Raja Ampat boat hire

Raja Ampat boat hire costs are sore point for many visitors. Many consider the prices being asked as unjustified and exploitative. Or, more simply: “Boat prices are a complete ripoff.”

There are undeniably some operators who charge more than is fairly justified, but the common perception of widespread and systematic price fixing and profiteering is unfounded.

Here’s why:

1. You might only be making the trip in one direction, but the homestay boat has to travel twice that distance.
2. The cost of fuel in Raja Ampat has always been much higher the national government mandated (and subsidised) price.
3. Fuel costs are not the only expense that boat operators need to cover.
4. The prices of all non-locally sourced items are more expensive in Raja Ampat than elsewhere in Indonesia.

We’ll explore these reasons in more detail and give you the numbers you need to make an informed assessment below, but the real question is:

How can you be sure to not spend more than is truly necessary?

1. Plan your itinerary and trips carefully to minimise backtracking.
2. Read this article so you’re aware of the true costs, assess your trip distance and boat type and avoid any operators whose prices don’t represent fair value.

This page has been updated to take into account the substantial fuel price increases announced in August 2022. The exchange rate used for USD equivalence was that at September 2022.

Raja Ampat boat hire

We’ve done a lot of it.

The screenshot above shows a single data collection trip during which we covered 350km in a longboat with a single 40 horsepower engine. Raja Ampat boat hire being as expensive as it is, we naturally keep a close eye on exactly how much fuel we’re consuming and log each day’s distances and fuel consumption. So the numbers we’re about to quote are factual.

Before we get stuck into it though, let’s just look again at the 4 points we made in support of our assertion that Raja Ampat boat hire prices are not unreasonable.

• You might only be making the trip in one direction, but the homestay boat has to travel twice that distance.

This is a no-brainer isn’t it? Obviously the cost to an individual host of picking you up or dropping you off is the round trip cost.

• The cost of fuel in Raja Ampat is almost twice the national government mandated (and subsidised) price.

In September 2022, the average cost of outboard fuel mix (bensin campur) in Raja Ampat was IDR 17,500 per litre. This is a fact. You may see the sign at the Pertamina station on the hill at Waisai advertising fuel at the nationally stipulated price, but just go in and try to buy some: They are almost always “out of stock of BBM”.

• Fuel costs are not the only expense that boat operators need to cover.

In addition to the cost of fuel for your journey, the homestay owner has to cover the cost of boat driver wages, maintenance of the boat and engine and depreciation on the total investment. These are normal operating costs factored into the price of any transport you purchase anywhere. Expecting a transfer price based on the cost of fuel alone is unreasonable. Note also, that in some cases, homestay owners do not have a boat capable of making the journey safely and must rent one themselves.

• The price of all non-locally sourced items are more expensive in Raja Ampat than elsewhere in Indonesia.

Which of course includes boats, outboard engines and everything (except timber in the case of a traditional longboat) that goes into building and maintaining them.

Note: It’s fallacious to equate Raja Ampat’s remoteness with that of somewhere like the Banda Islands or the Togeans in Sulawesi: Yes, those particular islands are further away from the city you leave from to get to them than the Dampier Strait islands are from Sorong, but spend five minutes looking at a map of Indonesia: Nowhere is further from Indonesia’s major population and industrial centers than Papua is. Kalimantan for example, is only 500km away from the production centers of Java. Sulawesi is 700km away. And both Sulawesi and Kalimantan have road networks that further reduce shipping costs. Even the Bandas, remote as they are, are only 1900km from Java. Sorong is over 2300km from Java, and then goods must be shipped from there to Raja Ampat.

So – let’s look at a real world Raja Ampat boat hire case…

Batanta for example. The cheapest transport available to a Batanta homestay on September 13 2022 was IDR 1,000,000 each way. The most expensive was IDR 2,000,000 The average was IDR 1,570,000

Fuel consumption varies according to sea conditions, number of passengers, engine condition and how the engine is driven.  In our experience (usually with 4 people in the boat) the round trip from Waisai to Batanta uses an average of 70 litres of fuel if a single 40HP engine is used, or an average of 40 litres if the boat has a single 15HP engine.

A round trip will take somewhere between 3 and 6 hours, depending on boat/engine type and sea conditions. What do you think is a fair price for the boat driver for that amount of time? Would IDR 200,000 be reasonable? Let’s use that anyway.

So, assuming that the homestay already owns the boat it uses, then the total actual trip cost will be around IDR 1,425,000 if a single 40HP engine is employed, or IDR 900,000 if using a boat using a single 15HP engine. Twin engined boats will obviously burn more fuel.

Best case scenario for homestay owner? The homestay charges IDR 2,000,000, owns its own boat, uses a 15HP engine and the homestay owner drives it. Gross profit (before maintenance and depreciation) = IDR 1,100,000 (About USD 74.05) per trip.

Worst case? It’s plain to see that any Batanta homestay that uses a boat with a 40HP engine, employs a driver at 200,000 per trip, and charges less than IDR 1,500,000 is actually losing money.

So: Before you decide that the Raja Ampat boat hire costs you’ve been quoted are a total ripoff, make sure you’ve done your research. To make an informed judgement you need at the very least to know the round trip distance and the horsepower (and number) of engines on the boat. The table below provides a starting point to make your own assessment.

Unless you expect people to work for peanuts, or don’t think including maintenance and depreciation is warranted, then we think you’ll find that the majority of homestay transport prices aren’t as unreasonable as they’d appear at first glance.

Raja Ampat Waisai boat transfer costs

• The table below does not show transfer prices! (It shows the average fuel cost only to selected destinations.)
• Driver wages and boat maintenance and depreciation costs should be added to the fuel cost to arrive at a fair price for your transfer. (See above)
• Calculations are based on average price for outboard engine mix fuel in Raja Ampat in September 2022 (IDR 17,500 per litre).
• Fuel costs are for the round trip for a single engined boat. (40HP engines are the most common type.)
• Distances used are averaged: Boats rarely travel in straight lines. Negotiating sea conditions can substantially increase journey length.
• The links in the destination column are to homestays in the destination area.
• See our island guides for average transfer asking prices and how long the trip takes.