RAJA AMPAT

ITINERARY

Join us to the heart of the Coral Triangle - the famed archipelago of Raja Ampat! Diving on our deluxe liveaboard the Amira we will be exploring the remote islands of the coral hot spot. We will spend a time in the exciting North of Raja Ampat and then work our way to the center of Raja Ampat.

Traveling with award-winning photographers Grant Thomas you will great hands, he will take care of logistics, nature talks and take photos of you and the animals.

Check out the trip reports from our 2019 expedition

DATES

26/01 to 02/02 2027

02/02 to 05/02 2027
extension

THE REGION

The territory within the islands of the Four Kings is enormous, covering 9.8 million acres of land and sea, home to 540 types of corals, more than 1,000 types of coral fish. This makes it the most diverse living library for world's coral reef and underwater biota. Around 75 percent of the world's species live here.

The biodiversity is palpable from the first dive. Rich, multi-colored reefs are inhabited by clouds of reef fish and big schools of pelagics. There are sharks of all types including the famous wobbegong. Mobula Rays as well as both species of Manta Ray are encountered regularly. The variety of dive sites is mind-boggling.

This unique bio hotspot is one of the best places in the world to dive.

Check out the photos from our last expeditions to Raja Ampat

from our expeditions

THE SEASON

North Raja Ampat is a vibrant marine paradise renowned for its exceptional biodiversity and stunning coral formations. Divers can expect to encounter large pelagics like manta rays, reef sharks, and schools of barracuda, alongside turtles, dolphins, and a rich variety of reef fish. The region is also famous for its macro life, including pygmy seahorses, nudibranchs, and ornate ghost pipefish.

THE EXTRAS

On this trip we will have the entire boat to ourselves, which means we can decide on the itinerary outselves. The plan is to do the North of Raja Ampat first and then the famous center of Raja Ampat, but we can fine tune according to wishes of our guests.

Grant will give several talks on flora and fauna and for the photographers he will be offering photography training for macro and wide-angle. On this trip we will also aim to do several black water night dives, for the keen macro photographers.

THE BOAT

MSV Amira is one of our favorite dive vessels. She is equipped with a state of the art navigation, security and rescue equipment. With a length of 52 meters Amira offers 9 comfortable double cabins and one single cabin, all equipped with personal showers and toilets and natural lighting. There is a cozy restaurant, a romantic lounge area and a huge sun deck and our absolute favorite dive boat. Generously designed space to gear up with a fixed site for each diver, several rinse tanks, plenty of surface space and a large camera room. Also, she has 4 tenders so we can split into small groups.

Our boat

MSV Amira

Spacious 52m Indonesian Liveaboard with:

Double cabins and 1 single, all with private bath
State-of-the-art navigation and safety equipment
Restaurant, lounge, and expansive sun deck
Dive deck with gear stations, rinse tanks, and camera room
4 tenders for small-group diving

Your INSIDER ON THIS TRIP

Grant Thomas

Grant Thomas is an international award-winning photographer and videographer, travel guide and writer who has been travelling the globe for over 10 years, capturing some of mother nature's finest moments. He works as photographer and travel guide, leading a variety of tours and workshops to encounter and photograph animals such as humpback whales and orca. His work has taken him around the world from the warm tropical waters of Indonesia to the glacier covered landscape of the Arctic. In 2018 Grant was named British Underwater photographer of the Year. He is currently a brand ambassador for Ikelite underwater systems and Cressi.

DATES

The trip is from 26th January to 2nd February 2027. You can arrive by plane on the 26th or, to be more safe arrive on the 25th February and spend the night in Bali or Jakarta. The boat will depart at lunch time

WHAT PEOPLE SAY

MARINA

Couldn't have wished for a better first liveaboard. Give me all the reefs and fish and mantas! The organization in advance was great and Simon was very helpful and knowledgeable throughout the trip. Sharing his amazing photos with us including the best pics I've ever had of myself diving is a lovely addition. Crew and boat facilities were great as well. Had the best time in Raja Ampat, I'm so full of memories, impressions and experiences, I can't believe it was only 10 days because it certainly feels more like 100 in the best way possible 😍. Looking forward to go on more Insider Divers trips in the future.

JENNY

What stood out for me on this INSIDER DIVERS trip to Raja Ampat compared to other trips we've done, is all the extras and different types of diving on offer. For example the talks on photography, sharks and mantas, plus the personal portraits of each of us underwater. I enjoyed the new and different types of diving and snorkeling such as muck diving, diving under jetties, black water diving, snorkeling under the mangroves, with baby sharks and in a jellyfish lake. I also appreciated Simon's helpfulness and advice regarding my camera and how to improve my photography. Great value-add from INSIDER DIVERS!

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GAUTAM

I've done a few trips with Insider Divers and they've all been amazing. Most recently I just came back from a liveaboard to Raja Ampat. The trip and diving was wonderful but the part that makes it a fantastic trip is all the attention to detail and support Insider Divers provides their guests. They go out of their way to make sure everyone is comfortable and enjoying themselves. They bring expert advice, and informative, relevant (and optional) talks about the the local sea-life, region, photography...really just about anything that the guests ask for. I've become a far better and informed diver and underwater photographer because of my trips with Insider Divers, and I've seen so much more than I ever would of marine life and of exotic destinations than I ever would on my own. Looking forward to my next trip!

This extension is for those who want to do some more diving - and see the world famous Birds of Paradise. We will set over to the island of Waigeo and stay in a beautiful barefoot luxury residence to enjoy some more pristine scuba dives and early morning birding sessions.