Have you heard of the Raja Ampat Islands? They are a unique archipelago off the Western tip of the big island of New Guinea. I’ve been intrigued by this region ever since reading The Malay Archipelago by Alfred Russel Wallace, and exploring this region above and below water has become a personal passion since my first visit in 1990. It doesn’t hurt that the islands harbor birds-of-paradise, and the coral reefs are now known to be the richest in the world.
As a rain forest biologist and a marine enthusiast, I’m fascinated by places where the rain forest meets the sea. Raja Ampat is a premier example of this. In fact, it is the best I have ever seen. The striking islets of uplifted limestone eroded by sea and weather give Raja Ampat some of the most striking scenery in Indonesia. Here, as elsewhere, the land and sea are intertwined, and due to very little runoff from the porous limestone islands, corals can grow right up to the shore, even under overhanging forest, as you can see in the featured photo below. I hope you are inspired to visit Raja Ampat some day, to support the growing green tourism economy there. I certainly plan to go back as soon as possible!
