where anything can happen….and it usually does! Be ready for an amazing dive here! More often than not, divers are surprised by Blacktip Reef and Grey Reef Sharks, Bumphead Parrots, Giant Trevally, Barracuda, Dogtooth Tuna, Rainbow Runners and even huge oceanic Mantas.

Day 7. Dampier Strait

As you’ll fly the next day we will be able to perform only one dive to be chosen between the Passage or Batu Lima or we can choose to sail to the jellyfish lake for snorkelling before we start to sail back to Sorong late afternoon.

The Passage The narrow gap between Waigeo and Gam Islands offer a true spectacle that has to be seen to be believed! Reaching the narrowest point of only 20m, this is where the ocean meets jungle You can fly in the ever-present current, looking for Bumphead Parrots, Barracuda, Turtles or you can seek shelter in the many bays, looking for dwarf cuttlefish, stonefish and the ever dancing juvenile Barramundi. Batu Lima While following the slope you will be amazed at the scores of Fusiliers, Triggerfish, Unicorn Fish and Black Tip Reef Sharks frequenting this astonishing site. As you ascend at the end of your dive, you may encounter countless hunting Trevallies in the shallows, as we take you through the canyons that separate these rocks. An ever-changing dive, where nothing can be predicted!

Day 8. Sorong – Departure day.

Day 1. Arrival at Sorong

Pick up at the airport of Sorong, Dominik Osok, by our crew for a short transfer to the peer and embarking. As soon as all guests are on board and are holding their welcome drink  You will be introduced to the rest of the crew  and you will be shown around in order to start feeling at home on the Mantamae, while the boat will sail strait to Misool, one of the best dive site of the world.  On the way to Misol we’ll stop at Pulau Matan for a check dive.

Day 2 – 7 Misool a diving Paradise

After sailing for about 10 hours we’ll arrive at Misool and we’ll decide where to dive day by day depending the weather and sea conditions and, of course, following your desires.

The island of Misool has some of the best diving in Raja Ampat, with several reefs that can be considered the best in the world! A labyrinth of thousands of small mushroom shape islands form tiny dots of lagoons with sparking white sand surrounded by extensive formations that make the Misool one of the most wonderful places on Earth. The land scenery will take your breath away as well as the underwater scenery that holds some of the richest wildlife in the world.

There are three main areas of interest for diving in Misool – the Sagof – Daram, the Southern Archipelagos in the south-east corner of Misool and the Blue Water Mangroves near the western tip of the main island.

In Daram we’ll dive at Andiamo which is a large, stunning reef with a submerged pinnacle covered in sea fans  surrounded by schools of fusiliers and bat fish, black tip reef sharks and napoleon wrasse. Candy Store dive site, is covered with huge sponges, beautiful soft corals and sea fans. In the valleys, schools of fusiliers, butterfly fish and barracuda, while at Andy’s Ultimate there is a valley which boils with fish when the current is running.

In Warakaratet area at Magic Mountain there are two cleaning manta stations on the same dive site, one at 25 meters and one right at the top at seven meters. It is one of the only places in the world where you can see oceanic mantas as well as reef mantas interacting. Magic Mountain is also a nursery for White Tip Reef Sharks and a love nest for Napoleon Wrasse. Boo Rock is known for the “windows” on the end of the largest rock that completely pierce the reef from the surface down to five meters deep. Here you can see an incredible variety of fishes, gorgonians, Barrel sponges, Commensal shrimps, a wide variety of Nudibranchs, Octopus and Green Turtles, patrolling sharks as well as Wobbegong Shark. Nudi Rock is a small island in the Fiabacet chain, crowded with larger pelagics like Barracuda, Big Eyed Travelly, and Grey Reef Shark, with a wide range of flamboyant nudibranchs lurking among the abundant soft corals and sea fans well populated by pygmy seahorses and cowries.

In Wayilbatan area at Neptune dive site, schools of batfish, trevallies, barracuda and pygmy seahorses congregate amongst the most spectacular hidden lagoons in the region. This site has sheer walls paved with very colorful sea fans, some of which host tiny seahorses, Hippocampus Barbiganti. Four Kings dive site is made up of four underwater pinnacles covered in soft coral and colorful tunicates, with many turtles. Close to 4 Kings we can dive at Orange Peel where we’ll see a fantastic orange wall with a coral garden. Dunia Kecil  is a superb dive site to spot for pygmy seahorses and “lady bugs”. Hawksbill turtles, crocodile fish, barramundi cod and juvenile cuttlefish are amongst the other marine creatures that can all be found here. ‘Kaleidoscope’ is one of the best dive sites in the world, loping down from the limestone island of Jef Pele, on one side you will find an amazingly beautiful coral covered wall, with tons of fish, and on the other side is a picture perfect slope. Between the two there is a great dividing lip, where large pelagic species feast in front of you as you hang on to your reef hook through the prevailing currents. Another great dive site of this area is‘Turbine’.

Farondi  area has an unique and distinctive landscape: tunnels, caverns, and colorful walls. It highlights three famous dive spots, Goa Besar, Razonback rock and Three sisters. Goa Besar consists of superficial shelved gardens of yellow-colored soft corals, wall tops blanketed with plate corals, leather corals, yellow and purple sea squirts, and rounded hollows filled with coral shrubberies, sponges and red ornamental ghost pipefish. Three Sisters  are three great dive sites paved with life, as the channels between them. Wolbolol offers multiple dive sites: Portion nine, No contest and The platau where you’ll see schools of barracuda and jacks, snappers and bump head parrotfishes all over around the pinnacles.

Day 8. Sorong departure day

Day 1.  Arrival at Sorong

Pick up at the airport of Sorong, Dominik Osok, by our crew for a short transfer to the peer and embarking. As soon as all guests are on board and are holding their welcome drink You will be introduced to the rest of the crew and you will be shown around in order to start feeling at home on the Mantamae, while the boat will sail strait to one of the best dive site of the world At South East of Misol Island. On the way to Misol we’ll stop at Pulau Matan for a check dive.

Day 2 – 6 Misool a diving Paradise

After sailing for about 10 hours we’ll arrive at Misool and we’ll decide where to dive day by day depending the weather and sea conditions and, of course, following your desires.

The island of Misool has some of the best diving in Raja Ampat, with several reefs that can be considered the best in the world! A labyrinth of thousands of small mushroom shape islands form tiny dots of lagoons with sparking white sand surrounded by extensive formations that make the Misool one of the most wonderful places on Earth. The land scenery will take your breath away as well as the underwater scenery that holds some of the richest wildlife in the world.

There are three main areas of interest for diving in Misool – the Sagof-Daram, the Southern Archipelagos in the south-east corner of Misool and the Blue Water Mangroves near the western tip of the main island.

In Daram we’ll dive at Andiamo which is a large, stunning reef with a submerged pinnacle covered in sea fans  surrounded by schools of fusiliers and bat fish, black tip reef sharks and napoleon wrasse. Candy Store dive site, is covered with huge sponges, beautiful soft corals and sea fans. In the valleys, schools of fusiliers, butterfly fish and barracuda, while at Andy’s Ultimate there is a valley which boils with fish when the current is running.

In Warakaratet area at Magic Mountain there are two cleaning manta stations on the same dive site, one at 25 meters and one right at the top at seven meters. It is one of the only places in the world where you can see oceanic mantas as well as reef mantas interacting. Magic Mountain is also a nursery for White Tip Reef Sharks and a love nest for Napoleon Wrasse. Boo Rock is known for the “windows” on the end of the largest rock that completely pierce the reef from the surface down to five meters deep. Here you can see an incredible variety of fishes, gorgonians, Barrel sponges, Commensal shrimps,a wide variety of Nudibranchs,  Octopus and Green Turtles, patrolling sharks as well as Wobbegong Shark. Nudi Rock is a small island in the Fiabacet chain, crowded with larger pelagics like Barracuda, Big Eyed Travelly, and Grey Reef Shark, with a wide range of flamboyant nudibranchs lurking among the abundant soft corals and sea fans well populated by pygmy seahorses and cowries.

In Wayilbatan area at Neptune dive site, schools of batfish, trevallies, barracuda and pygmy seahorses congregate amongst the most spectacular hidden lagoons in the region. This site has sheer walls paved with very colorful sea fans, some of which host tiny seahorses, Hippocampus Barbiganti. Four Kings dive site is made up of four underwater pinnacles covered in soft coral and colorful tunicates, with many turtles. Close to 4 Kings we can dive at Orange Peel where we’ll see a fantastic orange wall with a coral garden. Dunia Kecil  is a superb dive site to spot for pygmy seahorses and “lady bugs”. Hawksbill turtles, crocodile fish, barramundi cod and juvenile cuttlefish are amongst the other marine creatures that can all be found here. ‘Kaleidoscope’ is one of the best dive sites in the world, loping down from the limestone island of Jef Pele, on one side you will find an amazingly beautiful coral covered wall, with tons of fish, and on the other side is a picture perfect slope. Between the two there is a great dividing lip, where large pelagic species feast in front of you as you hang on to your reef hook through the prevailing currents. Another great dive site of this area is‘Turbine’.

Farondi  area has an unique and distinctive landscape: tunnels, caverns, and colorful walls. It highlights three famous dive spots, Goa Besar, Razonback rock and Three sisters. Goa Besar consists of superficial shelved gardens of yellow-colored soft corals, wall tops blanketed with plate corals, leather corals, yellow and purple sea squirts, and rounded hollows filled with coral shrubberies, sponges and red ornamental ghost pipefish. Three Sisters  are three great dive sites paved with life, as the channels between them. Wolbolol offers multiple dive sites: Portion nine, No contest and The platau where you’ll see schools of barracuda and jacks, snappers and bump head parrotfishes all over around the pinnacles.                                                                                                                     

Day 7. Penemu – Fam Island

At early morning we’ll arrive to the beautiful Fam Islands to enjoy the hidden bays and sheltered blue lagoons. Explore by kayak or dive to see some of the most beautiful coral gardens in the region. In late afternoon we will take a sunset hike where you can reach the highest point on one of the islands and admire the panoramic views of this iconic place.

Different dive sites can be chosen, Melisa’s garden, famous for its extensive hard coral reefs as well as Galaxy, a large reef with lot of marine life, or My Reef, very impressive with strong current.

During the night we’ll set up sails to Wayag Island.

Day 8. Wayag

Upon arrival at sunrise to Wayag archipelago, the jewel of Raja Ampat, you’ll enjoy a day amongst the region’s most iconic scenery and it’s well worth making the effort to climb one of the many island peaks for breathtaking views of the stunning landscapes. Wayag is completely different to what you have seen so far. White beaches with black coral gardens, sweetlips, catfish and different kinds of rays are part of these dives. Rising abruptly from the sea, small groups of uninhabited islands form a spectacular panorama of jagged limestone cliffs that tower over tiny dome- shaped rocks topped with a wild profusion of trees and vines.  Dive site profiles in the north are diverse, and range from leisurely swims through lovely hard coral gardens to adrenaline-charged drifts past sloping walls arrayed in Raja Ampat’s signature purple soft corals and glass fish. We’ll dive at Ikan Campur and Magic Rock.

Kayaking  along the shoreline of the dramatic limestone islands on sunset will give you a kind of emotions you won’t forget for long time. In the evening we can enjoy cocktails and dinner barbecue on the beach.

Day 9. Kawe

One of the closest islands to the Equator in Raja Ampat, Kawe Island offers spectacular white sand beaches and beautiful scenery including a lovely waterfall on the western side of the island. There are fantastic opportunities for diving and snorkeling here too where you will find impressive coral formations teeming with schools of fish. You may even be lucky enough to swim with manta rays.  Eagle Rock one and two, The Meze Equator, One tree Island and Razor Rock are the most beautiful dive site here.

Day 10.  Pulau Wofoh – Gam Island – Arborek

Wofoh island is perfect place for all kind of water sport and bbq on the beach. Multiple dive sites, offer a mix of hard coral, barrel sponges and soft corals teeming with colorful fish and You will have the opportunity to see the Wobbegong and Epaulet sharks, which are unique to this region. The reef, which seems as if it dressed up in red is breathtaking scenery.

A birdwatching hike on Gam Island might take you through scenic forests, past fragile orchids growing from cracks in the stone, and finally to the unforgettable experience of witnessing male birds of paradise doing their elaborate courtship dances to attract females.

In the morning you will dive at Wofoh Tembok (a wall dive) and in the afternoon at Citrus Ridge, and Mayhem or Barracuda in Pulau Yangefo. In the right conditions you can expect some of the highest voltage diving in Raja Ampat, with currents bringing massive schools of barracudas, three species of fusiliers, trevallies, batfish, bump head parrotfish, Wobbegongs, as well as black and white tip reef sharks                                                                                          Mantamae will continue the journey to Arborek island where we’ll have a night dive. 

Day 11. Arborek – Dampier Strait

As you’ll have to fly the next day, we can choose only two dives, Mioskon  where you can see Wobbegong Sharks as well as tiny Pontohi Pygmy Seahorses on the coral rocks, or Cape Kri where the steep slope has absolutely everything on display. The coral fields play host to an accent of color, provided by swarms of Fusiliers, Damsels, Surgeons and Anthias. Dogtooth Tuna, Barracuda, Mackerel, Trevallies, Bumphead Parrots, Napoleon Wrasse, some very big groupers as well as Grey Reef, Blacktip Reef and White Tip Reef Sharks are frequently seen patrolling the area. Blu Magic is a dive site where anything can happen….and it usually does! Be ready for an amazing dive here! More often than not, divers are surprised by Blacktip Reef and Grey Reef Sharks, Bumphead Parrots, Giant Trevally, Barracuda, Dogtooth Tuna, Rainbow Runners and even huge oceanic Mantas.

Day 12.  Sorong – Departure day