Raja Ampat liveaboard boat tours

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Raja Ampat liveaboard boat tours - Photo courtesy Deni Rajaampat/www.rajaampatadventures.com

Raja Ampat liveaboard boat tours are one of the best ways to see as much of Raja Ampat as possible in a short amount of time. We’re not talking about the many liveaboard dive boats that cruise the Raja Ampat archipelago: We want to introduce you to local operators who provide affordable Raja Ampat marine adventures to travellers interested in more than just diving.

Locally owned liveaboard boats provide an opportunity to visit far more than Raja Ampat’s best dive sites. In addition to their regular dive, snorkelling and sight-seeing itineraries, local liveaboard operators can provide affordable private charters to groups wanting a Raja Ampat adventure of their own design.

Using diesel powered traditional wooden boats and large outboard powered longboats, Raja Ampat liveaboard boat tours are designed for small groups of four to eight people and include land excursions and all meals. Sleeping arrangements include being able to sleep onshore under the stars on deserted island beaches. In addition to diving, snorkelling and remote island village visits, locally operated liveaboard tours provide the opportunity to hike to waterfalls, scenic viewpoints in hidden island seascapes, Bird of Paradise display sites and Raja Ampat’s many culturally significant sites.

Here’s two Raja Ampat liveaboard boat tour operators and experienced, English speaking guides who can deliver the ultimate Raja Ampat sea gypsy experience and some great Raja Ampat land based adventures...

Koryau Kayem Expeditions

Koryau Kayem Expeditions are operated by Freddy Sauyai, the owner of Koryau Kayem Homestay. While not strictly “liveaboard”, Koryau Kayem’s 6 day/5 night expeditions are true adventures which will see you sleeping under the stars and eating local food cooked over an open fire. You need to bring whatever bedding and camping gear you need to sleep comfortably, as well as your snorkelling gear. To quote from Koryau Kayem’s website: “You will spend the next five nights at a secluded beach or within proximity local village depending where the current and weather takes us”…

KORYAU KAYEM EXPEDITIONS – RAJA AMPAT BOAT TOURS
Tour length 6 days, 5 nights
Group size Min 4, Max 6
Boat Type See photo in gallery at top of page.
Boat engines 40HP outboard
Price IDR 6,500,000 per person (see Koryau Kayem’s website for what’s included)
Diving available? By prior arrangement for private charter tours only
Private charter available? Yes (see Koryau Kayem’s website for details)
Further  tour information See Koryau Kayem’s boat expedition and FAQ website pages
Contact details Freddy Sauyai, +6285197051271 or info@koryaukayem.com

Raja Ampat Adventures

Deni Malingkas’ Raja Ampat Adventures is an established business with a great reputation and offers liveaboard adventures on a large and comfortable boat. Raja Ampat Adventures’ Sulawesi built vessel has sun and canopy decks, spacious communal sleeping quarters, kitchen, bathroom and toilet and a 1KW generator providing electricity. Accompanying the boat are a 7 metre fibreglass longboat which acts as a tender and for exploring shallow waterways and a pair of sit-on-top kayaks for personal excursions. If Wayag is on your must-see list, Raja Ampat Adventures provides one of the best ways to experience it. A note to turtle lovers: In addition to Raja Ampat liveaboard tours, Deni can also organise land trips to the north shore of the Papuan mainland to see leatherback turtle nesting grounds.

RAJA AMPAT ADVENTURES – RAJA AMPAT LIVEABOARD BOAT TOURS
Tour length 4 days/3 nights, 7 days, 6 nights and 10 days, 9 nights
Group size Min 4, Max 8
Boat Type 19m x 4.5m traditional wooden boat (see photo in gallery at top of page)
Boat engines Two inboard 4 cylinder diesel (one for backup)
Price See RAA’s packages page
Diving available? Yes (see RAA website diving page for details)
Private charter available? Yes, as permitted by scheduled fixed itinerary trips
Further  tour information See the RAA’s website
Contact details Via Raja Ampat Adventures website contact page or connect with Deni via his facebook page

If you’re passionate about photography, Deni’s an excellent guide with a good eye for great photos – see his work in the gallery above. (Main image by Claudia P, courtesy of Raja Ampat Adventures.) Thanks for letting us repost them Deni!

KLM Insos Raja Ampat Liveaboard

If you’re looking for something specifically for divers, Yenkoranu Homestays’ KLM Insos Raja Ampat is perfect. The Insos is permanently based in Raja Ampat, operates throughout the year, and caters to small groups (6 max) of divers and snorkellers.

The Insos Raja Ampat runs two itineraries:

8 day voyages visiting dive sites in the Dampier Strait and at Wayag

10 day voyages visiting dive sites in the Dampier Strait and at Misool

See the Insos Raja Ampat page for prices, schedules and photographs.

62 thoughts on “Raja Ampat liveaboard boat tours”

  1. gilles says:

    Bonjour
    nous sommes un couple qui aimons le snorkelling et sommes interessé par la croisiere de de denis de 7 jours nous sommes disponible a partir du 25 septembre

    Reply
  2. Rosy says:

    Hi, we would like to book 7 nights/6 days on Denis’s liveaboard from around 4 January, 2018, if possible. There are 3 of us – a couple in our 40s and 50s, and son in his 20s – and we are snorkelling, not diving. We need 4 people at least to book the boat, so is anyone interested in getting together with us? Looking forward to seeing beautiful Raja Ampat.

    Reply
  3. Guya says:

    Hello!
    Can any of you give me any feedback on the 7days-6nights liveaboard trip to Southern-Northern Raja Ampat with Pamitrantours? I have found it online but can’t find any reviews.. That would be helpful ..

    Cheers

    Reply
  4. Guya says:

    Hi we are two italian girls willing to go for a boat trip with deni raja ampat adventure for 7 days/6nights from 1st to 7th September. The trip can leave if there are min 4 people. Anyone willing to join??

    Reply
  5. Stefan says:

    Hi,

    we (my wife and me) are planning to do a 10 days boat trip with Deni in November. We are snorkelers. Anyone interested to join?

    Reply
    • Karim says:

      Hi there. Im planning To join raja ampat. Have To fix the date. When Will you be there. I Will be pleased To join you

      Reply
  6. Elvira says:

    Hello there,

    I m looking for a boat around 30 sept, 1st, 2nd October for 7 days. I travel alone. Is there something? thanks a lot
    Elvira

    Reply
  7. Bryan says:

    Hi,
    I’m one person. I’m a snorkeler now though I used to scuba dive.
    I’m available anytime after September 24 and have to finish the tour on October 20th as I’m moving on the Nepal. Let me know if you want to coordinate a trip. I’d prefer the 10 trip and the 7 day one is fine.

    Reply
  8. Patricia says:

    Hi! we are 2 people. We are looking for more people to make the tour 7 days / 6 night around raja ampat on the dates from 20th of August till 26th with Raja Ampat Adventures. Bye

    Reply
    • Jacquelien says:

      Hi Ivan,
      I’m interested, and have a flexible schedule. I’m not an experienced diver and would want to be on a boat that would accommodate a snorkeling along with diving.
      I’d like to know more about your group, and what your interests are.
      Thank you!
      Jacqueline

      Reply
  10. Yvonne says:

    Hey everyone,

    me and the husband are planning a trip to Raja Ampat in November.We are interested in a 7days boat trip with Deni.Anyone else planning the same?

    Reply
    • Ivan says:

      Hello Yvonne,

      We are group of 3 planning the 7 day tour as well around end of October beginning of November.When do you plan to do the cruise?

      Reply
  11. Sandrine Laborderie says:

    Hi we are 2-3 who are very interested in a 10 days boat trip in october 2017. Is it possible to join a group?

    Reply
  12. Patricia says:

    Hi! we are 2 people. We are looking for more people to make de tour 7 days / 6 night around raja ampat since 20th of August till 26th with Raja Ampat Adventures.

    Reply
  13. Emily says:

    Hey! Since I could not find any review about Raja Ampat Adventures when organising my trip to Raja Ampat, I thought I make one now! We did a trip with Deni and his crew in late September 2016.

    To start of, the trip was absolutely wonderfull. The boat he was using back then is very spacious. Deni is building a new boat of his own now, so it is even supposed to get better. You can have comfortable sleeping. Everything is very clean. Sometimes you can take a shower at the place were the boat is for the night, when not, you can take a shower on the boat. The crew is so nice and funny, also very intelligent people. Most of them come from North Sulawesi. They feel more like other guests that are making the trip as well than as a crew :) The food is fresh and very delicious. Everyday there is fresh fish or chicken, always vegetables, rice and fruits. They provide an afternoon snack and they serve scrambled eggs for breakfast. We really did not expect such nice food! Keep in mind that there will be no softdrinks or beer on the boat, which for most of us was a clear fact, but other guest where really pissed of about it.

    With this trip you start to realise about all these islands where no people are living or only fishermen rest for the night. And Wajag is actually quite far away! It is a magical place and you will be there for an afternoon and a morning or a day, this depends on when you arrive there I think. We did two trekkings to a viewpoint and some snorkelling there. If you want, you can take your matresss and sleep on the deck of the boat. This trip will bring you to places wich are wonderfull but where you would have never arranged a trip for by yourself. It was really nice.

    We still think about it so often! We really recommend everyone to join one of Deni’s trips. The only thing I want to say is that when you want to experience the Islands local life, you have to go to a homestay as well. I loved the boattrip but I dit not have the feeling that I learned something about the area, I only saw a lot of beautiful and impressive things. Also keep in mind that Deni and his crew are doing their absolute best and are organising amazing trips but they still have to learn about what western tourists want and do not want :) So it will be perfect, but some things will be different than you expected.

    Reply
  14. Facundo says:

    Hi! we are 2 people. We are looking for more people to make de tour 7 days / 6 night around raja ampat since 01/04/2017 to 07/04/2017

    Reply
  15. Viola says:

    Looking for a group to join us (2 divers) or for people who want to do a Liveboard dive trip for a week. Our range is February 5th to 16th. Looking forward to hearing from you! ***

    Reply
  16. Celia Barsony says:

    Hi, I’m looking at doing a tour with Deni in March 2017 for 9-10 days. Need at least 5 others, if anyone wants to join!!!

    Reply
  17. Arlene says:

    Hello,

    There is a second boat going on Nov. 9 to 15. We need 4 people, but currently it’s only 2 of us (my husband and I)

    Please contact Deni or me, if you are interested.

    asaysomsack ~~at~~ yahoo ~~dot~~ca

    Arlene

    Reply
    • WilliamJ says:

      Hello, we (2 people from France) plan to be at RajaAmpat on this date.
      Is there still available place on the boat ? Because we would be interested to join the trip.

      Regards,

      William

      Reply
      • Hassan says:

        Hi,
        We are two guys from Singapore staying in raja ampat from 5th to 13th Nov. We are interested in diving, trekking, kayaking and any other activities. Let me know if anyone is interested to join us and share costs of the excursions.

        Hassan

        Reply
  18. David Christiansson says:

    Hi,
    Me and my wife are planning to go on a trip with Deni from 15th to 21st of November 2016. There are still place available if anyone is interested, dont hesitate to contact Deni at Rajaampatadventures
    David Christiansson

    Reply
  19. Tippy Hu says:

    Me and my family from china, spend 6 days with Freddy and his crew, unbeatable boat-trip, during this chinese new year period. It is a unforgettable holiday, because of friendly people and the scenery which have no equal in this world! I love raja ampat, I love Koryau Kayem. 我們一家在這間民宿以及他們家的船上度過了一個禮拜～超棒的～Freddy每晚會帶我們去不同的小島露營，有無人荒島、有當地小村落，太多美好的記憶，早上起來看到一排海豚從平靜的海面跳起，穿梭在仙境般的群山海面，只有自己和動物，感覺非常好！其中一天去了一個無人海灘浮淺，看到比人還長的巨型魔鬼魚，海龜，成千上萬的魚群從身邊游過，水中的能見度至少有30米，比萬鴉老的25米，大堡礁的15米清晰得多得多得多！！最後兩晚住在他家的民宿，非常友善的一家人，怎一個好字了得～

    Reply
  20. Anne & Guy says:

    My husband and I did the 6 days 5 nights boat tour with Freddy from 15th to 20th Feb 2015.
    15th Feb: We arrived in Sorong, someone picked us up from the airport and brought us to the port to take the 14:00 ferry. We arrived in Waisai at 16:00 and Freddy picked us up (when he arrived, more than 30 mins later) We slept in a guesthouse in Waisai.
    16th Feb: Freddy was supposed to pick us up at 9:00 but, still not knowing why, he came only at 12:00… We finally ended up on the boat and reached Gam island. We did some snorkeling near our camp.
    17th Feb: We went all around Gam island with 1 stop for snorkeling in the morning and at about 16:00 we arrived to Yenwaupnor Village where we did a very nice snorkeling and then bird-watching. We took the boat again to install the camp in Airborek island.
    18th: We went to Manta point and we saw many Manta, it was beautiful. Musa, the cook, came snorkeling with us and took us to a place where we could see many of them! We then wanted to go to Pianemo but the waves were too high so we headed up to Batanta and arrived in a empty island (actually an abandoned island where there used to be an administration center) where the snorkeling was amazing! At night Musa took us for a night trek in the forest and spotted many giant Hermit Crabs (attracted by the coconuts Freddy prepared in advance) It was a great experience! Musa even cooked one for us!
    19th: We managed to go to Pianemo and saw the beautiful landscape we were expecting! We slept there but it was the first time that Freddy ever stayed the night there so there was no cooking place for Musa and it was not really convenient.
    20th: We went to Mansuar where we had the best snorkeling ever in Sawandarek!! We finally finished the tour in Koryau Kayem homestay.

    Positive points:
    – Someone was always coming with us for the snorkelings (mostly Musa) so he could show us many things that we might not have seen by ourselves.
    – The food that Musa cooked was really good!
    – It’s a good way to see a lot of Raja Ampat
    – The staff was really nice

    Points to know/do before doing this tour:
    – The boat is really uncomfortable and noisy. The tour of Gam island was really long and it would have been great to stop in the middle.
    – We didn’t sleep well for 5 days (it was hot in the tent and the floor, even with a small mattress, was really not comfortable)
    – We didn’t shower for 3 days (some camps have mandi but some don’t)
    – It would be better to ask an itinerary before (even if it might change because of the weather conditions) so at least you know what can be done on each island that you visit. When we arrived on Gam the 1st day it seemed that there was no plan on “what to do” and as it was our first day, we were really scared about the rest of the tour!
    – Freddy was not the best guide we would have expected, seeing all the other reviews. He was not talkative, not coming with us, not showing us things. It became a bit better with the time but at the beginning we were really wondering why he was acting like that. However, because we can speak bahasa Indonesia, Musa, who doesn’t speak English, was really helpful, nice, actually doing the job of a guide + a cook!

    I would recommend to visit Raja Ampat with a boat tour as it’s really convenient, but it’s important to be ready to spend 5 days in very non-comfortable conditions!

    Reply
  21. Mel & Andy says:

    We travelled with Freddy for a 6 day/5night boat tour from Sept 28th to Oct 3rd 2014 before 9 nights at Lumba Lumba on Kri for diving. Probably worth mentioning we are a couple in our early 40’s who love to dive, snorkel, trek and explore off the beaten track, we don’t mind roughing it but do need a few nights of relative comfort every now and then. Raja Ampat is an amazing place and although we got to see quite a lot on this trip, we will be going back for more. Freddy was a kind and considerate guide, his brother Musa was lovely (best food we had in Raja was yours Musa!), the crew were a little reserved. Itinerary ended up being 1 night on Gam, 2 nights on Arborek, 1 night on Dayan Island and 1 night on Batanta. The plan was to go to Wayag or at least Pianemo but unfortunately the seas were very rough making for an unpleasant and sometimes worrying voyage. In the end, Freddy and I agreed we had to give up and change our itinerary. Also my partner had an accident, cutting open his hand really badly, so we decided it was best to not go too remote just in case we needed medical assistance. The seas and currents in Raja Ampat are the most changeable we’ve experienced both above and below the surface, this means plans can and do change, not because the locals don’t want to please, far from it, it’s for your safety.
    Some of the reefs we snorkelled were truly amazing (Dayan and Gam near Sawinggrai village were my favourites, you name it, we saw it) and I was lucky enough to see 3 mantas at Manta Sandy. We went on little trips to see the birds of paradise, a couscous and coconut crabs, climbed a limestone island for a good view, visited a bat cave and enjoyed the local music at Musa’s village, Yensawai on Batanta. Be prepared to pay a little extra to local people for some of these trips and to be a novelty with the children  Overall we had a great time but this is not a trip that would suit everyone. If you have a spirit of adventure, don’t mind mandi’s or a lack of privacy, can take some bumps and bruises and love the great wild outdoors then you will be fine. There really were no comforts at all, the boat was very basic, the engine very noisy and in hindsight we would have preferred to sleep on the boat. As romantic as camping on a beach might sound, the sand flies ate us alive even on the very windy Dayan Island. We would also recommend learning a bit of Indonesian and taking a phrasebook as communication was not always easy. Needless to say taking a very comprehensive medical kit and being prepared to be completely self-sufficient is a necessity. A word on footwear, we were barefoot for the nearly the whole 3 weeks but a secure sturdy sandal (wetsuit boots at a push) were absolutely necessary for climbing the very sharp limestone islands.
    We still need to go to Wayag, Pianemo and Misool and quite a few more islands, so saving our money for our return!

    Reply
  22. Aimee says:

    I will be flying to Sorong from 20th December until 1st Jan. I am travelling alone but would love to join a liveaboard if any tours are running that I could join?

    Reply
    • Stay Raja Ampat says:

      Hi Aimee –

      If you’re interested in joining one of the tours described above, you’ll need to contact them directly to find out about their schedules and to book a place.

      If you do go with one of those, we hope you’ll find the time on your return to leave your comments or a review here. Thanks and all the best for your trip!

      Reply
  23. Lucia says:

    Hello! we are two sister who are going to raja ampat from de 31st of october to the 5th of november. We are very interested on snorkeling, diving and going to waisai.
    Any recomendation? liveboard or homestay?

    Thank you!

    Reply
    • Stay Raja Ampat says:

      That’s not an easy question to answer Lucia! Especially without knowing what level of comfort and sleeping arrangements you’re looking for.

      If you want to see as much of Raja Ampat as possible then a liveaboard tour might be the way to go. On the other hand, if you just want to snorkel, dive and explore Waisai then a homestay might be a better and cheaper option. (Waisai is the main town on Waigeo where all the ferries dock. You didn’t mean Wayag, did you? If so, then a liveaboard tour could be the best option.)

      Reply