Raja Ampat 2025
Join Jer in Autumn of 2025 for a pair of unique & intimate expeditions to Raja Ampat, Indonesia. You’ll spend 12 days above and below water exploring pristine reefs and hiking island forests in one of the most remarkable natural places on earth.
November 21st - December 3rd
(Snorkel-focused trip)
December 5th - December 17th
(SCUBA-focused trip)
Each trip is limited to 8 participants!
The world's most amazing birds
Pristine reefs, mantas and endemic sharks
Small groups, a private boat, mindful vibes
Home to endemic epaulette sharks, birds of paradise and pitcher plants, rare birdwing butterflies and 1/8th of the world’s mantis shrimp species, Raja Ampat is a wonderland for naturalists. Aboard a four-cabin catamaran and in company of an experienced dive master and knowledgeable guides, we’ll let curiosity guide us through more the archipelago's 1,500 small islands, cays, and shoals.
Our itinerary will give us an excellent chance of seeing Raja Ampat’s endemic birds along with a number of bird species in West Papua. Listing all of the birds we’re likely to see would take up the rest of this page, so here are some probable feathered highlights:
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Wilson’s bird-of-paradise (Diphyllodes respublica) *endemic to Raja Ampat
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Red bird-or-paradise (Paradisaea rubra) *endemic to Raja Ampat
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Waigeo shrikethrush (Colluricincla affinis) *endemic to Raja Ampat
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Spice Imperial Pigeon (Ducula Myristicivora) *endemic to Raja Ampat and the Eastern Moluccas
Western Crowned Pigeon (Goura cristata) -
Northern Cassowary (Casuarius unappendiculatus)
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Pesquet's Parrot (Psittrichas fulgidus)
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Twelve-wired Bird-of-Paradise (Seleucidis melanoleucus)
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Dusky megapode (Megapodius freycinet)
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Magnificent Rifelbird (Ptiloris magnificus)
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Black Lory (Chalcopsitta atra)
King Bird-of-Paradise (Cicinnurus regius) -
Red-breasted Paradise-Kingfisher (Tanysiptera nympha)
Underwater, we’ll look forward to seeing both reef and oceanic mantas, tassled wobegong sharks, epaulette walking sharks, reef sharks, dugong, leatherback, green, and hawksbill turtles, and huge schools of fish - all on some of the world’s most pristine coral reefs. We’ll also spend lots of time at smaller scales, looking for nudibranches, mimic octopus, flamboyant cuttlefish and other delicate invertebrates.
The plan.
Days 1 & 2
We’ll begin in Sorong, the largest city in Southwest Papua. In the morning we’ll head into the jungle to spend some time visiting Malagufuk, a remote village which has pioneered eco-tourism in the region. We’ll spend two nights in the village, getting the chance to see some rare birds and pristine forests.
Days 3-11
Aboard our private catamaran, we’ll sail from Sorong to Raj Ampat and spend eight full days exploring on land and in the water. We’ll have a loose itinerary that’ll include going to lekking sites for Wilson’s and Red birds-of-paradise and anchoring near a series of world-class dive & snorkelling sites. The itinerary is very much flexible and we’ll have the chance to be truly exploratory.
Day 12
Return to Sorong.
The Raja Ampat Islands are an Indonesian archipelago off the northwest tip of Bird’s Head Peninsula in West Papua.
Comprising hundreds of jungle-covered islands, Raja Ampat is known for its beaches and coral reefs rich with marine life.
10 Marine Protected Areas cover nearly 35,000 square kilometres, approximately 45% of Raja Ampat's coral reefs and mangroves.
The region contains more than 600 species of hard corals, constituting about 75% of the world's known species, and more than 1,700 species of reef fish.
Check it out in Google Maps
The place.
The vibe.
Some of my favourite moments in the field have been in the days at the end of expeditions, when the “real work” is done, you’re in an amazing place, and you have time to slow down and really inhabit the place. To really notice all of the little things that are growing and flying and swimming around you. For these trips, we’ll try to capture this vibe of mindful, unburdened exploration.
This means this might not be the trip for you if you are a birder whose goal is to maximize sightings or to fill your days from dawn to dusk. Likewise if you’re a diver who lives for deep dives and pushing technical limits.
It means it might definitely be the trip for you if you appreciate having the time to investigate a patch of weird flowers along the trail, if you like quiet evenings under the stars, and if you love to talk about strange creatures with interesting people.
Jer Thorp is an artist, writer and naturalist from Brooklyn. He’s a National Geographic Explorer, a published author and an avid birder. Jer has done fieldwork on four continents, and has led or co-lead expeditions to the Congo Rainforest, Kalimantan and South-Eastern Chad. His new book We Were Out Counting Birds will be published by MCDxFSG in 2026.
Luke Manson is a professional adventurer, travel consultant and certified PADI Dive Master. Luke has been on the logistics team for National Geographic expeditions in Botswana, Angola and Namibia, and has a depth of experience leading dives in Mozambique, Indonesia, Alaska, Bali and Baja. He has spent five seasons as an on-board naturalist and dive leader for Lindblad Nat Geo Cruises.
The people.
The details.
Total cost for the 12 day trip is $5500USD per person. This includes everything except air travel and alcoholic beverages.
Participants in the SCUBA trip must be PADI Open Water certified. Snorkel trip participants should be competent swimmers. We will offer PADI Advanced Open Water certification on board at additional cost, as it IS a requirement for many of the dive sites.
Snorkeling will be available as an option on the SCUBA-focused trip and diving will be available on the snorkel-focused trip.
Lodging notes:
1. The accommodations in Malagufuk might best be described as “sparse”. It’s a small, remote village in the jungle. We’ll do our best to make things comfortable, but this is a genuine wilderness experience. Connectivity will be extremely limited at the village.
2. Each of the four cabins on the boat sleeps 2 and has its own bathroom. The boat is lovely and very comfortable… though not air conditioned. We’ll venture to be in the water or in the shade in the hottest parts of the day but things will get a little warm. The boat has StarLink WiFi.
Mobility notes:
The trip to Malagufuk includes a 2 hour drive and a 1 hour walk along a jungle boardwalk. Visiting some of the lekking sites there will require multi-hour jungle hikes starting as early as 4 AM. Birding in Raja Ampat can be done without too much hiking, though visiting the lekking site for the Wilson’s bird-of-paradise involves a three hour uphill hike.
If you have mobility challenges, we’d be happy to answer questions and to make accommodations where it is possible.