Features
- Sorong transfers available
- Reef dropoff
- Seagrass
- Quiet hideaway
- Coral
- Child discount
- Calm beach
- Sandy Beach
- Has raised beds
- Western style toilet
- Snorkeling equipment
- Remote/isolated
- IDR 400,000 to 500,000
- Has ensuite bathroom/toilet
- Diving available
Details
Kriss Iba Homestay and Kandipi Dive Center are located in a sheltered bay on Pulau Birie’s western shore.
Two VIP bungalows with ensuite bathrooms are located on a small arc of white sand beach.
The bungalows are over-water at high tide, and have verandahs with tables and chairs and views west across the bay to Pulau Arefi. Bungalow bedrooms sleep two on real beds. Bedding includes pillows, sheets, bolsters and mosquito nets, and room light switches and power outlets are provided. Extra bedding for a third guest can be provided on request.
All bungalows have ensuite bathrooms with western-style toilets and bucket bathing.
Meals are served in Kriss Iba’s beachside dining room. The dining room has the same great views as the bungalows and free drinking water, tea and coffee are always available there.
Electricity is supplied by generator from sunset to around midnight. Supply at other times can be provided if you are happy to pay for the extra fuel required.
Kriss Iba Homestay receives a phone signal from the tower at nearby Arefi. It’s 4G, and usually available at about half bar strength.
Only a little English is spoken at Kriss Iba Homestay. Bringing a translation app or phrasebook is recommended.
The village of Arefi is a ten minute boat ride away and basic supplies can be purchased there, but be sure to bring any consumeables you regard as essential with you. So as not to contribute to pollution, be sure too to take all your inorganic rubbish away with you when you leave. In common with the rest of Raja Ampat, there is no safe waste disposal available on Pulau Birie.
Transport / Getting there
Transport between Waisai and Kriss Iba Homestay can be by speedboat or longboat. You will need to contact Kriss Iba to nominate a preference. (Contact details are provided in booking confirmation emails.)
Waisai transfers by speedboat: IDR 3,500,000 shared by passengers (maximum of 6)
Waisai transfers by longboat: IDR 2,000,000 shared by passengers (maximum of 4)
Sorong transfers
Don't select the Waisai pickup checkbox if you want to be picked up from Sorong. Contact Kriss Iba directly to arrange Sorong pickups. (Contact details are provided in booking confirmation emails.)
Sorong transfers by speedboat: IDR 5,000,000 shared by passengers (maximum of 6)
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
Kriss Iba Homestay is named for the big Ketapang (sea almond) tree that shades the homestay beach.
Mornings at Kriss Iba are filled with the sound of local birdlife and the house reef is home to many fish. Baby sharks, stingrays and the occasional dugong are just some of the many local reef inhabitants. The jungles of Pulau Birie also provide hiking and birdwatching opportunities.
Snorkelling at Kriss Iba Homestay
Masks and snorkels are available to hire for IDR 100,000 per day, and booties and fins can be rented for IDR 50,000 per day.
In addition to the house reef, Kriss Iba can provide tours to other Batanta and Dampier Strait snorkelling and sightseeing spots.
Some of those include:
Pulau Urun: A small tree covered sand cay with a tree shaded beach. Close to Kriss Iba, Urun has a lovely reef and reef sharks, turtles, and wobbegongs are usually easily seen there.
Pulau Dua: Previously an island, the spot became reefs after suffering severe wind and wave damage during storms. A wild place with huge rocks and a reef rich with bumphead wrasse, turtles, and other fish.
Tiga Pulau: "Three islands" consists of Pulau Yuw - with its fruit bats, Pulau Mai with its white cockatoos and fruit bats and Pulau Teven.
Pulau Wai: Located between Batanta and Mansuar, Pulau Wai has beautiful panoramic views and an excellent reef frequented by sharks, wobbegong, and many fish species.
Batanta Waterfall: Misty jungle falls of pristine water, pools inhabited by freshwater shrimp and surrounds full of birdlife.
Piaynemo: A very scenic scattering of karst islands with Wayag like panoramas from the lookout on its heights. Great snorkelling on rich reefs.
Cape Kri: A well known site where encounters with barracuda, jacks, reef sharks and turtles are almost guaranteed.
Diving and birdwatching
Diving is available at neighbouring Kandipi Dive Center, and birdwatching tours are also available.
Sunday Diving: Only available after conclusion of church services at 1100.
Please see this January 2025 Pricelist (PDF 54KB) for details.
Note that the dive pricing is per person for two dives. When we asked for clarification, this is what we were told:
Example:
If 3 people dive at Dayan:
3,600,000 (3 pax) + 1,500,000 (boat to Dayan) = 5,100,000 (total)
Since it's 2 dives, the homestay provides 1 guest with 2 tanks.
Also, the 2 dives are for only one location.
And price for the spot is per boat
Thanks to Kriss Iba Homestay guest Halil Kesselring for the video below. :)
[arve url="https://youtu.be/a8hZqW0D898"]
Batanta
See our Batanta page for an overview of Batanta, its neighbouring islands, and their attractions.
Kriss Iba Homestay Location Map
Kriss Iba Homestay Reviews
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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 Kriss Iba Homestay.
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134 Reviews
We had a great stay at Kriss Iba. Our bungalow was very comfortable, loved sitting on the deck and watching the young sharks swim by. There was plenty of food and it was always delicious. We also enjoyed the diving as well. Thanks for a great stay.
Hi 🙋 Kristin.
Thank you so much for visiting us. Hope to see you again soon.
Nous avons passé 6 jours merveilleux dans cet Homestay. Nous voyageons en famille avec 2 enfants (7 et 1 an) et le bungalow était le plus confortable que nous ayons eu (très spacieux avec chaise longue, lit 2 places et matelas 1 place sans compter la douche et les toilettes dans le bungalow). Toute l’équipe est très gentille et attentive à l’entretien de leur homestay niché sur une petite plage. Ils nettoient comme ils peuvent les déchets déposés quotidiennement selon les marées. Le snorckeling devant les bungalows est très jolie avec de beaux coraux et un tombant où nous avons pu apercevoir des beaux poissons et requins à pointe noire. Pour les plus sportifs magnifique tombant avec des beaux pélagiques et requins sur un cap a 15 minutes de nage en face de la homestay. Nous avons aussi aperçus furtivement 2 Dugongs lors de sortie en bateaux avec Elmus. Nous conseillons la balade à la grande cascade qui est magnifique. Enfin la nourriture était la meilleure que nous ayons mangé sur les îles, toujours servie en quantité, variée et très très bonnes. Merci a toute l’équipe.
Hi Noah and Yaya.
Thank you so much for visiting us. We hope to see you again someday. 😊🙏
Lovely. For the first night we stayed in the room in the middle of the three bungalows, which was basic but compared to other rooms in Raja Ampat still very nice. We then got the bungalow on the right (the biggest one) which we loved. It had an ensuited toilet and shower, the bed was comfortable, it had hangers and was very spacious.
The reef in front was quite good, we saw many fish, baby sharks and a turtle.
Helmus and his friends/family were really nice. Helmus made us feel very welcomed. He often sat with us to talk and made sure we had everything we needed.
The food was delicious and they even cooked vegan for us.
Hi 🙋 Kai.
Thank you so much for your kind response. We hope to see you again someday
What a charming and comfortable little homestay! Only 3 bungalows, we occupied 2 and had the homestay just for us. They each have a bathroom attached and I had my first real toilet with a flush that worked. Amazing! The terrasse features a lounge chair with cushions, the hamac we brought ourselves. There were no towels, but again we had our own. After busy Arborek it was just bliss. And baby sharks, sting rays pass indeed in front of the bungalows. Helmus was not there, but he arranged diving for us with a competent and friendly free-lance dive guide. As we have our own equipment I cannot comment on their rental gear. They arrange trecks to the waterfall and to the jungle as well.
Hi 🙋 Mr. Andre.
Thank you very much for visiting with us. We are proud and happy to see you again.
What a charming and comfortable little homestay! Only 3 bungalows, we occupied 2 and had the homestay just for us. They each have a bathroom attached and I had my first real toilet with a flush that worked. Amazing! The terrasse features a lounge chair with cushions, the hamac we brought ourselves. There were no towels, but again we had our own. After busy Arborek it was just bliss. And baby sharks, sting rays pass indeed in front of the bungalows. Helmus was not there, but he arranged diving for us with a competent and friendly free-lance dive guide. As we have our own equipment I cannot comment on their rental gear. They arrange trecks to the waterfall and to the jungle as well.
Hi 🙋 Mr. Andre.
Thank you very much for visiting with us. We are proud and happy to see you again.
Staying at Kriss Iba Homestay was fantastic! We spent 1 week with Helmus and family in a lovely private bungalow with a private bathroom. The bed was large and comfortable. Electricity was reliably available from sunset until midnight, allowing us to charge our phones, dive watches, etc. Compared to the mainland, the air was cool and we enjoyed sitting on the patio watching the rain storms come and go.
Each day, the meals were varied, filling, and delicious! Thank you Ms Ruth and Lili for such great cooking.
Helmus arranged 6 dives for us over several days together with his partners. There is a small dive shop 20 meters from the homestay where tanks are filled and wetsuits, BCDs, fins, and masks are available (bring your own dive computer!). Each dive was at a beautiful reef, including some great drift diving and a wreck dive. We saw sharks, rays, turtles, many amazing nudibranchs, and an incredible diversity of corals, anemones, and fans. We saw almost no coral bleaching. The guides (Novry and ) spotted lots of great creatures.
One night, we were invited to nearby Arefi to celebrate the new year. The community was so welcoming and kind to us. We felt grateful to be a part of this party!
Helmus also arranged for us to do a little jungle trek to the nearby waterfall on Batanta – even though the conditions didn’t allow us to reach the waterfall, we had a great time. And Helmus took us on an evening trip to see the local Hornbills come home to roost. Such a peaceful experience.
Thanks Helmus, Ruth, Lili, and everyone who made our stay so great. I highly recommend you book your stay with Helmus at Kriss Iba. We would stay here again.
Hi 🙋 Mr. Gordie.
Thank you for your kind message. Your happiness is our goal. We are very proud if you can smile every moment, because that is our goal and an important part of it. We hope to see you again in the future.
Staying at Kriss Iba Homestay was fantastic! We spent 1 week with Helmus and family in a lovely private bungalow with a private bathroom. The bed was large and comfortable. Electricity was reliably available from sunset until midnight, allowing us to charge our phones, dive watches, etc. Compared to the mainland, the air was cool and we enjoyed sitting on the patio watching the rain storms come and go.
Each day, the meals were varied, filling, and delicious! Thank you Ms Ruth and Lili for such great cooking.
Helmus arranged 6 dives for us over several days together with his partners. There is a small dive shop 20 meters from the homestay where tanks are filled and wetsuits, BCDs, fins, and masks are available (bring your own dive computer!). Each dive was at a beautiful reef, including some great drift diving and a wreck dive. We saw sharks, rays, turtles, many amazing nudibranchs, and an incredible diversity of corals, anemones, and fans. We saw almost no coral bleaching. The guides (Novry and ) spotted lots of great creatures.
One night, we were invited to nearby Arefi to celebrate the new year. The community was so welcoming and kind to us. We felt grateful to be a part of this party!
Helmus also arranged for us to do a little jungle trek to the nearby waterfall on Batanta – even though the conditions didn’t allow us to reach the waterfall, we had a great time. And Helmus took us on an evening trip to see the local Hornbills come home to roost. Such a peaceful experience.
Thanks Helmus, Ruth, Lili, and everyone who made our stay so great. I highly recommend you book your stay with Helmus at Kriss Iba. We would stay here again.
Hi 🙋 Mr. Gordie.
Thank you for your kind message. Your happiness is our goal. We are very proud if you can smile every moment, because that is our goal and an important part of it. We hope to see you again in the future.
The best homestay!
Family: Helmus and his family are super kind and attentive. They did everything they could to make us have an awesome experience. Communication has been great during and before our stay.
Reef: the house reef is very good! While snorkelling I saw turtles everyday, black tip reef sharks, a sheer variety of fish and even a dugong!
Food: excellent food everyday. Even sometimes some snacks in the afternoon. Amazing!
Thank you Helmus!! I look forward to coming back some day in the near future!
Thank you very much, Mr. Ramon, for the opportunity to vacation with us. Your happiness is important to us. Thank you very much, we hope to see you again soon.
Hi 🙋 Ramon. Thank you so much for visiting us.
Your happiness is our main goal. We hope to see you again soon 😊🙏
The best homestay!
Family: Helmus and his family are super kind and attentive. They did everything they could to make us have an awesome experience. Communication has been great during and before our stay.
Reef: the house reef is very good! While snorkelling I saw turtles everyday, black tip reef sharks, a sheer variety of fish and even a dugong!
Food: excellent food everyday. Even sometimes some snacks in the afternoon. Amazing!
Thank you Helmus!! I look forward to coming back some day in the near future!
Thank you very much, Mr. Ramon, for the opportunity to vacation with us. Your happiness is important to us. Thank you very much, we hope to see you again soon.
Hi 🙋 Ramon. Thank you so much for visiting us.
Your happiness is our main goal. We hope to see you again soon 😊🙏
We were made very welcome at Kriss Iba by Helmus and Nathan and the family. The food was amazing – fresh and delicious and plenty of it. The accommodation was the best we have had in our many visits to RA – super comfortable bed, very clean bathroom and even upholstered sunbeds to lounge on. The reef here is lovely and very accessible for snorkelling. We loved our 8-day stay with this genuinely warm family at their homestay, and wish them good luck with their new restaurant on the jetty.
Thank you so much for your visit with us over the past eight days. We truly enjoyed your company. We hope to see you again soon 🙏
We were made very welcome at Kriss Iba by Helmus and Nathan and the family. The food was amazing – fresh and delicious and plenty of it. The accommodation was the best we have had in our many visits to RA – super comfortable bed, very clean bathroom and even upholstered sunbeds to lounge on. The reef here is lovely and very accessible for snorkelling. We loved our 8-day stay with this genuinely warm family at their homestay, and wish them good luck with their new restaurant on the jetty.
Thank you so much for your visit with us over the past eight days. We truly enjoyed your company. We hope to see you again soon 🙏
I had a realy wonderful stay at the homestay. It’s just like a little paradise 🥰 Hidden on lovely little beach. In the back you have the jungle an in front you have a nice house reef, wich is great for snorkeling. Hemus, the host, ist very, very friendly and caring. He will help you with anything you need. The food is good and always fresh. If you want to go diving, you are at the right place👌👌👌. I had wonderful dives with those guys🐳🐟🐠🪸. They take you to all the awesome dive spots arround Batanta and the guiding is excellent 👍. And if you are lucky, you might also meet Dugons in front of the homestay🤩. So, if you realy want to have a wonderful time on Batanta, you have to go to Kriss Iba homestay. It’s just a lovely place with lovely people and I can highly recommend it 😃😊🍀😍
Hi 🙋 Kerstin.
Thank you so much for staying with us for a few days. We miss you so much, hopefully we can meet again someday.
We look forward to seeing you and the others 😊🙏
I had a realy wonderful stay at the homestay. It’s just like a little paradise 🥰 Hidden on lovely little beach. In the back you have the jungle an in front you have a nice house reef, wich is great for snorkeling. Hemus, the host, ist very, very friendly and caring. He will help you with anything you need. The food is good and always fresh. If you want to go diving, you are at the right place👌👌👌. I had wonderful dives with those guys🐳🐟🐠🪸. They take you to all the awesome dive spots arround Batanta and the guiding is excellent 👍. And if you are lucky, you might also meet Dugons in front of the homestay🤩. So, if you realy want to have a wonderful time on Batanta, you have to go to Kriss Iba homestay. It’s just a lovely place with lovely people and I can highly recommend it 😃😊🍀😍
Hi 🙋 Kerstin.
Thank you so much for staying with us for a few days. We miss you so much, hopefully we can meet again someday.
We look forward to seeing you and the others 😊🙏
What a lovely place to stay! Helmus, the owner, is such a lovely host, very welcoming with his family.
If you’re looking for somewhere unique and peacefull, this is it ! We spent 4 days end of August and everythink was perfect.
You’re welcome! It’s so great to hear that. 😊
May all the kindness and hospitality you’ve received be repaid with even greater kindness.
Best wishes to you, and may your journey ahead be blessed and filled with happiness!
If another opportunity arises in the future, we would be happy to welcome you back.
What a lovely place to stay! Helmus, the owner, is such a lovely host, very welcoming with his family.
If you’re looking for somewhere unique and peacefull, this is it ! We spent 4 days end of August and everythink was perfect.
You’re welcome! It’s so great to hear that. 😊
May all the kindness and hospitality you’ve received be repaid with even greater kindness.
Best wishes to you, and may your journey ahead be blessed and filled with happiness!
If another opportunity arises in the future, we would be happy to welcome you back.
Io e la mia famiglia abbiamo trascorso tre giornate piacevolissime presso Kriss Ibra. Wilhelmus ci ha contattato alcuni giorni prima del nostro arrivo, così abbiamo potuto organizzare con lui il trasporto da Sorong. All’ arrivo siamo stati accolti dalla sua famiglia che si è subito dimostrata molto cordiale e disponibile. Ogni giorno ci hanno organizzato bellissime escursioni, in fantastici luoghi per snorkeling, visita alle cascate e ci hanno preparato deliziosi pranzi, cene e spuntini. Peccato che questi tre giorni siamo trascorsi troppo velocemente. Grazie di tutto!
Prego! È davvero bello sentirlo. 😊
Che tutta la gentilezza e l’ospitalità che hai ricevuto siano ripagate con ancora più gentilezza.
I migliori auguri e che il tuo futuro viaggio sia benedetto e pieno di felicità!
Se si presenterà un’altra opportunità in futuro, saremo lieti di darti nuovamente il benvenuto.
Io e la mia famiglia abbiamo trascorso tre giornate piacevolissime presso Kriss Ibra. Wilhelmus ci ha contattato alcuni giorni prima del nostro arrivo, così abbiamo potuto organizzare con lui il trasporto da Sorong. All’ arrivo siamo stati accolti dalla sua famiglia che si è subito dimostrata molto cordiale e disponibile. Ogni giorno ci hanno organizzato bellissime escursioni, in fantastici luoghi per snorkeling, visita alle cascate e ci hanno preparato deliziosi pranzi, cene e spuntini. Peccato che questi tre giorni siamo trascorsi troppo velocemente. Grazie di tutto!
Prego! È davvero bello sentirlo. 😊
Che tutta la gentilezza e l’ospitalità che hai ricevuto siano ripagate con ancora più gentilezza.
I migliori auguri e che il tuo futuro viaggio sia benedetto e pieno di felicità!
Se si presenterà un’altra opportunità in futuro, saremo lieti di darti nuovamente il benvenuto.
We stayed at Kris Iba after our stay on arborek. Already before we arrived Wilhelmus was very communicative. As we had a storm on our transfer day, he gave us regular updates on the conditions towards Birie. This helped us get a save transfer. Once we arrived, they already had food waiting for us and we could get into our nice bungalow as well. The bungalow is quite spacious and has an ensuite bathroom which was really clean. There is also a terrace which overlooks the ocean and the beach with a fantastic view on the reef. Not to forget the amazing sunsets you get from the lounge chairs on the terrace.
The food was really good. Besides the great meals, they always surprised us with little snacks in between. A coconut, some fried bananas, fruit… Fantastic after a two hours snorkel on the vibrant housereef.
The whole area is beautiful as well. A garden where they grow vegetables, palms and big mango and almond trees back the beach. In the forest behind there are a lot of birds and other animals that you can spot. just in front of the bungalow was a post, where we could observe a kingfisher hunting fish.
At the other end of the beach is the divecenter which is small, but has everything you need. It is kept very clean and seems well maintained. The diving was beautiful as well. We found a lot of small critters and beautiful reefs. The divesites were all close by. Nathan did a great job at guiding and made the dives really relaxed and enjoyable for us.
On the last evening of our stay we took a boat to go birdwatching. Once again we had an amazing experience there. We saw a lot of Hornbills all flying by in couples towards the evening. Also just seeing the wild forested area around the homestay was amazing.
We really enjoyed our stay at Kris Iba and would highly recommend it for people who want a calm and relaxed stay away from the masses.
Thank you for a great experience.
Hi Marc 😊🙋
You’re welcome! It’s so nice to hear that. 😊
May all the kindness and hospitality you’ve received be repaid with even greater kindness.
Best wishes to you, and may your journey ahead be blessed and filled with happiness!
If another opportunity arises in the future, we’d be happy to welcome you back.
We stayed at Kris Iba after our stay on arborek. Already before we arrived Wilhelmus was very communicative. As we had a storm on our transfer day, he gave us regular updates on the conditions towards Birie. This helped us get a save transfer. Once we arrived, they already had food waiting for us and we could get into our nice bungalow as well. The bungalow is quite spacious and has an ensuite bathroom which was really clean. There is also a terrace which overlooks the ocean and the beach with a fantastic view on the reef. Not to forget the amazing sunsets you get from the lounge chairs on the terrace.
The food was really good. Besides the great meals, they always surprised us with little snacks in between. A coconut, some fried bananas, fruit… Fantastic after a two hours snorkel on the vibrant housereef.
The whole area is beautiful as well. A garden where they grow vegetables, palms and big mango and almond trees back the beach. In the forest behind there are a lot of birds and other animals that you can spot. just in front of the bungalow was a post, where we could observe a kingfisher hunting fish.
At the other end of the beach is the divecenter which is small, but has everything you need. It is kept very clean and seems well maintained. The diving was beautiful as well. We found a lot of small critters and beautiful reefs. The divesites were all close by. Nathan did a great job at guiding and made the dives really relaxed and enjoyable for us.
On the last evening of our stay we took a boat to go birdwatching. Once again we had an amazing experience there. We saw a lot of Hornbills all flying by in couples towards the evening. Also just seeing the wild forested area around the homestay was amazing.
We really enjoyed our stay at Kris Iba and would highly recommend it for people who want a calm and relaxed stay away from the masses.
Thank you for a great experience.
Hi Marc 😊🙋
You’re welcome! It’s so nice to hear that. 😊
May all the kindness and hospitality you’ve received be repaid with even greater kindness.
Best wishes to you, and may your journey ahead be blessed and filled with happiness!
If another opportunity arises in the future, we’d be happy to welcome you back.
The room is very nice,new and clean just in front of the sea: you can see beautiful sunset every day!
The food was delicious and various!
The snorkeling from the beach was one of the best, healthy coral and sharks!
Helmus and his family were very nice, they speak good English and they take care of the environment
Hay Dear Alba and Leo 😊🙋
You’re welcome! It’s so great to hear that. 😊
May all the kindness and hospitality you’ve received be repaid with even greater kindness.
Best wishes to you, and may your journey ahead be blessed and filled with happiness!
If another opportunity arises in the future, we would be happy to welcome you back.
Hay Dear Alba and Leo 😊🙋
You’re welcome! It’s so great to hear that. 😊
May all the kindness and hospitality you’ve received be repaid with even greater kindness.
Best wishes to you, and may your journey ahead be blessed and filled with happiness!
If another opportunity arises in the future, we would be happy to welcome you back.
The room is very nice,new and clean just in front of the sea: you can see beautiful sunset every day!
The food was delicious and various!
The snorkeling from the beach was one of the best, healthy coral and sharks!
Helmus and his family were very nice, they speak good English and they take care of the environment
This is the place to be!!!
Musa really know the sea and can help you to spot all the creatures you want!
The room is very good and clean just in front of the sea!
Food was delicious and various!
And yes, we saw the dugong every day!!!
We had very relaxing 6 nights at Dugong homestay.
Musa was friendly, accommodating and his English much better than expected.
The bungalow was nice, we liked that the mosquito net was attached at the four corners which made it feel spacious. The sitting area and hammock on the veranda we’re comfortable.
Bucket bathing as expected. The water is a little brownish but the only really non-salty water we had in Raja ampat! The toilet has been set into concrete and is 15cm lower than normal, might be a problem for people with knee/hip problems.
The food was plentiful but not really to our taste. The vegetables were often too spicy to enjoy which we tried to communicate but it didn’t change anything. More fresh fruit would have been nice, too.
Snorkeling at the house reef was mixed. We saw sting rays in the sea grass, lots of dead coral but also nice and colourful coral full of fish, a sleeping walking shark, two reef sharks, turtles and a baby murane.
We also did some trips and can recommend Urun for beautiful corals and the waterfall. Wai island snorkeling was not so good, full of trash and with poor visibility… but seeing the fruit bats and a baby coconut crab was cool.
Thrice we went out to search for Dugongs but we didn’t have any luck. Musa said he spotted some but they were to shy and didn’t let us come close.
All in all a nice and secluded place but fewer nights would have been enough for us.
Nice homestay with nice bungalows, good food and a clean bathroom. Snorkeling in front of the homestay is nice, though not much to do at low-tide. Musa was helpful and always tried organising something if asked.
A very charming and isolated place !
Musa the owner was a really nice guy and his wife cooked the best meals (very differents ones) that we ever had in Raja Ampat !
The bungalow was very nice and we really enjoyed our stay in this peacefull place.
The only little complaint is that there is not so many things to do around the area..
.
However Musa proposed several trips.
I stayed with Musa for 3 nights in December. Musa was very kind trying to help me find dugongs. We did see one for a brief second. Also saw dolphins which was cool. I found the food very challenging opposed to the other homestays I stayed in and the shower water was rusty colour. Musa dropped me for the cargo ferry back to Sorong and ensured I was safely on it (as only goes once a week). It was definately isolated so if this is what you want Dugong homestay is for you
My 4 nights stay at Dugong Homestay in Batanta was perfect.
Musa and his family were incredibly available, discret and kind, making my experience all the more memorable.
The cuisine was simply divine, with (too) generous portions served four times a day !
I particularly enjoyed the delicious chocolate chip cake in the morning and the coconut milk curry with ginger, potatoes, carrots, and kaffir lime – a true delight for the taste buds!
The beach, clean and raked every day, offered an idyllic setting for relaxation. The water tanks, used for the shower and WC as well as the foot washes, were filled daily, ensuring a pleasant and comfortable experience.
Dugong Homestay is a serene and calm place where you can hear the yellow-crested cockatoos and large black cockatoos during the morning, as well as the croaking of giant tree frogs at night.
Don’t miss the trip to the former island of Urun – an affordable excursion that reveals beautiful coral reefs. It’s an adventure I highly recommend!
Injo Nabor to Musa and his family for their warm welcome and hospitality at the end of my trip in RA.
Gros coup de cœur pour Musa, un hôte comme on en rêve. Aux petits soins, toujours disponible pour discuter, nous amener en sortie, plonger avec nous pour faire parler sa connaissance dans l’eau, et partir à la chasse aux raies manta et aux dugongs.
Homestay dépaysant, très calme, entre jungle et mer. Nous avons eu la chance d’inaugurer une nouvelle cabane pour notre plus grand bonheur.
La famille tout aussi accueillante mais discrète nous a aussi merveilleusement accueilli, de très bon repas avec un snack dans l’après midi.
Nous recommandons très fortement d’aller dans ce homestay vous ne le regretterez pas.
We had a great stay at dugong homestay. Musa is such a nice person and helps with everything. The trips with him are amazing. The food was so good. We told him, that we are vegetarian and he organized that we get tofu and tempeh. So delicious. I can really recommend it. Thanks Musa!
Fantastic!!!
We have been in Dugong homestay from 11 of August till the 18 2024.
Musa is very friendly and helped us a lot during our stay. We did amazing snorkeling trip, i really suggest you to go around with him.
We saw dolphins, sharks, rays, turtles, dugong and many many other beautiful creatures.
The food was amazing, we ate different kind of fish every day, beverages and fruit were always available during the day. We also had breakfast and an afternoon snack with fruit and some fried banana.
The weather was nice during all of our stay, few rain during the night that didnt disturb our plans at all.
Thank you Musa, hope to see you again in the future, i really reccomend your homestay!!
Michele and Gaia
We stayed 2 nights in Dugong Homestay. It was our second visit – the first after stay after Covid. The Bungalow is new built and Dugong Homestay is fresh reopened.
The homestay is set at a wonderful isolated beach – although it´s just a short boatdrive to the village. It´s quiet and the sunrise is fabulous. The housereef is really amazing. There is so much to see.
Musa offers great trips. He´s an excellent snorkeling guide – the best we ever met. He finds even the smallest things. The are around Batanta is a great snorkeling paradise.
Bantanta´s land is so wild and untouched with waterfalls and jungle. The Waterfall is a hidden paradise. We really enjoyed to stay there – it was just us.
Musa ist an excellent host. He always takes care for the guests without being narrow. And he´s an absolut cool guy with a big heart in the right place.
We like the homestay and Musa so much. It´s like coming home. We will come back for sure and still think every day at this nice time.
Injo nabor, Musa, for sharing your little paradise and your big heart
I spent my last four days and 3 nights at this delightful quiet, tranquil and back to basic hideaway at the end of Jan. 20 (Sorry for this late comment!). I arrived one late afternoon , after a heavy rainstorm – and was a little disappointed first. All grey and wet and kind of shabby, branches and debris brought down by the storm. I retreated into my hammock and watched the thunderclouds at the skyline… when I saw the leaping dolpins. From then on there was no end to the experience of beauty and splendor.
Musa does his best, being an excellent host and most competent and decent guide.
He took me for a jungle trecking tour into batantas rainforest, discovering a host of jungle wildlife (insects, treevarans and -lizzards, butterfliesm birds). We visited the nearby pearl farm and the spectacularly sculpturous waterfall with entrance through a fascinating mangroove forest.
While paying a visit to the nearby village Yensawai the crafts of boatsbuilding, weavers of roofs and floormats can be watched, the poeople are welcoming, very friendly, beautiful and the laughter of the plentiful children still rings in my ears.
An unforgettable time I had riding on the bow of his longboat, Musa making sure to find them: the magic mantas. I would then float on the surface of the warm sea, gently striking my fins, syncronising upon the majestic sailing of the giant sea devils, observing them soaring under me: mantastic!
While snorchelling in the coral wonderland of Pulan Dayan, awesome creatures made their appearance: I got mesmerized by stingrays, watersnakes, turtles, nudibranchs… a huge octopuss stood still in perfect waving pose for endless meditative moments… and of course sharks and countless varieties of under water beauties taking their turns.
At daybreak I was woken by the obligatory pair of raja shelducks that seem to appear at every homestay: they walk the virgin beach with the leading one quacking loudly, while the partner follows, chirping away like a bird.
On my last evening we finally spotted the rare and shy dugongs, Musa had been searching for at their remote grazing grounds along the coastline – spellbound I observed the couple playing in the water while the sun set.
When it comes to the home reef of dugong homestay, I snorchelled it just twice. I loved the coral gardens, growing like sculptures out of the white sand particularly near the cliff, the clown fishes on hard and soft corrals, the great variety of reef fishes. There where sharks, barracudas and bumpheads circling at the drop off and sting rays darting over the sandy bottoms.
The homestay? My rustic hut provided a clean double mattress with sheets, pillows and bolsters, a mosquito net, a light switch and power outlets. There is a western style toilet sticking out of white sands and a bucket bathing room with sweet water from the well behind in the jungle. The food i had was excellent, the taste, the variety (fish, chicken, vegetables, cake, rice, fruits).
Musa is about to built a dining bungalow over water, the stilts waiting for the completion of the construction only.
I enjoyed the company of screeching birds (yellow crested cockatoo, eclectus parrot, palm cockatoo) above while eating banana pancake in the early morning and the lightning-fast flying of the fruit bats at dinner around my head. Behind in the jungle were the green tree frogs hiding, in the mongroves beside, the walking sharks, nudibranchs and of course the mudskippers, my favourites.
I want to thank Pauline, Musa‘s wife and Michelle, his daughter for their looking after me so perfectly well and for creating an athmosphere of warmth, peace, tranquility and comfort. I thoroughly enjoyed the company of forever smiling Leon, the oldest son, Marco und little Samuel.
I would like to emphasize that I encountered Musa as a decent and honest host, which asked me for fair prices, considering that I could not share, beeing the only guest at the homestay for these wonderful four days…..Thank you very much MUSA, I will certainly come again..
I enjoyed my STAY at Dugong homestay, Musa is a good host, he is always taking videos of the guests and showing them to us later that night, he took me and the other guest Yousee from Helsinki into the jungle one night and showed us different creatures including the frogs which make a distinctive sound at dusk. The food was good, the vegetables were spicy which I liked. The bungalow is rustic and the mattress and mosquito net were very good. We also went to Urun, which is a tiny island near by with excellent snorkeling, the morning is best. The house reef is good for beginners, for more advanced snorkelers, the drop is far out and to the left is best. Also, no dogs, no fleas.
I’m an Adventures in the World coordinator, T.O. Italian, I spent two nights in the Kriss Iba Homestay with my travel companions. The place where the homestay is located is beautiful, the stretch of sea in front has a magnificent coral reef. The owners are very friendly, the whole area on which the stilt houses stand is kept very clean, two stilt houses have a private bathroom, the stilt houses are cleaned daily. The thing they can improve on is the food. Helmus, the owner’s son, is a very kind person who can help you if he can help you. If I go back to Raja Ampat I will definitely go back to this homestay.
Thank you Patrizia. We are also happy and happy if you and your team are happy
I’m an Adventures in the World coordinator, T.O. Italian, I spent two nights in the Kriss Iba Homestay with my travel companions. The place where the homestay is located is beautiful, the stretch of sea in front has a magnificent coral reef. The owners are very friendly, the whole area on which the stilt houses stand is kept very clean, two stilt houses have a private bathroom, the stilt houses are cleaned daily. The thing they can improve on is the food. Helmus, the owner’s son, is a very kind person who can help you if he can help you. If I go back to Raja Ampat I will definitely go back to this homestay.
Thank you Patrizia. We are also happy and happy if you and your team are happy
We stayed at Kriss Iba for only one night instead of 3 due to our schedule which changed at the last minute but it was a wonderful experience !
Helmus and his family are very friendly, always smiling and he helped us A LOT as we needed to change the booking and go back to Kri Island. He did not even ask for the full price of the boat transfer because he said he likes to help people.
The food was very good, congratulations to the mama and the homestays are clean and on the beach. It has own private bathroom and toilet, first time we see this in Raja Ampat !
We were sad to leave so early as we really enjoyed staying there and the smiles on Helmus and his family.
All the best to them and I hope more people will discover their corner of paradise and enjoy their home !
We will come back. Thanks for everything
thank you very much Nicolas & Morgana. I am very sad because I haven’t lived with me for a long time but I left. I appreciate that, and I do love to help people, one of them is Nikcolas and Morgana. Thank you also for being able to visit us. Sorry if something goes wrong we apologize. We hope Nicolas,Morgana and his girlfriend can come back
We stayed at Kriss Iba for only one night instead of 3 due to our schedule which changed at the last minute but it was a wonderful experience !
Helmus and his family are very friendly, always smiling and he helped us A LOT as we needed to change the booking and go back to Kri Island. He did not even ask for the full price of the boat transfer because he said he likes to help people.
The food was very good, congratulations to the mama and the homestays are clean and on the beach. It has own private bathroom and toilet, first time we see this in Raja Ampat !
We were sad to leave so early as we really enjoyed staying there and the smiles on Helmus and his family.
All the best to them and I hope more people will discover their corner of paradise and enjoy their home !
We will come back. Thanks for everything
thank you very much Nicolas & Morgana. I am very sad because I haven’t lived with me for a long time but I left. I appreciate that, and I do love to help people, one of them is Nikcolas and Morgana. Thank you also for being able to visit us. Sorry if something goes wrong we apologize. We hope Nicolas,Morgana and his girlfriend can come back
I’m a tour leader of Avventure nel Mondo a Italian travel Company. With my group we stayed 4 days in Kriss Iba Homestay.
The clean bungalows, the caring staff, a nice reef in front and the availability of beautiful daily trips made the stay unforgettable. The sunset is very beautifull. Thanks for every things.
Trimakasih Mr Andrea.
I’m a tour leader of Avventure nel Mondo a Italian travel Company. With my group we stayed 4 days in Kriss Iba Homestay.
The clean bungalows, the caring staff, a nice reef in front and the availability of beautiful daily trips made the stay unforgettable. The sunset is very beautifull. Thanks for every things.
Trimakasih Mr Andrea.
Musa and his sister (Mary?) were Super!!!
food was excellent
So sorry we never saw a Dugong but was not from lack of trying
even took us out in the dark to try to find one
of the 4 homestays we were at this was the best
We stayed there 2 nights on march.
The location is perfect. It feels remote and private. There is very little boat traffic and compared to sometimes crowded Dampier Strait area, this feels like the edge of the world. (In a really good way.) The homestay was one of the cutest and prettiest we stayed at. Beach is really beautiful and you can explore the nearby mangrove area at low tide. The jungle is right there behind the homestay and nature is all the time very present. (There are lot of birds.) The dining area has sand floor as do the toilets. Everything is very rustic, but very beautiful at the same time. The lamps that illuminate the place at night are very creative and pretty. Bungalows were basic, but they have really nice verandas. Mattresses were unfortunately very smelly and they need to be changed. Otherwise we were happy with the bungalows.
Food was very good and there were plenty of it. Musas sister Ana cooked for us and she was very nice personality. (They have two mango trees, so when they are in season, expect to have the sweetest mangoes you have ever tasted.)
The house reef was in quite bad condition, but there were lot of small coral with teeny tiny fish living on them <3 Also the seagrass bed has some very interesting fish and snorkeling there was very meditative. The reef should get better once you get around the corner to the bay, but we didn't make it there.
Musa was great guide and we did snorkeling trip to Pulau Dayan with him. He is very competent snorkeler and freediver so snorkeling with him is safe and fun. We saw mantas and other interesting things. We also saw dolphins on the way there.
Dugong homestay has very relaxed vibe and we really enjoyed our time there. Musa does his best for the guests and knows the area really well and can take you to see beautiful places. Batanta has the best reefs in Raja Ampat and all the trips you do there are totally worth it.
We warmly recommend this homestay.
We (couple, 30 years, experienced divers), spent 3 nights in December 2018 at the Dugong Homestay and liked it!
+ The location is beautiful, quiet and feels like a real homestay.
+ We always had enough food (they also served a snack in the afternoon) and the food was good.
+ Musa is a great host and an amazing snorkeling guide! We did the trip to the manta cleaning station (and saw mantas) and did some more snorkeling in that area and it was absolutely beautiful! Healthy hard and soft corals, loads of nudibranches and other small stuff and a lot of reef fish as well.
+ The bungalow is basic but has a spacious terrace. The toilet and the shower have a sandy floor and we liked it.
-/+ The snorkeling right in front of the homestay is disappointing. Even Musa doesn’t know why the reef is (now) in a really bad shape and what happened. BUT if you swim a couple of minutes to the left you’ll see nice corals with lots of reef fish and many reef sharks in all sizes (in the very shallow part on top of the reef).
Unfortunately we didn’t see a dugong during our snorkel trips but they are still there (we saw one from the boat).
We spent 4 days at Dugong in February 2019. We watched little sharks and rays from our verandah.
Bungalows and mandi-building could be improved by renovation.
Food was the best we had at our 5 Batanta homestays. thank you Anna!
And the illumination of the place at night is so charming, by far the best one we saw.
Terimakasih Benny, kami sanggat berterimakasih atas kebaikanmu. Kami mohon maaf jika selama liburan benny ada kesalahan yang kami buat kami pemilik homestay mohon maaf,tetapi kami berharap Benny bisa berkunjung ke kami lagi di Tahun yang akan datang..!!!
Trimakasih ??
Terimakasih Benny, kami sanggat berterimakasih atas kebaikanmu. Kami mohon maaf jika selama liburan benny ada kesalahan yang kami buat kami pemilik homestay mohon maaf,tetapi kami berharap Benny bisa berkunjung ke kami lagi di Tahun yang akan datang..!!!
Trimakasih ??
Nice over water bungalow and good snorkling spots nearby. From the bungalow we could see a baby shark and stingrays swimming in nighttime. Mr Apo was cutting for us lots of fresh coconuts that we could enjoy every day. The last day we also had the chance to meet Hellmus who is the owners son and who is a very nice guy.
Overall we had a pleasant stay in Kriss Iba and i recommend to stay there when you are around Batanta 🙂
Ben + Chaterina
Nice over water bungalow and good snorkling spots nearby. From the bungalow we could see a baby shark and stingrays swimming in nighttime. Mr Apo was cutting for us lots of fresh coconuts that we could enjoy every day. The last day we also had the chance to meet Hellmus who is the owners son and who is a very nice guy.
Overall we had a pleasant stay in Kriss Iba and i recommend to stay there when you are around Batanta 🙂
Ben + Chaterina
The first time we visited Dugong homestay a year ago, and we were happy to be back again in November 2018. Thanks to Musa and his family, we were constantly in an atmosphere of warmth, tranquility and comfort, as if we ourselves were members of this family. At Dugong homestay, we enjoyed peace and tranquility, a beautiful home reef and lots of impressions. Musa, thank you for the miracles that we were lucky to see – dugong, manta, walking sharks, live coconut crabs, beautiful waterfall, Batanta rainforest and, of course, coral reefs. We very much hope to come to Dugong homestay again.
It is a pity that the stars only 5, we would like to put 10.
Hi.elena,irina,michail.thanks you for comment.
We stayd at Dugong Homestay for 9 nights from 19 – 28 of december. We had a lovely stay. Nice bungalows. Not luxury but very nice. Wonderful family. The people here are so friendly and welcoming. Musa is an excellent host and guide. Musa is a very skilled snorkler and a perfect snorkeling guide. Dugong homestay is a nice and peacefully place with a beautiful beach. Nice reefs nearby and just outside the beach. Mama Johanna makes good and tasty food. We went to many exciting places with Musa. Musa took us to the biggest and the smallest creatures of the ocean – We snorkled with Manta Ray and Musa showed us several nudie brenches. We went to the villages near by and experienced the Christmas preparations. At Cristmas eve we were invited by the family to join them at celebrations in church. We also went on a trip to a nearby waterfall and a huge mangrove forrest and more. We warmly recommend Dugong Homestay for people who likes to live simple and experience new things. We will absolutely come back!
In our 5 weeks in RA visiting more than 10 homestays we realize how difficult it is to choose them upon the comments. We try to give one star for each: beeing welcome by the staff/owners, accomodation/cleanness, food, housereef and trips. We were one night in Dugong homestay in the beginning of december.
1. star for beeing welcome: Musa and his mother Joanna like to talk and discuss, the athmosphere is friendly.
no star for accomodation: the room was very smelly, we didnot feel comfortable, even if a bangalow is basic with a matrace on the floor it should not smell that way. Musa will need to fix his bungalows in order to keep up with the many newbuilt homestays on amazing Batanta.
no star for standard RA tourist food (waterspinach without spices, boiled eggs in ketchup sauce, fried tofu or tempe, rice).
no star for the housereef:
In the text of description on the main accomodation page of this webside I cite: “Splendid isolation with private beach bungalows, a fabulously rich house reef, a beautiful beach, superb sunrises, a nearby pearl farm, and… dugongs!”
We were booking after reading this sentence for 7 days. We thank Musa a lot to allow us to leave after just one day, we were so disappointet about the quality of reef (after beeing in many places in RA with amazing reefs). The reef was distroyed in many parts. Leaving just after one day, we didnt spot dugongs as you need to be much more patient for that.
We didnt do any trips with dugong homestay.
If you have to choose one homestay in RA which one could you recommend to us ?
Thanks a lot
hi.first of all thanks for your feed back.im soory that the reason you leave early was because the smelly matres and bad food.i understand thst those made you uncomfortable.butmaybe next time,will be better if you tell me on the spot so i can improve my service befote you decide to leave.bad matres and food is easier to fix than bad experience when staying with us.enjoy ampat and thanks for coming
Dugong homestay lies isolated on a small, beautiful beach – besides no villages or other homestays (just a pearl farm), behind jungle filled with cacadoos, birds and tree frogs. Musa is very passionated and motivated guide to show you all the best snorkel sites (and even dugongs !). Also there’s a nice trip to a waterfall in a fantastic mangrove forest. We felt very welcome and would like to thank Musa and his family/staff for a great time.
Hi Anja and Jürgen, did you actually see dugongs? How long did you stay?
We had a beautiful stay at Dugong Homestay at the end of February 2018 (sorry for this late review!). Musa and his family are great hosts. We had 4 days of pure relax in this little paradise and were all alone for the first 3 days. Food was very good and the breakfast was the best one we had. Same as in the other homestays we missed a choice of tropical fruits though that goes beyond bananas. Only downside if you have a light sleep is the ongoing night-concert of a huge frog population just behind the beach.
The spacious beachfront bungalow with big veranda an hammock was perfect also on a full day of pouring rain.
Check out the nearby village, and let Musa take you to the fantastic snorkel spots and on island treks. He’s the perfect guide!
Also the pick up service was perfect: they picked us up with a comfy boat on Kri’s south beach and after our stay brought us to our next host on Friwen Mundai Wall. The trip from Kri’s south beach to Dugong was a very pleasant 1.5 hours ride on a spectacular day with no waves at all: on the way we saw turtles, dolphins, flying fishes and othe creatures.
We hope to be back in a year or two.
Many thanks and greetings.
Sabrina & Julian
We stayed here for 3 nights in october and liked this place very much. You can see babysharks from the veranda of your bungalow,
Musa and his family takes good care of you. We liked the food. It was spicey and they have a lot of veggies and fruit and they serve snacks in the afternoon.
We did do two snorkeltrips with Musa and they were amazing. Batanta has pristine coral! And Musa is a fantastic guide.
Next time we stay longer so maybe than we can see a dugong.
Thank you Musa and family (Paulina, Lion and Mimi) for everything!! You were such a great host!
Batanta is just a magic place, and Dugong Guesthouse was amazing, specially after crowded Kri. My husband and I stayed there for 6 nights. We were alone for three of those nights, and for us that was perfect, as we had the opportunity to enjoy nature, the Ocean and the tree frogs all for ourselves!
The hut is pretty basic: a mattress on the floor with the mosquito net and a little porch with one hammock. Maybe they could improve a little just by putting some plastic on the ceiling to prevent dirt falling on the sheets all the time.
But maybe it’s precisely this lack of comfort what makes this place this special.
Musa is really a nice guy and a wonderful guide. He showed us everything, all the walking sharks, the manta ray and baby shark nursery, the mantas at Dayan’s and about a million nudibranchs. We didn’t see dugong but he tried a lot! We’re really grateful for everything!!
Hi Musa, thank you once more for great time at dugong homestay! Your place is beautiful and calm, exactly the one we were looking for. We enjoyed every moment there, beach walks, swimming, snorcheling (great one just in front of homestay), eating really delicious food and Viera, especially, sitting in a hammock on a veranda of bungalow reading or watching sea.
Musa is great snorchelling guide! He showed us great amount of sea creatures we wouldn’t have noticed alone and we always feel safe snorcheling with him. During trips with Musa we saw huge mantas, swimming with them was great experience, dolphins, walking sharks and black tips sharks, turtle, many beautiful fish and two times even backs of dugongs 😉 Musa took us to watch stunning sunset from Urun island too. Here are some of our photos from dugong homestay and trips.
Musa, thank you, we hope to come back one day! Viera and Alan
Thank you Musa and Ana for a great week at Dugong Homestay! We highly recommend this beautiful and secluded place. Beach bungalow is good, food is delicious and Musa is a great snorkelling guide. We loved the trips to Dayan, Urun, Ana’s family and their garden, the village and the waterfall in the mangrove forest. We saw a walking shark in the mangrove near the bungalow and many rays. Unfortunately we didn’t see a dugong although Musa tried very hard to find us one. Well, you have to be lucky. We were lucky at Dayan where thanks to Musa we spotted 4 manta’s! In August!
Ngo nabor Musa and Ana, sampai jumpa lagi!
We visited Raja Ampat the third time. We planed to stay 4 nights in Dugong Homestay. In the end we stayed there 10 nights – our whole stay in Raja Ampat.
The athmosphere is peaceful and Musa and Anna are more than great hosts. We still think of them every day and miss their happiness.
The house reef is amazing for snorkeling. Corals are in good shape. Blacktip sharks and Stingrays are swimming direct at the beach. We saw turtles, walking sharks, dolphins and so much more. Musa is the best snorkeling guide we ever had. The snorkeling trips are great (saw Mantas, Snakes, Nudibranches….) and Musa has a very good eye to find even the tiniest things in the sea. He always took care for us and we felt extremly safe with him – without feeling constrict.
The food was delicious. Fresh fish, vegetables, rice, noodles, fruits… Every meal was different and more than we could eat.
Musa took us to the nearby village Yensawai whenever we asked. The village is very nice to see and people are very friendly.
We also made the trip to the Waterfall, which we really enjoyed. I can highly recommend this trip.
The rooms are nice and clean and in the morning we wake up from the sound of the cockatoos (the white ones in the morning, the black ones in the afternoon).
We had a perfect stay and after all the amazing visits to Raja Ampat, this was our best stay.
Injo again Musa and Anna for the delicious food, your heartly kindness, teaching bahasa biak and your friendship. We will never forget you and for sure come back again. Yasuar Mu.
One of the most peaceful places to stay in Raja Ampat. Wonderful and helpful hosts also with good level of English.
HI musa~! im lee
some times i miss your smile. haha
i was happy there.
i was busy and lazy in dugong homestay.
some day i will go again.
take care musa~ stop smorking~!!!
^————^
Stayed 7 days at the end on Feb, 2018. Great family atmosphere, quiet location, good food (including fruit), new bed, good supply of fresh water. Musa is very engaged and interested in his guests. Got picked up in Waisai ok. House reef is so so and has been extensively damaged. A trip to the waterfall (not your ordinary waterfall), Dayan and Way are highly recommended. On the negative side, Musa tends to charge more than most for boat travel (which is totally out of control in Raja Ampat, despite the website’s lengthy, but flawed description).
Hi,
I would like to spend 3 days in Dugong Homestay (1,2 and 3 june) because I arrive in sorong on June 1st and I am going to visit a friend in Kri Island 3-10 june. Is it possible? What is the price of the boat from Waisai to Dugong Homestay? Do you have a boat that can take me to Kri Island? If yes, what is the price?
Thanks,
Carolina
Hi Maria
It’s possible. If you want to make a booking for those dates, please submit the booking form above.
Waisai to Dugong transport price is provided above in the Transport / Getting There section.
If you want a quote for transport back to Kri you will need to contact Dugong to ask, but based on their Waisai price, we would estimate somewhere around IDR 1,100,000 for a longboat transfer.
We had a wonderful week at Dugong homestay. It is such a lovely and remote place. Good snorkeling, especially near the dropoff the coral is beautiful. Musa is a funny guy and a very good guide, we can recommend doing the waterfall tour and snorkeling with him. Unfortunately we did not spot a dugong. Sampaikan pujian buat kokinya. The food was amazing!
We visited the Dugong homestay at the end of November 2017, lived there for 8 days and returned there again after a week trip to Waigeo. It is an amazingly quiet and hospitable place. Home reef is wonderful. From the beach and from the veranda of the bungalow you can see a lot of different birds – black and white cockatoo, rajah shlelduck, drongo and others.
Many thanks to Musa and his family. Although living conditions are very simple, as in other places in Raja Ampat, in the Dugong homestay we had everything we needed. The food has always been varied and very tasty. Musa was for us an excellent guide for traveling through mangroves to the waterfall, in search of dugongs and especially during snorkeling. We will not see many interesting animals under water without the help of Musa.
We also want to thank the creators of this site. We traveled to Southeast Asia a lot, but never found so much useful and necessary information on one site. Thanks to you our trip was very successful and surprisingly interesting. The booking system really works.
We will be happy to come back to Dugong homestay.
Many thanks!
Elena, Irina and Mikhail.
Six of us stayed Christmas 2017, having booked early November, confirmed several times and even the day before as we had issues with homestays not expecting us. And no problem on arrival; and the place is charming. We checked into our rooms, and took their boat round to the north shore for the afternoon. On our return another 5 people had checked in having moved some of our belongings out of one room. They claimed they had booked a month previously. I conclude the owner had overbooked, so we had no choice but to all move into 2 rooms as everywhere else was full. Not acceptable so beware and avoid if possible. We felt a bit trapped here as you cannot walk anywhere and they charge steeply for boat trips. The house reef is reasonable but we tired of it fast.
Six of us stayed Christmas 2017, having booked early November, confirmed several times and even the day before as we had issues with homestays not expecting us. And no problem on arrival; and the place is charming. We checked into our rooms, and took their boat round to the north shore for the afternoon. On our return another 5 people had checked in having moved some of our belongings out of one room. They claimed they had booked a month previously. I conclude the owner had overbooked, so we had no choice but to all move into 2 rooms as everywhere else was full. Not acceptable so beware and avoid if possible. We felt a bit trapped here as you cannot walk anywhere and they charge steeply for boat trips. The house reef is reasonable but we tired of it fast.
Good things:
Amazing unspolit bay. Really remote. Sulphur crested cockatoos on the beach, sharks, turtles, beautiful coral, rays. No tourists. Brief sighting of the dugong from our balcony.
Not so good things:
Despite booking through this website. There was no space for my brother and his girlfriend when we arrived. They had to stay elsewhere spoiling their plans. Food was very basic, no fish on some days and very little chicken. Fine by me but less variety than in others. There were many more spiders and ants due to the remote nature of the place.
Overall i would recommend it but definitely double check your booking before coming.
I stayed here end of november. They have now, beside the big house over water 2 smaler bungalows half on the beach. One with private bathroom. It is a very good place and you can snorkel wright from the beach. But Helmus offered us also to bring us to the coralls around the corner in the bay of Birie. For free. Rut and Helmus do everything to make you happy and the food is very good.
Trimaksih Ellis Atas komentar yang luar biasa. Maaf jika ada kesalahan selama Ellis liburan dan tinggal bersama kami, dan kami berharap suatu saat Ellis bisa bertemu lagi dengan kami, dan kami akan menunjukan hal ” baru yang Ellis belum pernah ketahui.
Salam Hormat Ellis
I stayed here end of november. They have now, beside the big house over water 2 smaler bungalows half on the beach. One with private bathroom. It is a very good place and you can snorkel wright from the beach. But Helmus offered us also to bring us to the coralls around the corner in the bay of Birie. For free. Rut and Helmus do everything to make you happy and the food is very good.
Trimaksih Ellis Atas komentar yang luar biasa. Maaf jika ada kesalahan selama Ellis liburan dan tinggal bersama kami, dan kami berharap suatu saat Ellis bisa bertemu lagi dengan kami, dan kami akan menunjukan hal ” baru yang Ellis belum pernah ketahui.
Salam Hormat Ellis
Forget to leave star rating
Musa turned out to be a lying and dishonest person. We agreed in advance with him about accommodation in homestay through Whats . stipulated the cost of a transfer from Piyanemo.
Three days before the trip we called him, he promised to come for us to Piyanemo. On the eve of his departure late at night he called and said that he would not come, as he had guests. There were four of us, and we had to urgently change our plans and look for a new homestay. You should know: Musa can easily deceive you.
Musa was helpful and picked us up from Beser Bay. He has good English and communicated well via text. good ship captain. Very quite and peaceful homestay. Very large meals. Musa took us for snorkelling around his reef. Saw turtle, sharks, sting ray, sea snake and walking shark. Very good house reef coral gardens. Lots of fish too. Musa took us to village and waterfall tour. It was good to have a break from the sea.
I got lost in coral barriers. It was an underwater paradise. No wave, No Current. I can feel me. Fullness.
At high tide, I drank tea in the ocean with the sunset. Perfect.
And I achieved my dream. I saw a Dugong! Thank you very much “MUSA” He is the best underwater guide.(He also offers delicious rice and a clean room) Even the dugong was swimming along the underwater cliff! And looking for countless “Walking sharks” in the mangrove forests, also I saw the biggest “Bumphead” in my life!
* Of course, Batanta is different from the city. There is not developed. So uncomfortable. But you already know about Raja Ampat!
Musa , his bother James ( their mother was quite ill and in the village…. hope she is better now ) and sister in law Laura looked after very well during our 4 day visit in September 2017. The reef on the edge of the drop off to the north past the mangroves was the best we found near the home stay.
Did a trip to Urun with Musa… water was clearer ….coral and fish were some of the best we saw during our 4 week stay in R4…Musa is so good at spotting the small and unusual things that we would have missed…
Delightfully quiet place to stay !!
Raja Ampat certainly did not disappoint!!! This is definitely one of the more secluded home stays with comparatively more intact environments (after having ‘compared notes’ with other visitors I met on the flight out of Sorong)
I travelled solo this Sept’17 and Musa and his mom really accommodated every single request I wanted. Think the hospitality of the Mandarin Oriental. Maybe the perks of being a a girl/traveling alone/speaking bahasa?! LOL
FOOD: I actually got more food than I could eat. 5 feedings a day was more than adequate for me. I am a very picky eater and Musa’s mom’s cooking was brilliant, despite just having simple apparatus for preparing and cooking. Just for an idea, I had dough fritters or fried plantains for snacks. For meals, I requested a lot of vegetables (just my diet) and I had a variety from eggplant to long beans to water spinach. Do not request fillet mignon or steak au poivoir, as Musa will then have to motor his boat out to Waisai then take the ferry back to Sorong to find the animal to butcher.
WEATHER: weather at this home stay feels like the Jurassic Era – intact with no weird signs of global warming. Ocean breeze during the day, hot in the sun yet cool on land and temperate in water. Noticeably cold at night with breeze coming from the inland. I stayed up often early in to the morning to watch the huge storms that are brewing on the horizons many miles away. They usually pass over Gam and Friwen before blowing over Batantah. All had fabulous displays of lightening and great cloud structure.Some were huge pelting storms, some were just regular rain. *LONG-EXPOSURE NIGHT PHOTOGRAPHERS: take note*
MARINE LIFE: I brought my freedive fins and did 2 sessions twice a day, sometimes out front or sometimes went on a boat trip to somewhere else. Water was cold for me, I wore two wetsuit tops for a while and had wetsuit leggings also. But its normal to be cold for free diving. This is THE area that specializes in juvenile, tiny and microscopic marine life. Yes there will be large fishes (‘large’ of course being relative to your personal experience) but do not go seeking the largest marine life here or you will miss the beauty of this area. Musa, being local, is good at what the area is good for. Ask him to show you the tiny animals, and you will realize this is one of the nursery area of Raja Ampat. Baby moray eels no longer than 3” stick their heads out of holes in fallen logs in the mangrove, baby triggerfish fully formed like a micro version of the adult counterpart gather around the shore in the morning after the rain, baby nudibranches just a shorter version of their adult counterparts hide on the sides of coral, schools of unidentified tiny clear invertebrate congregate just off the reef as the sunset…I can go on and on but you’ll have to go see for yourself the fragility and intactness of the place.
ANIMAL LIFE: I prefer insects over birds so I found a lot of very strange looking small insects, all very small but with nice patterns, some as small as an orange seed. Saw a white cockatoo a few times overhead, lots of swallows, sand pipers, crows, a pair of very cute wild ducks always bathing in the freshwater pond behind the home stay (the dominant duck quacks and the follower duck chirps like a bird), a red bird not sure what was too fast for me, lots of frigatebirds on the way back to Waisai that were over a huge bait ball with huge yellowfin tunas hunting near the surface. Many other songbirds that I can hear but can never ever find, they usually call nearer to dusk. Lots of little tree lizards everywhere, and of course bigger ones in the mangrove. Geckos. One huge fruit bat the size of a fat cat that steals bananas from the dining table.
TRASH I: there is no trash removal service here and obviously starting a landfill is out of the question. I bought a load of bread there which came in a plastic bag so I bought that plastic bag all the way back to an international airport. I did not carry any single use shampoos to avoid having those useless single use plastic packets. I carried a lot of organic wet wipes. Bring all your non-organic trash back with you to mainland. I am happy to say whilst staying there I had the lowest trash output in MY ENTIRE LIFE.
TRASH II: besides minding my own trash, there were also other trash which i found on the reefs that I visited, that was not too deep for me to pick up. I stuffed them in my wetsuit pockets but will probably bring along a netted dive bag the next time. Trash amount was not exorbitant but given the fragility of the area, i felt inclined to pick up every single thing within my arm’s reach. As the currents circulate around the islands, it can never be sure where the origin of the trash comes from. Therefore its hard to pin point the blame to one area or one village.
EQUIPMENT: these are some gear that I brought with me for this trip: clothesline, solar lamps, large external USB battery pack, organic wet wipes, hammock, camping cup, thermal water bottle, a lot of ziplock bags, rubber bands, twist tie, airline travel pillow, large garbage bag, mosquito net + hooks.
Hope these info was helpful.
…are there any Dugong left?
Very helpful. I’m curious about the water temperature. I would expect it to be warm. I will only be snorkeling, will I need protection?
We stayed at Kriss Iba the end of july 2017. It was really a wonderfull place, really nice people and some of the best food we ate at Raja Ampat. Snorkeling was very good especially on the north just around the corner, and close to the village on the other side of the island that lays in front of the homestay. We met a dugong making that crossing, great!
We stayed at Kriss Iba the end of july 2017. It was really a wonderfull place, really nice people and some of the best food we ate at Raja Ampat. Snorkeling was very good especially on the north just around the corner, and close to the village on the other side of the island that lays in front of the homestay. We met a dugong making that crossing, great!
We were at Dugong Homestay for just over a week in July 2017 on a snorkeling holiday, and it was amazing!
We were the only guests, and had the whole beach and house reef to ourselves. Musa was a great host and left us to our own devices most of the time. We were well looked after, if we needed anything Musa was there to help. We had great food for breakfast, lunch, tea, and dinner every day.
We really enjoyed our snorkel trips with Musa to the surrounding islands, as well as our visit to the mangrove forest to see the waterfall.
We were worried about the weather, and had rain basically every day, but were still able to snorkel every day that we were there.
We have posted some more information, pictures and a long snorkel video onto this page if you want more information.
We would highly recommend this place to anyone who enjoys nature, tranquility.
Thanks for taking the time to leave a review Francois – it’s much appreciated, and your photos and story are excellent 🙂
Just a note: While we certainly welcome guests leaving links to their own websites, we also appreciate it when those sites link back to the homestay concerned. Not only is it polite, but it’s also a great way to say thank you to your host and make it easy for your readers to follow in your footsteps if they want.
Done!
That’s great – thanks for helping out Francois. Loved your banana trap! 😀
Beautifully located on a clean beach with wide view. We got to see dugongs, small whales, mantas and dolphins on the few boat trips we took. The trip to the waterfall through a mangrove forest was really cool. The house reef offered more than enough variety for moderately interested snorklers. Different kinds of herons fish in the bay during low tide. Bird watching was nevertheless limited due to the location, with the canopy rising steep just behind the beach and there being no paths close to the homestay.
Note that the information on the website is outdated. Both bungalows are at the waterfront and there is hut for enjoying meals. Comfortable chairs, however, are lacking.
OMG! Thanks so much for reminding us Eline. Forgot to upload the photos and update that info after our last visit in January!
We would like to stay at the beginning of July (3/07/2017) for around 10 days, and will be catching a flight to get to Sorong in the morning, and then the 9am ferry on the Monday morning. Is the ferry schedule still up to date? We would like to then get the boat to Dugong homestay in the morning. Is there availability at that time for that time period for a couple? Is credit card accepted? Do people arrive with wads of cash? Where are the nearest ATMs if not? Will Dugong provide a total bill to be paid including the transfers to Wasai? Is payment made at the end of the stay, or the beginning? I have tried contacting Dugong via facebook, but no response yet.
Hi francois –
All your questions are answered on the website. Please see all the information linked from our step by step guide. You need to carry cash and pay Dugong on the day you leave.
We like to go to Dugong Homestay on a Tuesday in June. In the moment there are only Ferrys leaving Sorong 12:00 noon on tuesdays. If we catch this ferry, is there enough time to go to the Homestay the same day? Thank´s a lot in advance!
It would depend on weather conditions on the day Julia. June is beginning of windy season though, so if you must go on a Tuesday it would probably be best to assume you will need to spend a night at Koryau Kayem (or another homestay of your choice) as above.
We stayed here for 6 days in 2017. Musa and his family took good care of us. Musa was a great snorkelling guide, found a lot of nudibranchs, he has a good eye for small stuff. We actually saw dugongs though you still need to be lucky to see them. There are some nice day trips to places in the area, especially Urun. Thankyou, injo nabor
Nous avons séjourné dix jours en novembre 2016, famille très sympathique. Bungalow sur l’eau en bordure de jungle, levé de soleil, un vrai silence (très très peu de bateaux), beaucoup d’oiseaux et bien sûr le Dugong….
Merci Ibu, Musa et Fictor …..
A bientôt….
Bonjour,
Comment avez vous procédé pour le résa?
Cdt
MG
Hello,
Same question. How did you manage to book?
Do they have an email or ??? to get information about the activities around (bird watching)?
Thank you in advance.
Hi Oubraham –
The simplest way to book is to use the booking form provided above, but you might need to try more than once – there is no phone signal at the homestay, so they have to travel to receive one. If Dugong had an email address we would have provided it. Dugong can arrange birdwatching tours. Hope that helps 🙂
I stayed for 6 nights a couple of weeks ago. It was a wonderful and very intense experience.
Batanta is under the radar for many visitors of the region, that is why i wanted to go discover it. It offers great snorkeling, fabulous birdlife and rich scenery and landscape.
Dugong homestay was perfect. A nice patch of sand tucked at the entrance of a secluded bay with a couple of waterfront bulgalows. Food prepared by Ibu was delicious and she kept it varied through my entire stay. The bungalows are simple but very comfy and right over the water, at high tide you can jump from your own personal terrace straight to the sea! Fresh water is abundant for your daily showers and the resort grounds were kept neat and spotless by the family. you open your eyes in the morning to be treated to a wonderful sunrise while listening to the rich birdlife just on top of you: white and black cockatoos, various other parrots and doves even fishing eagles flying low enough you can even see what kind of fish they have got for their breakfast. While on your private terrace, you will get to see baby sharks hunting in the shallows during the day and with your lamp during the night baby stingrays doing the same. Snorkeling is brilliant at the entrance of the bay especially at the beginning of high tide when i used to go far away and slowly strike my fins to remain at the same spot while seeing sharks (black tips and white tips), barracudas, bumpheads….. there is a patch of mangrove next to the bungalows with residing kalabyas (epaulette sharks) and baby barracudas and sharks as well as mangrove fishes and enough sandy bottoms and sea gras to get your treat of blue spotted stingrays. Musa made every effort to help me spot a duggong, which we managed to do. his brother accompanied me to two daytrips once to 2 neighbouring islands with brilliant snorkeling, sea eagles and fruit bat colonies and once to the cleanest waterfall in indonesia through a very intriguing mangrove forest. i highly recommend going there, especially if you want to stay and experience a remote naturalistic place. The family is caring and always smiling and Musa and his brothers want to make the place even more enjoyable and confortable for next visitors, he has got a lot of brilliant plans for the future. he kept me entertained during many evenings and i highly improved my bahasa through my stay with them. Thank you for a wonderful experience
I stayed in this place in December 2015 for a few days. This is another wonderful, small place in Raja Ampat. There was one other couple there, otherwise I was alone. The other couple loved it there as well. The location is not ideal as you have to go around the corner to get to the best snorkelling. The snorkelling just outside the homestay is good, but not superb and the coral garden there is not so big. Usually there will be a small boat and someone to take you around the corner to the superb reef on the north shore of the island. There is a big mango tree just behind the homestay, so plenty of ripe mangos all the time. Elmus and his team are great. They will do their best to cater to all of your needs, as this homestay is not frequented so regularly as those closer to Waisai. Food was always good, unlike in other homestays in R4. Anything can happen in the waters around here: I dived with dozens of mantas, saw dugong mother and baby, incredible mangrove forest as you’ve never seen it, hornbill sleeping place around the corner where dozens of them fly in for the night, and more… enjoy!
I stayed in this place in December 2015 for a few days. This is another wonderful, small place in Raja Ampat. There was one other couple there, otherwise I was alone. The other couple loved it there as well. The location is not ideal as you have to go around the corner to get to the best snorkelling. The snorkelling just outside the homestay is good, but not superb and the coral garden there is not so big. Usually there will be a small boat and someone to take you around the corner to the superb reef on the north shore of the island. There is a big mango tree just behind the homestay, so plenty of ripe mangos all the time. Elmus and his team are great. They will do their best to cater to all of your needs, as this homestay is not frequented so regularly as those closer to Waisai. Food was always good, unlike in other homestays in R4. Anything can happen in the waters around here: I dived with dozens of mantas, saw dugong mother and baby, incredible mangrove forest as you’ve never seen it, hornbill sleeping place around the corner where dozens of them fly in for the night, and more… enjoy!
We had a perfect time at Dugong Homestay. Even in the fornt of the homestay there was brilliant snorkeling. We also did some trips to Way Island (amazing corals) and to the waterfall through the mangroves. Meals are great and delicious. The whole family (Ibu Johanna, Mimi, Musa) are making great efforts to make your stay comfortable.
We had a woderful time at his remote place and would highly recommend a stay with at Dugong.
We were excited and honoured to be the first guests at Dugong Homestay. Even the two hour longboat journey from Waisai was part of the adventure as we passed one beautiful island after another, flying fish along side us and frigatebirds overhead. Next morning, as we were having breakfast and watching the sun rise over the bay, we were treated to a pod of leaping dolphins. Over the next six days we took expeditions to Way Island, Dayan Island and other brilliant snorkeling sites although we also spent plenty of time exploring the coral reef right in front of us where we saw giant sea stars, nudibranchs, soft and hard corals, anemones, fan worms and a huge array of fish. (The waterfall is also well worth a trip as it includes a gentle boat journey through a mangrove-lined estuary). Dugong is in a genuinely secluded location where the only sounds at night are frogs, the waves and the occasional bat. Meals were plentiful and delicious as Ibu Johanna is a wonderful cook…and a very good traditional roof weaving instructor 🙂 Musa and his extended family made our first Raja Ampat experience a total joy and one we’ll never forget. Thank you again, Musa, for the sekolah malam bahasa, your good humour and your kindness. We hope to return some day and meanwhile highly recommend this homestay to fellow travellers.