Last updated on August 27th, 2026 at 02:07 pm
Most divers know that when it comes to scuba and snorkelling, Raja Ampat is the creme-de-la-creme of locations. It is quite literally the most biodiverse marine environment in the world, known amongst the diving community as ‘The Last Paradise’ – due to its untouched landscapes with crystal-clear turquoise lagoons, lush jungles and pristine coral reefs.
Part of the reason that Raja Ampat has remained so unspoiled is that getting there is no easy feat, so in this post I will explain how to get to Raja Ampat step-by-step, as well as give advice on all the marine passes and permits you need to acquire.
Check out my other article: Scuba Diving in the Underwater Wonderland of Raja Ampat — to read about where I stayed, how much I spent and what I thought of the dives!
CONTENTS
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may get a commission if you purchase through this website, at no extra cost to you. I only link to products I use and love.
About Raja Ampat
Raja Ampat literally translates to ‘four kings’ to represent the four major islands of the archipelago – Waigeo, Misool, Salawati, and Batanta; but this entire region actually encompasses over 1500 small islands, cays, and shoals, all sitting at the heart of the Coral Triangle.
What makes Raja Ampat amazing for diving is that it sits at the intersection of major ocean currents, which funnel in a massive amount of nutrients, along with 1700 species of fish, Mantas, Sharks, Whales, Dolphins, and Turtles.
Yes, more currents mean more marine life – as I can attest to whilst diving in Komodo— so be prepared for a few drift dives. I definitely met my match at Raja Ampat’s Cape Kri, which was my most challenging dive to date due to fast-switching currents.
Aside from the incredible marine life, another great thing about Raja Ampat is that it is not overcrowded, which you may find surprising, considering what’s happened to other ‘best in the world’ locations like Everest Base Camp and Machu Picchu…
This is partly due to tourism growing through sustainable, community-focused development, like eco-friendly homestays that contribute to marine conservation. However, the main reason, I believe, is that it is a pain in the neck to get to Raja Ampat.
The multiple legs and long length of the journey to Raja Ampat is what keeps its visitor numbers to just 30,000 a year or less, compared to Bali’s 16 million plus. This is great for the reef, as fewer tourists means less waste produced, fewer clumsy feet bashing coral and less crowding at the most popular dive sites.
So even though getting to Raja Ampat was an arduous expedition, I for one hope the journey doesn’t get any easier. There’s nothing like a 2-day, multi-legged journey on a mixture of planes, ferries and speedboats to separate the wheat from the chaff and keep the Bali Babes away from Raja Ampat’s precious, fragile ecosystem.
Not sure what to pack for your trip to Indonesia? Check out the I Dream of Mangoes article:
The Only Female Backpacking Packing List You’ll Ever Need
MY RAJA AMPAT PACKING ESSENTIALS:
Stugeron (the only travel sickness tablets that work for me)
Visas and Marine Passes for Raja Ampat
UK Citizens can get an eVisa or a Visa on Arrival for Indonesia for 30 days, and you can extend this once while in situ to stay for a maximum of 60 days in one visit.
Nowadays, the extension application can be done online, but you will still need to visit an immigration office to get your biometrics done. This process is a little complicated, so I have written a whole other blog post on extending your visa in Indonesia (coming soon).
The cost of the initial 30-day visa is 500k IDR, so just over 20 GBP. We applied for ours two days before we were due to enter Indonesia, at the same time as the All Indonesia Application (also mandatory). This meant when we arrived in Indonesia, we just scanned our passports at the e-gates and didn’t have to stop and queue at immigration at all.
And, as well as your Indonesian visa, for Raja Ampat specifically, you’ll need two fairly costly passes:
This first one is the international tourist fee, which is 1million IDR (41 GBP). All foreign travellers have to buy this, and you can get it online (and print it) or buy it at the harbour in Waisai.
My advice to you would be to DO IT ONLINE. It will save you from joining a huge queue of pushy people at Waisai Harbour.
The second one is the Marine Park Fee at 700,000 IDR (30 GBP) – you should also do it online and print it out before you arrive.
Getting to Raja Ampat, a Step-by-Step Guide
You’ll need to dig deep for the journey, as even if you’re relatively nearby (like we were in Australia), it is arduous, and due to so many moving parts to get there, I suggest you break it up as much as possible and choose reliable airlines, like Garuda.
1. Fly to Indonesia
Sorong (the gateway airport to Raja Ampat) only serves a handful of domestic locations, so choosing your Indonesian entry point is dependent on where you’re coming from.
For us, the most convenient Indonesian airport to fly into was Jakarta, but for others it could be Makassar (links to Singapore quickly), or Bali (I have heard the Bali to Sorong flights are unreliable).
Whether you enter Indonesia via Jakarta, Makassar, or Bali, make sure you take a rest for one night.
We stayed at the FM7 Resort in Jakarta, which was super close to the airport and very comfortable for one night, with complimentary airport shuttles. The place is like a fortress, with a pool, gym and spa. There are many cheaper options in Jakarta if you are happy to travel a bit further from the airport.
2. Fly to Sorong
For the next step of this journey, you need to reach Sorong in Southwest Papua, the gateway to Raja Ampat.
Airlines that fly to Sorong: Garuda, Lion Air, Batik.
Being the national airline, Garuda is by far the most reliable, but all three do meet EU safety standards (Lion Air was removed from the European blacklist way back in 2016).
- Less than 50% of Lion Air flights arrive on time; the others are cancelled or late.
- Batik’s on-time performance is 80%
- Garuda is one of the most reliable and punctual airlines in the world, at 95%.
Lion Air/Wings Air has a high cancellation/delay rate, so even though it is cheaper than flying with Garuda, you have to decide if it is worth the risk.
If your trip is open-ended, sure, you can afford to be more relaxed around potential delays, but if you only have a short window to visit Raja Ampat, I still suggest flying with Garuda.
For booking flights, I normally compare everything on Skyscanner (the amount of hours I have spent on Skyscanner’s amazing Everywhere tool is insane) – then click through and book with the airline directly.
I don’t recommend using third parties to book flights unless it absolutely can’t be helped. (e.g., we had to fly with Wings Air to get to the glorious Nias Island and their website often does not let you book from outside of Indonesia, so for that we used Traveloka.)
3. Sorong Airport to the Port of Sorong
This leg of the mission of getting to Raja Ampat depends on what time you arrive to Sorong, as there are only ferries from Sorong to Waisai at 9am and 2pm, or only at 2pm depending on the day of the week. Check out the photo below for the latest ferry schedule as of May 2026.
If you miss the last ferry, you can arrange a private boat transfer with your resort (if they offer the service) or crash in a hotel in Sorong for the night.
We stayed at Vega Prime Hotel, which is only a 10-minute walk from the airport, and it was absolutely fine for one night. There are cheaper options in Sorong if you are happy with a homestay with no AC.
If you are stuck in Sorong, head to Terraza Pizza for a Bintang and a slice!
A taxi from the airport to the port is 100k IDR, or it’s a 45-minute walk. Yeah, it is only 3.4km away, so in Jakarta that taxi would cost you 20k, but considering there are only two ferries a day, you might be the only money that driver makes that day, so for me 100k – or 4GBP – is absolutely fine.
There are some places where I am willing to haggle and negotiate a better price, and this is not one of those times.
4. Ferry Sorong to Waisai
The port at Sorong is fairly easy to navigate, and people are very friendly. You can buy coffee and snacks and wait around quite comfortably until the ticket office opens, which should be an hour before the scheduled ferry time.
There are two types of tickets available for the 2-hour ferry from Sorong to Waisai:
125,000 IDR (5 GBP) – Economy
250,000 IDR (10 GBP) – VIP
We took VIP on the way, and Economy on the way back. Both are comfortable enough, both have AC, and truthfully, there is really no advantage to paying double for VIP; the chairs have a bit more cushioning, that’s all.
There is also a Port Fee of 12,000 IDR to be paid separately. The staff in the ticket office will show you where to go.
We were able to board as soon as we had purchased our ticket, where we promptly fell asleep!
5. Private boat from Waisai to your chosen island
We were staying on Mansuar Island, which is around one hour by speedboat from Waisai. Nyande, our resort, charged 1 million IDR (41 GBP) for a speedboat pick-up service from Waisai, and the cost is shared by all passengers.
Mansuar is relatively close to Waisai, so this journey could be much longer/more expensive depending on where you choose to stay.
On the way back:
There is no 12,000 port fee, and inside Waisai Ferry Terminal, there is a tuck shop that does instant noodles for 20k and other snacks, and toilets.
We were told to arrive at Waisai harbour 60-90 minutes before the scheduled ferry time, as tickets can sell out if you cut it too close, especially in high season.
FOR TRAVEL INSURANCE for Raja Ampat, I used SafetyWing, as they let me open a policy partway through my travels, and they cover scuba diving in their adventure sports add-on!
They do a 4-week rolling one for nomads, and I have claimed several times with them, and the process has always been straightforward and efficient.
So was our visit to Raja Ampat worth the cost and the length of the journey?
Absolutely. Raja Ampat is the best place I have ever scuba-dived – yes, somewhere finally knocked Komodo off the throne! And even if you don’t dive, the snorkelling is also remarkable. It is a bit more expensive to get here than many other dive locations in Indonesia, but it is totally worth it.
For more details on where we stayed, the diving and our experience, check out my other post: Scuba Diving in Raja Ampat – The Underwater Wonderland.
Thank you for reading my travel guide for how to get to Raja Ampat!
If you enjoyed the read, please consider subscribing to my blog, where I post articles once per week filled with travel inspiration and stories from my adventures around the world.
Happy Travels! xx
