Raja Ampat literally means “four kingdoms”. Misool is one of those four kingdoms, and is geographically distant from the other three. Misool lies to the south-west of the western tip of Papua, and is a region filled with thousands of karst rock islands and inhabited at a small number of small villages. The remoteness makes it a drawcard for tourists, many of whom travel and stay on the “phinisi” boats (wooden tourist boats with a traditional appearance).
The love lagoon anchorage on Wayilbatan in the southern chain of Misool islands was our first anchorage in Raja Ampat, and we so stunning that we stayed here for almost a month. It was really the expectation of other things better that caused us to move on, only to find that we had landed in the jewel at first stop. However, those other locations in Misool, like the northern chain of islands were also breathtaking and wonderful in other ways.
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Arrival to Raja Ampat
Our arrival in Indonesia in October was late in the season of SE trade winds. After arrival, we have been moving each day that there was suitable wind, with the objective of getting north to Raja Ampat before the calms of the doldrums crept south with the sun. All the way from Tual and the…
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P Wayilbatan Lagoon
This is our first anchorage in Raja Ampat, and like nothing we have ever experienced before. The island is a series of 200m high cliffs that drop straight down into seas that are 100m deep in places. To anchor, we must find places that are shallow, With 100m of anchor chain spliced onto 100m of…
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Wayilbatan Snorkelling
With stunning coral so close to the boat, we have spent a lot of time in the water. When the tide is high, we can traverse the coral lip that surrounds the lagoon, and swim over the sandy bridge between two small islands behind the boat. When the tide is low, the drop off of…
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Spring Low Tide at Wayilbatan
We’ve been in the same place now for two weeks, just because it is so spectacular. We arrived on the new moon, and there has just been a full moon two nights ago. With the full moon, the tides have increased in range, and have been extreme over the last few days, with coral exposed…
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Karawapop Lagoon
The heart shaped Karawapop Lagoon is a world famous landmark here at Misool, attracting the tourists travelling in the traditional Indonesia tourist ships known as Phinisi. Our anchorage at Wayilbatan is about three miles west of the Karawapop lagoon, but is the safest place that we can leave the yacht in order to visit Karawapop.…
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Harfat Peak
We’re in the western end of the chain of islands that run out from the eastern corner of Misool in Raja Ampat, Indonesia. The attraction to here is the walking track to a lookout on the top of the highest peak in the area. Harfat Peak is about 200m high, and is part of this…
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Harfat Rockart
I have been again surprised by Indonesia. I did not know that ancient rock art was so common. We have found a number of locations close to our anchorage near Harfat Peak where panels of rock art have been painted on cliffs facing the ocean. Against the cliffs and overhangs amongst the labyrinth of islands…
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Harfat Caves
We’re still in the anchorage near Harfat Peak, spending our time exploring the labyrinth of islands and rocks; lagoons and sand patches. From the air, the entire area is a grid of waterways and ponds intersecting the high karst rock platforms through steep gorges and cliffs. These waterways are created by rain percolating down through…
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Pulau Lenkafal
On Sunday, we left from the Harfat region and started moving east towards Babulol, which is the last of the anchorages along this northern chain of islands off Misool. With no wind, we motored for a couple of hours, and anchored in a little bay on the northern side of Pulau Lenkafal. The bay was…
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Balbulol
Balbulol is an island group at the eastern end of a chain of islands that run out to the east from Misool. It is one of the jewels of Raja Ampat. We have had the last few days tied up in the lagoon here, enjoying exploring the area. While we were here, the tides have…
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Passage to Misool
After months in the Raja Ampat regencies to the north of Sorong, we must start moving south again. It’s only a bit over a month until we have to clear out of Indonesia with our six month visas due to expire. The obvious first destination is Misool, as we still remember the islands and reefs…
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Harfat Peak, again
After the run down from Sorong, our arrival at Misool was at Harfat, which we visited back in November last year on our way north to Wayag. We were uncertain of the exact location in the chain of islands that runs out from Misool, and we let the conditions dictate the area we would revisit.…
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Harfat Logging
Hafat, on the northern chain of islands off Misool, has far more villages in the area than I had realised on our way north. Some of the villagers pass through the anchorage on their way to their daily activities as fishermen. Others are harvesting timber from the jungle. In a bay not far from our…
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Misool
After a few days at Harfat in the northern chain of Misool islands, the limited time left on our visas has forced us to keep heading south. The northerly monsoons seem to be steered away by the high mountains on the islands of eastern Indonesia. Forecasts show a deep wind shadow to the south of…