'BEST OF RAJA AMPAT' EXPEDITION Resort/Live-aboard combo
SEPTEMBER 2010
Personally guided by Claudia and Leon 5 - 24 September 2010 Kri Eco Resort, Papua-Diving plus Putiraja live-aboard
KRI ECO RESORT: Located approximately 2 hrs from Sorong, this charming resort is an authentic Papuan experience in natural jungle surroundings. Reed huts are on stilts over the water. Awake to the beautiful exotic sounds of jungle birds each morning. A rustic, natural resort, yet it offers every comfort, from good beds with permanent mosquito nets, fans and plug points, to wholesome food and some of the very best diving in the Raja Ampat, is conveniently located literally 3-10 minutes away by boat.
PUTIRAJA: A well kept secret, this traditional pinisi schooner with air conditioned cabins and en suite bathrooms, is perfect for smaller groups to enjoy sightseeing, exploration and diving in a relaxed informal ambiance. The outer reaches of the Raja Ampat such as the Wayag archipelago, which are outside the scope of the resort, can be easily reached.
Itinerary: 5 Sept: Arrive Sorong, West Papua, transfer to harbour for departure. Boat transfer to Kri Eco Resort approx. 2 hrs 5-20 Sept: 15 nights, unlimited diving, numerous famous reefs located in the 'bulls-eye of biodiversity' 3-10mins away, as well as a few optional excursions further away, such as Fam islands, The Passage and the WW2 wreck. 20 Sept: Pick up and transfer to Putiraja live-aboard 20-24 Sept: Wayag islands route. Topside sightseeing excursions as well as unlimited diving along the way. 24 Sept: Arrive in Sorong, transfer to airport for connecting flight.
Claudia and Leon are personally at your disposal for the period 5-24 Sept. Do not hesitate to contact us should you prefer a customised trip, different to the options below but which still falls within the same time period. Itinerary and routes are subject to change without notice.
Rates & packages: RESORT ONLY 5-12 SEPT: 7 NIGHTS KRI €1134 pp sharing RESORT ONLY 5-19 SEPT: 15 NIGHTS KRI €2157 pp sharing COMBO 12-24 SEPT: 8 NIGHTS KRI & 4 NIGHTS PUTIRAJA €2362 pp sharing COMBO 5-24 SEPT 15 NIGHTS KRI & 4 NIGHTS PUTIRAJA €3258 Domestic flights: Jakarta-Sorong-Jakarta: €450 per person (approximately) GROUP SPECIAL: 10 paying guests = 11th person free of charge* 15 paying guests = 16th and 17th free of charge* *applies to accommodation and diving only
Rates include the following: -Per person based on double occupancy, ‘meet and greet’ at the Sorong airport, porter service, airport transfers, boat transfers to and from the resort, all meals and snacks, unlimited diving**,unlimited drinking water, tea, coffee, syrup mix, tanks, weights and weight belts, Papua travel permit (Surat Jalan), fan cooled rooms at Kri, air-conditioned rooms on Putiraja. **up to 3 guided boat dives daily plus 1 guided night dive Rates do not include the following: -Visa US$25 per person on arrival into Indonesia (please check: 30 day tourist visa on arrival is only available to certain countries passport holders with passports valid for 6 months after entry into Indonesia with at least 2 full empty pages ) -International and domestic flights, airport taxes, excess luggage charges and personal expenses, fuel surcharge for dives/excursions outside of 10km range, bird of paradise fee, alcoholic beverages (beer/wine only), canned soft drinks, bottled water, souvenirs, equipment rentals/Nitrox (not yet available on Putiraja) /courses, Marine Park entry permit (valid 1 calendar year (Rp 500 000 (€45), single occupancy surcharge, internet, Bittenbysharks Imaging services.
All arrangements except for International flights, will be made on your behalf. Terms and Conditions apply. Itineraries, flights schedules and routes subject to change without notice. Cancellations made 45 or more days prior to arrival will be refunded less a 35% per person service fee. Cancellations made less than 45 days before arrival are subject to a 60% per person cancellation fee. Cancellations made less than 30 days prior to arrival are fully non-refundable and non-transferrable. All cancellations must be received in writing to info@ bittenbysharks.com. Unused dives are non-transferrable and non-refundable.
Read an excerpt below, by Claudia and Leon, from the book 'Raja Ampat through the lens of...':
"Under the water, we became convinced that this must surely be the final aquatic frontier. Nowhere on the planet had we witnessed such excess, such undisturbed abundance of life in the water. Nothing had prepared us for the spectacle that played before our eyes: a jumbled mess of coral and fish, fish and more fish. We became enveloped in walls of fish so thick, that they blotted out the sun. A cacophony of sound reached our ears: the crackle and pop, munch and crunch of thousands of fish going about their business, utterly oblivious to our stares. On Cape Kri, the house reef of Kri Island, we would watch in pure fascination as eight or more giant trevallys patrolled the outer edges of a swirling mass of thousands of fusiliers, their slow confident movements causing the schools to shiver and swoop to and fro in trepidation. It was like a grand opera stuck in its thundering crescendo with all the instruments in use at the same time: we became confused, and overwhelmed. More than once, we would lower our cameras, and look on transfixed. How could we capture this for the world to see? How could this be real?
The variety of dive sites is staggering: historic World War II wrecks and unblemished reefs teeming with life; virgin mangrove ecosystems and protected bays alive with pulsating jellyfish; spectacular rich coral gardens and sheer vertical walls; from calm glass-like conditions to adrenaline-filled drift dives; giant Manta Rays, Wobbegong sharks and rare pygmy seahorses.
The Raja Ampat has it all!
We understood when a fellow diver, moved almost to tears after his dive, sat dazed and dripping, muttering a mantra under his breath: “one million fish, one million fish, one million fish….”
...this is not just another dive destination, this is the 'Holy Grail' of phenomenal scenic wonder.."
