Raja Ampat is a very beautiful destination for tourists who like sightseeing because it has got a lot of karst. There are a number of karst formations in this archipelago that attract visitors. The famous ones are Wayag in Northwest of Waigeo and Piaynemo in the southwest of Arborek island.
Fish Lagoon in Eastern Shore of Waigeo
As a matter of fact there are still karst formations that tourists can see when visiting Raja Ampat. There are karst in the passage area between Waigeo and Gam, as well as Wawiayai, karst in Kabui bay. In the eastern shore of Waigeo island, there is Insou Duwer (also called Fish Lagoon) karst. It is located near Yen-Papir village. If visitors explore karst in Misool island, they will be able to see more formations. Yapap and Harfat Peak are now visited by tourists. But there are more that haven't been surveyed for their beautiful view.
Batanta has got a lot of karst formations that have not been explored for their landscape views.
Silhouette of Misool Karst during sunrise time
Wawiyai Karst
As a tourist guide, I organize tour for visitors who are interested in seeing karsts of Raja Ampat. However, I like to combine other activities in the tour including swimming and snorkeling as well as rainforest hiking and birdwatching tour. By doing so, visitors will be able to see more of Raja Ampat, not only its wonderful landscape but also its flora and fauna, its people and their culture.
Piaynemo Karst
There are several two species of paradise birds in Waigeo, i.e. Red Bird of Paradise and Wilson Bird of Paradise. Visitors who want to take the burdwatching tour need to bring at least a pair of binoculars, and camera with superzoom lens such as Nikon P1000, Canon SX60HS or D-SLR Camera with 600 mm lens.
Please, contact me (Charles Roring) by whatsapp: +6281332245180 or email: peace4wp@gmail.com if you want to take a tour in Raja Ampat.
I have just completed a trip to Raja Ampat island with 4 European tourists. We went hiking in the forest to see Red Bird of Paradise (Paradisaearubra) and Wilson's Bird of Paradise (Dyphyllodesrespublica).
To watch the paradise birds, we had to wake up at 04.30 and went hiking for around one hour to the dancing site of the birds. Male birds began to call their female birds when the sun rose in the east. We watched them from 06.00 to around 09.00. After that we returned to the guesthouse where we stayed. The bungalows were constructed on the water allowing us to see fish that were swimming over coral reef.
Red Bird of Paradise
During the 3 days/ 2 nights trip, we were able to watch them and other tropical birds such as Spice Imperial Pigeon, Hooded Butcherbird, Torresian Crow, Olive-backed Sunbird, Eclectus Parrot, Pacific Swallow, Helmetted Friarbird, Brahminy Kite, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Lesser Frigatebird, White-bellied Sea Eagle and etc.
Wilson's Bird of Paradise
In addition to birds, we also explore karst islets in Kabui bay using a long wooden boat. There is a viewpoint among the karst which tourists can visit to see the beautiful scenery of Waigeo, Gam and its karst formations.
The coral reef of Raja Ampat is very beautiful. It is the habitat of hundreds of species of fish, and other marine animals. I enjoyed snorkeling and recreational freediving there. Because I brought Nikon W300, I was able to take some pictures of the coral reef.
The guesthouse where we stayed was located at the beach - above the water. It was a nice site to watch dolphins. This beautiful fish often pass by the guesthouse in a group of two to ten dolphins.
Coral Reef in southern part of Waigeo island
Raja Ampat karst islets
Birdwatching near Sorong
Two of the tour participants from Australia had one extra day in Sorong. I guided them to a forest near the city to lowland birds such as Spangled Drongo, Yellow-faced Myna, Blyth's Hornbill, Dollarbird, Orange-bellied Fruit Dove, Rainbow Bee-eater, and a lot more.
If you are interested in taking a tour in Raja Ampat that combines sightseeing, hiking, birdwatching, snorkeling and karst climbing, please, contact me by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com or by text to my whatsapp: +6281332245180.
Please, support this blog by buying the following drawings in the form of t-shirt, mugs, tote bag, iPhone case, or graphic t-shirt dress and even clock.
Raja Ampat is known as a diving and snorkeling paradise, but do you know that it has more to offer? I spent 3 days on raja ampat, in a guesthouse that was run by a Papuan family on Waigeo island. It was a small-scale complex. The location was by the sea with a beautiful view. We ate local food that was super-cooked.
My guide Charles Roring had chosen this place because in addition to snorkeling you could spot the Red birds of paradise here. To be able to see this you have to get up early. We left at about 6 o'clock. The walk to the observation point takes about 45 minutes. I thought it was pretty tough. It was still dark. The path was difficult to walk on and it went up steeply. But it was worth it. At the observation point you could already hear the bird of paradise. It took a while before they appeared. I thought they would not come soon. But my concerns were for nothing. Not much later I could see the dance of these animals up close. It was beautiful. You must have seen this. The spectacle took about 90 minutes. Then they disappeared into the jungle again.
Coral reef and fish in Raja Ampat
Another trip that I made there was a tour along the deserted islands. Very special, so beautiful and pristine. Along the way we could spot several birds. The journey lasted about 4-5 hours but I did not realize that we had been at sea for such a time.
Finally, I must call the underwater world because it was really special. As soon as you put your head under water you could admire this world. You could see coral and lots of colored fish in all shapes and sizes, really super nice.
If you want to dive or snorkel, bring mask, snorkel, and fins, as well as underwater camera. The recommended months are October to June. Then there are no waves and you can enjoy even more. If you come during July to Sept, you could still enjoy the beautiful scenery, swim near the guesthouse where you stay and do sight seeing tour to the karst islets.
It was nice to travel to Raja Ampat and rainforest of Tambrauw, please contact Charles Roring to his email: peace4wp@gmail.com. He arranges it all. With him you are in good hands.
To support his works on the empowerment of local people and preservation of marine and rainforest environment, please, buy some of his artworks in the form of printed t-shirts, studio pouch, or even duvet cover by clicking the following link:
Everytime I guide tourists to Raja Ampat, I always organize tour to the karst islets. Most visitors go there to see its magnificent landscape scenery. Yes, the view is very beautiful when we travel through the small islands that look like mushrooms on the surface of the sea.
Karst islets in Raja Ampat
While in the King's karst of Raja Ampat, we do birdwatching. I usually ask our boat driver to reduce the engine of the boat so that we can watch birds easily. I use 10×42 Visionking binoculars to watch birds. Raja Ampat is rich of sea and coastal birds such as Eastern Reef Egret, Striated Heron, Plover, Radjah Shelduck, Beach Kingfisher, Beach Stone Curlew, Crested Tern, Brahminy Kite, Eastern Osprey and Frigatebird.
For Frigatebirds, they are often seen soaring in groups of 2, 3, or even up to 20 birds in the sky looking for fish on the surface of the sea. They may look small while flying high in the sky but their sizes are actually big. The wing span could reach more than 1.55 meters (61 inches).
In addition to sightseeing tour to the karst, I also offer birding tour to the main island Waigeo where visitors can watch Red Bird of Paradise and Wilson's Bird of Paradise as well as other tropical birds of New Guinea such as Large-billed Parrot, Eclectus Parrot, Hooded Butcherbird, and Hook-billed Kingfisher.
If you are interested in traveling to Raja Ampat and want a private guide, you could contact me (Charles Roring) by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com or by whatsapp to: +6281332245180.
Here is a drawing of Frigatebirds that I made after visiting Raja Ampat. If you like it, you can order it as T-shirt on the following link:
