Raja Ampat Yacht Charter Itineraries
Five, seven or ten nights from Sorong. What each length actually reaches, how many dives fit inside it, and what the whole trip costs.
Raja Ampat yacht charter itineraries run 5, 7 or 10 nights, always starting and finishing in Sorong. Five nights covers the Dampier Strait and Central Raja Ampat, seven nights adds either Misool or Wayag, and ten nights links all three. Nights are counted noon to noon.
- Google rating4.9 / 5 — 500+ charters
- Owner ratesDirect — no broker markup
- AvailabilityOwner-confirmed before quoting
- Fleet50+ curated yachts, licensed & insured
- Shortest workable
- 5 nights
- Most booked
- 7 nights
- Full loop
- 10 nights
- Dives per day
- 3 + night dive
A Raja Ampat itinerary is really a distance problem. The archipelago spans about 350 kilometres end to end and a traditional phinisi cruises at 8 to 9 knots, so every extra region you add costs a night passage. The routes below are the four shapes that actually work — anything else either wastes daylight sailing or skips the sites that made you come.
Every itinerary length, side by side
| Length | Regions covered | Approx. dives | Night crossings | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 nights | Dampier Strait, Central Raja Ampat | 12–14 | 0 | Fixed dates, first-timers, short leave windows |
| 7 nights | Central + Misool or Central + Wayag | 18–21 | 1–2 | The default charter — best balance of pace and reach |
| 10 nights | Misool, Central, Dampier Strait, Wayag | 27–30 | 2–3 | Divers and photographers who want the whole archipelago |
| 12+ nights | Raja Ampat plus Cenderawasih or the Banda Sea | 30+ | 3+ | Repositioning legs and expedition-style charters |
- Regions covered
- Dampier Strait, Central Raja Ampat
- Approx. dives
- 12–14
- Night crossings
- 0
- Best for
- Fixed dates, first-timers, short leave windows
- Approx. dives
- 18–21
- Night crossings
- 1–2
- Best for
- The default charter — best balance of pace and reach
- Regions covered
- Misool, Central, Dampier Strait, Wayag
- Approx. dives
- 27–30
- Night crossings
- 2–3
- Best for
- Divers and photographers who want the whole archipelago
- Regions covered
- Raja Ampat plus Cenderawasih or the Banda Sea
- Approx. dives
- 30+
- Night crossings
- 3+
- Best for
- Repositioning legs and expedition-style charters
Sorong → Dampier Strait → Piaynemo and Arborek → Dampier Strait → Sorong. No night crossings, dive sites within short tender rides, and the fewest wasted hours of any route. Read the 5-night itinerary day by day.
Sorong → Dampier Strait → overnight to Misool (or north to Wayag) → back through Central Raja Ampat → Sorong. The version most groups book. Read the 7-night itinerary day by day.
Sorong → Misool → Central Raja Ampat → Dampier Strait → Wayag → Sorong. The only route that puts the soft-coral south and the karst north on the same charter. Read the 10-night itinerary day by day.
The same loop on the ultra-luxury fleet — Lamima, Prana by Atzaró, Dunia Baru — with the budgets that tier implies. See the 10-night luxury charter.
What each length costs at each yacht tier
| Yacht tier | Nightly rate from | 5 nights | 7 nights | 10 nights |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Classic phinisi | USD 4,450 | USD 22,250 | USD 31,150 | USD 44,500 |
| Premium phinisi | USD 8,580 | USD 42,900 | USD 60,060 | USD 85,800 |
| Luxury phinisi | USD 13,000 | USD 65,000 | USD 91,000 | USD 130,000 |
| Ultra-luxury | USD 27,000 | USD 135,000 | USD 189,000 | USD 270,000 |
- Nightly rate from
- USD 4,450
- 5 nights
- USD 22,250
- 7 nights
- USD 31,150
- 10 nights
- USD 44,500
- Nightly rate from
- USD 8,580
- 5 nights
- USD 42,900
- 7 nights
- USD 60,060
- 10 nights
- USD 85,800
- Nightly rate from
- USD 13,000
- 5 nights
- USD 65,000
- 7 nights
- USD 91,000
- 10 nights
- USD 130,000
- Nightly rate from
- USD 27,000
- 5 nights
- USD 135,000
- 7 nights
- USD 189,000
- 10 nights
- USD 270,000
Whole-yacht rates, not per person. Excludes marine park fees (IDR 1,000,000 per visitor), diving supplements, alcohol, transfers and gratuity. Full cost breakdown.
What a cruising day actually looks like
| Time | On a dive-led day | On a non-diving day |
|---|---|---|
| 06:00 | Light breakfast, first dive briefing | Sunrise coffee on the foredeck |
| 07:00 | Dive one — usually the strongest current window | Early kayak or paddleboard before the wind builds |
| 09:00 | Full breakfast, surface interval | Breakfast, then a village or viewpoint landing |
| 11:00 | Dive two | Snorkel drift on a shallow reef |
| 13:00 | Lunch aboard, repositioning under way | Lunch aboard, repositioning under way |
| 15:30 | Dive three | Beach stop, swim and sundowners ashore |
| 18:00 | Sunset on deck, next-day briefing at dinner | Sunset on deck, next-day briefing at dinner |
| 20:00 | Optional night dive | Film on deck or a lantern-lit beach dinner |
- On a dive-led day
- Light breakfast, first dive briefing
- On a non-diving day
- Sunrise coffee on the foredeck
- On a dive-led day
- Dive one — usually the strongest current window
- On a non-diving day
- Early kayak or paddleboard before the wind builds
- On a dive-led day
- Full breakfast, surface interval
- On a non-diving day
- Breakfast, then a village or viewpoint landing
- On a dive-led day
- Dive two
- On a non-diving day
- Snorkel drift on a shallow reef
- On a dive-led day
- Lunch aboard, repositioning under way
- On a non-diving day
- Lunch aboard, repositioning under way
- On a dive-led day
- Dive three
- On a non-diving day
- Beach stop, swim and sundowners ashore
- On a dive-led day
- Sunset on deck, next-day briefing at dinner
- On a non-diving day
- Sunset on deck, next-day briefing at dinner
- On a dive-led day
- Optional night dive
- On a non-diving day
- Film on deck or a lantern-lit beach dinner
How to pick your length
- If Misool matters to you, book 7 nights minimum — it cannot be reached properly in five.
- If Wayag matters to you, also book 7 nights minimum, and expect one overnight passage each way.
- If both matter, book 10. Trying to force both into 7 nights means sailing at night and diving tired.
- If you have divers and non-divers aboard, longer helps — it lets the tenders split without anyone missing out.
- Add a buffer day in Sorong before embarkation whatever length you choose.
Itinerary questions
How long should a Raja Ampat yacht charter be?+
Seven nights is the most-booked length and the shortest that reaches Misool or Wayag. Five nights works if your dates are fixed and you stay in the Dampier Strait and Central Raja Ampat. Ten nights is the only length that comfortably links the far south and the far north on one trip.
How are charter nights counted?+
Noon to noon. A 7-night charter typically boards around midday on day one and disembarks in Sorong the morning of day eight, which means you get seven sleeps aboard and six full cruising days.
Can we change the itinerary once we are aboard?+
On a private charter, yes — that is the main advantage over a fixed liveaboard departure. The captain will adjust anchorages and dive sites daily around wind, current and what the group wants. The fixed points are the Sorong start and finish and the total night count.
How many dives fit into each itinerary?+
Plan on three dives a day plus an optional night dive. That works out at roughly 12–14 dives on a 5-night charter, 18–21 on 7 nights and 27–30 on 10 nights. Fenides runs an 11-day Raja Ampat dive itinerary with approximately 34 dives.
Do itineraries run in reverse?+
Frequently. A Misool-first route and a Misool-last route see the same sites; which one you get depends on the prevailing wind that week and on where the yacht finished its previous charter. Ask for the direction only if a specific site matters to you.
What happens on the first and last day?+
Day one is a Sorong embarkation, a safety and dive briefing, then a first crossing with a check dive or snorkel late in the afternoon. The final morning is an early breakfast and a Sorong disembarkation, so book afternoon flights out rather than early ones.
Route guides
Get a Raja Ampat route built for your dates
- 1. We review your dates, group size and budget.
- 2. We check suitable Raja Ampat yachts and availability.
- 3. You get curated options with pricing and route ideas.
Independent specialist guidance — not a generic booking engine. We only recommend yachts we would send our own family on.