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Features Details Sun Homestay occupies a beachside location in the Batanta village of Marandan Weser.
Marandan Weser is commonly known as Yennyar, and it is one of the last villages in Raja Ampat in which all the homes are of traditional construction.
Sun Homestay is a two room bungalow that can accommodate 4 guests. Bedrooms have mattresses on the floor, equipped with the homestay standard covers, pillows, bolsters and mosquito nets. (If you need to accommodate a larger group, Sun’s near neighbour Rissen Homestay can sleep another 4 people.)
Meals are served on the bungalow verandah, and free drinking water and tea and coffee making supplies are provided there for guests.
Guests share a concrete-floored bathroom building which provides bucket bathing and a western style toilet.
Electricity at Sun Homestay is supplied by a generator and is available from around sunset to midnight. There’s no phone signal or internet services available in Yennyar.
English is spoken at Sun Homestay.
As everywhere else in Raja Ampat, safe waste disposal and recycling is unavailable. If you don’t want your inorganic trash to end up polluting paradise , please take it away with you when you leave.
Coconut crabs: This protected species is unfortunately hunted and sold at some places in Raja Ampat . Please don’t buy any. Rissen Homestay will refuse to cook them for you and will insist you release them instead.
Transport / Getting there Transport between Sun Homestay and Waisai is by longboat capable of carrying a maximum of 3 passengers. The trip costs IDR 2,000,000 each way, with the cost shared among passengers.
Read more about Raja Ampat boat transport prices here.
Public Boat
If you are looking to save money on transfers and have plenty of time available, there is a public boat that runs between Sorong, Arefi on Batanta, and Pam village on Pambemuk . The public boat is a lot cheaper than any other means. It costs about IDR 120,000 one way between Sorong and Pam, so probably cheaper to Batanta. It’s also a long, slow journey. The boat leaves Sorong once a week at 1600 on Fridays, and arrives in Arefi at Batanta at 2200. John Urbon in Sorong can help you find the public boat.
You would need to let your homestay know you were arriving on the ferry so they could arrange a pickup or somewhere for you to spend the night in Arefi. (Small boat travel at night is potentially dangerous.)
The return trip usually leaves Pam around 0830 on Saturday morning, arriving in Arefi at about 1230 and Sorong at 1730.
Activities You probably won’t find another village like Yennyar in Raja Ampat. All of the village houses are traditionally constructed from local timber and natural materials. There are no phone or internet services and the pace of life is one which is fast disappearing from the world. The village was founded by members of the Seventh Day Adventist faith, so their day of rest is Saturday, not Sunday as elsewhere in the islands. Note that (excepting Waisai transfers) boat trips and other activities dependent on your hosts may not be available on Saturdays. There’s plenty to do though: Long walks along a fine sandy beach, birdwatching, jungle exploration or simply relaxing in the shade and enjoying a quiet escape from online life.
Snorkelling
Be sure to bring snorkelling gear, as the reefs that extend all along Sun Homestay’s beach are excellent. Marine life is vibrant and dolphins and dugongs are regularly seen. Sun Homestay can organise any snorkelling or sightseeing trip that you’d like to do. Some of the most popular destinations are listed in the table below. Prices are per trip, shared by passengers.
SNORKELING SITE TRIP PRICE (IDR) Pulau Wai 700,000 Pulau Urun 500,000 Pulau Dayan 500,000 Maref 400,000 Masi 200,000
Waterfall visits
Batanta’s high inland ridges create a lot of rain which waters the lush island rainforest and fuels a number of waterfalls that Sun Homestay can take you to. See the photo gallery above for a taste of what to expect.
Batanta
See our Batanta page for an overview of Batanta, its neighbouring islands, and their attractions.
