Raja Ampat – a place that not only sounds magical, but most people
don’t even know of. Raja Ampat is situated on our beautiful planet and
was on our travel list a few years ago.
After diving trips to
Komodo Islands and Alor (both in Indonesia), it almost seemed that our
list could not be topped with a better (dive) vacation. We got curious
after reading an article about the discovery of unknown species and the
hidden skulls on the islands around Raja Ampat. After getting together
all available information, we finally bought the tickets to Sorong in
West Papua (also known as Irian Jaya). You have to know, flying in
Indonesia is not always the smoothest (plus I’m a little scaredy-cat
when it comes to planes) and getting to Sorong needed a change of planes
in Makassar. We stayed in Makassar in Sulawesi for a two day stop-over
until we continued our journey.
Arriving with Merpati Nusantara Airlines in Makassar.
The
Merpati flight to Sorong was quite bumpy and you couldn’t see much
because the sky was covered with thick clouds. No land could be seen
during the descent, therefore the landing approach was going to be
difficult (I might add at this point that Sorong Airport does not have
landing lights, so if the pilot can’t see he even won’t be guided by
those lights). After circling for half an hour, the pilot braced himself
and went down through an air pocket that opened up – it was one hell of
a hard landing!
Sorong is a prospering jungle town focusing on
upcoming oil findings. We booked into the hotel opposite of the airport
(because it was first of all the “nicest” place and we would be picked
up from there the next day) and started to explore the area.
We were
lucky because on this day, the town hosted a national motorbike event …
a little bit like the local Formula 1. It was a 125ccm motorbike
competition and everybody (male) between the ages of 8 to 80 was there
to cheer for their favorite racers. It really was a great thing to watch
these guys dressed in full gear, racing on their tuned and chipped up
scooters. Quite entertaining.
Getting ready for the race...
The crowd is watching the race carefully.
Who will be the winner?
Even with these "little" bikes, a crash can happen.
After
that we (of course) walked around the local market and I think that we
must have been one of he few white people there to do so (ever). The
market was as colorful as elsewhere and the busiest place in town. The
minute we arrive, we were the talk of the day and we were followed by a
huge crowd.
On the next day our boat was ready to leave. It took
about one hour to get to Pulau Kri. Back then, there were not that many
resorts in Raja Ampat but we booked ourselves into a very beautiful
resort, which was run by a Dutch, called “
Kri Eco Resort“.
It really turned out to be a great choice; everything was organized,
all the dive gear (I only brought my own Octopus & BCD) and dive
boats were in order, the staff was fantastic because they looked after
everyone’s well being all the time and the food was delicious. The
bungalows where also very nice – simple, but nice. They were built right
above the water as you can see in the picture. It was wonderful!
The resort on Pulau Kri in Raja Ampat.
Diving
around the islands of Raja Ampat is … how can I describe it … simply
breathtaking! Literally, after the first dive you want to immediately do
the next one or never even leave the water at all. I was busy diving
3-4 times a day, always with one dive guide and group of maximum 4
people (nice!). I did cave dives, current dives (where you get sucked
through small waterways between islands) & night dives. It was
simply an unforgettable experience to dive with great Manta rays,
sharks, or turtles. The reef is untouched and I couldn’t explain what
kind of color explosion happened down at 40 meters. Truly fantastic!
Diving with a school of Baracudas in Raja Ampat.
Diving in these "lake-like" surroundings was fantastic.
But
not only the underwater scene of Raja Ampat was magical; we went on
boat tours to uninhabited islets, walked along untouched
beaches,
ate freshly picked coconuts by our dive guides and we visited villages
hardly ever seen by western people. If you know hard-core divers you’ll
know that they are usually not very interested in things above water but
we wanted to get to know the paradise we stayed in for three full
weeks. The villages were surrounded by virgin jungle and the locals were
more than friendly. Everyone greeted us with open arm, smiled and
especially the kids were so excited that we were there with our video-
& photo equipment. They had a blast when we showed them their
pictures.
But, even at these remote places we met one Chinese
man who traded for coffee, exotic birds, sea cucumbers, and other
strange or protected animals (that have a high price and are used as
Chinese medicine). He was definitely not happy to see us wandering
around there…
Uninhabitated islands can still be found in Raja Ampat.
The kids got so excited when we showed them their own video.
This is just one of the many fantastic beaches in Raja Ampat.
Me with a bunch of kids in tow.
With
the boat we also passed strange looking rock formations with little
caves where human skulls were places … nobody really knows how and by
whom they were brought there. The people of Raja Ampat are afraid of the
dead and therefore cemeteries are far away from the villages. The
graves are usually covered with a little house and these constructions
really did look a bit spooky even to us…
Human skulls in Raja Ampat.
A typical graveyard in Raja Ampat.
All
in all, the trip there was one of the most memorable ever. Whether
you’re a diver or not, Raja Ampat will take your breath away.
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