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I`m glad you enjoy my videos! Have a nice trip!

Hi! Check out my other video where I share the practical info about visiting Misool. There is a weekly ferry to Misool, if you can align it to be either at the beginning or at the end of your trip, then I recommend going (if it falls in the middle of your trip, then it might be too much traveling between North RA and Misool). 10 days would be amazing, too, but North RA is easier and cheaper for 10 days in my opinion (Misool can get pretty expensive, because the sights are spread out - you need a boat to go on trips. 3 days are ideal, you can see a lot with lets say 2 boat trips. For 10 days, if you go on trips only 2-3 times, the other days might be a bit boring. If you go on more trips. you`d need a lot more money). There are more options in North RA, more people to share costs with (you can go on more trips) and it is easy to arrange a transfer between the homestays. On the other hand, Misool feels much more remote than North RA (I also made a video about the recent changes in North RA), if you rent a boat for yourself, on most islands, you will probably be alone. This feeling is hard to beat. The popular spots (like Kri island) already feel a bit crowded in comparison (it`s not that bad of course). I`d recommend checking out both, I`d try to spend 3 days in Misool and 7 in North RA (probably staying at 2 different islands/homestays - maybe Mansuar and Gam and also, I`d try to go on as many trips as I can while I am there). The sandbank near Kri is super beautiful, plus if you can, try to visit Wayag. Also, there is a secreet lagoon in Gam, plus great snorkel spots all around. So yeah, I`d try to join boat trips to different islands.

@@HighOnLowTide Wow thanks so much for the detailed response. I think I will do 7 days North RA + 3 in Misool then. By the way, do you happen to know of any dive instructors or dive centers in Misool? I know there is one in the luxury resort, but I don't believe its open to the public. Lastly, I think you're videos are quite terrific and informative. Hope you keep up the good work and feel encouraged to make your channel even bigger, as it is much more useful and practical than most others, and you definitely deserve more subs.

@ Thank you for the kind words, I will keep making videos, I have some big plans for the future, but growing is not that easy :) . About the scuba diving: I think there should be at least one guest house that has gear (and someone certified to dive with), but I am not 100% sure. Try to get in touch with some homestays (you can find phone numbers on Google and send out some messages on WhatsApp, that’s the app most people use in Indonesia), they will give you details.

It's quite easy from Singapore (you can fly to Ternate through either Makassar or Jakarta) , although unfortunately domestic flight tickets became more expensive in recent years. Still worth it, though! :)

I'll be honest, I don't really know many other stories like this. I know about the history of Maluku, I know one interesting story about a tiny island called Pulau Run (one of the Banda islands), Manhattan was traded for it in the 17th century due its economical significance (spice trade) in that time. There are great historical sights, like forts for example all over Maluku, I visited many of them, but yeah, it would be nice to do some more research, because the history of Maluku is truly fascinating.

If you are interested in the local culture, you can check out this website I found: www.tanimbar.org.uk It's about the Tanimbar islands (I haven't been there myself, but it is high on my "bucket list", I hope to visit next year maybe). There are some books on local history and culture, too, but they might be hard to find I guess.

@@HighOnLowTide Thank you so much for your response! This is incredibly helpful! I look forward to seeing more of your travels!

Thank you!

I'm sorry, but I don't know. This is the first time I hear about this kind of turtles. There a few small lakes here and there in Misool, probably that's where they live.

@@HighOnLowTideYup, they are freshwater Misool sideneck turtles; so small lakes would be the only option. If you got any photo connects to those freshwater spots I'd aporeciate seeing. Thanks!

@@z.b.kingfisher3340 The only 2 lakes I saw are the one that`s in this thumbnail, plus the jellyfish lake, but I didn`t see any turtles at these. Misool is big, though, a large area, so I am sure there are more lakes.

Raja Ampat is still amazing, it is really far from everything, so it won't be like the Gilis (getting to the Gilis is cheap and they are next to Bali, so there are big crowds). Raja Ampat's prices, travel time, etc. will always filter out the huge crowds in my opinion.

@@Djinlabage I traveled from Vietnam and because of flight connections, it was long. Also, domestic flights are much more expensive now compared to pre-covid prices, so it can get very expensive (from Vietnam, flying with budget airlines, it takes 3 flights to reach Ternate).

@@chrisrowthorn41 Thank you!

@@worstchannelever5232 Thank you, I’m glad you enjoyed the video!

@@chrisrowthorn41 I am not sure about the facilities on the small island, but there are some newly built rooms in Posiposi village on Rao (the village chief told me they want to boost tourism, they got some funds to build guest houses and improve the infrastructure), so I would recommend staying there and going to the small island on a day trip. There’s a lot to see on Rao island, Posiposi village would be a great base to explore the area.

@@HighOnLowTide Thank you for the reply. Keep up the great work!

@ I will, thank you!

Wow, you are from an amazing place! Fiki was super helpful, he took me around on his motorbike and helped me organize things there. I had an awesome experience, but unfortunately my time was rather short. Rao island is such a gem! It seemed like the kepala desa wants to boost tourism (there are new guest houses for example), I wish them the best.

Pulau Rao is an absolute gem, you're right. Thats actually the main reason i would like tourism to stay away from te island. I'm afraid tourism will do harm to the traditions and eco-system. But, non the less i am so proud to see "my island" here ❤ and morotai and dodola ❤ you did a very good job my man 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼 i really hope you filmed more of Halmahera Utara. Thank you for this!

@@Djinlabage Yes, I did, I will make more videos about Tobelo and Galela as well, and also about Ternate and Tidore. I think a little tourism would be good for Rao, it could generate more income for the locals. Rao is really far from everything, not easy to get there, so I don`t think it will ever be crowded.

@@bothrechisschlegelli7046 Thank you! I was in a bit of a rush, I really wish I had more time, this was such an amazing island and the people there are super friendly (just like everywhere in Maluku). There are more videos coming from this trip!

@@MildeneWEST Well, Maluku in general lacks western comfort, it is quite different from other parts of Southeast Asia. Living there wouldn’t be very easy I guess, but it’s great for a couple of weeks/months of traveling. In Maluku, few people speak English for example, most things like accommodation/ferry schedules, etc aren’t online, not much western food, etc. Luckily, I’ve never been to a hospital there, but probably wouldn’t be a very comfortable experience, either.

@@Rabbitv-r8s Well, there are some big towns (like Ambon the regional capital, Ternate, Tobelo, Tual, etc), in those you can find wifi in the hotels/guest houses. In smaller towns and smaller islands, you can use mobile internet (get a local SIM card, it’s quite cheap). In some really remote areas (where even villages are far away) you might lose internet connection.

@HighOnLowTide can we cover the smaller towns, while staying in the main city? How far are they , if we rent a scooty

@ Well, some islands are quite big, Maluku is a big region. Normally, the best thing to do is island hopping, because there are lots of islands. But yes, you can use a scooter to get around the islands. (Maluku is not touristy, it might not be easy to find a scooter for yourself, but there are motorbike driver or even drivers with cars that you can charter and they can take you around).

@@HighOnLowTide thank you for your response, much appreciated mate

@ You’re welcome! Maluku is very much off the beaten path, not touristy at all, so going there is quite different compared to other regions (most of the accommodation options are not online for example, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any places to stay). Just go with an open mind and you’ll have a great time.

My understanding is that the rules are pretty much the same as in other countries in Southeast Asia. I had my DJI Mini 2 with me, so registration or other permits were not needed (plus Misool is pretty remote, most of the islands are empty, so there was no problem to fly). If you have a regular sized drone then you should have it registered (I guess they can check it upon entry to the country).

Yikes!

@@ScottRawdin I’d recommend staying 2-3 nights, so there’s enough time to go around the island plus snorkeling, etc. without rushing.

@@matthew5660 I don’t know about this one, but Yellu is the village with the port and there is no beach there.

@@kymmilee4516 Thank you!

@@aaziizkhan This island is called Meti island (on Google maps it is called Miti).

@@homo-scepticus Ask some of the homestays, I am sure at least some of them have kayaks that you can rent (haven’t seen any in Yamnini Homestay, though). Homestays can also arrange boats to go around the islands with a boatman (normally, 1-2 other people will accompany you to help navigate and with anchorage, but they aren’t necessarily guides). So yes, it is possible to put together a plan by yourself and the boatman just takes you there.

I hope you are right, but I am sure they don`t cap the number of boats that are allowed in RA, because every homestay needs boats (to transfer their guests plus to offer trips), so the increasing number of homestays means more boats. I didn`t just see one bad group of tourists, but I saw more trash and more visitors on my second trip. A few months ago, I saw a post on Facebook about a captured manatee in one of the villages (it was kept in a cage), so the community outreach doesn`t seem to be very successful, either. But I truly hope that stuff like these will be under control in the future.

Hi, I had to check and I found 2 numbers, try these: +62 812-3769-3078 and +6282248017977, try sending a message on Whatsapp, that`s the main platform in Indonesia.