@@allisonwhite-r7v Probably the only thing visitors should be aware of is that some villages are populated by catholic, while some are populated by muslim people, so wearing a bikini for example in some places might be offensive to the locals (it’s not a problem on touristy beaches like Pasir Panjang on Kei Kecil for example). Other than that, it is like traveling elsewhere. Local people are very friendly and welcoming, it’s not dangerous or anything like that.

Thank you very much!

@ You’re welcome!

@@Nedhal-eq7go Yes, it is quite far from everything, but it is still quite a unique place, so totally worth it!

@@Nedhal-eq7go Yes, it is quite far from everything, but it is still quite a unique place, so totally worth it!

@@LibbyWaugh I think the only reliable way is the Pelni that goes from Ambon to Banda and continues to the Keis and later comes back the same way. This is how I went to Banda in 2017. Try to ask maybe guest houses or hotels in Ambon about the schedule, you should plan your trip around it if you want to visit Banda.

@@HighOnLowTidethanks heaps.

@@LibbyWaugh Cash is definitely better. Simple guest houses/restaurants don’t accept card payments. There are ATMs in cities (like in Tual in Kei Kecil to withdraw cash).

@ thanks so much! And are there ATMs in Ambon?

@ Yes, Ambon is the regional capital.

@@lissettecalvas1300 I organized this day trip through my hotel in Las Terrenas (but I saw tour organizers basically everywhere across town), so it is pretty easy to arrange a day trip (and the trip basically just includes transportation and food, so they all should be quite similar).

@@tkoteacher1707 That’s the thing, the world is changing and we, visitors can’t do much about “development”. But maybe if more people learn about these changes, that might help a bit (maybe more people will be aware of the trash problem and will start picking up trash for example.)

@@f.f.4022 Different parts of Maluku follow different weather patterns, plus recently it became quite unreliable, anything can happen. Normally, there aren’t big typhoons like in the Philippines for example, so the weather can’t be too bad. Even if it rains, it is usually for a short time. Still, statistically, the summer months (May-August) supposed to be the best for North Maluku for example.

That’s also true for South Maluku (summer months are statistically the best).

@@anamagalhaes7571 Hi! There’s really not much info online. You can check out this website: east-indonesia.info Otherwise, the good news is, if you plan to go without rushing, then you can just explore the islands by yourself, it is easy to organize transportation/accommodation/etc once you are there. I recommend staying at the place I mention in my videos, it is on a beautiful beach, from there you can go on different boat trips and also, you can go around Kei Kecil, the main island.

@ Thanks/ Obrigada ☺️

@@anamagalhaes7571 You're welcome! Check my other videos, I made a few from the Keis, I tried talking about the practical information as well.

I understand you, but I don’t think it’s that simple. Raja Ampat became famous long ago, the government intentionally tried and tries boosting tourism by developing the infrastructure, because it is a special place as you said. I think it is important to talk about places like this, and the impact of tourism as well, so that more people will be aware of the changes. There are people who care much more about their own comfort than about the environment.

@@szatkovski Hello! I stayed at Yamnini homestay.

Thanks 🙏 Two more questions please 😬 1 - what month did you go ? 2 - where did you find the ppl to share the boat trip with you ? In your home stay ? In the island ?

@@szatkovski Sure, ask me if you have more questions! But if you have time, check out my other videos, too, I tried to talk about every aspect of traveling to Misool. I was there in January and I had great weather. The second question: I found someone on social media who organized small group tours and I went with one group like that. I can't recommend him anymore, because in the following months, others started claiming that he cheated people, didn't deliver on his promises, etc. (he was recommended on Instagram by someone with a large follower and honestly, I had a great experience.). If someone goes to Misool totally alone, the trip can get very expensive. It is a remote place, the homestays are spread out and internet and phone signal is non-existent outside of the villages, so you need to be lucky to find others to share the costs with. Still, you can contact the homestays, ask if they have reservations. Otherwise North Raja Ampat is a better option (on a somewhat tighter budget), because it is much easier to find other travelers to share costs.

@ thanks so much ! Just in case if i go and I didn’t find nobody to share the boat do you have an idea how much it Will be ?

@@szatkovski It depends on the distances (but the sights are spread out, it is best to spend at least 2 days to go around and those days are long, need a lot of fuel). I think for a full day, the boat costs around 3-4 million rupiahs (180-250 USD) - you might get a better price if you take a boat for 2 full days. But a boat can take at least 8-10 people, so it wouldn`t be so expensive then.

@@itcantbetrueable Your first trip sounds great, I’m sure it was amazing! Quy Nhon is still a great destination even today. I think Vietnam has too many “must-see” places, so relatively unknown ones can’t really draw big crowds, which is a good thing.

I`m glad you enjoy my videos! Have a nice trip!

Hi! Check out my other video where I share the practical info about visiting Misool. There is a weekly ferry to Misool, if you can align it to be either at the beginning or at the end of your trip, then I recommend going (if it falls in the middle of your trip, then it might be too much traveling between North RA and Misool). 10 days would be amazing, too, but North RA is easier and cheaper for 10 days in my opinion (Misool can get pretty expensive, because the sights are spread out - you need a boat to go on trips. 3 days are ideal, you can see a lot with lets say 2 boat trips. For 10 days, if you go on trips only 2-3 times, the other days might be a bit boring. If you go on more trips. you`d need a lot more money). There are more options in North RA, more people to share costs with (you can go on more trips) and it is easy to arrange a transfer between the homestays. On the other hand, Misool feels much more remote than North RA (I also made a video about the recent changes in North RA), if you rent a boat for yourself, on most islands, you will probably be alone. This feeling is hard to beat. The popular spots (like Kri island) already feel a bit crowded in comparison (it`s not that bad of course). I`d recommend checking out both, I`d try to spend 3 days in Misool and 7 in North RA (probably staying at 2 different islands/homestays - maybe Mansuar and Gam and also, I`d try to go on as many trips as I can while I am there). The sandbank near Kri is super beautiful, plus if you can, try to visit Wayag. Also, there is a secreet lagoon in Gam, plus great snorkel spots all around. So yeah, I`d try to join boat trips to different islands.

@@HighOnLowTide Wow thanks so much for the detailed response. I think I will do 7 days North RA + 3 in Misool then. By the way, do you happen to know of any dive instructors or dive centers in Misool? I know there is one in the luxury resort, but I don't believe its open to the public. Lastly, I think you're videos are quite terrific and informative. Hope you keep up the good work and feel encouraged to make your channel even bigger, as it is much more useful and practical than most others, and you definitely deserve more subs.

@ Thank you for the kind words, I will keep making videos, I have some big plans for the future, but growing is not that easy :) . About the scuba diving: I think there should be at least one guest house that has gear (and someone certified to dive with), but I am not 100% sure. Try to get in touch with some homestays (you can find phone numbers on Google and send out some messages on WhatsApp, that’s the app most people use in Indonesia), they will give you details.

It's quite easy from Singapore (you can fly to Ternate through either Makassar or Jakarta) , although unfortunately domestic flight tickets became more expensive in recent years. Still worth it, though! :)

I'll be honest, I don't really know many other stories like this. I know about the history of Maluku, I know one interesting story about a tiny island called Pulau Run (one of the Banda islands), Manhattan was traded for it in the 17th century due its economical significance (spice trade) in that time. There are great historical sights, like forts for example all over Maluku, I visited many of them, but yeah, it would be nice to do some more research, because the history of Maluku is truly fascinating.

If you are interested in the local culture, you can check out this website I found: www.tanimbar.org.uk It's about the Tanimbar islands (I haven't been there myself, but it is high on my "bucket list", I hope to visit next year maybe). There are some books on local history and culture, too, but they might be hard to find I guess.

@@HighOnLowTide Thank you so much for your response! This is incredibly helpful! I look forward to seeing more of your travels!

Thank you!

I'm sorry, but I don't know. This is the first time I hear about this kind of turtles. There a few small lakes here and there in Misool, probably that's where they live.

@@HighOnLowTideYup, they are freshwater Misool sideneck turtles; so small lakes would be the only option. If you got any photo connects to those freshwater spots I'd aporeciate seeing. Thanks!

@@z.b.kingfisher3340 The only 2 lakes I saw are the one that`s in this thumbnail, plus the jellyfish lake, but I didn`t see any turtles at these. Misool is big, though, a large area, so I am sure there are more lakes.

Raja Ampat is still amazing, it is really far from everything, so it won't be like the Gilis (getting to the Gilis is cheap and they are next to Bali, so there are big crowds). Raja Ampat's prices, travel time, etc. will always filter out the huge crowds in my opinion.

@@Djinlabage I traveled from Vietnam and because of flight connections, it was long. Also, domestic flights are much more expensive now compared to pre-covid prices, so it can get very expensive (from Vietnam, flying with budget airlines, it takes 3 flights to reach Ternate).

​@@HighOnLowTide in 2015 there was talk of the military airport in Daruba, Morotai Island, to be opened for public flights. Have you heard something about that?

@ there is an airport, but domestic flights these days tend to be more expensive, so I went through Tobelo during this trip. My first time in Morotai was in 2018, I took a flight from Ternate back then, so yes, the airport operates!

@@chrisrowthorn41 Thank you!

@@worstchannelever5232 Thank you, I’m glad you enjoyed the video!

@@chrisrowthorn41 I am not sure about the facilities on the small island, but there are some newly built rooms in Posiposi village on Rao (the village chief told me they want to boost tourism, they got some funds to build guest houses and improve the infrastructure), so I would recommend staying there and going to the small island on a day trip. There’s a lot to see on Rao island, Posiposi village would be a great base to explore the area.

@@HighOnLowTide Thank you for the reply. Keep up the great work!

@ I will, thank you!

Wow, you are from an amazing place! Fiki was super helpful, he took me around on his motorbike and helped me organize things there. I had an awesome experience, but unfortunately my time was rather short. Rao island is such a gem! It seemed like the kepala desa wants to boost tourism (there are new guest houses for example), I wish them the best.

Pulau Rao is an absolute gem, you're right. Thats actually the main reason i would like tourism to stay away from te island. I'm afraid tourism will do harm to the traditions and eco-system. But, non the less i am so proud to see "my island" here ❤ and morotai and dodola ❤ you did a very good job my man 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼 i really hope you filmed more of Halmahera Utara. Thank you for this!

@@Djinlabage Yes, I did, I will make more videos about Tobelo and Galela as well, and also about Ternate and Tidore. I think a little tourism would be good for Rao, it could generate more income for the locals. Rao is really far from everything, not easy to get there, so I don`t think it will ever be crowded.

@@bothrechisschlegelli7046 Thank you! I was in a bit of a rush, I really wish I had more time, this was such an amazing island and the people there are super friendly (just like everywhere in Maluku). There are more videos coming from this trip!

@@MildeneWEST Well, Maluku in general lacks western comfort, it is quite different from other parts of Southeast Asia. Living there wouldn’t be very easy I guess, but it’s great for a couple of weeks/months of traveling. In Maluku, few people speak English for example, most things like accommodation/ferry schedules, etc aren’t online, not much western food, etc. Luckily, I’ve never been to a hospital there, but probably wouldn’t be a very comfortable experience, either.