Many people want to travel to Raja Ampat in West Papua, but didn't know how to go there and how much is the budget. cozyresort.com tries to calculate How much the budget you will spend on a backpacker-style trip to Raja Ampat Indonesia and how to go there'.

How do you get to Raja Ampat?

What are the options?

• Fly to Sorong in West Papua Province of Indonesia (You can also go there by boat.)
• Fly directly from Manado to Waisai in Raja Ampat.

From Sorong

• Take a taxi from the airport to Sorong Ferry Port.
• Then board one of the ferries to Waisai (or you can choose to fly if you prefer).

From Waisai

• Meet the boat that picks you (or try to find a ride) at the homestay boat harbor

How to Achieve Sorong
The flight info presented here is intended for international travelers seeking the fastest route to Raja Ampat from outside Indonesia and ignoring flights to Sorong from airports not served by international flights (such as Ambon, Jayapura, etc.).

Domine Eduard Osok Airport - SOQ
Sorong Airport is Domine Eduard Osok (IATA code: SOQ), not Jefman Airport as reported by some sources. Jefman is an old Airport (originally built by Japan during World War II) on an island of Sorong.

• There are no international flights to Sorong.
• There is no direct flight (non-stop) from Bali to Sorong.

How to get to Raja Ampat from Jakarta:

• Many flights fly from Southeast Asia hub to Jakarta.

How to get to Raja Ampat from Makassar:

• Silk Air offers flights from Singapore to Makassar (codeshare flights with Singapore Airlines and Garuda Indonesia).
• Air Asia offers direct flights from Kuala Lumpur to Makassar.

How to get to Raja Ampat from Manado

Silk Air has flights from Singapore to Manado (codeshare flight with Singapore Airlines).
Please note that the flight listed above is the easiest entrance for international travelers who want to go to Sorong. There are several other international airports in Indonesia, but to our knowledge, none of them offer non-stop flights directly to Sorong. (Let us know if we provide any information that is not quite right!)
From within Indonesia:
Use Traveloka, Tiket.com, Tiket2Indonesia or Skyscanner to check flight availability from your departure point.

If you want to experience a sea trip in the archipelago, the timetable of the Pelni vessel can be seen here.
Direct flights to Sorong
Along with the development of Raja Ampat tourism, also increasing the number of flights available to Sorong. Previously, we featured the airline table and the flight time offered here. But with the rapid development of options available over the last few years, we find it more practical to display links to the websites of some airlines offering direct flights to Sorong from the nearby international airports mentioned above. This information was updated in January 2017.
We encourage you to use Traveloka to quickly search for available flights along with the schedules of the airports most suitable for you in Indonesia.

• Jakarta to Sorong (CGS-SOQ): Xpress, Sriwijaya (Nam Air)
• Makassar to Sorong (UPG-SOQ): Garuda, Xpress, Sriwijaya, Lion (Batik Air)
• Manado to Sorong (MDC-SOQ): Lion (Wings Air)

Direct Flights to Raja Ampat (Waisai)

In December 2016, Lion Air's subsidiary Wings Air opened a daily route between Manado and Waisai, the capital of Raja Ampat. Marinda Airport in Waisai is usually listed as Raja Ampat on almost any airline booking website. The IATA code from Marinda Raja Ampat Airport is RJM.

You can not be picked up by boat to the airport, so if you want to continue traveling to other islands then you should look for transport to the ferry port. Depending on the ferry departure schedule, you may have to wait a long time to get your transportation to the islands. In some cases, it could be faster for you to fly to Sorong and board the ferry from there. (You will also have twice as much luggage capacity on flights to Sorong as opposed to flights to Waisai).

Travel from Airport to Port in Sorong

A taxi ride from Sorong airport to the ferry port takes about 10-20 minutes, depending on traffic density, and is charged around IDR 100,000 (~ USD10.00)

If you do not have a lot of luggage, you can ride behind a motorcycle (motorcycle taxi) at a cost of around IDR 20,000 (~ USD2.00)
If you want to keep the cost down as low as possible, you can get there for IDR 6,000 Rupiah if you want to walk a few hundred meters to the main road and ride the minibus to the city terminal, then change the bemo to the port. Every part of the trip with bemo is charged IDR 3,000 - there is no news yet on how long it will take.

How to reach Raja Ampat islands from Sorong

There are three ways to reach the Raja Ampat Islands from Sorong:

General Ferry Ship
There are two types of ferry boats (express and 'slow boat') that serve the crossing between Sorong and Waisai. Waisai is on the island of Waigeo and is the capital of Raja Ampat Regency. Almost all accommodation provide pick-up service from Waisai.

Both express and slow boat fleets operate daily and both have departures both from Sorong and Waisai which are scheduled at around 14:00. Departures can often be delayed, so you can try contacting someone at the port if you will arrive late.

The latest express departure ferry schedule can be seen below.
The express ferry takes about two hours to cross, while a slow boat trip takes about four hours. Of course, most travelers prefer an express ship!

In the last report, the slow boat ticket rate is IDR 140,000 (~ USD 13.00) and can be purchased either on the dock before boarding or on the boat itself. There are limited number of private cabins available. Ask one of the ship's crew to get the best price.

The current express ticket fare price ranges from IDR 130,000 to IDR 220,000 depending on which seat class you prefer. Purchasing a VIP seat ticket means you will be seated in a chair with adjustable backs in an air-conditioned room equipped with a sophisticated and loud karaoke system that is usually used very often. Tickets are sold at the pier and Raja Ampat Tourism Office.

At Sorong Port, you can find the white and orange Maritime Express ferry boat by walking to the end of the L-shaped pier. The Ferry express ships are usually moored along with other ships at the end of the pier and you have to cross the deck of the ship to go up to On the ferry. Slow boats (usually Dawn of Honor) can generally be found on the right side of the pier, in the corner "L".

Schedule of an express ferry

The table below shows the timetable of an express ferry issued by a ferry service provider in February 2017. However, the schedule may change without notice. Individual departures can also change randomly and without notice. Do not rely on the published schedule. The Sorong Tourism Office and your lodging service provider will be able to provide accurate and up-to-date information on the ferry departure schedule. Ferry departures can often be delayed. We had a delay of more than 90 minutes on one occasion due to late VIP guests. The only way to guarantee that the ferry will take you to Sorong just in time is to return to Sorong one day before your flight departure time.

The time shown in the following table is the time of departure. The ferry ride takes about 2 hours.

Sorong – Waisai Raja Ampat
Monday         9.00am 2.00pm
Tuesday         12.00
Wednesday    9.00am 2.00pm
Thursday       12.00
Friday            9.00am 2.00pm
Saturday        12.00
Sunday          12.00

Waisai Raja Ampat  – Sorong
Monday        9.00am 2.00pm
Tuesday        2.00pm 9.00am 2.00pm 
Wednesday   9.00am 2.00pm
Thursday       2.00pm 9.00am 2.00pm
Friday           9.00am 2.00pm
Saturday       2.00pm 9.00am 11.00am
Sunday         2.00pm 9.00am 2.00pm

Flights from Sorong to Waisai Raja Ampat

The Lion Air subsidiary, Wings Air flies daily from Sorong (SOQ) to Waisai (RJM).

Speed ​​boat

If you are in a hurry, you can hire a speedboat to take you directly to your lodgings. Port speedboat harbor is about 200 m to the west of the ferry dock. Speedboats are much more expensive (up to hundreds of dollars) and much less uncomfortable than a public ferry or fly - do not hire them if you do not have a good reason for that!

How to reach the islands from Waisai

The easiest way to reach your lodging from Waisai is to arrange pick-up when you book accommodation. Travel costs vary depending on the distance between Waisai and the homestay where you stay.

The cost of the trip from Wasai to the islands is something that many tourists complain about. Boat rents tend to be more expensive than they should be and bargaining is rarely successful in significantly lowering the asking price. Make sure you tell your host if the travel expenses he wears are too high for you.

If you prefer to organize your own transportation, your choice is via Transwisata in Waisai (ask one of the transport service providers to take you there), or by trying to ride on one of the homestay boats that will go to a place near the destination what do you want. The homestay boat pickup is from the homestay boat port located west of the port (shown on the map below.)

If you intend to always stay tense with the local culture during your vacation, you should make the best effort not to schedule arrival or departure on Sunday.

Raja Ampat Culture

To make sure you enjoy your vacation time in Raja Ampat, there is nothing wrong to know and adapt to the local culture. This is not a strange thing - and applies wherever you go!

The Raja Ampat community, as elsewhere in Indonesia, is a mixture of indigenous cultures and descendants of an ongoing wave of migration from outside the region that began long ago and continues to this day. If you are interested in finding out more about Raja Ampat's history and ethnology.

On the islands where the majority of homestays are located, the local culture is dominated by Papuan and Christian cultures. The people are very friendly, with a cheerful attitude and a smile that is always ready to expand. You will really enjoy your vacation time there if you too do!

How to dress: This is very important. We have been asked by the local community to ensure that visitors understand this issue: Notice how your host and the local village people dress and dress the same way if you want to make sure that your dress does not offend anyone. While it may seem that no one minds the way you dress that shows many parts of the body openly, it is not necessarily the case. The locals will most likely not say anything, but surely offend them to see you wandering around their village just in a bathing suit. You should not do it. At least wear a t-shirt and shorts that cover your knees every time you are in a public place. Certainly another story if you are under water. However, swimming naked or without a boss for women should be done only in a truly private place - something that is almost impossible to ascertain in this archipelago.

Sunday: Boat trips, tours and other activities that depend on the services of your host are not available on Sundays.

We have also been asked to always remind you that Sunday is a day of rest and worship for the Christian people of Raja Ampat. Try not to be tempted to force your host to take you anywhere on Sunday - there are plenty of places to swim, snorkel, and other interesting places to explore around your lodgings. The food will be served as usual, but other than that and the departure to Waisai for boarded the ferry, your host will spend the day with their family and community. If you really want to get involved, avoid schedules of arrival and departure on Sundays so your host can participate in social activities.

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