Rao, near Morotai, North Halmahera, Maluku.

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Indah

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Location
Lembeh
# of dives
5000 - ∞
Magic Bay Villas at the Island Rao (at Google Earth wrongly spelled Bau)
Magic Bay Villa 1.JPG
Bay of Batu Kopi.JPG
,
is a paradise for lovers of the perfect beach, a clean and crystal-clear ocean, magical and unspoiled nature and ultimate privacy.
Honeymooners, a family or a small group of friends are very welcome to stay in one of our two private beach villas. Here you can reconnect to yourself, family or friends and nature by disconnecting. There is no telephone and internet connection yet. In the village Posi posi, which lies at 40 minutes walking distance, cell phones with Telkomsel access are working. In the main town on Morotai, Daruba, is a good 4G internet connection.
The get to Magic Bay Villas you fly to Morotai. There are daily flights from Manado (short stop at Ternate). From the airport of Daruba it takes only 1h30 to get to paradise.
Batu Kopi, "the coffee rock" and the near forest "Kota Moro" are mystical and sacral places for the people of North Halmahera. Although now a days all inhabitants of Rao are Christians, they still have their old believes too. They know that the old tribe of the Moro-people live here. They were the original inhabitants of Rao. Over the centuries, they became invisible. They welcome you with the aroma of fresh made coffee.
The character of the Magic Bay is unique in many ways. It is very quiet; the only sounds are the sea and the many birds. Except from the fireflies, luminescent mushrooms, stars, the moon and the incredible lighting of the sea, there is no light pollution at all. Nights at the beach are indeed magic.
Most of the very clean, white sandy, 1400 meters long beach is free of stones or dead corals. Moreover, the sea is very shallow for a long stretch. Thus, it is very safe and comfortable to play and swim here. There no buildings at all at the beach. Groups of dolphins frequently visit the bay. Sea turtles use the beach as their hatching ground, also the almost extinct and bizarre Coconut Crabs made this place their home and are easy to spot.
An adventurous one-hour hike leads to a waterfall. One of the two small clear water rivers starts here. These beautiful rivers are the home of many birds and butterflies. Although small islands are usually not so rich in birdlife, here we see, amongst others, Hornbills, many Common paradise kingfishers and Beach kingfishers. The deeper parts of the river offer a fresh water bath after the salty ocean. Walking through the forest and lush gardens is like visiting a ferrytale. The diversity in trees is huge.
The sea is very calm from May until September, but waves with surfing heights occur during December and January.
From May until September, Rao and surrounding offer excellent free-diving and snorkeling. Rao, being at the North tip of Halmahera, is in the middle of the heart of the coral triangle.
Villa 1:
A very specious two-room traditional constructed house. The house is made from stones and coconut wood. The roof is made from the leaves of the Sago tree. The rooms do not have a ceiling and the complete open constrction makes that you feel like sleeping in pure nature. All floors are tiled and always feel cool at your feet. The bathroom is European style with flush-toilet and shower. The house is situated 80 meters from the beach at 10 meters above see level and is surrounded by a small river, bamboo forest and trees. It is situated 500 meters away from Villa 2.
Villa 2:
Situated 500 meters from Villa 1. The main building materials are natural stones and bamboo. It lies in a beautiful surrounding, 80 meter from the shoreline and at 30 meters above sea level. It has two very spacious rooms, each room measures 4.40m x 6.40m and two modern bathrooms. Although the house does not have air conditioning, it is never getting too hot. The rooms have high wooden ceilings and the house is well ventilated.
The attached roofed deck measures 9.00 x 5.00. At this deck, from where you have a spectacular view at the beach, the open ocean and the mountainous forests of Rao and Morotai, your meals will be served. All floors of the house and deck are tiled. From the deck, you have a good view at the arc-shaped rock “Batu Kopi”.

Rates, full board accommodation, including laundry service. Villa 1/Villa 2, these rates are in IDR and can be subject to changes.
May - October
When staying with four persons: 750.000/1.200.000, - per night, per person.
When staying with three persons: 900.000/1.475.000, - per night, per person.
When staying with two persons: 1.200.000/2.000.000, - per night, per person.
When staying single: 2.200.000/3.600.000, - per night.
October - May
When staying with four persons 600.000/960.000per night, per person.
When staying with three persons: 720.000/1.180.000 per night, per person.
When staying with two persons: 960.000/1.600.000 per night, per person.
When staying single: 1.760.000/2.800.000 per night.

Dive season 15 May - 01 SeptemberRates for diving per day, including 2 day-dives, with private boat, booked in advance, minimum number of five days diving:
When boat is shared by six divers: IDR 1.050.000, - per person.
When boat is shared by five divers: 1.125.000 per person.
When boat is shared by four divers: 1.350.000 per person.
When the boat is used by three divers: 1.750.000 per person
When the boat is used by two divers: 2.600.000 per person
When the boat is used by one single diver: 4.400.000
Extra day-dives 500.000 per dive, per person.
Rate shore dives, without guide:
150.000 per person, per dive. Minimum two divers.
More information: info@wedaresort.com
Rob Sinke and Linda Sinke-Mangimbulude
 
Thanks for the info. Two of my dive buddies have non-diving wifes who love snorkeling & bird watching. The place sounds great for them.

How's the agas (sandflies / noseum) there?
 
Hi Dan_T, last June my family and I have spent the whole month there without sand-flies. But I know sometimes they can be a plaque. The regular bonfire usually keeps them away.
 
I cannot compare because I dived Raja Ampat quite a lot, but not after 1996. Never been at Komodo and Alor (Yes, I know I should). Diving around Rao offers more than great visibility, huge diversity in corals and fishes. According to a 2008 survey of Allen and Erdmann maybe the biggest diversity in the world. But not the amounts of fishwe often see them at Weda Bay. I would not say it is one of the best spots in Indonesia. But the fact that there is still a lot to explore and discover, and the combination with the magic of Rao and the beach, makes it worthwhile visiting. July/August 2018 I will do a survey of the North-West coast of Morotai (near Rao). Paying participants herewith invited.
 
Thank you for answer and invitation! It's very interesting..I'll think about next summer..
 

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