TOTAL PRICE: Complete the form to calculate price
Features
- Good phone signal
- Reef dropoff
- English speaking
- Large groups OK
- Has raised beds
- Western style toilet
- On site dive centre
- IDR 400,000 to 500,000
- Diving available
- Has private bungalows
Details
Lagoon Homestay lies right next door to Rufas Homestay, inside the sheltered Batu Rufas lagoon.
Five private, over-water bungalows are available. Bungalows sleep two on raised beds. Bungalow verandahs are equipped a hammock, and with chairs and a small table.
Meals are served in Lagoon Homestay’s wooden-floored dining room. Drinking water and tea and coffee making supplies are always freely available there.
All guests share a two-roomed bathroom building. Showers are provided in the bathroom, and a western-style toilet occupies the other room.
Electricity is provided by generator, and is available from sunset to around midnight. Lagoon Homestay usually recieves a strong 4G signal.
English is spoken at Lagoon Homestay.
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.
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
Lagoon 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
Diving
Lagoon Homestay has an on- site dive center. Dives cost IDR 700,000 per person, per dive. The cost includes equipment hire and guide payments. An additional boat price (shared by divers) is charged. Boat prices for some popular local sites can be found in the table below.
Please note: Diving is not available on Sunday mornings. Dive trips will not start before 1.00PM on Sundays.
| DIVE SITE | BOAT PRICE |
|---|
| Melissa’s Garden | Free |
| Fam Wall | Free |
| Napoleon Wall | Free |
| Galaxi Reef Point | Free |
| Fam Slope | Free |
| Batu Rufas | Free |
| Rufas Reef | Free |
| Barracuda Point | 200,000 |
| Fam Jetty | 400,000 |
| Sardine Reef | 400,000 |
| Nudibranch | 300,000 |
| Yeben Island | 400,000 |
| Mayanggelo | 300,000 |
Snorkelling
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.
Prices for some popular snorkelling and sightseeing trips are provided in the table below. Prices are IDR and are shared by trip participants. 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 |
There’s an old observation post built on Pulau Rufas’ highest point. It’s just above the homestay and offers panoramic views and a shady place to catch the breeze on a hot day. Pulau Rufas’ limestone is sharp, so good footwear is recommended when exploring.
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.
