Located in remote Raja Ampat, Indonesia, Misool is known for its pristine reefs and abundant marine life. All of the dive sites are protected by the resort's own Misool Private Marine Reserve, including the House Reef, a world-class shore dive with the opportunity to see unique animals including Black Tip Reef Sharks, Bargibanti and Denise Pygmy Seahorses, and even mating Mandarinfish! Renowned for excellent service and attention to detail, Misool Eco Resort is situated on a private tropical island, and each accommodation is built entirely from reclaimed tropical hardwoods and designed with comfort, privacy, and sustainability in mind.
Project Focus: The purpose of this trip is to conduct fish surveys to support REEF's Volunteer Fish Survey Project. Click here to learn more about participating in fish surveys on a REEF Field Survey Trip!
Best Suited For: Divers and snorkelers. Their stunning House Reef is accessible throughout the resort and grows right up to the surface making it great for snorkeling. Snorkelers are treated by frequent sightings of schooling horse-eyed jacks, hunting octopus, and huge schools of bumphead parrotfish. Misool Snorkeling Information
Accommodations: Misool Eco Resort has eight water cottages, built on stilts over the lagoon and located steps from the dive center and restaurant. North Lagoon Villas are also available, including Villa Utara (this Villa is two adjoined by a center deck, so find some friends to share this amazing space - pricing based on 4 occupants), Villas Nasnoos, Wakachom, and Villa Tabisasu. The villas are first come first serve and you can find more information about the individual Villas here. All of the rooms feature Balinese-style open-air bathrooms, air-conditioning, fresh hot and cold showers, mini-bars stocked with treats from around the archipelago, and handcrafted furniture and fittings.
The beds in any of the rooms can be configured to either two twin beds or one king bed. If two guests are requiring separate beds, the king mattress is replaced with two twin mattresses, which are still sharing the wider, oversize wooden base. There is mosquito netting hung between the two for added privacy.
Diving: There are three scheduled boat dives per day, as well as either a dusk or night dive each evening. The House Reef is open from 8 am to 8 pm each day for buddy teams or guided dives. Nitrox is included in the package for all certified divers. All of the dive sites are within the protected Misool Marine Reserve. Dives feature a diverse selection of sites, including a busy manta cleaning station, coral-covered walls, reef flats, swim-throughs, gentle sea mounts, drift dives, vast hard-coral gardens, placid lagoons, and current-raked pinnacles. Visibility is variable but generally more than 70 feet, with temperatures between 78-82 degrees F.
Pricing, Inclusions, and Other Fees
*Diving Package Costs to be added to the package approx. one year in advance of departure* Once the diving price is finalized, the diving package will be added on to the 180-day invoice. Prices below are lodging and meals only.
| Water Cottage | Villas (Villa Utara, Villas Nasnoos, Wakachom, and Villa Tabisasu Available) | |
| Double Occ. Diver | *$5,365 | *$5,865 |
*Please note: Prices above are lodging and meals only. The dive package will be added to the invoice for participants approximately 12 months prior to departure. For reference, the 2023 rate for a complete 9-day diving package is $1,890.
Your Package Includes: The trip package includes 9 nights of accommodation at Misool Eco Resort, unlimited boat diving including tanks and weights, free nitrox for certified divers, fuel charges, four meals per day plus afternoon tea time, most non-alcoholic beverages, free local use of kayaks and paddle boards, free 15-minute massage after first dive, Sorong airport pickup and porter service on arrival day, overnight hotel accommodation and breakfast in Sorong for one night following stay at Misool (May, 17), and government tax.
REEF Program Fee: A REEF Program Fee of $350 will be added to each package to cover the cost of the group leader, seminar, and REEF survey materials. REEF Fee applies to all divers and/or attendees age 18 and up.
Other Costs Paid to REEF: A round-trip speedboat transfer fee of $400 per person will be collected by REEF to cover the cost of the speedboat transfer to and from Sorong airport.
Additional Fees: The following costs are not included in the price paid to REEF. All flights and associated travel to and from Sorong, optional rental gear (must be reserved in advance), alcoholic beverages, internet, optional excursions like cooking classes, private beach picnics, etc., spa services, and laundry. All guests must purchase a Raja Ampat Marine Park Entry permit for $1,000,000 IDR (approximately $70 US and subject to change.) The tag is valid for one year. Misool Eco Resort will assist with these arrangements. Gratuities are not included in the trip package and are at each individual's discretion.
Participants can also add on a "Sorong Arrival Package," which includes airport pick up on arrival in Sorong and transfer to area hotel, one night stay in Sorong, and porter service the next morning to the speedboat transfer. Rate to be published 12 months from depature (2023 rate is $100).
Registration
To reserve your space or find out more, e-mail us at trips@REEF.org, or call us at 305-588-5869. A $1,000 deposit will be collected at the time of booking. Visit our Trip Policies page for more information on deposit and payment schedules.
Indonesia Travel Info
Insurance: Travel insurance is not included. REEF strongly recommends that each participant purchase adequate dive travel insurance to protect you from unforeseen circumstances. REEF partners with both DiveAssure and DAN to offer travel insurance packages specifically for divers. REEF will receive a portion of the proceeds from travel insurance purchases when you click on the following affiliate links for DiveAssure or DAN. Misool requires all divers to have full dive insurance, including emergency evacuation cover.
How to Get There: Participants are responsible for booking flights to/from Sorong Airport. Participants need to be in Sorong on the start date of the trip, Friday, May 8, by no later than 8 am in order to catch the speedboat transfer to the resort. On the departure day from the resort, Sunday, May. 17, participants will arrive back in Sorong at approximately 5 - 6 pm and will spend one night there. (This is included in the accommodation package price). Departure flights out of Sorong may be booked for any time the following day, Monday, May 18.
Transfers: A member of the Misool team will meet all participants at the Sorong Airport. After breakfast and coffee at the Misool Filling Station, participants will be transferred to the harbor for the speedboat transfer, departing around 9 am. The transfer from Sorong to the resort island of Batbitim is about 4 hours depending on sea conditions.
Passports, Documentation and Visas: Visitors to Indonesia are required to have a passport that has at least 2 blank passport pages and is valid for at least 6 months after the date of arrival, and proof of return flights. Tourists from most countries do not need to obtain a visa if staying in Indonesia for less than 30 days. Please consult the appropriate consulate for specific travel regulations.
COVID-19 Considerations: It is the participant's responsibility to ensure that they understand and comply with all local requirements (for entry and visit as a tourist) of the host destination, and for exit and entry requirements for their home country. Be prepared for your plans to change. Be sure your travel insurance covers COVID-related issues. No travel is risk-free during the COVID-19 pandemic. Countries may further restrict travel or bring in new rules at short notice, for example, due to a new COVID-19 variant. Please be aware that REEF is not a travel agent. We are doing our best to interpret the information provided by our trip vendor and the host country’s government COVID-19 webpages. We encourage everyone to do their own research, interpretation, and due diligence. Please see REEF’s COVID-19 Considerations and Vaccine Policies section in our REEF Field Survey Trips Policies page for more information.