What’s Included, How to Book and What It Really Costs: Raja Ampat Liveaboard Terms

Two Raja Ampat fees exist and most websites confuse them: the marine park conservation card (IDR 700,000 for foreign visitors, valid 12 months) and the regency visitor entry ticket (IDR 1,000,000 for foreign visitors per visit, since 1 January 2026). Neither is normally inside the trip price.

Want a written, line-by-line quote? Talk to Komodo Luxury on WhatsApp at +62 811 3823 875 or email [email protected] and we will send the boats, dates and exact rates that match your window.

Which Raja Ampat fees are not included in the trip price?

Two separate government charges apply in Raja Ampat, and most websites merge them into one wrong number. They are collected by different bodies, cost different amounts and have different validity. Budget for both.

Neither charge is normally inside a liveaboard fare. Your crew will usually arrange the conservation card on your behalf at the start of the trip and add it to your onboard bill. Fees are set by government and can be revised — confirm the current amounts with us before you travel.

The conservation card is a physical card, often called the PIN card, valid for twelve months from purchase, which means a second visit inside the same year does not pay it twice. The regency visitor entry ticket is per visit and is booked through the government SIPARI platform. Children under twelve are exempt from the conservation card. Amounts are set by government and have changed more than once — confirm the current figures with us close to your departure.

What is included in the fare, and what is not?

Inclusions vary slightly between vessels. We send you the exact line-by-line list for the boat you are considering before you pay anything.

What does the whole trip really cost?

The cruise fare is usually 65–75% of what you actually spend. Here is a worked example for one foreign diver on a 7-night central Raja Ampat trip in a mid-range ensuite cabin, travelling from Europe. Substitute your own flight cost; everything else holds reasonably well.

Rates are indicative market bands for the 2026–2027 season, quoted per person in USD on a shared twin basis unless stated. They move with vessel, cabin, season and group size, and they change — ask us for the live rate on your dates before you plan a budget around them.

Rupiah conversions above use an approximate rate of IDR 16,300 to the US dollar and will move. Route-specific fares are set out on the Dampier Strait route page and the north and Wayag route page; whole-boat pricing is on the private charter page.

How does booking actually work?

1. Enquiry. Tell us your dates, certification level, logged dives, party size and what you want out of the trip. We reply with the vessels genuinely available — not a brochure.
2. Options and hold. You get cabin configurations, the route, the rate and a short courtesy hold while you decide. No payment at this stage.
3. Deposit and confirmation. Deposit paid against a written confirmation that states the fare, the inclusions, the exclusions, the balance date and the cancellation terms.
4. Documents. Passport details, certification cards, logged dive count, dive insurance policy number, dietary requirements, emergency contact.
5. Balance. Settled before departure on the agreed date.
6. Pre-trip pack. Embarkation time and place, flight advice, packing list, gear checklist and what to expect day by day.

What are the cancellation and weather terms?

Cancellation windows are vessel-specific and tighten sharply as departure approaches; the exact schedule is on your written confirmation. Two things are worth understanding before you book anywhere in Indonesia. First, buy trip cancellation insurance at the same time as you pay the deposit — not later, when it no longer covers what has already happened. Second, weather routing changes are normal and are not cancellations: a cruise director who reroutes away from a building sea is doing the job correctly, and no reputable operator compensates for a changed dive site.

When should you fly, and when can you fly home?

Fly into Sorong (SOQ, often written DEO) at least one night before embarkation. Jakarta to Sorong is roughly 4–4.5 hours and Makassar to Sorong roughly 2–2.5 hours; schedules change, so confirm before booking. Sorong-based vessels typically collect guests from city hotels around 12:30, and boats based at Waisai meet guests at the Marine Park office at the harbour around 11:00.

At the other end, the final day of every itinerary carries no diving in order to respect the 18-hour no-fly interval. Vessels are usually back in port around 06:00 with guests ashore by 10:00. Do not book an onward international connection that same morning. Full logistics are on our getting to Raja Ampat guide.

What makes a Raja Ampat liveaboard genuinely low-impact?

“Eco” on a boat is a set of habits, not a wooden hull. A traditional phinisi is built by hand from dense tropical hardwood at Tana Beru and Bira in South Sulawesi — a craft inscribed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2017 — and its genuine advantage is a long hull life that can be repaired locally. That is a real argument. It is not, on its own, a sustainability claim.

The practices that actually change a boat’s footprint are these: a reverse-osmosis watermaker instead of crates of bottled water, solar and battery capacity that cuts generator hours at anchor, no single-use plastic aboard, a reef-safe sunscreen briefing on day one, mooring buoys or sand-anchoring only — anchoring on coral is prohibited inside the marine protected area — sorted waste carried back to shore rather than burnt or dumped, holding tanks that are never discharged near a reef, and a Papuan and Indonesian crew paid properly. Ask any operator, including us, to answer those eight points specifically. Vague language is the tell.

What should you check before you pay anyone?

• Does the quote state both government fees separately, with amounts?
• Is nitrox included, packaged or per fill?
• What is the guide-to-guest ratio in the water, not on paper?
• Is emergency oxygen carried, and who is trained to use it?
• What is the written cancellation schedule, and what happens if the vessel cancels?
• Does the boat run a watermaker, or does it carry crates of bottled water?
• Does it use mooring buoys, and what happens to waste at the end of the trip?

We answer all seven in writing, for every boat we quote. If another operator will not, that is information too. Packing guidance is on our packing list, and current departures on the schedule page.

Frequently asked questions

How much are the Raja Ampat fees in total?

For a foreign visitor, IDR 700,000 for the marine park conservation card plus IDR 1,000,000 for the regency visitor entry ticket – IDR 1,700,000 in total, roughly USD 100-110 depending on the exchange rate. Indonesian citizens pay IDR 425,000 plus IDR 300,000.

Are the two fees the same thing?

No, and this is the most common error on Raja Ampat websites. The conservation card is levied by the Marine Park Authority under West Papua Governor’s Regulation No. 4 of 2019 and is valid 12 months. The visitor entry ticket is charged by the Raja Ampat Regency through the SIPARI platform, per visit, and has been in force since 1 January 2026.

Is the marine park fee included in my trip price?

Normally not. Most operators, including us, exclude both government charges from the fare and arrange the conservation card on your behalf at the start of the trip, adding it to your onboard bill. Always check this line specifically on any quote you receive.

What deposit is required?

It varies by vessel and by how far ahead you book, and the balance is due before departure on a schedule that is set out in your confirmation. We put the exact percentages and dates in writing before you transfer anything.

What is the cancellation policy?

Cancellation terms are vessel-specific and tighten as departure approaches, which is why trip cancellation insurance is worth buying at the same time as your deposit. We send the full written terms with every quote – never book a liveaboard anywhere without reading them.

Do I need dive insurance?

Yes, we require current dive accident cover for every diving guest. Raja Ampat is remote and evacuation is expensive. Check your policy covers liveaboard diving, the depths you plan and, if relevant, nitrox.

How much should I tip the crew?

Tipping is customary but discretionary. A common guideline across Indonesian liveaboards is roughly 5-10% of the trip price, pooled for the whole crew and given at the end. Treat that as a range, not an invoice.

What currency should I bring?

Bring Indonesian rupiah in cash for the two government fees and for village purchases, and expect the onboard account – nitrox, rental gear, drinks, tips – to be settled in rupiah or US dollars. ATMs exist in Sorong but not after you sail.

How do you book this trip?

Send us your dates and we will come back with a written quote that separates every line, including both government fees. Send us your travel window, your certification level and how many people are in your party on WhatsApp +62 811 3823 875 or by email at [email protected]. We reply with the vessels available for those dates, the cabin-by-cabin rate, the deposit terms and a plain list of what is not in the price. There is no obligation and no deposit until you have seen the boat and the itinerary in writing.

This site is operated by Komodo Luxury, part of Juara Holding Group, running dive and cruise trips in eastern Indonesia since 2015.