Pulau Misool-Raja Ampat, Indonesia

Pulau Misool : Raja Ampat’s spectacular world class Dive Destination

Plan to visit Indonesia for holiday? But don’t know what places you can visit? Want to enjoy nature? Great! I will recommend you to a place that is really makes you stand in your shoes with a mouth opened wide once you get there. The place is none other than Pulau Misool or you can call that Misool Island. Misool island offers you a really beautiful scenery. But not only a beautiful scenery but also tons of activities you can do there to enjoy tour time while being there. And the plus point is you know that Indonesia known for their hospitality right? You can experiencing their hospitality here. People here will welcome you with their warm. People here will always give you smile. And whenever you find a trouble, don’t ever hesitate to ask for help from a local people, because they won’t even think twice to help you!

Here is a little information about Misool Island

Misool Island is a remote, tropical hideaway, one of the four largest in the Raja Ampat archipelago, world renowned dive destination in the province of West Papua.

Located off the west coast of the main island of Papua, directly bordering the Seram Sea, the waters are a veritable traffic lane for many large sea creatures, including whales.

The crystal clear turquoise sea-waters allow spectacular views of Misools sub-surface colorful treasures even when still aboard your boat.  And once under the water, visibility can reach from 10 meters to as far as 30 meters.

The sea gardens of Raja Ampat hold 75% of all known species of corals and ornamental fish in the world, and boast the highest level of marine biodiversity on the planet.

On land, the wild territory of Misool is one of the most visually breath-taking and captivating sites in Raja Ampat. The island is heavily forested, and at first sight reveals nothing but a thick green carpet of dense forests and mangrove swamps. The rugged terrain is predominantly limestone, the frostily coloured rock clashing starkly with the deep green jungle. To the east and west of the island, a maze of limestone pinnacles jut sharply out of the blue sea, carved and eroded by the waves and carpeted luxuriantly in vegetation. The rare beaches on Misool are pure white sand, fringed with coconut trees leading out to the stunningly turquoise waters.

Aside from the enchanting panoramic scenery and wealth of marine life, Misool is also home to ancient cultural sites. A number of petroglyphs can be found on walls of caves throughout the island, dating back approximately 5,000 years.

Get There

“Ooh, Misool Island is so lovely looking from the picture I wanna go there this holiday! But how can I get there?”, “Oh, I will absolutely visit Misool Island next holiday! But, wait how can I get there?”. If you have such things pass your mind, don’t be sad, I have an information that will help you to answer your questin “How can I get to the Misool Island?”. Below are the information.

To get to Misool Island, first fly to Sorong Airport in West Papua, Indonesia. This is a domestic airport with available flights from Jakarta, Makassar, Surabaya, Manado, Ambon. Batavia Air has recently started flights to Sorong from Surabaya. But, because i live in jakarta, so let's call it that we are going to Sorong from Jakarta. There are so many airline that provide flight from Jakarta to Sorong such as, Sriwijaya Air, Lion Air, Garuda Indonesia, so on. The airfare from Jakarta to Sorong start from IDR 2.000.000,-. But if we fly from Jakarta, we have to transit first, to Makassar, or Surabaya, or Manado, etc. The flight from Jakarta to Sorong takes around 50 minute or more (include the transit). And then From Sorong, a private speedboat will take you to the Resort. Boats depart on a pre-arranged schedule by the resort, usually at 7:30 a.m. on alternating Sunday mornings. The trip takes between 4 – 5 hours but will seem like no time at all as you journey through some of the most mesmerizing sceneries you have ever seen or ever will see. Transfer fees from Sorong to Misool are included in the resort’s package price.

From Sorong, a private speedboat will take you to the Resort. Boats depart on a pre-arranged schedule by the resort, usually at 7:30 a.m. on alternating Sunday mornings. The trip takes between 4 – 5 hours but will seem like no time at all as you journey through some of the most mesmerizing sceneries you have ever seen or ever will see. Transfer fees from Sorong to Misool are included in the resort’s package price.

To Stay 

“Uum, okay now that I know how to get there, all I have to do is searching for a resort to stay” I would like to recommend you to a resort there. The resort is Misool Eco Resort. Misool Eco Resort is an exclusive dive resort and conservation centre located in remote southern Raja Ampat, Indonesia. Misool Eco Resort private resort island is nestled deep in an archipelago of uninhabited islands, in the very epicentre of marine biodiversity.

Misool Eco Resort is an exclusive, secluded dive center 165 kilometres away from the nearest port. It is located on the privately-owned island of Batbitim, barely a stone’s throw from Misool Island. The island is surrounded by a 1,220 square kilometer no-take zone. That’s roughly twice the size of Singapore.

The resort offers 8 luxurious cottages built on stilts over the water, each with a hammock integrated into the veranda and stairs leading down to the lagoon. For a higher level of service and seclusion, you have a choice of 4 Deluxe Villas, located on various corners of the island.

The resort offers you with lots of exclusively-designed facility and services you can enjoy such as the restaurant, dive center, spa service, diving and snorkeling, and so on.

A dive resort is also built on stilts near the water cottages, and is fully equipped with a comfortable lounge, a small library, a massive work station, and a veranda for sunning out between dives. Dives are scheduled 
three times a day, with diving equipment and private guides available upon request. Misool Eco Resort's Dive Centre is located in the North Lagoon, built on stilts overlooking the turquoise water. The Dive Centre is spacious and airy, and well-suited to professional photographers and videographers. The 50 sq meter wet area is equipped with a massive work station, perfect for setting up cameras, charging torches and laptops, etc. The adjacent dry area is furnished with comfortable lounge chairs, a small library, and a monitor for reviewing the day's images. There is also a sunny 120 sq meter veranda just outside, perfect for warming up between dives. 

A restaurant is located tucked under coconut palms, and overlooking the lagoon. It offers a broad selection of Western, Asian and Vegan cuisine. All sea-food is caught outside of the no-take zone, and fruits come from organic plantations around the island. The airy, round-roofed structure is tucked under the coconut palms, offering a perfect respite from the mid-day heat. The restaurant's terrace is the ideal place to enjoy a sunset cocktail or a bottle of wine while watching the baby sharks and long-toms hunt schools of circling sardines.  The restaurant offers a broad range of Asian and Western cuisine, with a focus on fresh, local, and organic fare. Snacks and drinks are available throughout the day. Please note that out of respect for Muslim hosts they do not serve pork. they also do not serve reef fish or prawns due to unsustainable fishing practices.

Misool spa service, they massage and beauty treatments feature Misool Eco Resort’s signature range of natural products, most of which create fresh each morning in the kitchen. They use only food-grade ingredients, and choose local organic products whenever possible. You’ll find scrubs hand-blended from local ingredients such as candlenut and our own coconuts, face toner derived from freshly pressed cucumber, body wraps using our home-grown aloe plants and freshly harvested banana leaves, aromatherapy using fragrant hand-pressed coconut oil, and scrubs using coffee from the highlands of Papua. They essential oils are of the highest quality. Enjoy massage and beauty treatments in the privacy of your own room or at The Lookout. 

Snorkeling house reef with baby black tip reef sharks. The pristine state of the sea surrounding the resort island means that the reefs grow right up to the surface of the water, making them perfect for snorkelers as well as divers. The House Reef is particularly recommended for snorkelers, with frequent sightings of schooling horse-eyed jacks, gentle green turtles, hunting octopus, and huge schools of bumphead parrotfish. There is also a good chance of spotting the newly discovered 'walking' Epaulette Shark - these incredible creatures are nocturnal predators and hunt in the shallow hard coral gardens on the House Reef.  Toodling around inside the protected North Lagoon is also fantastic, and we often see upwards of 15 baby black tip reef sharks in the shallows.  Snorkelers are encouraged to prebook a snorkel package. This will ensure you a space on one of our boats if you'd like to visit local reefs. Unguided snorkeling on the House Reef is of couse always free.

Things To Do

With the highest level of marine biodiversity on the planet and 60 over dive spots within an hour from the resort, (not to mention the hundreds more that await further out to sea,) you can just imagine the enthralling scenes you will behold just beneath the water of Misool.
It’s impossible to even dream of trying to list all the many marvelous species of marine life, but here is a small glimpse of what you may encounter. On the tiny side, ghost pipefish, blue-ringed octopus, frogfish, pygmy seahorses, mandarin fish and literally millions of other critters dart in, out and around the extravagant coral formations. On the large side, immense schools of surgeons roam the waters together with Barracuda, Wobbegang Sharks and dolphins while giant mantas and Mobula Rays glide overhead.

Diving among the Raja Ampat islands is excellent just about all year round, and the term high season does not carry much meaning, as Misool’s only resort has a maximum capacity of 30 people. From May to July is light rainy season, and July to September may bring heavier rain and small surface swells, but rarely enough to obstruct your enjoyment. It is possible to travel to other parts of Raja Ampat during this time, but the Misool Eco Resort is closed during the months of July, August and September. While the rain may not interfere with diving, the sunny season between October and April is more recommended, as you will have the opportunity for other activities such as trekking and exploring the island. Between October and November is the season for large schools of bait fish, which in turn attracts bigger fish and Mobula Rays, while the May and June south winds bring more sharks.

Aside from diving, a selection of other water sports are also available at Misool Resort, such as kayaking, snorkeling, swimming, sunbathing, or just relaxing on the beach and appreciating the act of doing absolutely nothing at all. Boats can also be hired for short trips to the various surrounding islands.

For more “land-friendly” activities, take a tour of the island and explore the mangrove

forests and see if you can spot any of the birds and mammals that inhabit it. The rare village can still be found, hidden in some remote corner of the island, which may be interesting to pay a visit to, to learn more about the local culture, customs and traditions.

Another popular spot is a cave with various petroglyphs, dated at about 5,000 years old. The most recognizable one is that of a human hand, colored in a deep red. Finding the petroglyphs is not so easy, as they are hidden amongst a maze of rocks and lagoons, but that only adds to the adventure.

Misool Island

Now, that I told you about Misool Island, you can imagine how impressive it is right? Come and experience it yourself. You will never regret it. Misool Island is just perfect for your holiday. Healing, is a right word to describe your holiday here. Why healing? Because Misool Island serve you with a beautiful scenery that can’t be described, a clear sky, a crystal clear turquoise sea-waters, the biodiversity of sea population, and many more that can help you charge your energy and relax your mind here. Misool Island is a perfect place to visit. Misool Island has everything to spoil you here. Misool Island is waiting for you to come. Misool Island will always be there to greet you. What are you waiting for? Come and enjoy Misool Island. Get a peace of mind and experience you won’t find in another country because Misool Island is a place that only exist in Indonesia.And don't forget to visit other Indonesia's tourist destinations, because Indonesia has lots of places to visit and perfect for spend your holiday.

source :

indonesia.travel/

misoolecoresort.com