Those are nice places indeed, but east Indonesia has a different atmosphere, especially outside the "touristy" islands.

If you don`t want to stay at homestays, your only option is the liveaboards. There is a huge selection of them, but all of them are quite expensive, especially if you want a private one just for your group. The cheapest option to go around Raja Ampat is to stay at 2-3 (or more, if you have more time) different homestays on different islands and go on boat trips from your homestay. All the homestays organize boat trips to dive/snorkel/visit other islands and bays, the cost is shared between the people that go on that tour. If you travel with a group of 4-5 people it is easier to arrange a boat (small homestays might only have one boat.) So a little bit of flexibility is important.

@@samuraipapertrader Thank you!

@@easyart8438 Thank you!

@@GipsyDean Yes, Cam Ranh is mostly resorts. This video is quite old, I was lucky to visit between 2 covid lockdowns, when even resorts were pretty cheap. (I stayed at 2 different resorts, one is called Cam Ranh Riviera and the other one is Radisson, but prices have changed since then.Still, the coastline around Cam Ranh is very pretty, it’s worth and easy to go there even from Nha Trang.

In my experience, most of the accommodations in East Indonesia are offline, can`t be found online, but it is normally possible to find something in every village. Worst case scenario: you can ask the chief of the village (kepala desa) for a room in a village where there is no commercial accommodation and he will arrange a room for you (normally for a small fee - most of the times it is in his own house). I stayed in villages like this, I had no problems. Also, I know someone who has been to Aru, there are guest houses, especially in the main town, Dobo, but they are not online. So don`t worry about accommodation, you can arrange something everywhere (in some cases it might not be super comfortable, but still, you will have a place to stay.).

@@HighOnLowTide Thank you very much! Indonesia is also one of my favourite countries in the whole world! And I just found your channel and can relate hugely! Especially when you talk about the recent changes to Raja Ampat, which as a frequent traveller to the region, I also found it disappointing. Since I will go again through Raja Ampat in a few months, can you recommend any homestay in West Waigeo/ Manyiafun? My next stop after Raja Ampat are definitely the Kei and Aru islands, but you are right it takes creativity to find accommodation there, nothing online lol. I was honestly looking for a more "off the beaten path" experience after Raja Ampat, because recently Raja Ampat has become a bit too touristy for my tastes. That's why i was looking at southern Maluku, and it seems from your videos it might fit what I am looking for! Thank you again!

@@HighOnLowTide Having said that I have found literally ZERO accommodation also on google maps when it comes to Triton Bay in West Papua Province

@@marco1324661 I am sure you will love southern Maluku! I also recommend other parts of Maluku (like Saparua, Molana, Seram, Buru and Banda islands in Central Maluku, and the whole of North Maluku - Halmahera, Morotai, etc.). I didn`t have the chance to visit West Waigeo, but if you check on `stayrajaampat`, there are some homestays listed and I am sure they are all good. The Kei islands have more options to stay, even on Google maps you can find some, especially on Kei Kecil - which is the most popular base there, because of the beaches. Aru is also a big island group, the main town, Dobo is quite big I think, I am sure there are several options there, too (but don`t expect very nice hotels). My eyes are on the Tanimbar islands, I am planning a trip there for next year.

@@HighOnLowTide The places you mentioned are superb! I am actually considering to do the Kei islands considering that I found several interesting (and cheap!) accommodations from google maps. Tanimbar looks super amazing! These are all places where its difficult to plan a trip because as you said everything is offline so you need to be adventurous and go there and see on the place. Was the Kei islands crowded? Or did it have that remote "feel" that I am looking for? I might consider it as an alternative to Raja Ampat because last time I was in Raja I was quiet disappointed with how the place has become, it felt a bit too touristy for my tastes. Maybe West Waigeo/Manyiafun is different. I am mainly interested in nature tourism on remote Indonesian islands.

@@Dela_Bregita I don’t have anything planned yet, but in January, I don’t think I’ll have sufficient time for a trip that far. Perhaps in May next year!?

@@Dela_Bregita Once I have a planned trip, I will share it here on the channel, because it would actually be really nice to share some costs with others.

@@HighOnLowTide 😭 I have bought my ticket to Ternate for January next year So few references about North Maluku 🥴 Lucky I stumbled upon your video, gave me some insights Looking forward to your next videosss Perhaps we could have a match time for a trip togetherrr

@@Dela_Bregita I just started my series about my North Maluku trip, there will be a lot more videos from there in the future! North Maluku is amazing, I am sure you will have a great time!

@@laurene3200 Hi! I had just under 2 weeks and my entry point was Ternate and I also left from there. I wanted to visit the far away islands first and slowly go back to Ternate, spend some days there before I fly out. I went to Tobelo first, spent about 3 days, then I went to Morotai, where I spent another 3 days (visiting Rao island plus the islands in the bay in front of Daruba). With an extra day, I recommend going to Bere Bere on Morotai, there is a beautiful beach nearby and a pretty, small island (Tabailenge). From Morotai I went back to Tobelo (spent another 2 days - visited Galela this time). From there I went back to Ternate (you can climb the volcano in a day, there is great scuba diving and snorkeling, there is a greats election of local food, etc), and I spent a day visiting Tidore as well. Due to travel times, this was about 10 days. With a few extra days, you could go to Gura Ici for example for some beaches.

First of all, thank you for the kind words, I'm happy you enjoy my videos! Interestingly, there weren't many mosquitos in this area (maybe because there are lots of birds and other animals that probably eat them or I'm not sure why), but the rooms had mosquito nets and you can always use repellent or some more layers of clothing. (For the record, I didn't travel with malaria pills this time, but I didn't have problems with mosquitoes.) I've heard stories about people who got malaria/dengue in Raja Ampat, so if you plan to spend more time there, it might be a good idea to take some pills with you.

@@HighOnLowTide Thank you. I heard Strong has mosquitos and malaria/dengue, whereas maybe the smaller islands don't have as many. Thanks for the tip.

Hi! This trip happened last year (I'm not very fast at making videos, I have a full time job and also a family), but tourism is minimal, the islands didn't change much since then, I am sure of it. :)

​@@HighOnLowTidethanks you for your answer. What Time of the year was your trip ? Thanks you again for your videos. 🙏🙏

@@MehdiLekhal I was there in July. If you are thinking about the weather, I believe there aren't any distinctive seasons, it is warm/hot all year round with the possibility of rain any time. I had great weather throughout my trip by the way with very little rain.

According to my experience, even the really remote islands can get waste these days by the currents and waves, so it is pretty difficult to recommend one without any. But it isn`t that bad everywhere and I think it might be seasonal (there are more when it is windy and stormy). On this trip to North Maluku, a lot of islands were clean, especially around Morotai (Dodola island is gorgeous and popular locally - there are people who clean the beaches there). The Kei islands were pretty clean on my last trip, too (you can check out my previous videos). So I think if you are in an area with a number of beaches, it is easy to find one that isn`t dirty.

I am sure most of it is washed up on the shores by the waves, it is a problem in a lot of places unfortunately (not only in Indonesia).

Maybe :D I have no idea what happened, but it was a bit scary. :)

Thank you for the recommendation! I've been checking out some islands in Thailand online (been to to the country a few times, but mostly in popular places), and Koh Lipe is definitely on my list!

@@ShilohSaatori-y2c When I was there, the ferry went once a week, and if you plan to go by the ferry, you either have 3 days or 10 days. Going around Misool is quite expensive, but staying at a homestay and not going around would be a huge mistake. Misool has lots of gorgeous spots, so it is best to spend the full 3 days going around by boat, so staying at one homestay makes more sense. If you have a larger budget and you can spend 10 days, you could stay at 2-3 different homestays (but you should still try to go around as much as you can).

@@HighOnLowTide Thanks a lot for the info. I assume private boats from Sorong to Misool are not an option? Or travelling from Misool to other islands like Gam? Thanks for all the help so far :)

@@ShilohSaatori-y2c Private boat charter would be super expensive, because the distance between Sorong and Misool is very big. Gam is in an other direction (north from Sorong while Misool is to the south). From Misool, the ferry goes towards Seram island in Maluku, but that’s not Raja Ampat anymore.

Thank you! The islands in North Maluku are gorgeous, for me it is one of the most beautiful parts of Indonesia!

Well, I guess it depends on a lot of factors, but for sure, Quy Nhon is cheaper than HCMC. Quy Nhon isn't that international, renting a place should be considerably cheaper (I only visited, stayed in hotels/short term apartments).

😂 So don't go to Raja Ampat period because of one site? Ridiculous... That's definitely not accurate, nor fair to say - perhaps you were unlucky, haven't explored much or mistaken the coral restoration for something negative? Sauwandarek Village boasts a beautiful Jetty Slope Dive aka Turtle City which, which can start as far back as the first Jetty of three you pass coming from Yenbuba area - so it's actually quite a big site if you explore the whole area. If you are travelling right shoulder past Sauwandarek Jetty it connects on to another dive site too which has absolutely stunning corals - can have a bit of down current at times as it leads out into the open of the dampier straight - both sites are teaming with life... Huge green turtles, Hawksbill Turtles, Manta, Eagle Ray, White/Black Tip Sharks, Wobbegong Sharks, Barracuda, Tuna, Sweet Lips, Bat Fish, Groupers, Fusiliers, Giant Travelis, Clown Fish, Blue Spotted Sting Rays, Eels, Crabs, Lobster, Peacock Mantis Shrimp, Octopus, Cuttle Fish, Pigmy Seahorse and there is so so so much more...The different corals and anemones are wonderful... It's truly a fun place to Dive, Free Dive or Snorkel for beginners to more advanced. Granted, nature is nature and you don't always get the best vis, currents or opportunities to see everything. It depends on many factors. I am commenting to show others that it is definitely worth checking out and for people not to discredit something due to one opinion that can potentially be a very special experience. 🙏

Thank you!

I flew from Ambon, Maluku, the price wasn't that high, it can be manageable, but I agree with you. I really hope there will be some positive changes.

Corruption is a culture

If I remember correctly the scheduled boat costs 150 per person, sometimes you need to wait to have enough people (I think the last scheduled boats leave at around 2-3 pm, but don’t worry, you can also charter one any time (not sure about the cost, but about 4-500 should be enough). There are boats in different villages, you could take one even from Hulaliu, but you can tell a local to take you to an other village by his motorbike (like an ojek), it’s pretty cheap.