Features
- Sleeps 10 or more
- Coral
- Child discount
- Good house reef
- Calm beach
- Sandy Beach
- Western style toilet
- Remote/isolated
- IDR 400,000 to 500,000
Details
Helda Homestay offers three basic and traditional private bungalows at Yef Kabu, a small sand cay amid West Waigeo’s rich reefs and spectacular scenery.
Two VIP bungalows with ensuite bathrooms are also available. A premium is charged for the VIP bungalows.
The bungalows sleep two on a mattress on the floor. An extra mattress can be provided if needed. Bedding includes sheets, pillows, bolsters and mosquito nets. Bungalow verandahs have a table, chairs and ocean views.
Meals are served in Helda’s beachside dining room. Free drinking water, tea and coffee making supplies are provided there for guests
Guests share a 2 room bathroom building. A western style toilet occupies one room. Bucket bathing provided in the other.
Electricity is provided by generator and is available from sunset to about midnight. A variable 4G phone signal is received at Helda Homestay. A data connection may not always be possible.
Mutus village is about a ten minute boat ride away. Basic supplies are available from village kiosks there. (Anything that you absolutely can’t live without would be best brought with you.)
Only a little English is spoken at Helda Homestay. Bringing a translation app or phrasebook will help with communication.
To avoid contributing to the trashing of paradise, all homestays ask that you please take all your inorganic (especially plastic) waste away with you when you leave.
Transport / Getting there
A one way transfer between Helda Homestay and Waisai costs IDR 2,500,000
Helda Homestay also offers Waisai pickups with sightseeing stops included, and transfers to/from other locations.
Transport is by longboat that can carry four passengers. Trip cost is shared by passengers.
Reaching West Waigeo is not cheap, but the remote region’s unique attractions and wild nature justify the expense. You’ll also see a lot of Raja Ampat on the way, including Kabui Bay and the famed Kabui Passage.
Read more about Raja Ampat boat transport prices here.
Activities
Excellent snorkelling is available off the beach, and Helda Homestay offers a range of snorkelling trips.
Long stayers are offered the following free snorkelling trips:
- Stay one week and receive a free snorkelling trip to Manta Point
- Stay two weeks and receive a free snorkelling trip visiting two sites.
Yef Kabu is a tiny, flat, sand cay smack bang in the middle of the West Waigeo Islands.
One long, white beach encloses two square kilometres of coconut palms, casuarina and ketapang trees that makes a perfect quiet hideaway and base for exploring some of the best reefs in Raja Ampat.
Because of the region’s remoteness, West Waigeo’s reefs are pristine, rich and untrammelled by day tripping boats from Sorong and Waisai. Fabulous snorkelling is available in the area and it’s most likely that you will be the only people in the water. Mantas congregate at Pulau Yefnabi and several other locations in the islands. They can even be found there between June and September, when they are usually absent from the better known Dampier Strait sites of Manta Point and Manta Sandy.
Apart from the excellent snorkelling and mantas, the West Waigeo Islands offer sights like “Pasir Timbul” – a stretch of pristine white sand that emerges from the ocean with every low tide. A visit to Aljui Bay is highly recommended, and provides the opportunity to see ancient rock art galleries, a large commercial pearl farm, secret lagoons, cultural sites and spectacular scenery.
Waigeo Barat
See our West Waigeo page for an overview of West Waigeo, its islands, and their attractions.
Helda Homestay Reviews
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8 Reviews
This is our second visit to Raja Ampat and we chose Helda homestay because it was a new area For us and we wanted somewhere quiet to start.
Yes the transfer is a little expensive but it is quite some way from Waisai. Besides, it was a beautiful journey and our hosts Amos and Elli were checking regularly if we were OK.
We had a VIP bungalow with private bathroom. The cold shower was actually really warm due to the sunshine. We had a comfortable bed and there were nice little touches. Nice sitting area out front also, facing the beach.
Despite a few hiccups with the generator we still had enough time to charge up devices etc as they left it running a bit later. Anyway the dark skies were wonderful for star watching.
There was a slow phone signal quite a few times which I did not expect.
As for the food, it was so good! I asked if we could have non spicy food and they delivered. Freshly caught fish every day, rice, noodles, vegetables, fruits and snacks.
Elli speaks a bit of English and he is around to help every day.
Family and locals always had a smile and a hello.
There is a fabulous long reef right from the beach. We saw enormous bumphead parrotfish, sharks, turtle and a myriad of colourful fish and corals. We found the best place to get in was near the jetty to the left of the homestay as there are a lot of corals in the shallows.
Elli and Amos will take you on trips and advise where to go. They tried very hard to find the Mantas for me on 3 occasions and we struck lucky on the third time.
On our final night the guys lit a bonfire and family and locals came together to sing and play for us which was a magical end to our stay.
On our transfer back to Mansuar, Amos and Elli took us to Pulau Pef which we didn’t expect and was another nice gesture.
We would go back to Helda homestay any time. Thank you guys and good luck.
Well equipped homestay with ensuite bathrooms. Snorkeling around the island of Yefkabu is magnificent, saw some walking sharks, turtles, reef sharks, and giant travelly schools. You can spend your days circling the island underwater with its hard coral dominated sand banks landscape. Helda’s homestay is a bit quieter than the other homestays around which receive more guests, very good if you’re looking for a peaceful retreat. Great food and snacks provided between meals as well. Amos is not only an amazing guide of the West Waigeo area ( the Tamaku and Yefnabi spots that he brought me to boast way way nicer visibility, coral health, and coral density than the famous spots of Mansuar and Kri), but he’s also a talented videographer ( lend him GoPro/Insta camera and he’ll shoot some high quality underwater footage!) and all in all extremely accommodating. He constantly offered me the local Yefkabu coconuts, which are the best coconuts I’ve had in my life, not even other coconuts in Raja Ampat compare, the coconuts here are something else and take this from an Indonesian who’s consumed a lot of coconuts in his life. Amos also accomodated my request to stargaze, he brought out a wooden bench for me to do that. I ended up sleeping under the stars, near the bonfire that he and his family regularly start. And then waking up to a choir of birds that inhabit this island. I will never forget this special memory. Thank you Amos! And Amos also told me he could accommodate some camping spots on the beach, I can really recommend sleeping under the stars, surrounded by gentle sea breeze.
We stayed at Helda homestay one week in late October – early November and we were much surprised by high level service we enjoyed at this homestay. It started with our quick and comfortable transfer from Waisai area by their two engine boat. We were accommodated in a very comfortable VIP bungalow. All meals cooked at this homestay were always delicious. It was our 6th visit to Raja Ampat (we have already stayed at 20 homestays here), but we never had so much high quality fish and so various fruits!!! This is one of the best homestays we stayed in Raja Ampat. Many thanks to Amos and all his family for their great hospitability and service. With best wishes, Stanislav and Ilona
We stayed at Helda homestay one week in late October – early November and we were much surprised by high level service we enjoyed at this homestay. It started with our quick and comfortable transfer from Waisai area by their two engine boat. We were accommodated in a very comfortable VIP bungalow. All meals cooked at this homestay were always delicious. It was our 6th visit to Raja Ampat (we have already stayed at 20 homestays here), but we never had so much high quality fish and so various fruits!!! This is one of the best homestays we stayed in Raja Ampat. Many thanks to Amos and all his family for their great hospitability and service. With best wishes, Stanislav and Ilona
I had a lovely stay at Helda homestay. The meals were amazing and portions really fulfilling which you cannot say about other homestays! You never leave hungry from this place, snacks are also included between meals, well done! House reef in the right direction is also absolutely amazing and must see, cannot even be compared to places close to Waisai that have nearly 0 quality reef compare to this one, if you want to experience nice snorkelling, good and fulfilling meals, go for this place!
I had a lovely stay at Helda homestay. The meals were amazing and portions really fulfilling which you cannot say about other homestays! You never leave hungry from this place, snacks are also included between meals, well done! House reef in the right direction is also absolutely amazing and must see, cannot even be compared to places close to Waisai that have nearly 0 quality reef compare to this one, if you want to experience nice snorkelling, good and fulfilling meals, go for this place!
We have just stayed at Helda Homestay on West Waigeo for five days. The family Ronal, Mayow and Naughty (that’s probably not the correct spelling) looked after us very well. Naughty is a great cook and made some delicious sauces to go with fish, her vegetables were great as well. We went to Manta point with Ronal and Mayow and they are both excellent at finding Manta. The home reef is very good. If you want a few days peace this is your place. English is limited but with patience and some mime we got everything we needed. A really lovely experience. Thanks to the family for a lovely stay.
We have just stayed at Helda Homestay on West Waigeo for five days. The family Ronal, Mayow and Naughty (that’s probably not the correct spelling) looked after us very well. Naughty is a great cook and made some delicious sauces to go with fish, her vegetables were great as well. We went to Manta point with Ronal and Mayow and they are both excellent at finding Manta. The home reef is very good. If you want a few days peace this is your place. English is limited but with patience and some mime we got everything we needed. A really lovely experience. Thanks to the family for a lovely stay.