Raja Ampat Resort

The Raja Ampat, or “Four Kings,” archipelago encompasses more than 9.8 million acres of land and sea off the northwestern tip of Indonesia’s West Papua Province. Located in the Coral Triangle, the heart of the world’s coral reef biodiversity, the seas around Raja Ampat possibly hold the richest variety of species in the world.

The area’s massive coral colonies show that its reefs are resistant to threats like coral bleaching and disease —threats that now jeopardize the survival of corals around the world. In addition, Raja Ampat’s strong ocean currents sweep coral larvae across the Indian and Pacific Oceans to replenish other reef ecosystems.

West Papua, one of Indonesia’s many islands, has one of the world’s most diverse underwater ecosystems and it has one of the most colourful bird kingdoms on Earth. Raja Ampat, meaning four kings, is a specific area within Indonesia, including West Papua. The name refers to the four biggest islands within the Indonesian archipelago (Batanta, Waigeo, Misool and Salawati) and originates from the time of maharajas. The area covers 42,000 km2 including 2500 limestone islands covered shore to shore by untouched, ancient rainforests.
The forest canopies are home to myriads of parrots disturbing the piece of this ancient land. Black and white cockatoos enjoy this paradise as well singing even louder. The tree crowns provide home to the beautiful bird of paradise with the most amazing plumage on display. The thick undergrowth provides the perfect hiding place for many other animals such as the cassowary.

Coral reefs near the shore provide home for more than 500 species of corals and 1300 species of fish. An Australian scientist, during a 60 minute dive, managed to identify 283 different species, which is more than the total number of species known to be living around the Caribbean islands and equals all the variety of species found in the Red Sea. The cold, nutrient rich underwater currents near the shore attract masses of underwater life including manta rays. The size of these amazing creatures can reach up to 6 meters. We can differentiate between two kinds; the well know white colour manta ray, and the all black, which is unique to this area. Different type of larger fish are attracted to this area, as the myriad of small fish feeding on the plankton-rich waters provide the perfect hunting ground for all. Cachalot and grampus are just two to mention. Furthermore sea cows and turtles are grazing the underwater sea grass near the shores and pipe fish and ghost-pipe fish feed in the coral reefs near by. At dusk we can also spot mandarin fish playing on the coral reefs.

In the underwater crevices carpet sharks are sleeping and this place is also home to walking sharks. There are beautiful examples of fan corals at the depth of 20m and if you look carefully you can find pigmy sea horses hiding on them. It’s not easy to see them as the white fan coral provides shelter for the white pigmy seahorse, the red for the red pigmy seahorse and the yellow for the yellow pigmy seahorse. The ample varieties of nudibranchias or sea slugs living in this part of Indonesia are worth mentioning as well. It is possible to identify more than 20 different types with their staggering colour variations during a single dive. They provide the perfect opportunity to take some amazing photos.

We discovered this stunning place after experiencing many amazing trips to different parts of the World, with hundreds of dives under our belts covering most of the well known dive sites and bird watching places worldwide. We have no doubt in our mind that this is paradise as we have never seen it and experienced it before. We have been visiting this place for many years and searching for ways to share it with others. After much searching we came across the island of Berie, where we have decided to set up an Underwater and Nature Exploration Centre.
The unique biodiversity of Raja Ampat was made famous by two of the most prestigious magazines in the field. First, the National Geographic Magazine published an article on the most diverse coral reefs on Earth covering Raja Ampat in September 2007. A year later, in September 2008, the GEO Magazine published the findings of a research group working in the area showing the amazing biodiversity of Raja Ampat to millions of readers.
We are planning to build a resort and research centre in harmony with the place using traditional building materials and techniques. The work is scheduled to start at the end of the summer 2008 and we hope that we can welcome our first guests during 2009

HOW TO GET THERE DIVE RESORT AT RAJA AMPAT
The easiest wayto get to Raja Ampat is to fly Sorong via Jakarta or Singapore. Domestic Travelers can also fly via Makassar or Manado.

From Singapore :
Silk Air operates regularly from Singapore to Manado. From Manado to Sorong regular flights are offered by Lion Air and Merpati. It is easiest to check with a local Indonesian Travel Agent or directly with the airline for the lastest domestic flights available.

From Jakarta or Bali:
Merpati, Express Air and Lion Wings operate daily flights from Jakarta to Sorong (with stopovers in Ujung Pandang/Makassar and/or Manado)

Artikel Raja Ampat Resort Ditulis Oleh: Raja Ampat | Pada: 00.11 Jumat, 28 Januari 2011 . . Anda bisa menyebarkan artikel Raja Ampat Resort ini. Menggunakan icon dibawah ini: