No. Wayag has been closed to tourism since June 2025, and no reopening date has been set. We last checked on 27 July 2026.
Last checked 27 July 2026
Wayag Closure
No reopening date has been set
Access to Wayag has been blocked since June 2025, and no authority has named a date for it to reopen. We are not running this itinerary in the meantime, and we won't quietly swap in somewhere else and call it Wayag.
None of this is a dispute about tourism.
Tourism is the leverage.
10 June 2025
Indonesia's central government revokes four of the five nickel mining licences in Raja Ampat, the concession on Kawe Island among them. Mongabay
10 June 2025
Access to Wayag is blocked in response by locals who blame tourists for the closure of the mine.
13 June 2025
Raja Ampat's tourism office issues a formal notice closing the Wayag area. It carries no end date.
3 November 2025
A speedboat is wrongfully accused of entering Wayag, and its occupants are forcibly detained.
27 July 2026
Status re-checked. Wayag remains closed, with no reopening date.
What Wayag Is
Raja Ampat's most photographed landscape
Wayag (sometimes also spelled Waiag) is a cluster of limestone karst islands at the far north-west of Raja Ampat, well past Waigeo. Mushroom-shaped rock rises straight out of turquoise water, and the climb up Mount Pindito opens onto the view that put the archipelago on postcards. Blacktip reef sharks patrol the shallows off the beach. It is remote — a long run by boat from anywhere — which is why it was never crowded even at the height of the season.
What Happened
A mine that should never have existed
A nickel concession was opened on Kawe Island, immediately south of Wayag. It should never have existed: Indonesian law reserves islands of 2,000 km² or less for conservation, research, tourism, fisheries and a short list of similar uses — mining is not among them — and the Supreme Court upheld that ban in 2024. Once the case became public, the central government revoked the licence on 10 June 2025.
The Blockade
Three days after the licence fell
Rather than accept the decision, groups with an interest in the mine began blocking access to Wayag and parts of north-west Waigeo, to pressure the government into letting it reopen. The blockade has involved threats toward boat crews and visitors, and false claims circulated in local media. Raja Ampat's tourism office issued a formal closure notice on 13 June 2025. It carries no end date.
Common Questions
What guests ask us
The short answers. If yours isn't here, just ask us — we'd rather tell you plainly than have you find out on the boat.
A nickel mining concession on Kawe Island, immediately south of Wayag, had its licence revoked by the central government on 10 June 2025 — mining is not a permitted use of islands under 2,000 km² in Indonesian law. Access to Wayag and parts of north-west Waigeo was blocked in response, to pressure the government into allowing the mine to reopen.
Nobody knows. The closure notice carries no end date and no authority has announced one. We re-check the situation regularly and update this page — the date above tells you how current it is.
Yes. The closure covers Wayag and parts of north-west Waigeo. Misool, Ayau, Batanta, Gam, Piaynemo and the Dampier Strait are unaffected and running normally.
Misool has the same limestone-and-lagoon landscape as Wayag, plus the best reefs in the archipelago. Piaynemo gives you the classic viewpoint over a bay full of mushroom-shaped islands, and it is far easier to reach.
Not while it is closed, and we will not quietly swap in somewhere else and call it Wayag. If you have your heart set on that landscape, Misool is the honest alternative. We'll post here first if that changes.
Still Wide Open
Where To Go Instead
The closure covers Wayag and parts of north-west Waigeo — nothing else.
Raja Ampat still has plenty to offer.
Magical Misool
The same limestone-and-lagoon landscape as Wayag, jungle-covered karst and the best reefs in the archipelago — down in the south.
Astonishing Ayau
Vast lagoons, sandbanks and outer-reef drop-offs almost nobody reaches. Further north than Wayag, and entirely unaffected.
Gorgeous Gam
Piaynemo's view over the mushroom islands, Gam's reefs and birds of paradise. Easier to reach, and gentler on the budget.
Notify Me
When It Reopens
We are more involved in this than most (feel free to ask us how). Wayag & Beyond is still here, ready for the day access returns. Join the newsletter and we'll tell you when it does.
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