Features
- Seagrass
- Quiet hideaway
- Good phone signal
- Coral
- Child discount
- Good house reef
- Has raised beds
- Western style toilet
- IDR 500,000 to 600,000
- Near village
Details
Korain Homestay lies in a small, private bay on Pulau Friwen’s sheltered northern shore.
Two private over-water bungalows are available.
The bungalows sleep two on raised beds. Sheets, pillows, blanket and mosquito nets are provided. Bungalow verandahs are equipped with table and chair settings.
Meals are served in Korain Homestay’s over-water dining room. Free drinking water and tea and coffee making supplies are provided there.
Guests share a 2 room, tile-floored bathroom building. A shower is provided in one room. Showers only work when the electricty is on. Dip mandi (bucket and ladle) bathing is provided for other times. The other room houses a western-style toilet.
Electricity is from the Friwen village supply, and is usually available all night.
Korain Homestay usually receives a good 4G signal which supports a data connection if you have the right Telkomsel plan.
Friwen village is very close, but the unmarked route through the trees to the village is only for the adventurous. At low tide you can walk via the beach. Otherwise it’s a three munute boat ride away. Basic supplies are available at the village shops.
Please do take any inorganic trash you create away with you when you leave, because there is no safe waste management infrastructure in Raja Ampat.
Only a little English is spoken at Korain Homestay, so bringing a translation app or phrasebook is recommended.
Transport / Getting there
Transport between Waisai and Korain Homestay costs IDR 600,000 each way. A longboat capable of carrying up to 4 people is used. The cost is shared by passengers.
Read more about Raja Ampat boat transport prices here.
Activities
Bring your snorkelling equipment! There's great snorkelling straight of your bungalow deck at Korain Homestay.
Dolphins cruise the waters beyond the rich house reef most days. In the afternoons, frigatebirds often gather above the strait between Friwen and Gam to steal fish from other seabirds and occasionally dive for their own.
Relax on your bungalow verandah and watch the changing ocean moods between Gam and Waigeo. Snorkel the coral gardens at the homestay door, or explore the reef that fringes the series of small bays between the homestay and the eastern end of the island.
Great snorkelling with huge schools of juvenile fish can be had at the nearby village jetty.
Snorkelling trips
Korain Homestay provides snorkelling and sightseeing trips on demand. A selection of popular trips are below. Prices are IRD, and trip cost is shared by passengers. (Maximum of 3 passengers)
| SNORKELLING TRIP | PRICE |
|---|---|
| Friwen Wall | 250,000 |
| Batu Lima | 300,000 |
| Sauwandarek Jetty | 1,000,000 |
| Pasir Timbul sandbank | 600,000 |
| Arborek | 1,500,000 |
| Kabui Wall | 1,700,000 |
| Piaynemo | 4,000,000 |
| Yenbuba jetty | 700,000 |
| Mioskon | 400,000 |
When you've spent enough time in the water, the land has plenty to offer.
Explore Friwen village and discover trails through sago and coconut plantations and jungle to island's many bays and viewpoints. Cross to the southern side of the island and watch the sunset light up the limestone cliffs of Friwenbonda (Friwen Wall).
Black Palm cockatoos and brightly coloured Eclectus parrots are frequent visitors to Friwen - especially when the Ketapang (beach almond) trees fruit.
Pulau Friwen
See our Friwen Island page for an overview of the island and its attractions.
Korain Homestay Location Map
Korain Homestay Reviews
The reviews we publish are written by verified guests of Korain Homestay. Please do add yours!
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14 Reviews
A secluded and quiet place to stay on Friwen island. The reef around the Homestay is quite good. The bed was comfortable and everything (including facilities) was absolutely clean. The overwater dining room is amazing and the food absolutely yummy (the best food I had during my three weeks in Raja Ampat). Thanks s lot!
We loved staying there! The owener / Manager (Helen and Pamela) where really kind and helpful. Very nice corals (+sharks, fish) directly under the homestays. Really good food, big and clean toilet/shower. Good waterpressure, cleaned everyday!
Wir hatten eine fanatisch Zeit bei Helena und ihrem Mann. Wir sind zwei Nächte länger geblieben als geplant. Die Häuschen sind groß und die Betten auch. Wir haben so gut geschlafen. Es ist alles super sauber.
Das Essen war fantastisch. Die Aussicht ein Traum. Von der Veranda aus konnte man in ein unglaublich tolles Korallenriffe eintauchen (bzw Schnorcheln). WOW.
Es gibt nichts, wirklich nicht was hätte anders sein können.
We spent 9 days at Korain Homestay and loved every minute of our stay. The reef around the homestay is beautiful and full of fishes, the best we’ve seen around the Friwen island, and you can enjoy it from the water or from the decks. Nice and peaceful village and beach at swimming distance. The bungalows are new and confortable, as well as the dining area, with great views. And the highlight is the kindness if the hosts, and the food was by far the best we’ve had in our month in Raja Ampat. We had a great time!
Korain homestay is the real deal. It is situated in a lovely, secluded inlet beyond the busier part of this small, charming island — a place to truly relax and enjoy what Raja Ampat has to offer.
It is run by husband-and-wife team Helena and Asir, with occasional help from their niece Pamela, a tourism graduate who speaks excellent English. They manage to provide that rare thing: a combination of warmth and kindness with professionalism. They are there for you if you need anything, but never get in the way.
If the underwater world is a priority, there is a very healthy coral reef just off the verandah of each overwater room. For a novice snorkeller like myself, it offered a perfect introduction to reef life: turtles, reef sharks, and an abundance of parrot fish. Asir will also happily take you to any number of local dive spots for more adventure, if that’s what you’re looking for.
Food is served in a dining room just a few steps along a gangway from the accommodation, with lovely views across the water. My friend and I enjoyed an amazing variety of fresh fish, chicken, vegetables, fruit, and bakes. Memorable meals included satay and a delicately spiced coconut curry with chicken and quail eggs. After eating, the dining room was a great place to hang out and chat about the day.
I should also mention the rooms and toilet facilities. Each room is spacious, with a king-size raised bed, mosquito net, hangers, ample power sockets, and a powerful fan that can be used when the island’s electricity is on (approximately 6pm to 6am).
The toilet block is excellent, with a Western-style toilet, bidet gun, and a separate bathing room offering both a traditional bucket-and-ladle wash as well as a good shower. Facilities are cleaned regularly.
If you are looking for somewhere authentic in Raja Ampat, a homestay beats a hotel hands down — but this homestay stands above the rest. It’s very special. Highly recommended.
I feel incredibly lucky to have stayed at Korain homestay and I hope one day to be able to return. Helena, Asir, Pamela and family worked so hard to make our stay a very special one. Everything is kept clean and tidy and I really appreciated the shower as well as a mandi for bathing. The rooms are comfortable and electricity went through the night. The meals were fantastic – everyday something different, wonderful fish, even chicken, a variety of vegetables and delicious fruits.
The homestay sits above a coral garden which hosts a rich diversity of coral fishes – I identified over 40 but there are, of course, many more, including Green Turtles and Black tipped reef sharks. One rainy day a Manta Ray even jumped out of the water!
The family are so warm and friendly and helped us in every way they could, including trips to Waisai to find things we needed, trips to the nearby Friwen wall and across the strait to amazing mangroves with rich birdlife.
I am now appreciating just how exceptional Korain is and what a gem tiny Friwen Island is.
My favourite homestay of my month in RA. It is new, so everything is in perfect condition. The rooms are beautifully presented, the deck has a hammock perfect for relaxing, and there is a ladder allowing you to enter the water and snorkel the small but beautiful house reef. The bathrooms are very clean by RA standards :
Helena is an excellent cook! Meals were tasty, plentiful and varied. The best food I ate in RA. The family is incredibly kind and welcoming, and every need was taken care of (it seemed effortless but I’m sure there was plenty of work behind the scenes).
I didn’t do any excursions as it was my first homestay and I was in sleep and relax mode. But I kinda wish I had as there are lots of great spots near by. The transfer was great, Roy picked me up from Waisai and speaks fluent English. He seems to help the family out with tours and interaction with guests.
Note: if you are looking on Google maps the location is off. It’s on the other side of the island facing Gam, not next to Friwen wall. I was quite happy with this as it turned out to be a more peaceful side of the island.
My favourite homestay of my month in RA. It is new, so everything is in perfect condition. The rooms are beautifully presented, the deck has a hammock perfect for relaxing, and there is a ladder allowing you to enter the water and snorkel the small but beautiful house reef. The bathrooms are very clean by RA standards :
Helena is an excellent cook! Meals were tasty, plentiful and varied. The best food I ate in RA. The family is incredibly kind and welcoming, and every need was taken care of (it seemed effortless but I’m sure there was plenty of work behind the scenes).
I didn’t do any excursions as it was my first homestay and I was in sleep and relax mode. But I kinda wish I had as there are lots of great spots near by. The transfer was great, Roy picked me up from Waisai and speaks fluent English. He seems to help the family out with tours and interaction with guests.
Note: if you are looking on Google maps the location is off. It’s on the other side of the island facing Gam, not next to Friwen wall. I was quite happy with this as it turned out to be a more peaceful side of the island.
Vam passar-hi tres dies meravellosos. La casa i les instal.lacions comunes impecables, molt netes, no vam trobar-hi cap bestiola. L’habitació molt còmoda i el llit molt comfortable. Els àpats bons, abundants i variats. I destacar per damunt de tot la gentil.lesa dels amfitrions, el cuiner i el barquer. Coneixen molt bé la zona on viuen. Totalment recomanable!
Vam passar-hi tres dies meravellosos. La casa i les instal.lacions comunes impecables, molt netes, no vam trobar-hi cap bestiola. L’habitació molt còmoda i el llit molt comfortable. Els àpats bons, abundants i variats. I destacar per damunt de tot la gentil.lesa dels amfitrions, el cuiner i el barquer. Coneixen molt bé la zona on viuen. Totalment recomanable!
This was one of the best places we stayed in Raja Ampat. The bathroom and shower were the cleanest we found anywhere, and the water pressure was excellent – a proper shower! Since the homestay is newly built, all the facilities are clean, fresh, and in great condition, which we really appreciated.
The hosts were very kind and welcoming, and the meals were not only tasty but also generous in portion. We especially enjoyed that every lunch and dinner included either fresh fish or chicken.
We also loved being able to take trips to nearby snorkeling spots – the prices were reasonable and the sites themselves were absolutely beautiful. Another big highlight was the house reef right in front of the water bungalows. Being able to step straight into such a stunning reef made our stay even more special.
This was one of the best places we stayed in Raja Ampat. The bathroom and shower were the cleanest we found anywhere, and the water pressure was excellent – a proper shower! Since the homestay is newly built, all the facilities are clean, fresh, and in great condition, which we really appreciated.
The hosts were very kind and welcoming, and the meals were not only tasty but also generous in portion. We especially enjoyed that every lunch and dinner included either fresh fish or chicken.
We also loved being able to take trips to nearby snorkeling spots – the prices were reasonable and the sites themselves were absolutely beautiful. Another big highlight was the house reef right in front of the water bungalows. Being able to step straight into such a stunning reef made our stay even more special.
Korain Homestay was added to Stay Raja Ampat today, and so does not have any reviews yet.
It’s really hard for new homestays.
Please do consider giving Korain Homestay a chance, and then be the first to submit some feedback.
Helena, Aser and Deviano will be so happy to see you! 😊🙏
Korain Homestay was added to Stay Raja Ampat today, and so does not have any reviews yet.
It’s really hard for new homestays.
Please do consider giving Korain Homestay a chance, and then be the first to submit some feedback.
Helena, Aser and Deviano will be so happy to see you! 😊🙏