Raja Ampat in 2016: Manta codes and heat

The Four Kings of West Papua: Cape Kri fish counts, manta sanctuaries, a PIN entry ticket, and reefs that set the wow-factor ceiling of this atlas. Raja Ampat is an archipelago off the western tip of New Guinea, named for four main islands: Waigeo, Batanta, Salawati and Misool. It is a global centre of coral-reef biodiversity. Gerry Allen's 2001 Cape Kri survey (374 fish species on one dive) became the public science sentence the liveaboards still quote.

Wow factor is the highest score in this 24-topic atlas. Accessibility is low: a PIN marine-park ticket, a flight to Sorong, and boats that wait on monsoon. Seasonality is high. Risk is moderate: current at Cape Kri and Blue Magic, not wreck-penetration scores. This chapter is a place atlas, not a certifying agency, not medical advice, and not a live briefing. Village rules, the PIN office and the day's current override any sentence here.

Destination pages are season and access notes — not a booking engine. Visa, park fees and live weather beat brochure months. Pick the matching craft page (snorkel/scuba/surf) before the flight. Raja Ampat mapped for mechanisms, locale notes and limits. Raja Ampat sits in the places atlas — mechanisms, locale notes and limits, not slogans.