If you hear the name Raja Ampat, it will definitely be very familiar to your ears. Raja Ampat with its million beauty always fascinates everyone who visits there. Located in the northwest of Papua Island, to be precise in the city of Sorong, this place has always been the choice for diving lovers since the 2000s. Although Raja Ampat tourist attractions are quite expensive, in 2015 there were around 6,000 local tourists and 15,000 foreign tourists visiting Raja Ampat.
It is not surprising that Raja Ampat can attract the attention of many local and foreign tourists, because Raja Ampat is a tourist spot that has the most diverse marine life in the world. This time IamIndonesia will review further, about tours in Raja Ampat, let's see the full review below!
Underwater “Amazon Forest”
If the Amazon Forest has the most species of land animals in the world, then Raja Ampat can be declared the "Amazon Forest" Under the Sea. It is stated that in the waters of Raja Ampat there are more than 540 types of hard corals. These hard corals cover 75% of the total coral species in the world. Also, there are also more than 13 types of endemic species, 1070 species of reef fish, 60 species of crayfish, 699 species of soft animals (molluscs) consisting of; 530 snails (Gastropods), 159 clams (bivalves), 2 Scaphopods, 5 squids (Cephalopods), and 3 Chitons.
Until now, no place with the same area has this amount of marine biota diversity apart from Raja Ampat. This place also has white sandy beaches, a cluster of beautiful islands, and unique flora such as red paradise, various parrots and parrots, waigeo cuscus, and various types of orchids.
The origin of the name Raja Ampat
In Indonesian, Raja Ampat means "Four Kings", namely four kings who control the area. The origin of the name Raja Ampat according to local myths comes from a woman who found seven eggs. Four of them hatched into four princes who separated and each became the ruling king of Waigeo, Salawati, East Misool, and West Misool. Meanwhile, the other three eggs become ghosts, a woman, and a stone.
The presence of the four kings who each ruled in the four regions gave rise to the name Raja Ampat or which means Four Kings. This myth about the origin of the name Raja Ampat also brings out its own charm as a characteristic of Raja Ampat.
Raja Ampat Accidentally Found
The beauty of this diverse marine life has been discovered accidentally since 1990. The beauty of Raja Ampat was discovered when a Dutch diver Max Ammer visited this area, with the initial aim of finding the whereabouts of planes and ships used in World War II.
Fascinated by the diversity of the Raja Ampat biota, then Max invited a fisheries expert from Australia, Gerry Allen to survey this place. After searching, several relics of World War II files were also found on the seabed of Raja Ampat. So, it can be said that Raja Ampat is not only rich in marine biota, but also rich in historical wealth.
The most beautiful coral reefs are in Raja Ampat
If you are thinking of looking for a place that has beautiful coral reefs, then Raja Ampat will be the right answer. Raja Ampat can be said to be a paradise of coral reefs. Several coral reef areas are still in very good condition with a percentage of live coral cover of almost 90%. The coral reefs in Raja Ampat are generally fringing coral reefs with gentle to steep contours.
For those of you who want to visit Raja Ampat to just enjoy the natural scenery, but cannot dive or feel afraid to dive, coral reefs can also be an option to enjoy. One of the coral reefs in Saondarek village is you can enjoy the beauty of coral reefs during the lowest tide. You can also enjoy the beautiful expanse of coral reefs that can still live even though they are in the open air and exposed to direct sunlight. This is one option that can be enjoyed by tourists who do not wish to dive to the bottom of the sea.
Best Dive Sites in the World
Famous for its diverse marine life, of course, is the main attraction for diving in Raja Ampat. This tourist spot has several famous diving spots, such as Manta Point, Mike's Point, Sardine Reef, and Shark Point. Each of them has its own privileges. For example, at Manta point you will easily be able to find Manta fish with a diameter of 9 meters back and forth around you. If you want to dive on Sardine Reef, you will be diving surrounded by thousands of fish. Sometimes a collection of tuna fish, giant trevallies, and snappers. But what's tense is if we are surrounded by a collection of barracuda fish, even though it's actually relatively harmless.
Raja Ampat which consists of many islands and narrow straits, makes most of the dive sites have strong currents at any given time. This also allows you to do a drift dive, dive while following the strong currents with crystal clear water while breaking through the schools of fish. What's more, there are still many coral reef sites that have never been touched. So you can be sure that you will get a tour experience that will not be forgotten when visiting Raja Ampat.
Those were some of the things that made Raja Ampat so famous in various worlds.
