Features
- Sorong transfers available
- English speaking
- Reef dropoff
- Mangroves
- Quiet hideaway
- Hiking available
- Good phone signal
- Coral
- Child discount
- Good house reef
- Western style toilet
- IDR 400,000 to 500,000
- In village
Details
February 2025: Gobi Signal’s bungalows are currently unfit for use. We can’t provide bookings at Gobi Signal until a renovation project has been completed.
Gobi Signal homestay offers two bungalows at the northern edge of Batanta’s Yensawai village.
The bungalow bedrooms sleep two on a mattress on the floor. Sheets, pillows, bolsters and a mosquito net are supplied. Power outlets and room light switch provided. Extra bedding for a third person can be provided if needed.
Meals are served on the bungalow verandah which has panoramic views to across the bay to the Dampier Strait, Pulau Arefi, and the hills of Batanta.
A western style toilet and bucket bathing is provided in a two-room bathroom building on shore for guests. (If staying in the over-water bungalow, be sure to bring a light of some kind, to make negotiating the boardwalk easier at night!)
Electricity is provided by generator and is available from sunset until midnight.
A 4G telephone signal is available in Yensawai.
The small shops in Yensawai sell basic supplies, but it’s a long way back to Waisai, so it would be best to arrive with all the consumeables you consider essential.
Raja Ampat suffers from a total lack of safe waste disposal and recycling services. All homestays request that their guests please take their inorganic waste away with them when they leave, so as to not contribute to the growing trash problem in the islands.
English is spoken at Gobi Signal Homestay.
Transport / Getting there
Waisai - Gobi Signal Homestay transfers cost IDR 2,000,000 one way. The journey is made in a longboat capable of carrying 4 passengers maximum. The trip price is shared by passengers.
Transfers between Gobi Signal Homestay and anywhere else you're headed for can be arranged. Prices below are in IDR, for a one way trip, shared by boat passengers.
| PICK UP / DROP OFF | PRICE |
|---|---|
| Sorong | 4,000,000 by longboat / 5,000,000 by speedboat |
| Piaynemo / Pam Islands | 4,000,000 by longboat / 5,000,000 by speedboat |
| Kabui Bay area | 2,000,000 (longboat) |
| Kri / Mansuar | 1,000,000 (longboat) |
Read more about Raja Ampat boat transport prices here.
Public Boat to Batanta
If you have plenty of time, you don't mind a bit of discomfort, and you want spend as little as possible on transport costs, then there are cargo boats that you can use to get to Batanta. (Obviously, if you are going to arrive on the cargo boat, then you don't need to request a Waisai pickup when submitting the booking form above.)
Here's what you need to know about getting the cargo boat to Batanta.
Activities
Be sure to bring snorkelling gear, because Gobi Signal Homestay has a wealth of marine life right at the door. Including, of course, the Signal Goby that the homestay is named for.
The seagrass flats that surround the homestay are a nursery for all kinds of creatures and dugongs can sometimes be seen from the homestay verandah. Reefs are a short swim away, where the seagrass flats give way to deeper water.
Gobi Signal Homestay can arrange snorkelling and sightseeing trips to all the local attractions. Waterfalls, sand cays, jungled bays and Pulau Birie's fabulous reefs are all close by. A few of the many possibilities are listed below. Prices are IDR, per trip, shared by participants.
| SNORKELLING/SIGHTSEEING TOUR | PRICE |
|---|---|
| Batanta Waterfall | 400,000 |
| Pulau Way | 600,000 |
| Pulau Dayan | 700,000 |
| Pulau Kri (Batanta) | 700,000 |
| Pulau Ayof | 300,000 |
| Pulau Urun | 300,000 |
| Maref | 300,000 |
| Raspapir | 200,000 |
Explore Yensawai village and ask about the occasional music performances that are organised there. Long beach walks are possible from the eastern end of the village at low tide.
Batanta
See our Batanta page for an overview of Batanta, its neighbouring islands, and their attractions.
Gobi Signal Homestay Location Map
Gobi Signal Homestay Reviews
The reviews we publish are written by verified guests of Gobi Signal Homestay. Please do add yours!
We won't publish reviews by guests that we can not verify, but your feedback is still valued, and will be seen by both the Homestay Association and Gobi Signal Homestay.
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2 Reviews
We stayed here for 2 days until December 3, 2022. The single bungalow is at the end of the jetty, the delicious food was brought directly to the bungalow and left on the side. In addition to the 3 meals, we were spoiled with delicious cakes in the afternoon. 😀
Unfortunately, there was no ladder directly into the water, but we got into the water easily from the shore.
Musa was our contact and also the guide for snorkeling tours. Musa was very committed: We drove to the dugong areas several times but unfortunately no animals showed up. Thanks again for your effort!
We loved the Signal Gobi Homestay – but there was a lot of construction going on in town, which made it quite loud at times. Too bad for us. Nevertheless, this homestay is highly recommended.
We stayed here for 2 days until December 3, 2022. The single bungalow is at the end of the jetty, the delicious food was brought directly to the bungalow and left on the side. In addition to the 3 meals, we were spoiled with delicious cakes in the afternoon. 😀
Unfortunately, there was no ladder directly into the water, but we got into the water easily from the shore.
Musa was our contact and also the guide for snorkeling tours. Musa was very committed: We drove to the dugong areas several times but unfortunately no animals showed up. Thanks again for your effort!
We loved the Signal Gobi Homestay – but there was a lot of construction going on in town, which made it quite loud at times. Too bad for us. Nevertheless, this homestay is highly recommended.