Homestays in Tapokreng

Privilege Location, front beach with access to the most beautiful corals

I booked 8 days here. I went diving for three days on the Pulau Gam and snorkeled daily on Friwen. They are about a 10 mins boat ride. The Homestay is rustic. There are two beds covered with mosquito net. They are totally fine but somehow one would get in every night. It’s an island at the equator, there are mosquitoes. Also geckos! That’s part of the adventure. The room has an interior slide lock and there’s a clipping lock with a key for locking when you’re away. Honestly I never locked my place. The island seems very safe. Kids playing, most of the folks on the island are involved in tourism, though they don’t speak much English. It wasn’t an issue. I traveled solo and spent most afternoons in the hammock, reading, writing or napping. The food was amazing, delicious, the cook is very sweet and calls you to breakfast, lunch and dinner. The fresh fish is caught daily. Vegetables and rice, very delicious and all included. Large quantities. Box lunches are available if you are diving all day. Bananas are snacks. Unlimited instant coffee, tea, hot water. The island is stunning. Sunsets amazing. The reef has more life to see while snorkeling than most places (Europe, Caribbean, US, Latin America) have to see while scuba diving! I saw turtles, squid, dolphins playing, reef sharks and millions of coral. A not about cash and other fees: you will need ~140,000 to take a ferry from Sorong to Waisai. Then you’ll need 600,000 to ride each way from Waisai to Friwen (this can be divided with others, provided there are other riders.). On Waisai, you’ll have to buy a Marine Park pass and an entry pass, in total 1,000,000. So you’ll need around 2,250,000 in cash (be prepared bc the pass can be purchased online, or card but sometimes their system is down and you have to pay cash). In Sorong airport there are four ATMs, most of them don’t work well. There are ATMs on Waisai but you have to ride a motorcycle to them. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

It wasn’t the typical beach huts that all look the same. I actually felt like I was staying on someone’s property.

Very close to harbor and pick up was free. Beautiful large room with comfortable beds. Great warm shower. Large windows looking to the mangroves. Beautiful and peaceful. Great restaurant attached to facility with outstanding service and food. Owner brought us coffee out on the long attached community deck every morning. We enjoyed sitting out there on many occasions. Sunsets are beautiful. Very nice family run homestay. They can arrange outings. Bird hike, blue river, etc. We did not have any issues with mosquitoes or sand flies. Nice walks to see locals folks. We stayed 3 nights.