TOTAL PRICE: Complete the form to calculate price
Features
- Has email contact
- Good phone signal
- Reef dropoff
- English speaking
- Good house reef
- Quiet hideaway
- Child discount
- Has family bungalows
- Western style toilet
- Remote/isolated
- IDR 400,000 to 500,000
- Diving available
Details
Rufas Homestay shares the Batu Rufas lagoon with its neighbour Lagoon Homestay.
Two two-room bungalows and three private bungalows line the beach of Rufas Homestay’s private, coral-filled lagoon. Shaded by small trees, each bungalow sleeps two in mattresses on the floor. Bedding includes mosquito nets, sheets, pillows and bolsters. Each bungalow has a small deck overlooking the jade waters of the lagoon.
Meals are taken in a dining shelter that is equipped with a large table and long benches with backrests. Rufas Homestay provides guests with free drinking water, tea and coffee making supplies in the dining room.
All guests share a bathroom building that has two separate rooms with tiled floors. A western style toilet is located in one. The other has dip-mandi (bucket) bathing.
Rufas Homestay also provides two decks that are equipped with recliners. Both are fabulous places to relax. One is at the end of Rufas Homestay’s dock boardwalk and has views to Piaynemo and the ocean to the north. The other is at the southern end of the lagoon. See the photos in the gallery above.
Electricity is provided by generator and is available all night. There’s a good 4G phone signal available at Rufas.
The nearest village to Rufas Homestay is Saukabu on Pam. Saukabu is about a 15 minute boat ride away and only basic supplies can be bought there, so you’ll need to bring everything you consider essential with you.
Very little English is spoken at Rufas Homestay, so bringing a phrasebook to ease communication is best if you have no Bahasa Indonesia.
There’s no safe waste disposal on Pulau Rufas. All inorganic waste must be either burned or carried away. If you don’t want to contribute to the trashing of paradise, please take all the inorganic waste you create away with you when you leave.
Transport / Getting there
Rufas Homestay transfers are by longboat which can carry up to 4 people. The table below shows the cost for Waisai and other transfers. Trip cost is for pick up OR drop off, and is shared by passengers.
| FROM/TO | PRICE |
|---|
| Waisai | 2,500,000 |
| East Gam | 1,800,000 |
| West Gam | 1,500,000 |
| Selpele | 1,800,000 |
| Kri | 1.800,000 |
| Manyaifun | 1,500,000 |
| Dayan | 1,700,000 |
| Yensawai | 2,000,000 |
| Arborek | 1,300,000 |
| Saukabu | 400,000 |
Read more about Raja Ampat boat transport prices here.
Public Boat to the Fam Islands
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 the Fam Islands. (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 Fam.
Activities
Snorkelling, swimming and relaxing are Rufas Homestay’s main attractions. The coral-rich waters of Piaynemo are a snorkeller’s delight.
In addition to the lagoon itself (which also affords easy swimming over a sand bottom), the famed Melissa’s Garden site is close by. The waters around Pulau Rufas are spectacular. Do be aware of tides and currents when snorkelling outside the lagoon though. If you’re lucky, you’ll get to meet the large moray eel that inhabits the lagoon. He’s something of a pet – but don’t try to pet him!
The attractions of Piaynemo are very close to Rufas. You could also arrange to spend a day exploring and snorkelling Piaynemo’s “back beach”, which is accessed via Piaynemo Homestay. If you wanted to make a day of it, meals can be purchased at Piaynemo Homestay’s restaurant.
Rufas Homestay boat tours
Prices for some popular snorkelling and sightseeing trips are provided in the table below. Prices are IDR, shared by longboat passengers (max 4). The Piaynemo Top View trip includes the viewpoint entrance fee.
| TRIP | PRICE |
|---|
| Melissa’s Garden | 400,000 |
| Fam Wall | 400,000 |
| Napoleon Wall | 400,000 |
| Barracuda | 500,000 |
| Andau Manta | 1,000,000 |
| Piaynemo Top View | 500,000 |
Diving
Diving is available by arrangement with Rufas’ neighbour Lagoon Homestay. You will need to book diving ahead of time if you are a Rufas guest. (Rufas’ contact details are provided in booking confirmation emails. )
Pam/Fam Islands
See our Pam Islands page for an overview of the Pam/Fam Islands and their attractions.
