Raja Ampat Islands

This beach is the largest marine park in Indonesia and has a wealth of marine life in the world. Nearly 75% of coral reefs in the world are in Raja Ampat. This beach is a beach that has became famous for its beauty. Because the underwater beauty, beach Raja Ampat is often used as a diving spot.

Raja Ampat, a very, very beautiful sight on the corner of East Indonesia. Various types of coral reefs "may not exist abroad" is here. Clear sea water, with islands - small islands are lined up neatly like floating. Paradise interest of people all over the world. Papua exotic nature always contains a strong hypnotic power for any traveler. Papua conditions that form the archipelago, presenting its own natural charm. One of them, a spectacular destination, beach Raja Ampat. Geographically, this is nature in the district of Manokwari, West Papua. Position is in the western hemisphere bird head of Papua Island.

Raja Ampat archipelago itself is a series of four adjacent islands located in the western part of the Bird's Head (Vogelkoop) Papua Island. In the geographical position, these islands are under the Raja Ampat, West Papua province. Islands this one is now being visited by divers who are interested in the beauty of the underwater scenery. The group of four islands, namely Pulau Misool, Waigeo Island, salawati and Batanta Island.

According to the myth of origin of the name Raja Ampat came from a woman who found seven eggs. And four points he antarnya hatch into four princes were separated and each became king who ruled in Waigeo, Salawati, Misool Misool East and West. Meanwhile, the other three eggs into a ghost, a woman, and a stone.

For lovers of the underwater tour, Raja Ampat is very fitting for your visit. If you want to visit this place, if you fly from Jakarta which takes approximately 6 hours of sliding and stopping in Manado. Or you can also take a tour of diving in Bali and fly from there. This sliding town like any other town where you can get almost everything here, so although here the price is more expensive because of its remote location.

Raja Ampat Islands is a place that has the potential to serve as a tourist attraction, especially tourist dives. Raja Ampat Islands waters according to various sources, is one of the 10 best waters for diving sites around the world. In fact, it may also be recognized as number one for the completeness of underwater flora and fauna at the moment.

Dr. John Veron, coral experienced experts from Australia, for example, in a site it is revealed, the Raja Ampat Islands located at the westernmost tip of the island of Papua, about 50 miles northwest of Sorong, has the best coral regions in Indonesia. About 450 species of coral had been identified during the two weeks of research in that area.

A team of experts from Conservation International, The Nature Conservancy, and the National Institute of Oceanography (LON) Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) ever do a quick assessment in 2001 and 2002. As a result, they are noted in these waters there are more than 540 species of hard corals (75% of the total species in the world), more than 1,000 species of reef fish, 700 species of molluscs, and the highest note for gonodactyloid stomatopod crustaceans. It makes 75% of the world's coral species are in Raja Ampat. None of the places in the same area has a number of coral species as much as this.

There are some reefs are still very good condition with the percentage of live coral cover up to 90%, ie in Dampier Strait (the strait between the island and the island Waigeo Batanta), Kofiau Islands, archipelagic Southeast Misool and Wayag Islands. Types of coral reefs in Raja Ampat is a fringing reef generally to the contours of the steep ramps up. But it also found the type of atoll and the type of charred or taka. In some places such as the village Saondarek, when the lowest tides, coral reefs can be seen without a dive and with his own adaptation, corals can still be alive despite being in the open air and exposed to direct sunlight.

Unique species that can be found when diving is some kind of dwarf sea horse, wobbegong, fish and manta rays. Also there are endemic fish Raja Ampat, namely Eviota king, which is a kind of fish gobbie. At Manta Point which is located in Dampier strait Arborek, you can dive in the company of some tail Manta Rays are benign like when you dive in Derawan Islands, East Kalimantan. If the dive at Cape Kri or Chicken Reef, you can be surrounded by thousands of fish. Sometimes a collection of tuna, giant trevallies and snappers. But stressful when we are surrounded by a collection of barracuda, even though it is relatively harmless (which is dangerous if we see a solitary barracuda or alone). Reef sharks are also frequently seen, and if you are lucky you can also see turtles were silent eating sponge or swim around you. In some places, such as Salawati, Batanta and Waigeo also seen dugong or sea cow.

Because the area of ​​many islands and narrow straits, then most of the dive at any given time has a strong current. It is also possible to do a drift dive, dive, followed by a strong current of water is very clear as he broke through collection of fish.

Raja Ampat is perfect for lovers of nautical tourism and divers. Specifically for divers, underwater beauty of the waters of Raja Ampat, is their main attraction. Beach Raja Ampat have the four islands that are large. All four, like Batanta Island, Island Waigeo, Salawti island, and the island of Misool. In the area of ​​these islands, not just the beauty of Raja Ampat beach alone. Raja Ampat also save valuable rare pearl existence. What is that? Species of manta rays, gray sharks, sea horses, turtles, dugongs, barkuda fish, tuna, and others.

These tourist transportation to Raja Ampat

To arrive at the Raja Ampat islands, the nearest place that can be reached airplanes are the town of Sorong, with a distance of about 6 hours from Jakarta. Normally the aircraft will transit in Makassar or Manado. Airlines have scheduled flights to Sorong, among others, Silk Air, Garuda Indonesia, Pelita Air and Merpati. Next, you will go Waisai, capital of Raja Ampat. Waisai city is located on the island Waigeo, one of the four main islands (the big island) in the Raja Ampat Islands. A large island in Raja Ampat is Misool Island, salawati, Batanta island, and the island Waigeo.