Papua, formerly known as Irian Jaya, is the most Eastern province of Indonesia. It is located on the Western half of the largest island in the world, New Guinea, whereas the Eastern half of New Guinea is now an independent country, Papua New Guinea. This is one of the last truly wild places on earth and has yet to succumb to the pressures of over fishing, coral bleaching, exploding tourism and over population.

Raja Ampat is a very large island group with the closest city being Sorong. Kri Island is in the heart of the Raja Ampat islands and located in the midst of gigantic reef systems.

Raja Ampat is becoming widely known by scientists as one of the most diverse and unspoiled areas for marine life in the world. This beautiful group of more than 600 islands are rarely visited by tourists and therefore still in the original, pristine state they have been in for decades.

The islands are completely covered with dense jungle and sparkling white beaches and are surrounded by crystal clear waters. Due to its proximity to the Equator, the seas are generally very calm. The larger islands like Batanta, Waigeo and Gam have rough mountains with challenging hiking trails. Native animals are plentiful and include the endemic Red bird or paradise, large hornbills, parrots, monitor lizards, brightly colored coconut crabs, flying foxes and a small tree dwelling marsupial called “Cus-Cus”.