Raja Ampat has been on my bucket list since I first arrived in Indonesia. I always imagined it as a honeymoon destination to visit with a special someone. Well, I am my special one.

I don’t know what this year will bring and where I’ll be in the coming months, and with the season in Raja Ampat ending in April, I had to finally make this trip happen. To spice it up, I had no plans; I left Bali with a carry-on backpack and a ticket to Sorong. No accommodation, no transfer, no itinerary. Geminis don’t plan just go – welcome to my crazy nomadic world and enjoy the journey as it unfolds.

DAY 1

The idea of having no idea about what I was doing felt strange, and so leaving Bali randomly gave me a few busy days and a mild mindfuck. Getting to Raja Ampat is easy but can be expensive. If you don’t want to spend weeks sailing on a boat, book a flight – although this also takes two days and has a stopover in Makassar, Manado, or Sorong. If you plan ahead and on time, you can find cheap tickets (around 1 million IDR one way).

People said it was not a good idea to spend any time in Sorong (I’ll come back to that later), so I chose Manado as my layover. I arrived in the evening and left early in the morning, so I didn’t see the city but found the most delicious mie ayam I’ve ever eaten in Indonesia.

Flight ticket from Bali to Sorong: 1.6 million IDR (one way, cabin bag only)

Manado, taxi from the airport to the homestay: 40k IDR

Homestay in Manado: 92k IDR

DAY 2

I locked myself in the room. When I wanted to leave in the morning, the lock was jammed. The window had a metal grid, so there was no way out. I could only scream for help, which, luckily, the local guys heard and came to rescue me. I threw the key through a small window, and with a few moves, they managed to open the door from outside. After this “peaceful” start to the day, I arrived at the airport on time, but there was still a chance of missing my flight because Lion Air didn’t mark anywhere that the check-in was open. 30 minutes before departure, I walked to a random counter and asked for info, which turned out to be the Lion Air check-in. No signs, nothing.

I landed in Sorong around 10:30 am and had plenty of time to catch the ferry to Waisai (Raja Ampat). My first impression of Sorong was cool. This city isn’t the worst in Indonesia; in fact, it seems even cleaner and more organized than many others. And there’s J.CO, so we can call it civilization.

The ferry departs every day, more or less at 9 am and 2 pm, in both directions, and the ride takes 2 hours. Mine was 1 hour late, which came in handy after I figured that maybe it wasn’t the best idea to head to the islands without having accommodation. I had no clue about the current situation in Raja Ampat (what is open, how to get from A to B, etc.), but I was done travelling for the day, so I chose the closest island for the night. The guesthouse sent a boat to pick me up at Waisai, and after a 10-minute bumpy and wet ride, we arrived at Saonek.. and it felt extremely good to lie down and just sleep.

I recommend one thing tho: do not want to use the toilet in the Waisai harbour. Never. If this is the first thing you see in Raja Ampat, you will want to swim back to Sorong and never return.

Grab in Manado: 44k IDR

Grab in Sorong: 48k IDR

Ferry from Sorong to Waisai: 100k IDR

Transfer from Waisai to Saonek: 150k IDR

DAY 3

Saonek is not Raja Ampat, at least in the sense of why people visit the archipelago. It’s like a service island; only fishermen and government workers live here, and 90% are Muslim. They had seen white people before, and although I was the only bule there, they didn’t care much about me. However, you are asked to be discreet and not walk around the houses in a bikini.

The only accommodation is Saonek Dreamland Dive Center. Aris (the owner) is super kind and helpful, the meals are tasty, and the place is comfy. The only things to keep in mind are the mosquitos 24/7 and no electricity between 2-6 pm (typical tiny island vibes).

The day passed without any physical activity, but nothing changes as quickly as my plans. Not having a fixed schedule offers a lot of options, and juggling with them can feel overwhelming. I had plans A, B, C, and then D for the afternoon and the next day, but I ended up with plan E. At first, it felt like a completely wasted day, but after I let go of the self-pressure, I accepted and enjoyed the stillness. Apparently, my Raja Ampat trip wasn’t meant to be short and fast; the experience requested more time.

Guesthouse in Saonek: 635k IDR (2 nights with meals)

DAY 4

The day when I experienced the real Raja Ampat magic; specifically, how this place turns the most annoying day into the most magnificent. According to the plan, my transfer from Saonek to Kri was timed for 11 am, which I expected to arrive at noon (Indonesian style). Around 1 pm, I started getting frustrated about wasting another day. In addition, beautiful storm clouds began to say hi from the opposite island. The view was stunning, but the idea of being on a boat in this weather stressed the hell out of me.

I hate boats and anything artificial that floats on water. I’m not seasick (or at least I never was), I just don’t trust these things. At 3 pm, the boat was still nowhere, but it started pouring rain, so my anxious nervousness reached its peak. When they finally arrived at 3:30 pm, I knew this trip was a very, very, very bad idea.

I could barely hide my inner tension, especially when we reached the open water; the rough sea, heavy rain, and strong wind made me lose it. I was screaming inside that I hated this so much and wanted to get out, but being Fukushima on a rocking boat was not an option. All I could do was isolate myself from the others (they were in no better state than I was) and try to calm my mind. And honestly, I’m proud of myself because I achieved a next-level meditation. I sat in the back, facing backward, and focused on the horizon (because that bitch doesn’t move). After finding the balance of my body (like a bloody chicken), I kept imagining the depths of the sea. All the drama, the waves, and the storms happen only on the surface. In the deeps, everything is calm and flows in its own way, in its own rhythm. With these images, I ended up in a kinda trans-state and felt amazed by this lesson I had to learn (about patience, temper, and trust).

The ride in the storm took 20 minutes, and it never felt so good stepping (shakingly) on a wooden pier. After sorting out my room and smoking a cigarette (I needed it so badly), I was ready to do and see something Raja Ampat-ish. I have a thing for small sandbanks that only appear at low tide. And the afternoon was just right to visit the eastern end of Kri, where we found this:

All tension in me immediately disappeared when our boat touched the white sand. I couldn’t stop smiling, and happiness ran through every cell of my body. I felt so blessed and grateful. My doubts about Raja Ampat were replaced by excitement; I felt that things would work themselves out, so I sat back and looked forward to the next days.

Transfer from Saonek to Kri: 150k IDR

Trip to Pasir Timbul (sandbank): 50k IDR (150k IDR/boat)

DAY 5

Such a cool way to start the day, waking up to birds singing, walking to the jetty, and watching sharks swimming beneath you. Every morning. We, tourists, love it. For the locals, it’s everyday stuff.. just like a pet monitor lizard on the deck.

The main difference between Kri and Saonek is that Kri has tourists. For solo travellers, being able to join groups is a huge advantage – it’s usually more fun and much cheaper than paying for private, one-person trips. I didn’t plan to stay on Kri, but like I said, things work out if we let them.

The day brought me another first time in my life experience: swimming with manta rays. I still remember my very first encounter with stingrays in Mexico. As soon as I recognized them in the water, I pulled my arms and legs back (in a floating fetal pose) and let the waves wash me away.. as fast as possible. To me, mantas were the same, just bigger. I’m a newbie to the underwater world. Somehow, it never called me, even though I’ve always been fascinated by it through the screen. I still don’t get the thrill from fish and corals (after 30 minutes, they’re wonderfully boring), but creatures like mantas are a different story. I’m super happy because we saw three manta rays. My first thought after jumping into the water was, what if they come and slap me. (Lol, I needed a drama queen moment before the amazement.) Seeing these giant napkins floating majestically around us was mindblowing.

After this uplifting experience, we had a short visit to Arborek. This tiny island is in the middle of the Raja Ampat traffic and is therefore well-sponsored (by Indonesian banks) and Insta-ready.

For the rest of the day, I only planned an afternoon nap and a trek to the Kri Viewpoint for sunset. Well, I accomplished the siesta, but finding the viewpoint gave us some challenges – the trail was missing (overgrown by the bush), and it started raining a bit. At least the sweaty jungle hike was a good workout.

Trip to Manta Sandy & Arborek: 267k IDR (800k IDR/boat)

DAY 6

Life is all about balance, so I had a day off. After figuring that Raja Ampat wanted me to stay longer than only five days, I just gave in and enjoyed the surroundings. This was the day when I did nothing. Again. And then boom. Sunset:

DAY 7

Here comes the big fish. The main attractions of the archipelago are undoubtedly the Pam (Fam) Islands and Piaynemo. Of course, that was the bait for me, too. We had a full-day trip with the route: Kri – Piaynemo – Rufas – Yeben – Yanggelo – Arborek – Kri.

Sometimes, getting what we want doesn’t give us as much joy as we thought. This happened with Piaynemo and me. The view from the top is gorg, but it didn’t click for some reason.. and I wondered what was wrong with me.

But then I went crazy about our next stop: Rufas. What can I say.. we are different. The first steps into the lagoon made me smile, and after climbing up to the lookout, I was over the moon. I enjoyed the silence, the colours, and the shallow water (with a baby shark). Also, the deep blue water around the island is so crystal clear that you don’t need snorkels to see what’s underwater. I wanted to spend a night or two here, but it’s pretty abandoned now, so unless you’re on honeymoon, you’d feel cast away.

Our next stop was Yeben, more precisely, the tiny island next to it (baby Yeben), which amazed us with its dazzling white sand beach.

Yanggelo sits off the western tip of Gam Island. When we docked, some locals shouted to go away because one of the dogs had been missing for a few days. This translates to saltwater crocodiles. The island is covered by mangroves, which is a favoured habitat for salties. Maybe these people just didn’t want us there, but they had a bulletproof story to keep us away.

After leaving the mangrove lagoon, our boat hovered over an incredible coral reef, and I learned (again) what morons some people are. Yes, this is me judging. But what would you call someone who breaks off a 20 cm coral branch just because she cares more about looking good in her diving mask than looking around when jumping in the water? We were worried for a few seconds that she was bleeding.. but no sharks in this story.

To end the day, we had a quick stop on Arborek, then cruised back to Kri in the beautiful sunset. It was an exhausting day, but strong on visuals. If I was a checklist person, I could show my crossed-off Raja Ampat entry.

Instead, let me highlight something. What I really appreciated was our lunch. Usually, you get a lunch box on these boat trips, which includes a lot of trash, mostly plastic. This time, we enjoyed a fully served buffet with china plates and metal cutlery, so we only produced organic waste. It’s easy to overlook such details, but when you live in a country where pollution is a huge problem, you’ll recognize anything that deviates from normal behaviour and shows some improvement.

Full-day trip: 600k IDR (6 million IDR/boat)

DAY 8

Not gonna lie, I was wasted from the previous day, and getting up at 7 am for another full-day activity felt a bit heavy. Yet, I had the great opportunity to visit Batanta, which is usually out of sight. It would have been too expensive to go there alone (also less fun), and I didn’t even hope to make it there, so I couldn’t miss my one-and-only chance for things to happen. The route for the day was Kri – Batanta – Arefi – Birie – Kri.

First, we stopped at the sandbank between Kri and Batanta. Even tho I had my morning coffee, I was too tired to go in the water, but the cool creatures still showed up on the surface: flying fish (they were competing with the boat), dolphins, and a turtle.

Batanta is an island of pure wilderness. Completely covered in jungle and mostly untouched, thanks to its remote location. The incredibly multilayered greenery and the river running through the mangrove forest make it super trippy. After our boat docked, we continued on foot into the jungle to chase some waterfalls, but the trek was just as remarkable. I didn’t go to the last one, I turned back towards our boat instead. I was happy with my decision because I was alone and could listen to the sounds of the forest without any additional human noise; the birds, the insects, and the leaves blowing in the wind were magical. And even though it showered a little, the dense canopy provided enough shelter and made my walk even more charming. The only annoyance was the mosquitoes, but that’s just a default jungle feature.

We enjoyed our well-prepared lunch on Arafi (Yariffi) and did more snorkelling and cruising at Birie (Barie). Then the grand finale, the cherry on top, the non plus ultra experience: sunset with dolphins. On the way back to Kri, the colours already implied an extraordinary sunset, but when an army of dolphins appeared around us, we were pulled out of this world. Sometimes, having no expectations can bring you the most incredible happiness.

Finally, a few words about my accommodation. I ended up at Yenkoranu Homestay purely by chance (well, there was literally no other option as it was the only one operating). They provided us with everything; the room was simple (Papuan style) but alright, the staff friendly and helpful – they also fulfilled our special requests like pancakes for breakfast -, and the environment was peaceful and captivating (apart from the casual garbage hiding in the corners, of course).

Full-day trip: 600k IDR (6 million IDR/boat)

Homestay in Kri: 2 million IDR (400k IDR/night, including three meals)

DAY 9

It was time to say goodbye. After breakfast, I left for Waisai to catch the morning ferry to Sorong. I was so glad that the weather was on my side and there was no wind or rain because we were sitting in a tiny, narrow boat this time.

Before my next adventure, I had a layover in Sorong. I still don’t understand why people complain about this city; you can find everything you need, and nobody cares about you walking around. Maybe I’m the unicorn, but I don’t see a problem here.

Transfer from Kri to Waisai: 300k IDR

Ferry from Waisai to Sorong: 100k IDR

Raja Ampat is such a provocative place. The archipelago did the trick of turning ordinary days into special ones. It shocked me from time to time and elevated the experience beyond measure. Do I regret bringing myself to this honeymoon destination? Well.. it surely would have been different with someone, but I was not alone. And I’m so lucky to come here now; this Covid drama has the positive side effect of dropping prices closer to their actual value and making crowds disappear, which results in more nature and a once-in-a-lifetime adventure.

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