ora beach, a hidden paradise in Central Maluku. Ora Beach is located on Seram Island, precisely at the western end of Sawai Bay in Saleman Village and Sawai Village.
To go to Ora Beach tourism is not easy. Access is quite difficult so it is not cheap to travel to Ora Beach. Therefore, I will share some backpacker-style budget-friendly traveling tips to Ora Beach which is based on my personal experience.
Surely you’ve seen the photos that have been circulating on the internet. You may not think that in Indonesia there are islands or beaches as beautiful as this.
Coastline view with eco-resort above sea water and surrounded by giant karst hills. Especially the coral reefs in the front area resort who is still awake. If the sea water is receding, colorful coral reefs can be seen.
Also Read: Tips To Go To The Togean Islands
How to Get to Ora Beach
To go to Ora Beach tourism, you can use the following ways:
1. Flights to Ambon
From your hometown, take a flight to the city Ambon. Several big cities such as Jakarta, Surabaya, and Makassar have direct flights to Ambon using domestic airlines such as Garuda Indonesia, Batik Air, Sriwijaya Air, etc.
2. Tulehu Harbor – Amahai Harbor (Masohi)
From the airport you can take a taxi to Tulehu Harbor (Rp 150,000). From the city center, you can also take an angkot that goes to Waii or Tulehu (Rp 10,000) to continue the journey by fast boat to Amahai Harbor.
There are two departure times, namely at 9 am and 4 pm. Travel time by boat is approximately 2 hours. The ticket price is IDR 125,000. Check the ship schedule here.
3. Masohi – Sawai or Saleman – Ora Beach
There is no transportation with a specific departure schedule to get to Sawai. The option can be a car charter (Rp 800,000 one way).
Another option is to take an angkot (Rp 15,000) or an ojek (Rp 25,000) to Binaiya station. You can ask if there is a car to Saleman or to Sawai.
To go directly to Ora Beach, take a car directly to Saleman (Rp 75,000 – Rp 100,000) with a journey time of approximately 2.5 hours.
From Saleman, all you have to do is take a fishing boat (Rp 50,000/person) for about 10 minutes. If you take a speed boat, Rp. 250,000/boat for one way to Ora Beach.
If you want to go to Sawai first, you can take a car (Rp 100,000) for a 3.5 hour journey. From Sawai to Pantai Orang can use fishing boats (Rp 50,000 – Rp 100,000).
I personally went to Amahai first and stay overnight before next day drive to Sawai. The driver waited until the car was full before leaving. My public car leaves at 12 noon and arrives in Sawai at 4 pm.
Along the way I could see a forest area with shady trees. It feels good because there are still many protected forests in the National Park named Manusela National Park.
Recommended Lodging in Ora . Beach
Some recommendations for lodging on Ora Beach include:
1. Stay at Lisar Bahari
Since my goal was backpacker to Ora Beach, I chose to stay at Sawai overnight because it was cheaper. I stayed at the Lisar Bahari owned by Mr. Ali.
Lodging in the form of cottage on the water is quite simply made of wood. I try snorkeling in front of the inn. The coral reefs are pretty good, it’s just that visibility it wasn’t clear at the time.
To stay at Lisar Bahari, please contact Mr. Ali: 62 821-1181-137 or via Airbnb.
Also read: Wakatobi Island travel guide in Southeast Sulawesi
Pros of staying at Lisar Bahari:
- The price is cheaper. Room + 3x meals: IDR 300,000/pax
- The food is delicious and the portions are big
- The location is in a village area so you can play with local residents, small children, and also trekking
Disadvantages of staying at Lisar Bahari:
- The coral reefs are not good
- Unpleasant experience. There was a mis-communication with Mr. Ali the innkeeper regarding the price. Initially I wanted to take the price per room only. I thought the price per room turned out to be per person. The reason is because I took a room that was more expensive and included food. So nextmake sure the price is per person or per room.
2. Stay at Ora Beach Resort
The second day I moved to Ora Beach Resort by fishing boat about 20 minutes from Sawai. You can see how beautiful the hill is covered in green trees.
When I first arrived at Ora Beach, I was amazed by the clear sea surface so that the coral reefs were clearly visible. One of the clearest seas I have ever seen.
I can’t stand it anymore snorkeling. The coral reefs are healthy, the visibility is good, much better than Sawai. Lots of small fish swimming. The coral reefs are dominated by hard coralthere is a little soft coral also.
Also read: Experience joining an open trip to Peucang Island, Ujung Kulon National Park
Pros of staying at Ora Beach Resort:
- Quiet, nice resort area surrounded by great views.
- Coral reefs are well preserved
Disadvantages of staying at Ora Beach Resort:
- Expensive. Especially the price of the food package is IDR 250,000 / person (3x meals, 2x coffee breaks). The food is also limited. One of the guests did not get a plate and there was no staff to help at that time.
- The staff is not friendly and the service is also lacking.
- Room facilities are not well maintained. I took a room on the ground. The toilet door couldn’t be locked, the fan was bad, and the shower was broken.
Check Ora Beach Resort Latest Prices
Other Lodging Around Ora . Beach
Tourist Activities Around Ora Beach
- Snorkeling around the cliffs or in Seven Island. The boat rental price is around IDR 1,000,000 per day and can fit 10 people.
- Watching bats fly at sunset.
- Birdwatching or trekking in Manusela National Park.
- Visit Dutch water.
Also read: How to Get to Weh Island, Aceh
Cost of Traveling to Ora Beach
Actually Ora Beach is not suitable for backpacker because the cost is quite high. Ticket prices to Ambon alone are already expensive. Not to mention the cost of lodging and others. But you can still try pressing travel expense let’s save. Let’s calculate how much the total cost you need:
- PP flight ticket: Try looking for cheap tickets. If from Jakarta to Ambon maybe around Rp. 3 million pp. Usually via Makassar it might be cheaper
- Fast boat to Tulehu PP: IDR 125,000 x 2
- Car to Saleman PP: IDR 100,000 x 2
- Boat crossing to Ora Beach: IDR 50,000 x 2
- Lisar Bahar Lodging 2 nights including meals: IDR 300,000 x 2
- Other Fees: IDR 100,000
The total cost of a vacation to Ora Beach, outside the plane is around Rp. 1,250,000, if including the plane it is around Rp. 4,250,000.
Yes, the budget is around IDR 5 million with a plane ticket from Jakarta. If you want to be really frugal or extreme, you can take PELNI, but yes, it certainly takes a long time. To reduce expenses, you can go with a group of 4-6 people so you can rent a car and don’t have to wait for a public car.
If you have to stay in Masohi, in front of Binaiya Station there is a cheap inn called Raudatul. The price is IDR 75,000 a night. It’s better to book lodging in advance, maybe they can help with transportation problems from Masohi.
Always remember when snorkeling do not step on coral reefs. It’s a shame that this beautiful coral reef was damaged due to the negligence of visitors.
That’s some tips for saving on traveling or a vacation to Ora Beach. If you’ve been there and have other suggestions, you can fill in the comments column to help other travelers. Happy traveling.
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