Raja Ampat Islands: Tourists discover magical island in Indonesia

It’s a “magical” spot not many people have heard of but those who have visited can’t stop raving about it.

Tourists have discovered a “magical” island with crystal clear waters they say is worth the long journey from Bali.

The Raja Ampat Islands are an archipelago off the northwest tip of Bird’s Head Peninsula in West Papua province in Indonesia.

Raja Ampat, meaning ‘The Four Kings’, comprises of more than 1,500 small islands, coral reefs, and shoals surrounding the four main islands of Waigeo, Batanta, Salawati, and Misool.

It’s a biodiversity hot spot where the Pacific and Indian Oceans collide.

Words such as beautiful, enchanting, magnificent, and fascinating have all been used to describe the islands as tourists take to social media to share incredible footage of the slice of paradise.

“Why it’s so unique? Because it’s the place with turquoise water, white sandy beaches, stunning views and an incredible underwater world,” travel bloggers Domi & Thomas, known as ‘2troubletravelers’ said in an Instagram post.

The Raja Ampat Islands are an archipelago off the northwest tip of Bird’s Head Peninsula in West Papua province in Indonesia.

Likened to the “Amazon of the seas,” Lonely Planet explains the tropical labyrinth holds one of the world’s highest densities of marine life with over 1000 species of fish and three-fourths of all known corals.

“Divers and snorkellers alike dip into the aquamarine waters here in search of wildly-patterned carpet sharks, massive manta rays and pygmy seahorses. Up above, they find bungalows perched over the ocean and palms curving toward pearly beaches devoid of any footprints,” its guide to Raja Ampat reads.

Bamboo houses in West Papua, Raja Ampat archipelago.

The four main islands are Misool, Salawati, Batanta, and Waigeo.

Aussie traveller Chloe Baradinsky said the location isn’t for a “high maintenance girly” as there’s no running water, no electricity and no wi-fi.

“So when you put this into reality that means there’s no cold drinks when it’s 40 degrees and the humidity is 90 per cent, there’s no fans, no airconditioning and as I said there’s no Wi-Fi.”

She flew to Jakarta from Sydney and had a 12 hour layover in Jakarta before flying to Sorong.

“You stay in Sorong and catch either a 9am ferry or 2pm ferry from Sorong to Waisai, and from Waisai you get a longtail boat to the islands which is anywhere from one hour to six hours.”

@chloebaradinsky Got lots of questions on this, definitely worth the long journey #rajaampat #howto #traveltips #traveljourney ♬ original sound - Chloe

The little known location boasts lush, thick jungle with various bird species including the spectacular Cendrawasih or the Bird of Paradise.

Lonely Planet reports the island of Waigeo is the place where British naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace based himself in 1860 while studying the birds-of-paradise, a group of 44 lavishly attired birds only found around New Guinea and northeastern Australia.

Raja Ampat is known for its beaches and coral reefs rich with marine life.

It’s popular for diving and snorkelling.

And while on the island, tourists can walk in Wallace’s footsteps in search of the aptly named birds-of-paradise, whose elaborate courtship dances were a highlight of the BBC’s original Planet Earth series.

Tourists have been boasting about the stunning islands.

They say it’s a long journey but worth it.

Meanwhile, the islands also boasts pure white sands and a vibrant coral reef that makes for some of the world’s best diving.

“Every time we start to think that there may be better dive locations than the Raja Ampat Islands in Southwest Papua, the Four Kings show up to show just exactly why they’re royalty!” Wonderful Indonesia wrote in a TikTok showing off the islands.

Guests visiting the islands often rave about the snorkelling, fishing and “incredible” bird watching on offer.

According to Lonely Planet, most visitors arrive by plane at Domine Eduard Osok Airport in Sorong, which lies in Indonesia’s West Papua province and receives regular flights from Jakarta.

There are small aircraft to take you to Waisai, the capital of the district of Raja Ampat, or alternatively, you can take a ferry from the port of Sorong to the islands.