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Itinerary - 12 Days 11 Nights
The above rates are per person per trip and subject to change. Please note these fees are in line with third party supplier costs.
Day one starts with your pickup from either your hotel or the airport. If we are picking you up from your hotel, it is generally around 07:30 – 08:00, if you are arriving on the day of departure, it is important that your arrival time is before 07:30. We will then head directly to Sorong Port, where you will be taken to the vessel.
Once onboard you will be met by the Cruise Director and a welcome drink. After you have been shown to your rooms and unpacked your luggage, itʼs time for a welcome briefing before we have some lunch, then you have some time to relax and soak up the amazing surroundings en route to our clearance point, and then onwards to our first dive of the trip.
Our ‘welcome diveʼ is usually conducted at the nearby island of Saonek Kecil. The waters are generally calm, and is a perfect spot to get the diving going. After the check out dive you can get nice and comfortable in your new surroundings and get excited about the first full day of diving tomorrow.
Whilst in the central Dampier Strait we will conduct 4 dives. This is what we typically aim for in a day throughout the trip, although some days are a little different as the number of dives may be reduced by doing a land tour or having to do a large crossing from one region to another (Raja Ampat is a big place!).
The typical schedule is morning dive, breakfast, mid morning dive, lunch, afternoon dive, afternoon snack, night dive, dinner…. DIVE, EAT, SLEEP REPEAT! The top dive sites in this area are Blue Magic Dive Site, home to majestic Oceanic Manta Rays, and other large pelagics such as Spanish Mackerel and Bigeye Trevally. Next up is one of the Dampier Straitʼs highlights, we will head to the nearby island of Mioskon Dive Site, to dive its spectacularly colourful reef with an assortment of large bommies encrusted with hard and soft corals.
This will also be our anchor spot later on, and in the evening, we may get a chance to see nocturnal flying foxes leave Mioskon in large numbers as they begin their day. After a hearty lunch, we will dive the amazing Friwen Dive Site. Here you will have the chance to see some great pelagic action with Long Jaw Mackerel and Black Tip Reef Sharks a plenty. We will give you a bit of a break from diving until the sun is setting and we are ready to jump into the water for the first night dive of our trip. Starting off with a bang we visit Batu Lima Dive Site, to look for the nocturnal Raja Ampat walking shark! Your first endemic nocturnal Raja Ampat species for the trip.
Cape Kri, arguably the top house reef in the world, was made famous by Raja Ampat pioneer Max Ammer, and is next on the itinerary. The other dive sites we will be visiting today are dive on Kriʼs south coast, in Yenbuba Villageʼs Jetty Dive Site.
Our other site for the day is Sawandarek Jetty Dive Site, further down the southern coast of Kri island, is where you will probably feel like youʼre in an aquarium – only the fish are incredibly numerous, wild and free. Both of these sites are stunning dives and we are normally met by the smiles of the village children sitting on the jetty as we surface. As an added bonus we have also been known to see giant Oceanic Manta Rays around Sawandarek from time to time. This will be our anchor point for the night as you soak in the stunning sunset colour changes and views over the tranquil village.
Our morning kicks off at the tranquil Manta Sandy Dive Site, for an opportunity to dive with the Manta Ray population often located here on the cleaning station. We then head to Gam Island. There are some great dive sites around this area with vibrant fish covered reefs and plenty of stunning macro subjects.
Two sites we regularly visit in Gam are Citrus Ridge Dive Site and Mayhem Dive Site. Citrus ridge is aptly named for the plethora of orange and yellow soft corals on the reef. Mayhem gets itʼs name from the intensity of pelagic feeding frenzies amongst the schools of bait fish on the top of the submerged sea mount.
Awake bright and early to witness sunrise north of the equator as you have just passed from the southern hemisphere to the northern hemisphere overnight. Jump on our tenders as we go cruising between the limestone formations that make up the island of Wayag, in preparation for the morningʼs hike.
These limestone islands and pinnacles have become synonymous with Raja Ampat, and the bay is also home to the worlds first confirmed Manta Ray nursery. The best time to hike this hill is early morning before temperatures rise, the rewards for climbing are well worth it. The beaches here are also pristine, with fine white sand and turquoise waters surrounding the limestone cliffs of the islands.
After getting back from the hike we will start sailing to Kawe, an island located exactly on the equator and is also one of our favourite islands to dive in north of Raja Ampat.
Dive sites visited here are very heavily dependent on day-to-day unpredictable conditions such as swell, but one of our favourite sites in the area is a very colourful coral reef (somewhat ironically) known as Black Rock Dive Site. Eagle Rock Dive Site (which comprises 3 separate dive sites) is well known for its Pygmy Seahorse as well as its Manta populations, and we will dive these sites early afternoon.
Melissaʼs Garden Dive Site is undoubtedly the top dive in this area, with a staggering number of coral and fish species packed into this small piece of marine real estate. It gets its name
from an amazing hard coral garden situated on a reef between 3 small islands. Its beauty needs to be seen to be believed. Another one of the places we may visit today is Keruo Channel Dive Site.
A great gentle drift dive down a mini wall and slope on the edge of Keru Island. One of our other favourites we often visit in this area is Batu Rufus Dive Site. This dramatic dive site has a 40m plus drop off wall to the blue. Amazing views when you sit at 20 meters depth and look up and down at the stark landscape you are floating between.
The iconic limestone pinnacles have become as a much a part of the Raja Ampat experience as the diving has, and Pianemo lagoon/lookout is just one of many such stunning formations. The best time to hike this hill is late afternoon, when the temperature has dropped and the lighting starts to turn golden, but the rewards for climbing are well worth it.
On day 7 you will wake up by the majestic islands of Pianemo for 2 more dives before we leave this area. Dive sites may vary on the day, but a couple that we like to do are Galaxy and My Reef. Galaxy has a nice mini wall to explore that’s exploding with soft corals and black coral. My Reef is always a very fishy dive, Barracuda’s, Wobbegongs and Black Tip Reef Sharks love this spot.
In the afternoon as you relax, we will set sail for the southern islands of Raja Ampat, the biggest crossing of the trip will have you waking up tomorrow morning in Misool.
Misool is a huge island, with an overwhelming multitude of smaller, satellite island clusters. There are in fact numerous “regions” within this area itself. If being surrounded by limestone pinnacles does not instill in you a sense of awe, doing a night dive amongst these towering peaks surely will! Today we will show you the dive sites around Wayil, where you will undoubtedly experience the feeling of being far, far away from the rest of civilization … An outstanding selection of dive sites are located fairly close to each other in Wayil, one of which is the blockbuster – Four Kings Dive Site, a group of towering pinnacles which are almost too large to circumnavigate in a single dive, which also happens to attract giant Oceanic Manta Rays.
Giant Trevally, Napoleon Wrasse, and large Snapper are all often found here. Another favourite we will dive into is Barracuda Rock Dive Site, a pinnacle with an unusual underwater cavern, which is also home to a patrolling tribe of schooling Barracuda. Neptuneʼs Sea Fan Dive Site is another great spot we regularly visit here, it gets its name from the vast number of gorgonian sea fans on the site.
The diving in this part of Misool is filled with the pristine coral life in the heart of Misool and Giant Manta Rays, close to the Eco Resort. Whale Rock Dive Site, Tank Rock Dive Site and Nudi Rock Dive Site are all abundant in beautiful soft coral and schools of fish, and conditions and logistics with Misool Eco Resort will decide which of the sites are dived.
Weather permitting due to itʼs open ocean location, we will dive Shadow Reef Dive Site (a.k.a. Karang Bayangan/Magic Mountain), undoubtedly the blockbuster dive site in this remote corner of Raja Ampat, located in the unprotected southern waters of Misool. You can often find huge Manta Rays gliding across this incredibly ‘hard to beatʼ dive site.
One of our dives today is at the iconic Boo Window Dive Site. Unique in topography, the reef has window-like swim-throughs and a great chance for some wide-angle photos. Secret: the sea fans here often conceal Pygmy Seahorses! Anchovy Dive Site is one of my personal favourites on this day. An explosive dive site where you can see schools of Mobula Rays dart in amongst schools of anchovies scattering them for just long enough for you to have a window through the reef to the circling Mantas on the cleaning station on the other side.
Yilliet Kecil is the night dive around here that is not to be missed, with excellent sea fan growth and stunning bommies to explore. There are also hidden beaches in this area if you fancy an
evening beach walk all by yourself.
On the penultimate day of the trip, we will start at Andiamo Dive Site. Another spectacular site to end up your southern Raja Ampat journey at. Here you will see Pygmy seahorse, hunting Giant Trevallies and Barracudaʼs galore. The final dive of your trip will conclude on Warna Berwarna Dive Site, you can expect lots of seafans, schooling Fusiliers and Bumphead Parrot Fish.
Our journey to Sorong may take around 18 hours depending on currents and prevailing weather conditions. But after an incredible trip, our crew will make sure youʼre comfortable while they prepare a night of food, song, and dance to party the night away with you while we set sail for Sorong.
La Galigo will be anchored up in the morning around 5:00 A.M. in Sorong, in preparation for you to catch your flight, or check in to your hotel.
Guests are welcome to stay onboard until 11:00 A.M., and our staff will assist you with transportation to your desired location. After breakfast, guests may also take the time to exchange photos and swap contact details to keep in touch with new friends and dive buddies!
La Galigo does not guarantee this outlined itinerary, and it is to be considered as a rough guideline. Information compiled here is based on past trips we have conducted, and includes common dive sites and routes we often visit. Weather and sea conditions in the area can be unpredictable, and La Galigo retains the right to alter an itinerary from advice of the shipʼs captain, cruise director, or owner for the safety of the vessel, its passenger and crew.
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