Indonesia

Raja Ampat

Raja Ampat or ‘Four Kings’, is the name given to these islands and comes from a local myth. Located in the heart of The Coral Triangle, Raja Ampat is known to have the richest coral reef ecosystem in the world. The main areas offering itineraries for liveaboard scuba diving are: Raja Ampat, Banda Sea and Triton Bay. If you haven’t experienced the diving in this area, it is fantastic due to the diversity and abundance of marine life. The area of the Four Kings is comprised of over 1500 islands and home to 600 types of corals, 1,500 fish species and over 600 types of mollusks.

The Derawan Islands (Kepulauan Derawan) are located off the eastern coast of Borneo (East Kalimantan Province) in Indonesia, in the famous Celebes Sea.



Getting There, Passports & Visa Documentation
Ports
• Raja Ampat - main port: Sorong Harbor, Sorong City (West Palua Province), Indonesia
• Tarakan - to be announced
• Ambon Harbor at Ambon City (Moluccas Province), Indonesia
• Kaimana Harbor at Kaimana City (West Papua Province), Indonesia

Visitors must have a current passport, adequate funds to support themselves, and a return airline ticket. US citizens require a passport that must be valid for 6 months from date of entry.

** Passport Requirement The Indonesia National Park Authority requires each guests passport information 7 days prior to departure to process a required diving permit. Your passport information will be taken from the GIS and sent to the yacht. Failure to complete this withing this time frame will result in being denied permission to dive on the charter start date.

It is the travelers’ responsibility to ensure they have the proper visa to travel into each country on his or her itinerary as well as for re-entry and return to their country. Since regulations vary by country, contact your consulate or embassy of your country for the requirement.

Arrival/Boarding/Departure
For all itineraries, the flight arrival times are in the morning and afternoon. We highly recommend guests overnight the day before departure at a local hotel then guests will be picked up at 12 pm upon checkout (on day of charter departure) and transferred to the yacht as long as guests are staying in the vicinity of where the yacht docks.

Sorong/Sorong: Boarding 1 pm with yacht departure 4 pm; Check Out 8 am
Sorong/Ambon: Boarding 1 pm with yacht departure 4 pm; Check Out 8 am
Sorong/Biak: Boarding 1 pm with yacht departure 4 pm; Check Out 8 am
Ambon/Sorong: Boarding 3 pm with yacht departure 4 pm; Check Out 8 am

Dinner is served onboard the last evening of the charter. The morning of check out and departure from the yacht in Sorong, guests are provided complimentary entrance to the MEC (Misool Filling Station), a restaurant/cafe resting place in Sorong while waiting for a flight when departing. They offer complimentary snacks, drink, Wi-Fi, comfortable armchairs in ac room, luggage storage and porterage from and to the taxi.


Hotels recommended are:
• Sorong - Marina Mamberamo - Should you wish to arrive early and overnight before your Raja Ampat cruise we recommend the Marina Mamberamo Hotel. Sorong is a small city and the airport and most of the hotels are located 10 minutes from the Sorong Harbor where you will board the RAJA AMPAT AGGRESSOR™.
• Ambon - Maluku Divers Resort and Dive Into Ambon Dive Resort are located 10 minutes from the airport and guests can embark and disembark safely from there. Dive Into Ambon is located 40 minutes away.
• Kaimana - Kaimana Beach Hotel is brand new and the only hotel in town. It is located 45 minutes from the airport and 30 minutes from where guests will board the RAJA AMPAT AGGRESSOR™. For Kaimana trips, it is recommended to overnight in Ambon. There are daily morning flights from Ambon to Kaimana.

Diving
Raja Ampat charters:
7-night trips: 22 dives
10-night: 33 dives

Derawan Islands charters:
7-night trips: 22 dives

Crossing trips:
10-night (Sorong-Ambon, Ambon-Kaimana, Kaimana-Sorong): up to 31 dives
11-night (Sorong-Ambon 2018 and onwards, Maumere-Bali): up to 36 dives
12-night (Sorong-Lembeh, Ambon-Maumere): up to 39 dives