Excellent snorkelling (bring your own gear) can be had over the pristine coral reef right in front of the homestay and a great expanse of white sand beach is revealed at low tide.
Diving
Diving is available at Yenros Homestay by arrangement with Arborek Dive Shop.
Wildlife
Wildlife abounds at Yenros. The vast array of reef fish to be seen in front of the homestay includes Yenros’ resident wobbegong shark and a few recently identified rare species. Dolphins and turtles are also frequent visitors. Raja Ampat’s famed walking sharks can be observed in the mangrove lagoons behind the homestay. Melki offers a guided night tour (bring your own flashlight) to find these iconic creatures. The tours cost IDR 50,000 per person and are provided on a “no see, no pay” basis.
Terrestrial wildlife includes a wide variety of birds, including the mound building megapode known locally as Maleo and several species of parrot. Cuscus are occasional nocturnal visitors, and a host of large (and sometimes noisy!) insect life including giant Atlas Moths can be observed at night as well. Another interesting night excursion Melki offers is a short boat ride to beachside caves where swifts gather to roost. The swifts’ nests are the type built from the birds’ saliva that in other places are harvested for birds’ nest soup. Trips to see the swifts cost IDR 50,000 per person and include the cost of the boat.
Yenros Homestay Raja Ampat Tours
Prices are in IDR and are shared among total passengers (maximum of 8). Be sure to bring your snorkeling equipment!
| LONGBOAT TOURS & SNORKELING |
PRICE |
| Manta & Arborek, Hidden Bay, Kabui Passage, lunch at Warikaf Homestay |
3,500,000 |
| Piaynemo day tour with extra snorkeling at Arborek |
Up to 4: 4,000,000
5 – 8: 5,000,000 |
| Kri Islands and Yenbuba Jetty snorkeling + Pasir Timbul sandbank visit |
Up to 4: 900,000
5-8: 1,300,000 |
| Wayag |
Up to 4: 7,500,000
5-8: 10,000,000 |
| Piaynemo and Arborek, Manta, Pasir Timbul Sandbank, Friwen Wall |
5,000,000 |
| Kabui Bay & Passage, Hidden Bay, Batu Lima |
Up to 4: 1,500,000
5-8: 2,000,000 |
| Manta, Arborek, Piaynemo, Hidden Bay, Kabui Passage. |
Up to 4: 4,500,000
5-8: 5,000,000 |
| Friwen Wall, Batu Lima and Hidden Lake |
Up to 4: 500,000
5-8: 650,000 |
Waigeo – Wilson’s Bird of Paradise
(add IDR 200,000 in total for transport) |
300,000 per person |
| Alfred Wallace campsite + Red Bird of Paradise, Dore Mkun sightseeing |
200,000 per person |
Red Birds of Paradise can be seen nearby at Yenanas Paradise Homestay and the pre-dawn trip to see them display is available for IDR 100,000 per person including boat transport.
The Hidden Lake: Melki knows of a hidden jungle pool just inside Kabui Bay. A lagoon completely surrounded by the jungled hills of Gam, the lake is flushed by the tides, which enter via the fissured limestone separating the lagoon from Kabui Bay. The pool is a safe swimming place and shelter for fish and an array of unusual marine life like soft corals and giant Synaptid sea cucmbers. Melki has plans to build a deck over the water from the shady banks of the lagoon. When finished, it’ll be a great place to laze and swim during the heat of the day. Trips to the pool cost IDR 100,000 per person including boat transport.
Batu Lima: At the entrance to Kabui Bay, Batu Lima (Five Rocks) is a popular snorkelling and diving spot. Known to local people as Monkairi, Batu Lima is also the site of a Kanji-inscribed naval survey marker erected by Japanese forces during World War II. Snorkelling tips to Batu Lima cost IDR 50,000 per person (includes boat cost) and if the tide is high you can scramble from the boat to the top of the largest rock to see the marker and take in the Kabui Bay views. Combining the Hidden Lake and Batu Lima tours makes for a great longer excursion.
Arborek: Arborek visits (or transfers to/from) are available for IDR 1,000,000. The cost is shared by boat passengers.
Alfred Wallace campsite: Just behind Yenros Homestay is the river-like channel leading to Dore Mkun – the lagoon from which the famed naturalist Alfred Wallace struck out in search of a campsite when he visited Gam in the 1850s. At the site Wallace chose to use as a collecting and research base, using a description in his acclaimed The Malay Archipelago, the people of Yenbeser have reconstructed the hut Wallace lived in during his time in Gam. Even if you’re not that interested in the history, the scenic journey down the narrow waterway to Dore Mkun makes a visit worthwhile. Ask Melki about arranging a visit, or contact Simon Kolomsusu, a Yenbeser guide who has built some hides in the jungle near Wallace’s campsite from which you can observe Red Birds of Paradise.
