Raja Ampat
Trip 1: March 1-12, 2023
Trip 2: March 29-April 5, 2023
Raja Ampat, Indonesia is right in the heart of the Coral Triangle and has over 1,500 islands. Many scientists believe Raja
Ampat has the most coral and fish diversity in the world! According to Conservation International marine surveys suggest that the marine life diversity in the Raja Ampat area is the highest recorded on earth. We have the southern route booked for trip 1, which includes Misool which is one of the best areas in Raja. The Raja Ampat area is known for mantas, black tip reef sharks, muck diving (frogfish, mimic/wonderpus octopus, blue rings, pygmy seahorses, cuddle fish, nudibranchs).
Raja Ampat means ‘Four Kings’. In an archipelago of over 1,500 small islands there are four main islands or ‘kings’– Waigeo, Salawati, Batanta, Misool.
Trip Details:
Hop on board the beautiful Coralia liveaboard. The Coralia is a classic Phinisi. It was built in Bira, Sulawesi by the Konjo tribe, who have been building cargo ships for centuries. Blending ancient techniques and wisdom with modern design and safety features, Coralia is one of the few Phinisi equipped with two engines.
Coralia’s name comes from the word ‘coral‘ and the Latin ending of ‘-ia’, so ‘Coral-ia‘ means ‘Nation of Corals’.
The Coralia has won the Dive Travel Awards "Best Liveaboard" in 2019 and 2021.
On trip 1 we will head south to the Misool area, then work our way up north to Wayag, and lastly down to Dampier Strait before heading back to Sorong. For more details on this itinerary, click here.
On trip 2 we will head north to the Wayag area and the incredible dive sites in that area of Raja and work our way back to Sorong via Dampier Strait. For more details on this itinerary, click here.
Dates:
March 1-12, 2023 & March 29-April 5, 2023
Duration:
Trip 1: 11 nights/12 days
Trip 2: 7 nights/8 days
Package Cost:
Trip 1:
Master Suites: $5346.00 USD per person
Lower Deck Suites: $4890.00 USD per person
Trip 2:
Master Suites: $4100 pp. USD per person
Lower Deck Suites: $3475 pp. USD per person
Exclusions:
Dive gear rental
Massages
Alcoholic beverages
Park Fees: $295 USD per person (paid on board)
Airfare: International & Domestic
Travel Insurance / DAN dive Insurance
Crew tips
Hotel in Sorong prior/after trip if required
Price Includes:
11 nights/7 nights onboard the beautiful Coralia vessel
(refer to https://www.coralia-liveaboard.com/)3-4 dives a day (includes tanks and weights. Other equipment not included)
Presentations on marine wildlife
Travel and explore with a marine biologist and educational expert
Photography and editing advice provided.
Friendly & fun atmosphere
Certified dive guides and amazing cruise directors
Private charter for our group only, to assist with Covid restrictions.
*Updates will be sent prior to departure.3 meals a day plus snacks, water, tea, coffee, soft drinks
Group size limited to 16 including trip leaders
Getting to Raja Ampat:
To/From North America:
Travel to Indonesia is typically flown via Tokyo or Hong Kong or other Asian gateway cities (depending on the airline) and connecting onward to Jakarta (CGK).
It is recommended to arrive in Jakarta a day prior to your flight to Sorong.
To/From Australia:
Travel to Indonesia is typically flown nonstop (from SYD) or with connecting flights via Singapore or Malaysia and connecting onward to Jakarta (CGK).
It is recommended to arrive in Jakarta a day prior to your flight to Sorong.
Trip 1: Arrival into Jakarta by Feb 28, 2023 (late afternoon at the latest)
Connect onward to Sorong (SOQ). Most of the flights to Sorong are typically red-eyes from Jakarta. To avoid an overnight stay in Sorong the current suggested flights are:
Batik Air #ID 7797, March 1, 2023 12:35am-6:30am
Garuda Air #GA 682(Sky Team partner) Feb 28, 2023, 11:55pm-6:05am
You will be met by Coralia staff who will bring you directly to the boat. If you'd like to arrive in Sorong a day before, you are more than welcome to and the suggested hotel is the Swiss Belhotel. The Coralia staff will pick you up and bring you to the boat on March 1, 2023.
Departure on March 12, 2023 can be at anytime, the Coralia staff will bring you back to the airport for your departing flight. If you are continuing onto another resort or elsewhere in Raja Ampat, just let us know so we can coordinate with the Coralia team.
Trip 2: Arrival into Jakarta by March 28, 2023 (late afternoon at the latest)
Connect onward to Sorong (SOQ). Most of the flights to Sorong are typically red-eyes from Jakarta. To avoid an overnight stay in Sorong the current suggested flights are:
Garuda Air #682 (Sky Team partner) March 29, 2023 12:30am-6:35am
Batik #7797 March 29, 2023 12:05am-6:10am
You will be met by Coralia staff who will bring you directly to the boat. If you'd like to arrive in Sorong a day before, you are more than welcome to and the suggested hotel is the Swiss Belhotel. The Coralia staff will pick you up and bring you to the boat on March 29, 2023.
Departure on April 5, 2023 can be at anytime, the Coralia staff will bring you back to the airport for your departing flight. If you are continuing onto another resort or elsewhere in Raja Ampat, just let us know so we can coordinate with the Coralia team.
Flights on Garuda might still offer 23kg per person for dive gear. Be ready to show Scuba certification cards at check in and that your extra baggage is made up of dive equipment.
Please keep in mind, flying on early morning flights departing from Sorong will restrict the number of dives you will be able to do on the last full day on board. Generally there will be two morning dives on the last day commencing around 1pm.
Master Cabins on the Coralia Liveaboard
More About Raja Ampat:
600+ species of coral are found in Raja Ampat – the entire Caribbean Sea has only 58 species
1,669 species of fish have been recorded to date (December 2019)
374 fish species were identified during one 90-minute dive at Cape Kri in Dampier Strait.
42 fish species are native to the region.
17 °C temperature range – the corals in Raja Ampat are regularly subjected to variations in temperatures from 19 (66oF) to 36 (97oF) degrees Celsius. The coral seems to be naturally adapted to massive fluctuations in temperature than are far higher than the ones predicted by climatologists over the next 50 years.
The official language is Bahasa Indonesia. Although there are over 300 different native languages spoken in Indonesia.
How to Secure Your Spot:
Please note that this trip has limited spots, so you will need to get in quick to secure your booking. The following payments will be required:
$700 USD to secure your spot
25% of the balance due
75% of the balance due
We will be in touch via e-mail for your payment and provide individual invoices. We would recommend purchasing your flights into Jakarta as soon as possible to secure reasonably priced flights.
To book and check for available spaces email: kim@designedforscuba.com
Terms and Conditions
Designed for Scuba highly recommends you purchase travel and dive insurance as soon as possible after confirming your travel plans.
Evidence of adequate travel and dive insurance must be provided prior to departure.
Bookings made more than 100 days out from the start of a trip require a deposit of $700 US per passenger to secure your booking.
All deposit/s are non-refundable.
Bookings made less than 100 days out from tour commencement require payment in full to secure your booking.
Payment in full is required 100 days out from the start of the tour. We will email you a final payment reminder. No refund will be given within 100 days of the start of any trip, under any circumstances.
If our In-Country Providers cancel or if aForce Majeure Event occurs, meaning any act of God, war, terrorism, fire, flood or any other extreme weather conditions, loss of power, epidemics or pandemics, industrial disputes, slow-downs or other strike activities, riots or civil disturbances, acts of government, semi government or other authorities, inability to obtain any necessary license or consent and delays caused by sub-contractors, suppliers or other third parties (including telecommunications carriers), material shortages or other disruption to the trip beyond our control, Designed for Diving shall not be held responsible for matters outside of our control or any failure to deliver the trip.
Please ensure you understand our cancellation policy prior to providing any money and agreeing to the booking and trip.
Current Entry Requirements
The requirements for entering Indonesia for international travelers (foreign citizen) are as follows:
(as of July 18, 2022)
Take possession of Proof of Vaccination or Vaccination Certificate (physical or digital).
Download and make use of app of PeduliLindungi. (iOS link, Android link ).
There is no need to present a Negative proof of RT-PCR test.
There is no need to present proof of health insurance.
More info can be found here: https://kemlu.go.id/losangeles/en/news/11727/update-indonesia-travel-restrictions