Welcome to our Kri Island guide, where we take you on an enchanting journey through the tropical haven of Raja Ampat. If you’re following us on Instagram, you’ve likely caught glimpses of our awe-inspiring experiences – snorkelling with turtles and canoeing during the mesmerising golden hour on Kri Island. Embarking on an adventure to Kri Island is easier than you think. In our blog, we share a comprehensive guide on how to reach this hidden gem. Best things to do on Kri Island, where to stay cost break down and more.
We have never seen a place like Raja Ampat and is considered Indonesia’s last paradise. The beautiful archipelago is made up of over 1,500 small islands and remains untouched. Jungle covered islands stick out of the deep blue ocean, surrounded by crystal clear waters, coral reefs rich are home to many species of fish, sharks, turtles and other marine life.
Kri Island – Raja Ampat
Pulling up to Kri Island we were just in awe at the islands lush jungle and crystal clear water. Its know wonder Kri Island is one of the most visited Islands in Raja Ampat. It was completely different to the flat sand cay Island of Arborek which we had just came from.
Kri has everything from beautiful lush rainforest, long white beaches, amazing coral reefs with a huge abundance of marine life, great diving and has some of Raja Ampat’s best home stays. If you’re looking for lots of interaction with other visitors and meeting people from all over the world then Kri Island is the place for you. The local villages have been so friendly, we loved walking around the island and watching the the children playing.
Kri is a long narrow island and is mostly covered by lush rainforest. It’s neighbouring the island of Pulau Mansuar, which it is separated by a narrow and shallow strait. The small island Ransiwo Island sits in between and is a great spot to snorkel to spot turtles.
We are already wishing we booked more than 2 nights here!!. We can’t wait to return with our dive ticket!
Want to learn more about Raja Ampat? Read our Raja Ampat beginner guide here.
Cost break down for our stay in IDR and AUD.
Boat transfers to Wasai – 600 000 IDR
2 nights accommodation on Kri – 2 x 900 000 IDR= 1 800 000 IDR
Total price for 2 people – 2 400 000 IDR approximately $270 AUD.
Price break down per person – 1 200 000 IDR, approximately $135 AUD
This is just a price break down for our trip. When you stay on Kri all your food is included in the accommodation price. The only extras you may have to pay for are boat transfers to other islands or if you go for a dive. Make sure to bring plenty of extra cash to be able to cover any extra costs.
How to get to Kri Island?
A transfer from Wasai harbour to Kri costs about 600 000 IDR. If you require transport organise it with your home stay in advance. If you are coming from another island like we did prices can vary depending on the distance between them. The boat ride from Arborek to Kri cost 600,00 and only took about 40 minutes. The home stays can organise transfers to and from any islands.
Best places to stay?
For our accommodation on Kri we had read a lot of good reviews for Yenbuba Home stay on the Raja Ampat website .
At Rufus Island we met a couple from the Netherlands who told us that they have stayed at Yenbuba twice because they loved it that much. When we pulled up to the front of Yenbuba home stay were greeted by Carrie who runs the Soul Scuba dive shop next door. She showed us to our bungalow and gave us a tour of the home stay.
The water bungalows were bigger than the ones at Arborek and also come with a bed frame. The bungalows are very simple, a bed, mosquito net, wooden rack for drying clothes, a hammock at the front, 2 chairs and coffee table to enjoy a morning coffee in front of the sea! The toilets and showers are very basic and never to far away from the bungalows.
To be honest we loved the minimalist feel when being on the islands. After all we were there to relax and disconnect from civilization.
Yenububa Homestay
The cost of a bungalow on the beach at Yenbuba home stay is 900 000 IDR per couple per night with 3 meals included. Also unlimited tea, coffee and filtered water. Make sure to bring a re usable water bottle so that you can re fill it from the 20 litre filtered water station supplied at home stay. What a great price for just $94 AUD a night for two. A bit more expensive than Indonesia in general, but it’s Raja Ampat. Where else can you stay on the ocean with this view and have meals cooked for you? No where right!! That’s what makes Raja Ampat so unique.
Best things to do on Kri Island?
Kri has some of the most amazing marine diversity just off the island. We couldn’t wait to go for a snorkel just off the local jetty. Diving and snorkelling are pretty much what Kri is all about. Many say that Kri’s reefs are the best in Raja Ampat – its so true.
We were told that black tip reef sharks and turtles can be seen just from snorkeling off the local jetties. What we loved about Kri is that you don’t have leave the island at all. We did in-fact see turtles and reef sharks just off the jetty!!
Day 1.
We arrived from the island of Arborek just in time for lunch where we had sauteed vegetables, tofu and rice cooked by the family of the home stay. Meal times are – Breakfast 7am, lunch at 12 noon and dinner at 7 pm.
We spent the first afternoon exploring parts of the island. We went to swim out to Ransiwo Island but the tide was to low so we went snorkelling off local jetty instead. As soon as we jumped in we could see so many different coral and fish. There is a coral wall and it just drops down into dark blue. Here we could make out a few different types of reef sharks and a turtle.
We made our way back slowly in time for dinner which was different types of sautéed veggies, friend tempe, rice and freshly caught local fish. The food has just been amazing. There have been delicious vegetarian / vegan options. If you have any special dietary requirements send an email to the home stay via the Raja Ampat Home stay website. At dinner we met other travellers from Germany, France and the Netherlands.
Day 2.
For day 2 we had a huge day of snorkelling planned. In the morning after breakfast we swam to Ransiwo Island while the tide was high. When we were swimming over we had the current pull us towards the island. We explored some of Ransiwo island. It’s only a small and there has a few half built bungalows on it with a white sandbank that stretches out into the ocean. On the way back the current was harder, but it pushed us into the sand bank and you can walk all the way back to Kri. On the snorkel back we seen reef sharks and a small turtle. If the current feels to strong we would advice you not to go if you are not a confident swimmer.
Exploring the other side of Kri island
After lunch we walked to the other side of the island through the rain forest. If you follow the white pipe behind the home stay up the rocks and take the path right you come out to the beach on the other side. This is another jetty that has great snorkeling. We could see people snorkeling around the jetty and within 5 minutes of jumping in we spotted a black tip reef sharks around the bottom of the coral wall. They don’t come close to you so there is no need to panic. The sharks stay down in the deep blue waters. If you snorkel just at the drop off that is where you see the best coral and many different species of fish. You can snorkel along the coral wall around the whole island.
We still had a few hours before dinner and we could tell that the sunset was going to be a good one. The sun was shining and there were only a few clouds in the sky. We hired a kayak from Soul Scuba and paddled it just out from the bungalows. It was a great way to watch the sun set over the ocean. Max flew the drone and we got some incredible shots of the island and the sandbanks.
Best things to on Kri Island.
Go Diving.
There are many dive resorts on Kri. We would recommend going diving with SOUL SCUBA next door the Yenbubu Homestay.
Carrie and Tido run Soul Scuba and are a wonderful couple. Carrie is from the USA and Tido is french. Tido is a very experienced diver and has dived all over the word but Raja Ampat has been his best so far for diving. .
They both have contributed to the conservation of Raja Ampat. Carrie volunteers teaching the children English and teaches them the importance of caring for the environment, how to reduce plastic waste and ways to recycle and re-use.
Soul Scuba
Soul Scuba takes 2 morning dives at 7:30am, 1 afternoon dive at 2:30pm and they can also organise night dives. For a single dive they charge 650,000 IDR and they also take you out on adventure trips out to Piaynemo and have a variety of up to 30 dive spots.
You can also see them about doing a dive course. They do Open Water course for 5.900.000 IDR, Advanced Open Water for 5.900.000, Skills Refresher for 850.000 or 1.500.000 for 2 dives and a dive Master course for 17.000.000 IDR
To find out more information about diving or to email Soul Scuba check out there website HERE.
Go snorkelling.
The snorkeling can be good just going in front of every home stay beach and there are many different snorkeling spots located all around Kri. The best spots are off the local jetties. The one towards the north west side is where we went on our first day. We couldn’t wait to go to the other side on our last day.
If you snorkel between Kri and Ransiwor the snorkeling is incredible. Just make sure you go before the tide gets to its lowest point which is around 4pm. Soul Scuba update their board every day with the tide times. Make sure to bring your own set of snorkel equipment. We brought just a cheap pair of snorkels over from Bali and then left them there for the home stay children to have.
Go on Island tours.
You can visit any of the surrounding islands from Kri, this is something your home stay can organise for you. You can even walk around the island and ask any guests if they are planning to do island tour and join on there boat to help bring costs down. For most boat tours they charge per boat not per person.
Hire a kayak.
You can hire a kayak from soul scuba centre, half a day is 300,000 or a full day is 600,000. Its a great way to see the island without having to worry about swimming and is a great way to get an arm work out. We hired the kayak and took it out at sunset. It was a beautiful way to end the evening.
Relax all day.
Its impossible to not feel relaxed when you are at one of the most pristine places in the world, or as they call it “The last paradise”. It would be great to spend weeks on Kri just living the island life, spending days reading in a hammock or like us, editing photos on our laptop! You should have seen our office view!
Go for a hike.
When its low tide the north coast side of Kri is great for long beach walks or you can go for a walk through the jungle. Make sure to follow the paths.
There is a trail that starts behind Yenbuba homestay that can take you to the other side of the island, if you follow the white pipe up the mountain and then take the path on the right it leads down to the beach. Its so quite on the other side and the jetty has really good snorkelling. We seen reef sharks just off there. You can also hike to a look out for panoramic views of the island. We didn’t do it because we had no water on us, if you fo do it make sure that you have a warter bootle. The view is worth it.
See you next time Kri Island
Raja Ampat isn’t like anywhere else on the planet that we have seen. The views above and below water are breathtakingly stunning. Its the closest thing to untouched paradise that we ever seen and we hope it can remain that way.
Unfortunately our time on Kri has come to an end, but we know we will be back again very soon. If you want to know more about Raja Ampat visit our beginners guide here.
Exploring pristine waters, swimming with incredible underwater animals, snorkeling over coloured coral and learning about the culture of the West Papua People has been experience we will never forget.
Thanks you, we hope you enjoyed reading our blog on Kri Island and that it has inspired you to visit beautiful Raja Ampat.
If you haven’t yet check out our other blog about Arborek Island here .
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