F.A.Q
WHERE RAJA AMPAT IS ACTUALLY LOCATED
Raja Ampat is located off the northwest tip of Bird’s Head Peninsula on the island of Papua in Indonesia’s West Papua province. Composed of 1,500 islands, this unspoiled paradise offers an exceptional and wonderful scenery above and below the seas. Raja Ampat’s underwater life is one of the best and it’s natural beauty, lush jungle, sandbanks and shallows are really unique.
Raja Ampat is part of the Coral Triangle, which is composed of Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands & Timor-Leste. The Coral Triangle is the heart of the world’s coral reef biodiversity. Raja Ampat is on of the richest coral reef ecosystems in the world.
HOW TO GET THERE
First of all you must Fly to Sorong to get to Raja Ampat Islands. Sorong airport is called Domine Eduard Osok and airportcode is SOQ.
Straight flight from Jakarta takes up to 4 hours. From Bali there is no straight flights yet.
From Sorong guests need to take Marina ferry which takes you to Waisai, Raja Ampat’s port. Ferry takes normally 2 hours.
Check more info HOW TO GET HERE from HERE!
WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO VISIT? HOW IS THE WEATHER?
Best time to visit Raja Ampat is from September to May, as on June to August sea conditions might be little bit rough and wavy. Raja Ampat is situated to equator which makes temperature hot and humid all the time. At the same day there can be heavy rains, full sunshine and some clouds. Wheather can change many times during one day.
CAN I PAY WITH CREDIT CARD?
Yes you can pay at Doberai Private island with Credit Card but we take 3% surcharge of paying with international cards.
We also accept cash in US$ (only 100 USD notes issued in 2006 or after) Euro/€ and IDR Rupiah.
IS THERE INTERNET & MOBILE CONNECTION?
From Indonesian sim-cards Telkomsel is the one which works the best. As we are in remote island signal of internet is not good in every place. We provide free WIFI in our restaurant, but it can have intermittent interruptions.
Best signal is in restaurants and in bungalows there is no signal.
WHAT DO I NEED TO BRING?
Make sure you understand that we are in a very remote area so please bring along all personal items you`ll need.
Do not forget to bring/arrange:
- If you are a diver: Dive Certification card & Dive insurance
- Sun protection, hats and sunglasses. We are situated only 50 km south of the Equator and you will burn easily if unprotected.
- Insect repellant. Although there are very few mosquitoes on the island, Malaria is present in Papua. Take special care in the early morning and just before sunset. Long sleeves and long pants and mosquito repellent will help to protect you; common sense and normal precautions apply.
- Good walking shoes & binoculars (especially if you want to join visit the Birds of paradise)
- Please bring all necessary medication. We highly recommend bringing antibiotic eardrops & antihistamine tablets.
- Batteries
- Personal toiletries
- Any other personal items like cigarets or snacks
- In case you don´t have your own snorkling gear, we have few extra masks for rent.
In hihgseason we can´t guarantee availibility all the time. In case that we don´t have gear for rent, in Waisai on your arrival date, we can go together to shop and rent gears for your stay. (IDR 250 000/day) - Please plan carefully to minimise your rubbish. When possible, choose rechargeable batteries. We also encourage you to take them back to your home country since we try to minimise rubbish and cannot easily deposit it.
- Please be aware that we are located in a remote area and your safety and health are of highest importance, and we recommend that you take all safety precautions.
- A passport valid from 6 months from the time of entry. Nationals of most countries will be granted a 30-day Visa on Arrival for 25 USD. Please be sure you have one full empty page in your passport in which to put the visa sticker. Please check the latest regulations. You may be asked by Indonesian Immigration officials to show a copy of your airline ticket out of Indonesia within the 30-day period.The closest hospital is in Waisai (20 minutes from Doberai Private island). Next one and the bigger hospital is in Sorong (1-2h by boat). We kindly ask you to check your insurance is active. We have almost every kind of emergency and first aid equipment, as we aim to prevent any unexpected accidents.The closest recompression chamber is in Waisai.
DO WE HAVE OWN TOILETS IN BUNGALOWS?
Yes we have in every bungalow! Our water in showers is partly salty, partly fresh. We offer our guest shampoo and bodywash.
DO WE HAVE ELECTRICITY IN ISLAND?
As we are on remote island we do not have electricity 24 hours here. Our electricity comes for generators and we provide electiricity daily in Over Water bungalows from 5pm till 23pm.
CAN I GO SHOPPING?
There is no shops in our Private island, but if you really need to go shopping, we can arrange it to Waisai for extra cost. We sell few souveniers in the island. We have a cocktail bar where you can purchase cold beer, beverages, cocktails and mocktails for additional cost.
IS THERE ANY WILD ANIMALS IN THE ISLAND?
Nothing big. Ofcourse as we are in tropical country we have tropical animals. Some small snakes, spiders and bugs. We have tens of different birds and most beautiful must be parrots! Raja Ampat’s underwater life is magnificent and from our jettys you can spot hundreds of different fishes, dolphins, turtles, bluespotted stingrays, black-tipped reef sharks, dugons or if you are lucky whales!
WHAT IS THE TIME ZONE?
Indonesia has three Time Zones :
Western Indonesian Time : GMT +7 (Jakarta)
Central Indonesian Time : GMT +8 (Manado / Makassar)
Eastern Indonesian Time : GMT +9 (Raja Ampat)
Please beware of that when taking domestic flights.