If you had watched The Beach movie starring Leonardo Di Caprio, you will find the same impression when visiting Raja Ampat. The lost paradise deserved to be named for this place because in fact Indonesians personally often didnt know about this place. The beautiful coast, white sand and underwater scenery that were beautiful became the attraction of Raja Ampat.
The Raja Ampat, or “Four Kings,” archipelago encompasses more than 9.8 million acres of land and sea off the northwestern tip of Indonesia’s West Papua Province. Located in the Coral Triangle, the heart of the world’s coral reef biodiversity, the seas around Raja Ampat possibly hold the richest variety of species in the world.
The area’s massive coral colonies show that its reefs are resistant to threats like coral bleaching and disease —threats that now jeopardize the survival of corals around the world. In addition, Raja Ampat’s strong ocean currents sweep coral larvae across the Indian and Pacific Oceans to replenish other reef ecosystems. Raja Ampat’s coral diversity, resilience to threats, and ability to replenish reefs make it a global priority for marine protection.
Many international underwater photographers captured the attraction of sea Raja Ampat. Moreover there are those that came repeatedly and made the book special about beauty of the coral reef and this biota of region sea. Last mid 2006, the special team from the foremost scientific adventure magazine the world, National Geographic, made coverage in Raja Ampat that will become the main report in 2007.
The trip to Raja Ampat was expensive enough, you must prepare around 15k-30k USD /person. From Jakarta you would transit in Menado, afterwards it was continued to Sorong, will take up time around 6 hours. From Sorong the trip was continued by leasing the ship boat or yacht. In Raja Ampat you could choose sleep above yacht or at the resort, both are expensive enough.
Popularity: 54%
August 24th, 2008 at 7:25 pm
Wow! That is very expensive then to go to King AMpat! I bet only people with much money can afford it. Too bad. I dream to visit Indonesia.
August 24th, 2008 at 7:31 pm
What a picturesque spot. Not long before in the history, Papua- New Guinea was a dreaded place as the cannibals were present. Now the course of the modernisation and tourism has probably driven them to a remote corner. I would surely love to chill out in a place like this. Good coverage with lovely pics.
August 24th, 2008 at 7:48 pm
These Paradise spots are really gems of this ravaged Earth and funny you should post about this place as I was looking at Bhutan last night also as a lost Shangri La. Not many places like this left due to the pollution etc.
August 24th, 2008 at 8:56 pm
Raja Ampat means ‘four kings’ and is a group of four islands of the coast of West Papua (formally Irian Jaya) at the far eastern end of Indonesia. The four islands are individually known as Misool, Salawati, Batanta and Waiego. Raja Ampat is a relatively new and unknown area in terms of diving and can justifiably claim to be unspoilt and pristine by virtue of it’s geographical location. Nowadays, Raja’s islands have become one of the most famous places to go diving in all of Asia, thanks to the area’s pristine coral reefs and incredible diversity of marine life. I hope, me and my family, can visit it. I’m Indonesian, I do love my country very much.
August 24th, 2008 at 11:04 pm
Awesome snap……….especially the island one…..superb
August 25th, 2008 at 6:02 pm
it is especially the island one.very very beautiful isla. I want go ampat BUT that is very expensive then to go to King AMpat! And Do you know?
Located off the northwest tip of Bird’s Head Peninsula on the island of New Guinea, Raja Ampat, or the Four Kings, is an archipelago comprising over 1,500 small islands, cays and shoals surrounding the four main islands of Misool, Salawati, Batanta and Waigeo. It encompasses more than 9.8 million acres (40,000 km²) of land and sea, which also contains Cenderawasih Bay, the largest marine national park in Indonesia. It is a part of the newly named West Papua (province) of Indonesia which was formerly Irian Jaya.
According to the Conservation International Rapid Assessment Bulletin the marine life diversity is considerably greater than all other areas sampled in the Coral Triangle of Indonesia, Philippines and Papua New Guinea. The Coral Triangle is the heart of the world’s coral reef biodiversity, the seas around Raja Ampat are possibly the richest in the world. The area’s massive coral colonies show that its reefs are resistant to threats like coral bleaching and disease - threats that now jeopardise the survival of corals around the world, though the area is remote and relatively untouched by humans. In addition, Raja Ampat’s strong ocean currents sweep coral larvae across the Indian and Pacific Oceans to replenish other reef ecosystems. Raja Ampat’s coral diversity, resilience, and ability to replenish reefs make it a global priority for marine protection, as human activity here has the potential to be catastrophic.
Over 1,070 fish species, 537 coral species (a remarkable 96% of all scleratinia recorded from Indonesia are likely to occur in these islands), and 699 mollusc species, the variety of marine life is staggering.[citation needed] Some areas boast enormous schools of fish and regular sightings of sharks, such as wobbegongs.
August 30th, 2008 at 12:25 am
i love that second photo…
did you captured that island from the sky..?
September 19th, 2008 at 1:42 pm
hmmm… this place is really the greatest place to go in indonesia.
September 24th, 2008 at 5:37 am
[…] clipped from amazingindonesia.net […]
October 28th, 2008 at 10:20 pm
wow what a great sight…..