Kriss Iba Homestay
Birie Island - Batanta
Rooms
5 x On beach - VIP bungalowA single room bungalow with ensuite bathroom and toilet. Sleeps max. 2 persons / room. |
Rates
Use the booking form to calculate exact pricing for your booking
Twin share from USD 26.92 per person / night including 3 meals daily |
Single occupancy from USD 26.92 per person / night including 3 meals daily |
Features
- Reef dropoff
- English speaking
- Large groups OK
- Seagrass
- Hiking available
- Coral
- Birds of Paradise
- Quiet hideaway
- Good house reef
- Calm beach
- Sandy Beach
- Has raised beds
- Remote/isolated
- Western style toilet
- Has ensuite bathroom/toilet
- IDR 400,000 to 500,000
- Has private bungalows
Details
September 2022: Kriss Iba Homestay has not yet reopened after the pandemic. Please contact us if you want to be notified when/if Kriss Iba reopens.
Kriss Iba Homestay lies on the west coast of Batanta’s Pulau Birie. Five VIP bungalows on a secluded white sand beach are available.
All bungalows are over-water at high tide, and all have verandahs with tables and chairs and views west across the bay to Pulau Arefi. Bungalow bedrooms sleep two on real beds that can be configured as twin or double beds. Bedding includes pillows, sheets, bolsters and mosquito nets, and room light switches and power outlets are provided.
Meals are served in Kriss Iba’s over-water dining room. The dining room has the same great views as the bungalows and free drinking water, tea and coffee are always available there.
All bungalows have ensuite bathrooms with western-style toilets and bucket bathing.
Electricity is supplied by generator from sunset to around midnight, and Kriss Iba Homestay receives a phone signal from the tower at nearby Arefi.
The village of Arefi is a ten minute boat ride away and basic supplies can be purchased there, but be sure to bring any consumeables you regard as essential with you. So as not to contribute to pollution, be sure too to take all your inorganic rubbish away with you when you leave. In common with the rest of Raja Ampat, there is no safe waste disposal available on Pulau Birie.
English is spoken at Kriss Iba Homestay.
Transport / Getting there
Transport between Waisai and Kriss Iba Homestay costs IDR 1,200,000 each way. Transfers are by longboat capable of carrying up to 4 passengers and the cost is shared.
Read more about Raja Ampat boat transport prices here.
Public Boat to Batanta
If you have plenty of time, you don’t mind a bit of discomfort, and you want spend as little as possible on transport costs, then there are cargo boats that you can use to get to Batanta. (Obviously, if you are going to arrive on the cargo boat, then you don’t need to request a Waisai pickup when submitting the booking form above.)
Here’s what you need to know about getting the cargo boat to Batanta.
Activities
Kriss Iba Homestay is named for the big Ketapang (sea almond) tree that shades the homestay beach.
Mornings at Kriss Iba are filled with the sound of local birdlife and the house reef is home to many fish. Baby sharks, stingrays and the occasional dugong are just some of the many local reef inhabitants. The jungles of Pulau Birie also provide hiking and birdwatching opportunities.
Snorkelling at Kriss Iba Homestay
In addition to the rich house reef, Kriss Iba’s longboat is available for tours to other Batanta and Dampier Strait snorkelling and sightseeing spots.
Some of those include:
Pulau Urun: A small tree covered sand cay with a tree shaded beach. Close to Kriss Iba, Urun has a lovely reef and reef sharks, turtles, and wobbegongs are usually easily seen there.
Pulau Dua: Previously an island, the spot became reefs after suffering severe wind and wave damage during storms. A wild place with huge rocks and a reef rich with bumphead wrasse, turtles, and other fish.
Tiga Pulau: “Three islands” consists of Pulau Yuw – with its fruit bats, Pulau Mai with its white cockatoos and fruit bats and Pulau Teven.
Pulau Wai: Located between Batanta and Mansuar, Pulau Wai has beautiful panoramic views and an excellent reef frequented by sharks, wobbegong, and many fish species.
Batanta Waterfall: Misty jungle falls of pristine water, pools inhabited by freshwater shrimp and surrounds full of birdlife.
Piaynemo: A very scenic scattering of karst islands with Wayag like panoramas from the lookout on its heights. Great snorkelling on rich reefs.
Cape Kri: A well known site where encounters with barracuda, jacks, reef sharks and turtles are almost guaranteed.
Kriss Iba Homestay Tours
Tours prices below are shared by boat passengers
| TOUR | PRICE (IDR) |
|---|---|
| Piaynemo/Pulau Urun | 7,000,000 |
| Pulau Way/Pulau Dua | 3,000,000 |
| Pulau Dayan OR Mantas | 3,500,000 |
| Tanjung Putus OR Hidden Bay | 6,500,000 |
| Batanta Waterfall | 400,000 |
| Akber Reef/Cape Kri | 4,000,000 |
| Wayag OR Selpele Village | 20,000,000 |
| Bird of Paradise OR Kanyai | 600,000 |
Thanks to Kriss Iba Homestay guest Halil Kesselring for the video below. Thanks Halil :)
Batanta
See our Batanta page for an overview of Batanta, its neighbouring islands, and their attractions.