With over 700 islands to discover above and under water, there will certainly never be a shortage of wonderful things to explore. To give you the best insight possible on what to expect when diving with us in Raja Ampat we collected a list of some of the spectacular island groups that offer miraculous conditions for diving.
Penemu: Limestone Islands covered in Tropical Rainforest seam to put you back to a land beyond our time.
Diving: pretty walls with lots of critters and well coral covered slopes, medium current. Excellent night dive sites: interesting species of clams, sea urchins, cephalopods, sea spiders and crabs in current protected areas.
Waigeo/Gam: Waigeo is the biggest of the 4 main islands in Raja Ampat and it’s in thick rainforest covered coasts invite to explore it via kayaks. Beautiful anchorages filled with bird noises at sunrise and sunset will knock you off your feet. The very close island of Gam is the only island in the world where the Red bird of Paradise is foun
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Raja Ampat offers a lot more than the underwater diving world..
There are world-class snorkel sites as well as breathtaking anchorages. Shakti has explored and discovered awe-inspiring coasts to kayak as well as bat-caves and serene hiking routes.
Adventure trips on Shakti show you Raja Ampats flora and fauna in its full spectrum, an unforgettable experience in an untouched and pristine natural environment.
Without any engine noise, taking the comfortable sea kayaks or stand-up-paddle-boards you can watch not only parrots, kingfishers, sea eagles but also juvenile sharks, turtles and rays in shallow turquoise water lagoons.
Hiking through jungle and viewing the ocean from majestical peaks, you can appreciate the true expanse of Raja Ampat's transparent waters from a different view. You might even spot a big fish or two from this height, it has happened and is an absolute delight..
If this sounds more like the kind of Raja Ampat you are are looking for, please contact us directly - dates are upon request.
The Shakti is a long serving and extremely comfortable liveaboard that offers trips of all kinds – geological expeditions, bird watching, trekking and village interactions. Enjoy some of the most beautiful karst limestone coastal scenery in the world. Virgin rainforests meeting coral gardens.
A booking on Shakti includes all activities, such as diving, snorkeling and SUP. All food and non-alcoholic beverages are included, as well as deck and bathroom towels and linen. Lastly, the transfers from and to the airport/ferry in Waisai is part of our service.
Not included is the mandatory park entrance fee of 1.000.000 Indonesian Rupiah that every visitor of Raja Ampat’s Marine Park has to pay. The local government uses the proceeds of the park tag you receive in return to assist local villages and maintain the conservation of Raja Ampat’s marine life. The park tag is valid for 12 months after purchase.
Other costs only occur on demand for Nitrox, rental equipment or beer. Prices can be requested via E-Mail.
We offer mainly diving and snorkeling trips to groups. Depending on the strong interest of our guests, we include other activities such as kayaking/SUP in protected bays or between magical small islands. Many of our trips enjoy some bird-watching or small land-based activities on beaches or viewpoints.
On Shakti, we don’t have a set itinerary. Every trip is tailor-made made to suit the time of year and to make the most out of the particular conditions for the week and even day in question. If weather permits, particular guest preferences and interests will be accommodated.
Generally speaking, our tours go either to Northern or Southern Raja Ampat, depending on the time of the year and the active winds during those periods. On either side of the North Monsoon (October to April) the areas around South East Misool are ideal, so some stops may include Warakaraket, Daram Islands and Pele. While on either side of the South Monsoon (April to October) the areas around North Waigeo are most suited: Alyui Bay, Wayag, and Batang Pele could be included in the itinerary.
During the trips which coincide with the PanchaRoba (October, November and April, May) – normally all areas of Raja Ampat are picture-perfect.
The Dampier Strait is always accessible and so most trips will enjoy: Kri Island, Batanta, Mansuar or Penemu amongst others.
At times we offer special excursions to Cenderawasih Bay, usually between July and August, and we are open to organise trips further afield provided the point of departure or arrival is Raja Ampat.
To make a booking, you can initially check our schedule here on this website to see what time periods are still available. If you have a time slot in mind that works for you, you simply send us an email or use the “book trip” button to inquiry for your dates. Our friendly customer service will get back to you within 24 hours to see what we can do for you. If all works out for both parties, we will prepare an invoice for you. To confirm your booking, a deposit payment needs to be made. Then your trip will show in the calendar like all other trips and no other inquiries will be followed through. The remainder of the booking price is due at the latest 60 days prior to departure.
We like to recommend booking flights into Sorong one day in advance of the actual trip departure. This way it is guaranteed that you will be in Sorong in time to make the 9 am ferry that gets you directly to Waisai harbor from where we will pick you up in our tenders.
Outbound flights from Sorong must not be booked before noon of departure day.
You need a passport that is valid for more than 6 months after the departure date to enter Indonesia. If your booking a diving trip, please bring your diving certification.
To be perfectly prepared for a trip on Shakti, you will need to bring your diving or snorkeling gear including wetsuits. Thanks to the great tropical climate in Indonesia, a long 3 mm wetsuit is usually perfect to keep you warm. If you tend to get cold easily you might want to consider 5 mm instead.
In the case of a snorkeling trip, thin rash guards and long swimming pants are recommended to make sure you are safe from potential stingers in the water as well as from a sunburn on your rear side. A spare outfit is always good to have if you want to slip into something dry.
Most time on deck can be spent in whatever clothes you feel most comfortable with!
If you don’t have your own equipment, there is the option to take rental equipment from us on board. We will enquire about potential needs in advance to make sure we have what you need on board. Also in case of breakages we are happy to help you out with our spare items.
Food is served 3 times a day and consists of a colorful mix of western and Indonesian cuisine in a buffet style. A variety of meat, fish and vegetables is part of the options served. Fresh fruit and snacks are always available.
The meals can be adjusted to the groups preferences so we can accommodate different diets. For strong food allergies, please consult with us personally so we can make sure you can eat safely.
All of our cabins have a double and a single bunk, so if you are sharing a cabin you can always choose the sleeping arrangement you are most comfortable with.
Shakti has all the required communications systems. VHF radio, SSB radio and satellite telephone to always be able to make contact in cases of emergency. The latter is available to our guests, however, given the high costs of operating these systems, we will need to charge separately for this.
Our trip leaders have basic medical training and a medical kit on board for small incidents that may happen along an adventure voyage. However, we expect our guests to be healthy enough to get through a trip and need to bring any required medication with them.
Evacuation insurance is highly recommended as it is very useful in an emergency as local healthcare is not of the highest standard. In a case of emergency, the reality is that we are only ever a 24-hour cruise away from Sorong and air transport.
For diving related emergencies, the closest decompression chamber is in Manado, hence the need for a proper insurance policy.
We strongly recommend all of our guests to take out travel insurance that includes insurance for diving sports. Also, evacuation insurance such as DAN is highly recommended.
Shakti reserves the right to cancel departure in the event of rough sea weather forecast. Should this be the case, a full 100% refund is applicable to all guests. If you cancel your booking, you will forfeit your deposit and – if cancelled within 60 days of departure – the full costs of your booking.
Funny you should ask – Shakti operates with our dog “Shanti” on board. Shanti is an extremely well-loved member of the Shakti family and cannot be left behind. If you struggle with allergies, please take precautionary steps.
Please check first if we have already answered your question and if not, do not hesitate to contact us directly for more details.
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