Raja Ampat — meaning “Four Kings” in Indonesian — is widely regarded as the crown jewel of marine biodiversity on planet Earth. This remote archipelago of over 1,500 islands, cays, and shoals sits at the heart of the Coral Triangle in eastern Indonesia, harboring more species of coral and fish than anywhere else on the globe. Beneath the surface, the numbers are staggering: over 600 species of hard coral (75% of all known species), more than 1,700 species of reef fish, and an abundance of manta rays, wobbegong sharks, pygmy seahorses, and whale sharks that make every dive feel like a nature documentary playing out in real time.

Above water, Raja Ampat is equally spectacular. Mushroom-shaped limestone islands draped in jungle rise from impossibly turquoise lagoons, hidden beaches of white sand appear at low tide between karst formations, and indigenous Papuan villages on stilts over the water welcome visitors with a warmth that reflects the area’s remote, uncommercialised character. The famous Pianemo viewpoint offers one of Indonesia’s most breathtaking panoramas — a scatter of green islets floating in a gradient of blue that seems almost too vivid to be real.

Pro tip: Raja Ampat is remote and requires planning — fly to Sorong in West Papua, then take a ferry or speedboat to the islands. Book a homestay on one of the smaller islands like Kri or Arborek for an authentic experience and direct reef access right off the dock. Even if you don’t dive, the snorkeling here is world-class, with house reefs that rival most dive sites elsewhere in the world.