The Raja Ampat Island archipelago (‘The Last Paradise on Earth’) in West Papua is comprised of several hundred jungle-covered islands, and is known for coral reefs rich with marine life. Raja Ampat has been a Marine Protected Area created by West Papua’s Bird Head Seascape initiative since 2004. All fishing and hunting activities have been banned within the 300,000-acre area resulting in a 250% increase in fish biomass along with a rebound of shark populations.
How I booked the award flight to Indonesia
I used Kris Flyer miles to book a Singapore Airlines business class flight from JFK to Bali. See the image below for a sample award booking for October 2023. It is easy to find business class award space on Singapore Airlines with several months of advance booking. Singapore miles are transfer partners of all major credit card points.
Similar Singapore Airlines flights can also be booked using either Alaska (free stopover in Singapore) or Aeroplan miles.
Jakarta to Sorong (SOQ)
Jakarta to Sorong economy flights tend to be pricey and outbound flights are mostly overnight. Garuda Indonesia flights can be booked with ANA, Delta or Flying Blue points. To find the available award space, one must call customer service, since the web-search engines either do not recognize the Sorong City Airport code or result in error messages.
Sorong Airport to Raja Ampat Island Transfers
- I highly recommend prearranging the airport pick-up and transfer service through your Raja Ampat accommodation.
- Hotels typically charge 2.5 million Indonesian Rupiah (IDR) (~$160USD) per person each way (5.5 million per group) for the pick up & transfer service.
- This service includes pick up from Sorong airport in a taxi to the harbor (15 mins), then transfer in the Bahari Express ferry to Waisai (2 hours) and finally to the hotel.
Raja Ampat Accommodation
I recommend looking for all inclusive resorts (free breakfast, lunch, dinner, water, coffee and tea) when visiting the Raja Ampat Islands, which are easy to find on booking.com. It is rare to find air-conditioning for rooms in these islands, but fans will be provided. I encourage visitors to get a full price list of all your planned activities (e.g., snorkeling, diving) from the hotel at the time of booking.
Raja Ampat Scenery
Summary
Raja Ampat archipelago contains some of the most beautiful islands in the world and must be visited by travelers visiting Indonesia. Interested visitors should be aware of the significant cost involved for the flights, transfer service and the accommodation. The whole process is similar to the Maldives, but much cheaper and more memorable because it is not frequently visited.