Budget Accommodation in Raja Ampat

Nudibranch Homestay

Location: South shore of Pulau Gam, 500m east of Sawinggrai village (see map)

Accommodation: Three bungalows

Owner: Paulus Sauyai

Phone: +6282198667199 (SMS text message best)

Facilities

Three basic bungalows with on site kitchen and dining area. Separate shared bathroom and toilet. Night time electricity supply to dining area with outlets for charging devices.

Paulus has boats available for snorkelling trips and island exploration and is a competent guide. See his entry in our guides section for more information.

Nudibranch Homestay location map

See all Stay Raja Ampat accommodation on this map.

Nudibranch Homestay review (April 2011)

On the southern coast of Pulau Gam, sheltered from the ocean swells and tidal rips of the strait between Gam and Mansuar by a belt of blue-water mangroves, lies Nudibranch Homestay. The establishment's primary function is as an ecological research station, but the bungalows there are available to rent whenever scientists and students are not using them. We were the first guests at Nudibranch Homestay and had the good fortune to arrive while the research centre's founder and a team of postgraduate students were in residence.

Professor Dr Michael Mühlenberg is the Director of the Centre for Nature Conservation in the Department of Conservation Biology at Georg-August University in Goettingen, Germany. Professor Mühlenberg told us that he approached the nearby community of Sawinggrai about the possibility of establishing a research station on the site because of the variety of ecosystems in close proximity. It's easy to see: Draw a 200 metre long line at ninety degrees to the shore with the station at its center. The line will join deep ocean, coral reef communities, blue water mangroves, tidal seagrass flats, littoral zones and tropical jungle. The people of Sawinggai were enthusiastic and the centre was established on land belonging to Paulus and his family who now run the establishment and are wonderful hosts.

The research centre is a joint project between Georg-August University's Dept of Conservation Biology, the Centre for Papuan Biodiversity and Conservation and Jayapura's Universitas Cenderawasih and is a great place to stay if you have an interest in ecology, biodiversity and conservation. It's also a  well appointed place for a completely relaxing getaway. The village of Sawinggrai is a short walk away and offers ready access to  transport, supplies and activities such as dawn jungle walks to see the morning displays of Gam's Red Bird of Paradise. Paulus and his family can provide three meals a day which can be enjoyed at the station's "dining room" and Paulus is also an excellent guide with superb knowledge of Gam and its attractions and wildlife.

If you book a stay at Nudibranch, please remember that the homestay is a research station and you should defer to the needs of the researchers if you find yourself sharing accommodation with them.

By the way - if you're looking to do a double degree (Master of International Nature Conservation), Georg-August University offers one in association with New Zealand's Lincoln University at Christchurch. Click here for information from Lincoln University or download the course information PDF from Georg-August.

It's hard to imagine a better lab or lecture theater than Nudibranch Homestay!