Raja Ampat

Raja Ampat, meaning “Four Kings,” sits at the very center of marine biodiversity on the planet. Its karst limestone islands rise from turquoise seas, where currents feed coral reefs supporting more than 1,500 fish species. Manta rays love the channels here, walking sharks hunt in shallows at night, and reef sharks patrol drop-offs that seem bottomless. Above the waterline, hornbills and parrots fly between jungle-fringed cliffs, and small villages live in step with the ocean’s tides.