Indonesia is always known for having so many natural attractions. Imagine that you live in such an urban environment where trees are taken down to be economical buildings. That would be very boring and stressing. Fortunately, Indonesia still has wonderful locations to visit, some seven virgins. For example, there’s Raja Ampat with its Raja Ampat islands Indonesia on the west side of the country.
But here’s the thing. Many people would love to visit any places like Raja Ampat. If they have capabilities, they will surely go to locations like things to do in Nabire Indonesia. But, the price to visit Raja Ampat is considered expensive. Even for the Indonesian people who don’t have that much money, this is really troublesome. It’s even harder for foreigners. Many of you might ask, why Raja Ampat is so expensive? Of course, there are some aspects that we can see. You can see right on the information below :
1. The Location of Raja Ampat
As you may know already, the island where this area exists, Papua, is located in the farthest East of Indonesia. If you’re living in a city that far away from that very island, you should prepare much money because the price to pay is always so expensive. Even though the island has some things to offers like mentioned in the things to do in Wamena, but the budget needed for this journey is not cheap at all.
For example, if you live in Jakarta, the price you need to pay for the plane ticket is more than a million rupiahs. It’s because you need to take an eight hours journey to Raja Ampat Papua. It’s like flying to neighbor countries like Malaysia and Australia. That’s why, many people would think that vacationing to Raja Ampat is really precious, just based on this reason alone.
2. The Accommodation
The next reason why Raja Ampat is so expensive is the accommodation. Aside from the fantastic price for the plane, the thing that you should prepare next is the budget for accommodation. Of course, you would spend some days in here, right? At least for three days or a week. With paying so much cost for the plane only, one day is surely not enough. That’s why you need some time to consider which one is the best accommodation for you.
In Raja Ampat, there’s a lot of choice for accommodations available. They also come with different designs. There’s the one with modern concept and the other is just plain natural with wooden walls and roof from leaves. About the price, maybe they are a little bit costly than usual hotels you can find in the cities. You should at least prepare four hundred thousand to one million rupiahs just for the accommodation.
3. Fuel is More Expensive
One of the problems in an area like Raja Ampat is distribution. Foods, drinks, and other daily needs including fuel will be transported first from the central areas like Jakarta and other big cities in Indonesia. The price is distribution process is not cheap. Cost of cargo ships and its maintenance are always expensive, especially to support areas like Papua with its things to do in Sorong.
Not only by the sea, but the distribution is also done by other media of transportations. Thanks to the President of Indonesia, there are projects of toll roads finally done to support the locals. The price of distribution then added up to the distributed goods, such as foods, drinks, clothing, and even fuel. So, you must use fuel wisely because the price is not as cheap as usual.
4. Every Attractions Divided by The Sea
One reason why Raja Ampat is so expensive is the location of the island. As you can see, Raja Ampat is always known for its sea areas. That’s why the attractions that really popular are the islands as mentioned in the Raja Ampat accommodation. They look really beautiful, each with their own unique specialties. For example, there’s an island with the locals who can still do their ethnic traditions and another island with a lot of diving spots.
To go to each island, you need to rent a boat. And for your information, the price to rent one is not really affordable. The reason for this is the boat is actually the main transportation in here. Everyone needs a boat to go somewhere else in Raja Ampat. The price is also added up with the marked-up fuel price and cost for the boat captain and his crew.
5. Foods and Drinks Are More Expensive
Unlike the big cities, finding foods and drinks in Raja Ampat is also very costly. If in cities like Bandung, Jakarta, Surabaya, and basically the cities in the islands like Java, Sumatra, and Borneo, you can easily find a minimarket that can sell you with kinds of meal and drink. But in Raja Ampat, you can only get them in a local store that usually located around an attraction.
If you’re lucky, you can even get some in the sellers who exist around a port. But the difference is not only where to get the foods and the drinks. The other important difference is the price. The price of them can be doubled or even tripled in some occasions. That’s why you need to bring more money just to fulfill your daily needs.
6. Price to Pay to Maintain Raja Ampat
As you can see, Raja Ampat is indeed really gorgeous. All this time visited by tourists all over the world, how come it still looks really beautiful? It’s because of the maintenance that is done by the local government of Raja Ampat. They will do everything to make Raja Ampat looks as natural as it can be. And surely it’s not an easy job.
That’s why, when entering the tourism area of Raja Ampat you need to pay for about five hundred thousand rupiahs just for the administration ticket. That price is only for the locals. If you’re a foreigner, you can expect the doubled price so for on ticket you need to pay almost one million rupiahs. But, the cost is always worth it.
Why Raja Ampat is so expensive? It’s because of the reasons mentioned above. So, if you really want to go here, make sure that you are ready to save some more money. But in the end, all your efforts will be worth it. Make sure you visit it before the world ends.
Raja Ampat Budgeting