As the largest archipelago in the world with more than 17,000 islands, Indonesia has many magnificent beaches that magnetized the tourists. The beaches spread from the western side to the eastern side of Indonesia. Since Indonesia is located right in the equator lines, it has tropical climate. As a result, all of the beaches there are warm and comfort to do almost all kinds of activities like doing water sports, playing on the sand, or sunbathing. A great number of beaches are available in Indonesia, and three of them will be reviewed here.

Raja Ampat

Raja Ampat, Papua, is one of the fascinating beaches in Indonesia as well as the best diving place ever. The water is so pure and clear that makes it possible to see right through the bottom of the sea and the sea living creatures there easily. A few people visits Raja Ampat each year so that the beach is not crowded nor dirty at all. Raja Ampat is visited by few people since only a few people realize its beauty. People tend to go to visit Bali rather than Raja Ampat when they travel to Indonesia only because Bali is more famous. In fact, the beauty of Raja Ampat beach is as good as or even better than Bali.

Mentawai Island

Looking for a great place to surf, Mentawai island in Sumatera is the best place for such kind of sport. Surfers come to the beach to feel the great waves that consistently waving from time to time. The soft sand and blue water available there become the additional point for the visitors to come and spend their time at Mentawai. Sometimes, surfing competition is held and the competitors are professional surfers from different countries. The waves are getting bigger during June until September, so it is the best time for the surfers to drop by in Mentawai.

Bunaken

The other one is Bunaken National Marine Place, another ideal place for scuba diving. Bunaken which is located in North Sulawesi, Indonesia, is a home for various kinds of sea creatures and coral life. Just like Raja Ampat in Papua, the water in Bunaken is very clear that visitors can see any living things in the water. In 1991, Bunaken was established as one of National Marine Park in Indonesia. Since then, more and more tourists come to Bunaken to enjoy the beautiful landmark there. Visiting Bunaken, people will feel reluctant to leave the place and go home.

One of 10 best diving spots in Papua is located in Raja Ampat, Papua. Although it has just been establish as one of the diving spot in Indonesia, Raja Ampat Papua attracts many tourists to visit this place. According to a research conducted in 2001, Raja Ampat has the richest species of coral reef with 75% coral reef species in the world can be found in this area. Raja Ampat also has a huge collection of the other sea creatures for about 1104 species of fish and 700 species of molluscs inhabit the water, the biggest number of coral reef species compares to any other places in the world.

Because Raja Ampat has just been promoted as the diving spot in Indonesia, there aren’t many hotels or resorts which can be found in this place. Instead of hotels, some small inns were built for the visitors who come to dive in this place with the room rates start from 900,000 rupiahs. In order to be able to dive in Raja Ampat, another 360,000 rupiahs should be paid. It is quite cheap considering plenty of sea creatures which can be found while diving.

Because of the crystal clear water, visitors do not need to dive if they want to see some species of sea creatures in Raja Ampat. The fishes and other sea creatures occuring near the surface of the water can be clearly seen without sticking our head inside the water. However, the truly beauty of water species in Raja Ampat can be found only by diving and observing under the sea. The most peculiar species found while diving are katai seahorse, Pari Manta fish, and wobbegong.

Nowadays, more hotels and resorts to accommodate the increasing number of tourists are built. Some resorts in Raja Ampat offer a touring package which consists of diving around Raja Ampat island, visiting the nearest village, and observing the local animals. Tourists find the touring package interesting, and they keep booking for the touring package from time to time. Visiting Raja Ampat Papua makes the visitors feel like in paradise and forget to go home.