How to book Raja Ampat accommodation

Raja Ampat accommodation

1. Use the accommodation page search filters to quickly find homestays with features that are important to you. (You can apply more than one filter at a time.)

2. See the guest reviews at the foot of each homestay page to help decide where you want to stay.

3. If you have any questions that are not answered on a homestay page, please just ask.

4. The Rates quoted on a homestay’s page are the prices for the cheapest room type available. To check prices, you only need to enter your dates, the number of adults and children (under 12) in your group, and the accommodation you want, and the booking form will display your price. (You do not need to submit the form to see the price.)

5. If you want to check availability, or to request a booking, complete and submit the booking form provided on the homestay page.

6. Only request a Waisai pickup from the FIRST homestay you want to stay at. (There is no need to return to Waisai, as you can easily arrange onward transfers with your host after you have arrived, or you can ask your host to call the next place to come and pick you up.)

7. If your requested room type is available for the dates you want, the homestay will make a temporary reservation for you, and you will receive an email containing a payment link for the accommodation cost of your stay. Payment can be made with credit or debit cards issued by Visa or Mastercard.

8. To confirm your booking, please pay the invoice within 48 hours of it being sent to you. Reservations not paid for within 48 hours will be cancelled.

9. To ensure that you receive booking emails from us, please add contact <at> stayrajaampat.com to your email contacts or white list. If you do not receive any expected communications from us, please check your spam folder.

10. The Terms and Conditions and Policies relating to your use of the Stay Raja Ampat website and our booking system can be found here.

11. Read on to understand how our booking system works, and how it is different to others.

Please note that because of the limitations the booking system has to work under, it is not possible to make a single booking for a group in which individuals are arriving and departing on different dates: You must make separate bookings for people who are arriving and departing on different dates.

Book ahead

If you want to stay a popular homestay or (which includes all those with on-site dive centers) then you will almost always need to book ahead.

Booking at least 2 months in advance is recommended for popular homestays.

Please be aware that booking more than 180 days in advance of your check-in date makes refunding much more complicated and costly.

If you can not (or do not want to) make a booking before you go

Go anyway! There is never a time when all Raja Ampat accommodation (or any island) is fully booked.

If you arrive without a booking, contact the Raja Ampat Homestay Information Center at Waisai. The Center is open 7 days a week, and will be able to find you accommodation and arrange your transport.

Currency display

Prices displayed when you first load the website are either set according to your geographical location, or will default to IDR.

Prices are charged in IDR, so only prices displayed in IDR are exact. Rates displayed in other currencies are approximate indications only and are based on internet-sourced mid-market rates. Your bank and/or card provider will set the actual exchange rate.

A currency selector (circled red in screenshot below) is available on every website page. Click the selector to change displayed currencies.

The Homestay Association guarantees that all guests who book via the Association’s Stay Raja Ampat website will never be asked to pay more than the price members advertise on the website. The Association provides a support number to call if you ever find yourself in a situation where your host is telling you that “prices have gone up”.

Search by price

The Price/person search filter that you will find on our accommodation page will return homestays for which the cheapest available per person price matches the selected range. In most cases, the cheapest per person price is for couples sharing the cheapest room that a homestay offers.

About booking on Stay Raja Ampat

Stay Raja Ampat is a community-owned, not-for-profit website that is operated by PT Bahari Perjampat Sejahtera, an Indonesian company which is wholly owned by the members of PERJAMPAT – The Association of Indigenous Community Entrepreneurship and Livelihood in Raja Ampat.

All homestays represented on Stay Raja Ampat are PERJAMPAT members, and when you make a booking on Stay Raja Ampat, you are not dealing with an agent, you are dealing directly with the homestay owner.

When you pay for a booking on Stay Raja Ampat, 100% of the money you pay benefits Raja Ampat’s indigenous communities.

Raja Ampat Homestay owners always receive the price they want for their accommodation, and the 15% commission that you pay on website sales provides the income that PERJAMPAT needs to continue to provide services to its members.

PERJAMPAT’s income from website sales commissions pays for:

  • Provision, maintenance and updates of the Association’s Stay Raja Ampat website.
  • All costs and fees associated with collecting booking payments, disbursements to homestays, and record keeping.
  • The Waisai Homestay Information Center and staff salaries.
  • Homestay guest support, Association standards compliance, and website data collection teams’ salaries.
  • Association member support, training and mentoring workshops.
  • All Association meeting, administrative and operating costs.
  • Representations to government on behalf of members and members’ communities.

How the Raja Ampat accommodation booking system works

The Stay Raja Ampat booking system has been designed to overcome the challenges faced by the majority of homestay owners:

  • Lack of both the hardware and knowledge required to make use of digital tools and systems.
  • In many locations, lack of telecommunication infrastructure capable of providing internet access.
  • In some locations, complete lack of any kind of communications connectivity.
  • Lack of spoken or written English.
  • Lack of financial resources for independent digital marketing.
  • Exploitation by unscrupulous agents and middlemen who control many homestay listings on popular booking aggregators. (Sometimes without the owners’ knowledge or permission.)

Here’s how it works…

When you submit a Stay Raja Ampat booking request form, our system instantly translates your request to Bahasa Indonesia and sends it as an SMS text message to the homestay owner’s phone. Homestay owners simply reply to the SMS request by sending 1 if the room is available, or by sending 2 if it is not.

Do not expect an instant response to your request.

Most homestays will respond to requests within a few minutes or hours, but in some cases, homestay phones could be out of signal range, the owner may have no credit available on the phone, or there may be local network problems. The system allows homestays 48 hours to respond to a booking request.

The instant that our system receives a homestay owners’ response to your booking request, it will automatically notify you by email.

If the homestay does not respond within 48 hours of your request being sent, your request will be cancelled and our system will email you to let you know.

When a requested booking is available, our system will:

  • Send you an email letting you know that a temporary reservation has been made for you, and, a few seconds later,
  • Send you an email containing a “pay now” link for your reservation.

When a booking is unavailable, our system will:

  • Send you a notification email with suggestions for what to do next.

When a homestay does not respond to your booking request, our system will:

  • Send you a notification email with suggestions for what to do next.

When you pay your booking invoice, our system will:

  • Send you a booking confirmation email that contains
    • your booking confirmation and accommodation voucher,
    • contact details for your homestay,
    • Homestay Association guest support team contact details, and
    • a booking cancellation link.
  • Send your homestay an SMS message that contains
    • confirmation that you have paid for your booking
    • Your email address as entered on the booking form

If you do not pay your accommodation invoice within 48 hours of it being issued, our system will:

  • Send your homestay an SMS text message letting them know that you did not pay. (Your reservation will be cancelled.)

48 hours before your check in date, our system will:

  • Send your homestay an SMS text message reminder about your booking (and Waisai pickup if you requested one).

7 days after your check out date, our system will:

  • Send you an email inviting you to provide feedback to your host family and the Raja Ampat Homestay Association.

Cancellations:

Cancellations are a big deal for homestays. Many small homestays have to borrow the money they need to buy the fuel and food required for your stay, and it’s very unlikely that a homestay will be able to fill a vacancy created by cancellations less than 30 days ahead of check in. Because of this, PERJAMPAT has a very strict cancellation policy. Please read it before booking.

Comments

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  1. Jozef on

    Hi, what are the payment methods for this booking system?

    1. As at 7 above Jozef: Payment can be made with credit or debit cards issued by Visa or Mastercard.

  2. Carly on

    I plan to get a local sim for my phone. What is the best mobile phone company to use? We are going to Kri, Mansour, South and North Gam and Arborek.
    Thank you.

    1. You’ll find that information on this page Carly.

      If you have any other questions, please do check our step by step guide: It provides a handy index to all the info you need to plan and book a stay in Raja Ampat.

  3. Helen on

    I request Waisai pick-up to a homestay. To ensure pick-up arrangement & avoid miscommunication, how is the best way to inform them my arrival timing in Waisai?

    1. Please read your booking confirmation email, Helen.

      Complete details about this are provided there.

  4. Mr. Nieto on

    Hi, you recommend not to book with more than 6 months in advanced. In any case, and in order to assure my booking, I’d like to do it as soon as possible.
    1.- What do you recommend me?.
    2.- What about cancellation policy?
    3.- I understand that the payment is done in advanced from our credit card or bank account and rest of payments (day trips, etc.) should be paid there in cash. Do they accept € or $ or only IDR?
    Thanks for your reply

    1. Hello Mr Nieto

      1) You can book more than 6 months in advance if you want to.

      2) Linked at 9. above. Here is cancellation and refund policy.

      3) IDR only

  5. INFO FOR GUESTS WITH BOOKINGS CONFIRMED BEFORE LAUNCH OF BOOKING PAYMENT SYSTEM ON OCTOBER 12 2019

    You do not have to do anything.

    Homestays have advised that all existing bookings made via the SRA website will be honoured at the prices displayed at the time the booking was confirmed.

    All existing confirmed bookings remain confirmed: Your homestays are still expecting you, and our system will still send your hosts a reminder of your booking 48 hours before your check in date.

    All the best for your stay!

    1. Heidi on

      Puhhh … this is very good to hear. I was not far away from a heart attack when I saw the new prices…
      The confirmations I received in May are all without price. I wrote them down for myself, but unfortunately I did not made a screenshot of the prices displayed.

      I hope it’s all going to be fine, but just in case the homestay and I disagree which price was displayed in May – how can I prove it? Does anybody has a list of all homstays and their rates? The Homestay Association maybe?

      Thanks in advance for your answer

      1. Just email us if you have a problem anywhere Heidi. We have records. Replying to the booking confirmation email for the relevant homestay is a good way to give us all the details we might need.

  6. Yan on

    how could i cancel the booking if my plans changed?

    1. Hi Yan

      As described above: A week before your scheduled arrival we’ll email/SMS you a reminder containing a cancellation link in case your plans have changed.

      A booking cancellation link is also provided in every booking confirmation email sent by the website system.

      All you have to do to cancel a booking is click the link.

  7. Mansour on

    thanks a lot for really amazing work that you do here. I am about to book a Homestay and I need a pick-up from Waisai but in the request form there is no option to specify what time we will be at waisai and what time we need to be picked up by the homestay. How can we solve this issue?

    Thanks

    1. There are only two ferry arrival times per day Mansour. In your booking confirmation email, you will find a recommendation that you send an SMS message to your homestay when you board the ferry In Sorong, so that they know which one to meet.

      If you can not do that, or if you can not find your host when you arrive at Waisai, then go to the Homestay Information Center and they will help you.

  8. Cornelie Kuttig on

    Hi there,
    thank you for helping everybody plan their stay at Raja Ampat. I am thinking about going there in April for about a week and I’ve noticed that all of the homestay that I like are around Kri.
    If I take the ferry from Sorong to Waigeo, how long will it take me to get to Kri? Would I be travelling in a small boat? I can’t imagine how high the waves are in that area.
    Thank you very much in advance,
    best regards,
    Cornelie Kuttig

    1. Hi Cornelie

      As described on our how to get to page, the ferry ride from Sorong to Waisai takes about 2 hours. Then it’s a small boat ride to Kri, which takes about 40 minutes, depending on the boat. You don’t need to worry about waves on the crossing from Waisai to Kri.

  9. Franz Soriat on

    Ich möchte Raja Ampat sunrise homestay VIP Bungalow von 23.Jänner bis 2.Februar für 1 Person buchen. Mit dem Formular auf der Seite des Homestays ist das nicht möglich.
    Können sie mir helfen?

  10. Thumm on

    Hello, I made a booking on on the 2nd december. Until now I didn’t got an email from you. Did I have to try it again or did it just take time?

    Petra

    1. Hi Petra

      We acknowledged receipt of your booking request 19936 on December 1. The homestay confirmed your booking almost immediately and a confirmation email was sent a few minutes later. Perhaps these messages went to your spam folder? If you can not find them, please use our contact form to let us know and we will forward you copies.

  11. Alexander Borefelt on

    Hi,

    the group that I’m traveling with are staying at Yenaduak at the end of our stay 26-29 december. My question is if we can reach Sorong by boat from Yenaduak the same day the flight is? Our flight is at 2 pm the 29th of december so can Yenaduak provide a boat transfer for us the same day as our flight?

    Many thanks in advance!

    1. Hi Alexander

      Yes, as stated in the Transport/Getting there section of Yenaduak’s page, Yenaduak can provide transport direct to Sorong.

  12. Franz Soriat on

    Ich reise alleine.
    Wenn ich einen Bungalow buche, der für 2 Personen Platz hat,
    muss ich für 2 Personen zahlen oder nur für mich?

    1. Hi Franz

      Almost all homestays charge per person, but some do charge a slightly higher single occupancy rate if you are in a room by yourself.

      Prices are clearly shown at the top of each homestay’s page and will say if a single occupancy rate applies. If no single occupancy rate is mentioned, then you would just pay the per person rate.

  13. Elke on

    Hi, need to book an additional day in a homestay. Have already booked that day somewhere else, but I am hesitant to cancel this booking without knowing the availability in the desired in homestay. What to do? Thanks in advance for the advice.

    1. Hi Elke

      Your only option in that situation is to directly contact the desired homestay to find out about availability.

  14. RUBRECHT PHILIPPE on

    Bonjour , j’ai une réservation à Yenkoranu Homestay en Avril 2019 et j’ai envoyé un émail en demandant s’il fallait verser un acompte sans réponse à ce jour !!.
    Comment les prévenir de l’heure d’arrivée du ferry Sorong via Waisai ?..
    Merci.

    1. Hello Rubrecht

      Yenkoranu have confirmed your booking and do not require a deposit.

      You requested a pickup from Waisai when you made the booking, so they will send a boat to Waisai to meet you on your check-in date.

      Not sure we understand your question, but if you do not want them to pick you up from Waisai, then you have two options:

      1. Contact them directly to let them know, or
      2. Cancel your existing booking using the cancellation link provided in your confirmation email, then request a new booking, but do not select the Waisai pickup checkbox.

  15. Jan on

    Hi,
    Do I have to pay a deposit to my chosen host or will I pay all amount when I meet my host on the island?

    1. Depends on the host Jan. Some require deposits to confirm bookings, some don’t. If you book through this website, hosts requiring deposits will contact you directly after they have confirmed your booking. If you have not already seen it, please read this information about how our booking system works.

  16. Riccardo on

    Hi
    Is possible to dive there ?

  17. Alice McNatty on

    Hi
    Many thanks for such a helpful website.
    A quick query – how does your home-stay know which ferry you are on to pick you up (i.e. the one that departs Sorong at 9am or 2pm)?
    Thanks

    1. You’re welcome Alice :)

      As advised in booking confirmation emails, we recommend you send them an SMS message when boarding the ferry in Sorong. If you’re unable to do that (or find they are not there to meet you when you arrive) then the Homestay Information Center will help.

  18. annie crofts on

    Hello, I’m in awe of your detailed and informative website and admire the effort you’re making to assist the home stays of RA, very worthwhile indeed. I have one simple question please. Can you give me any idea how far in advance it would be wise to book for January/February?
    I’m unsure of my dates as am travelling around Banda islands for some weeks beforehand so won’t know my dates for RA until end of October. Is that going to be a bit late to get the home stays of my choice do you think ? I’d appreciate your advice. Many thanks in advance. Kind regards, Annie

    1. Thank you Annie :)

      How far ahead to book depends very much on where you want to stay.

      If you want to stay on Kri, or at any of the most popular homestays, then we’d suggest at least 40 days in advance at that time of year. (Even more if at one of the most popular homestays on Kri.)

      If you are happy to stay anywhere, then you should be able to find a room available without booking at all, even in January. The Homestay Association Information Center at Waisai can organise accommodation for guests arriving without bookings.

  19. Till on

    I cannot book or send any inquiries because the place I send a mail to like 2 weeks ago ist not replying!
    Not a very good system – I cannot book!

    1. Hi Till

      Can’t be sure without knowing which homestay you are trying to contact, but using the website booking forms will almost always get a quicker response than emailing.

      Telecommunications in Raja Ampat are unreliable, telephone signal is only available in some areas and data connections (which are only available over the mobile phone network) are frequently offline. The booking system we provide is the best available method of getting around those problems.

  20. Rune on

    Hi!

    We’ve just arrived in Manado and decided to og to Raja Ampat. We hope to fly to Sorong in a day or two. What would you recommend – that we try to book a homestay via your website/bookingform or go to Waisai and work it out from there?

    Best,
    Rune

    1. Hi Rune

      Sorry for not replying in time to your query. We’ve been without an internet connection for the last 2 weeks.

      Booking using the website booking forms is usually the quickest and easiest way to make a booking, but (as long as you’re not wanting to stay at one of the more popular homestays) arriving without a booking and using the Waisai Homestay Information Center also works.

  21. Laura Ojeda on

    Hello,
    My girlfriend and I send booking for a week on Yenkorano Homestay from 18/1 25/1, we arrive tomorrow to Sorong, we need quick answer if you can hIndonesianLaura number is 082146776246. Thank you very much.

    1. Hi Laura

      Just sent you an email about this. Please check your spam folder if you can’t see it in your inbox.

  22. Emma on

    Hi, im planning on visiting in march and wish to stay at two different homestay. I cant find information on travelling between homestays. Can i count on the first homestay helping me arrange transport to the second homestay? Or how do i arrange it? Thanks for a great site!

    1. Hi Emma (and thanks for the thanks :) )

      Yes, it’s easy to arrange transport from one place to another. The easiest way is to ask your current host to take you to the next, but you could also ask your host to call your destination to arrange a pickup if that’s better for any reason.

      So, if you book using the website booking forms, you only need to select the “Waisai pickup” checkbox for the first place you will be staying at.

  23. Farouq Vijay on

    Hi,
    I’m planning a trip to Raja Ampat in November 2018 for my family of 2 adultsadults and 3 children..can please advice on the home stay.
    Thank you.

  24. Rosario Vodanovic on

    Hello,

    We are a honeymooners couple, and we are very excited to go there. We are going there from January 10th to January 18th. Do you recommend to stay in one place or two? We are looking a private room and private bathroom. I already contact diferents resorts, but most of them are very expensive. Which place do you recommend? and which accommodation?

    Thanks in advance
    Regards

    1. Hello Rosario

      After coming so far, we think it’s a good idea to see as much of Raja Ampat as you can, so staying at at least two different islands is a good idea. Use the website advanced search to quickly find accommodation matching the criteria you want. (Selecting “Has ensuite bathroom/toilet” will show you all the homestays with private rooms and private bathrooms.)

      You should be able to find the answers to any other questions you have in the information linked from our step by step guide.

    2. Maby Quispe on

      Hello Rosario , how’re u?
      We’re two also traveling to Raja ampat those days. Did u choose where to stay? Maybe we can be in touch for sharing the boat ride From the main island Waisai to one of the island. I trying to book with Yenkoranu Homestay (Kri North Coast).

      Maby

  25. sun on

    I visit Raja Ampat next week. I was planning to dive and snorkel in Kri Island. By the way, I read that I can see the dugong in Batanta area. Is it true? It is my dream to see a dugong. If I can see the dugong, I want to stay Batanta. But if it’s just a big fortune, I’ll just stay at Kri.

    1. Yes, it’s true, sun. Most people who spend time at Batanta see dugongs. They are wild animals though, so there’s no guarantee that you’ll see one, but you would be unlucky not to as long as you spent at least a few days looking for them.

  26. Pablo on

    Hi, I am Pablo, i am arriving to Raja Ampat next march 2018.
    I have no idea where I can stay yet, I am looking for some genuine help ,
    I am interested in doing some scuba diving and relaxing at paradisian beaches .
    Do you know where I culd stay taking into account that I am travelling on my own and in a backpacker style? Do you know if homesatys organize groupal excursions to get around other islands and so, it would be chaeaper?
    I know it is expensive but anyway, i am desperate for some information about this.

    Thanks a lot for your help.

    1. Hi Pablo

      Our step by step guide provides links to answers to the questions most visitors ask. All homestays can organise trips to any place you want to go, but it is up to you to find others to join and share the costs with. Kri might be your best choice as it has great beaches, dive centers and it’s easy to meet other guests there.

  27. eyheramendy xabi on

    hello i wan t to go Yenkarom homestay in Birie island but i don t know i can go …i will be there in middle of september and i saw it was very windy and rainy on this period ! and i prefer take a big boat it s more safe !! you know if there is a ferry from Sorong to Waiwo …and after there is a boat to go Birie island ! if you know the price and how long time to go there ?? thank you for information :))

    1. Hi eyheramendy

      The only large boat that goes anywhere near Yenkarom is a public boat from Sorong that departs once a week on Fridays at 1600, and arrives at Arefi around 2200. It returns to Sorong on Saturdays.

      You will be fine booking a Waisai pickup with Yenkarom. The windy season usually starts to abate in mid-September, and Yenkarom would not make the crossing if the conditions were unsafe.

      1. eyheramendy xabi on

        ok thanks a lot for the info :) so i changed my plan i will stay at Batu lima homestay …it s easer and sheaper …only 30 mn by boat from Waisai …perfect for the first week we ll see after to go to Kry …i got a indo phone and my friend speak indo …so i just need to send a texte for the booking ??

  28. Rodolfo on

    Hello there!
    Do you know a place called Cove Eco Resort in Raja Ampat? Apparently stays in an island called Yeben. Counting on your support.
    Thanks

  29. Julia on

    I´ve seen there are some Homestays you can book and pay with agoda. You know if it works well? I´m wondering if there is trouble with the payment or overbooking!?

    1. Hi Julia –

      With only a couple of exceptions, all those Agoda listings have been created by scammers with no connection to the homestays they have listed. Note the vastly inflated prices! We have no idea what the result of booking one of those would be, but it’s an absolute certainty that if the the homestay concerned received anything at all, it would only be a fraction of the price paid by the guest.

      Much safer to use the booking forms provided on this site. Doing so is communicating directly with the homestay concerned and is much cheaper.

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