theduckguru
Contributor
Does anyone have any information on a scuba shop or tour company putting together an Ampat trip?
Trip to Ampat
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You mean the Raja Ampat Islands in Indonesia?
DIY.
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All you need is the flight to Sorong and can be done without any help from any agent/shop/travel company.
Ball is in your court.
drrich2
Contributor
Blue Water Dive Travel is a reputable dive travel agency I've used for a Galapagos trip, and am using to plan what I hope to be a Raja Ampat trip. I think it's quite helpful. A few points to mention:
1.) Coming from the U.S. you'll be booking international and Indonesian domestic flights separately, and it's long enough travel you'll want to stay at a hotel or two coming and going. Having some idea where to go, and how to get around, matters. In my case, for example, the plan is a flight to Tokyo, then Jakarta, then Sorong. I would not have know to fly to Tokyo.
2.) It's nice to ask someone seasoned to recommend a few liveaboards in the range you're looking at (e.g.: mid.-range with an eye toward budget, not high-end luxury or low-end roughing it, 10 days, good reputation).
3.) It's also nice to have someone to ask questions like 'Do I need to carry local currency? How much?'
4.) Recently a number of people weren't able to book Indonesian domestic flights with a U.S. credit card; my travel agent did that, and I then reimbursed them.
What I'm talking about is a solo trip, not a group trip. That said, you could e-mail some of the reputable dive travel agencies on this forum and see if they know of any.
Be mindful Raja Ampat is a seasonal destination, and we're not far from the prime time for late 2022/early 2023. When do you want to go?
1.) Coming from the U.S. you'll be booking international and Indonesian domestic flights separately, and it's long enough travel you'll want to stay at a hotel or two coming and going. Having some idea where to go, and how to get around, matters. In my case, for example, the plan is a flight to Tokyo, then Jakarta, then Sorong. I would not have know to fly to Tokyo.
2.) It's nice to ask someone seasoned to recommend a few liveaboards in the range you're looking at (e.g.: mid.-range with an eye toward budget, not high-end luxury or low-end roughing it, 10 days, good reputation).
3.) It's also nice to have someone to ask questions like 'Do I need to carry local currency? How much?'
4.) Recently a number of people weren't able to book Indonesian domestic flights with a U.S. credit card; my travel agent did that, and I then reimbursed them.
What I'm talking about is a solo trip, not a group trip. That said, you could e-mail some of the reputable dive travel agencies on this forum and see if they know of any.
Be mindful Raja Ampat is a seasonal destination, and we're not far from the prime time for late 2022/early 2023. When do you want to go?
OP
theduckguru
Contributor
Drrich2, I am also looking at a solo trip. Located not far from you in SW Ohio so the travel would not differ much. Would like to follow your research.
drrich2
Contributor
It's evolving, but here are some threads informing it.
Your Opinions on Comparing First Timer Coral Triangle Destinations?
-----Are you sure Raja Ampat is where you want to go for this trip? By reputation it is one of the best general coral reef diving destinations on Earth...but if you are a big fan of WW 2 wrecks, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands might merit a look. If you can handle current pretty well and setting foot on an island (perhaps Rinca) where Komodo dragons roam is meaningful, there's Komodo. Speaking of which, RA and Komodo are seasonal destinations with different peaks, so the optimal time of year for you to go may be a factor.-----Or, if you want to test the waters (having a bad pun day here), and quicker to get to and almost as good rocks your boat, a trip to Puerto Galera in the Philippines like Trailboss123 did (there's a report on ScubaBoard) might be just the ticket.
-----If you do Raja Ampat, are you looking for a liveaboard trip, land-based, home stay, etc...?
Please confirm required vaccination status for Indonesia
-----At least if traveling soon, you need to download the PeduliLindungi app, set up an account, upload your proof of vaccination, wait a highly variable time for that to get approved, then be sure to take your paper card documentation of vaccination with you since not all officials seem to be checking the app.
Indonesian Legalities
-----It's a good idea to do a little reading on the legalities of a place you hope to go.
Raja Ampat First time
-----Gets into the liveaboard vs. land-based angle a bit, plus the issue of difficulty and experience level needed.
Some Raja Ampat op.s book up well in advance from what I understand. Plus there were trip reschedules and pent up demand from pandemic-related cancellations. If you want to hit it, oh, say, Dec. or Jan. of late 2023/early 2024, you may have plenty of time to book. But if you want to go this coming winter (by U.S. time frame), late 2022/early 2023, then I suggest contacting a good travel agent ASAP and seeing if they know any good options.
You can also use Blue Water Drive Travel or PADITravel.com websites to check for operators with openings. I like the PADI Travel website; it's got a clean, fresh look that's easy on the eyes and makes browsing pleasant.
DiVentures (my local dive shop) has a trip to Indonesia coming up 4/23-5/3 2023.
Raja Ampat is spectacular, I've traveled there solo twice and am heading out next week for my third trip!!!!!!!!! (happydance!!!)
Raja Ampat is spectacular, I've traveled there solo twice and am heading out next week for my third trip!!!!!!!!! (happydance!!!)
Damselfish
Contributor
Many places doing it yourself without having someone in the middle can be less hassle. You can certainly plan Indonesia on your own but it is one of those places using a good agent, or doing a group trip someone else is organizing, can be helpful especially if it's your first time. Either way, you should still do plenty of research and not just trust any agent to pick the right things for you.
Generally lots of dive shops will have trips planned to Indonesia and other far flung destinations, often years in advance. Some of the liveaboards are heavily booked by shops and other groups, and it can be the best way to find openings. Typically shops and agents will have them listed on their website and googling will turn some up for you. (Although currently many have been rescheduled because of Covid - may be full, may have cancellations, never know.)
If you find a shop that runs trips you like and is good at it, and do multiple trips with them over time, you may get to know some people that travel with them often. Often lots of individuals on these trips that have spouses that don't dive, so can be a good situation for buddy-less divers. Can be nice if it's a somewhat local shop for travel reasons, but really it can be anywhere.
Generally lots of dive shops will have trips planned to Indonesia and other far flung destinations, often years in advance. Some of the liveaboards are heavily booked by shops and other groups, and it can be the best way to find openings. Typically shops and agents will have them listed on their website and googling will turn some up for you. (Although currently many have been rescheduled because of Covid - may be full, may have cancellations, never know.)
If you find a shop that runs trips you like and is good at it, and do multiple trips with them over time, you may get to know some people that travel with them often. Often lots of individuals on these trips that have spouses that don't dive, so can be a good situation for buddy-less divers. Can be nice if it's a somewhat local shop for travel reasons, but really it can be anywhere.
We just got back Friday from a 10 day trip on the Raja Ampat Aggressor II, great crew and diving and would recommend them. We booked our trip through Roatan Charters and have booked with them for several trips. We used them for flights and the boat. We flew from the West Coast so it was China Airlines from San Francisco to Taipei, Taipei to Jakarta and Batik Air from Jakarta to Sorong. 11 hour layover in Jakarta so we booked a room at the Jakarta Airport Hotel which was convenient as they are at the domestic terminal so made check in for the next flight easy. Have local currency for any baggage fees as the domestic flight has less allowable baggage than the international flights and they did not take credit cards or US dollars. Also none of the ATM's at the airport took our US debt or credit cards and we got in late on Sunday night so the currency exchange was closed so it was a scramble. China Airlines was great to deal with but Batik Air not so much. Make sure on the return trip if you go through Jakarta and have to go from a domestic flight to international give yourself plenty of time, we had 3 hours but Batik was over an hour late and we missed our connecting flight and had to spend the night in Jakarta. Batik's lateness seems to be the norm. Just my experience.
Blackcrusader
Contributor
I prefer to book with Air Asia From Jakarta to Sorong as you can prepay for extra baggage allowance at very cheap cost.
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