Welcome to meet our beautiful Katembe family!
We are indonesian owned family business in the heart of Raja Ampat.
”Come as a guest, stay as a family, leave as a friend.”
is our motto and we make everything here to make your stay with us memorable.
Most of the staff are papuanese, some from Sulawesi, Lombok, Java, Kalimantan and one from Finland.
ABOUT US
We quarantee that you will enjoy your stay at Katembe Island and will not get bored.
From Katembe Private Island you can find few kayaks and stand up paddles and those are available
for free all time.
You can kayak around the island, take a look to our amazing Mangrove forest, snorkel in several spots around the island or take a small
jungle trekking accross the island.
Composed of 1,500 islands, this unspoiled paradise offers an exceptional and wonderful scenery above and below the seas. Raja Ampat’s underwater life is one of the best and it’s natural beauty, lush jungle, sandbanks and shallows are really unique.
Raja Ampat archipelago is part of the province of Southwest Papua.
Most of the islands constitute the Raja Ampat Regency, which was separated out from Sorong Regency in 2004.
The regency encompasses around 70,000 square kilometres of land and sea, of which 8,034.44 km2 constitutes the land area and has a population of 64,141 at the 2020.
RAJA AMPAT
As you might already know Raja Ampat means Four Kings.
Raja = King , Ampat = Four
The four main islands are Misool, Salawati, Batanta, and Waigeo.
There is as many stories as there are tellers and stories about birth of Raja Ampat islands are quite interesting.
People from villages tells stories about a woman who finds seven eggs. Four of those seven eggs hatch and become the kings of four main Islands: Waigeo, Batanta, Salawati and Misool. Other 3 eggs becomes: a ghost, a woman & a stone.
But, there is actually a different story too.
Legend tells us, that around 500 years ago a daughter was born to the guardians of the “Kali Raja” – the King’s River in Raja Ampat. To avoid the shame this would have brought upon them, the river guardians let the newborn float out onto the open ocean on a small raft.
As fortune would have it, the child was washed ashore on an island we know today as Mioskon, where passing seafarers picked it up. The sailors, warriors and explorers from Biak, took the newborn to Numfoor island. There, she grew up and got married to a local chief, with whom she had a son named Kurabesi.
While this story can’t be proven, many historical facts give us clues to what actually might have happened if the newborn child was found on a deserted island.
With the rise of the first influential kingdoms on the Maluku islands, the sultanates of Ternate and Tidore started to be major players in the area. The territorial expansions inevitably led to prolonged conflicts, culminating in a fully grown war between the rivaling sultanates.
During the war of the sultans it was Kurabesi, a skilled warrior and excellent seafarer told to have power over the ancient spirits, who ultimately helped the sultan of Tidore to defeat his enemies. For his service Kurabesi was rewarded with the marriage to one of the sultans daughters, a princess of Tidore.
Together, the newlyweds moved back to settle in Raja Ampat. They had four children together, three sons and a daughter, who moved to different parts of the archipelago. Later, it was those four who were chosen to be rulers over the archipelago by its local population. Up to this day they are remembered as Raja Ampat, which literally translated means Four Kings.
The influence and the close ties the four kings maintained to their mother’s kingdom of origin are still visible today in many places all over Raja Ampat.
The true paradise island experience! The island is amazing with great beaches, snorkeling from your own bungalow, incredible diving sites nearby and to top it all, amazing food all day long.
The bungalows are very cute and clean with comfy beds, and the meals are enjoyed together so it feels like one big family. All staff are super friendly and they will help you with anything. Ask anything from Sandra and she will make it happen ;)
Transportation from and back to the airport makes it easy to arrive, since there is no hassle with the taxis or ferries.
I can highly recommend this place for a relaxing holiday, especially for scuba divers but also for others. Hope to be back soon!
- Julia
TESTIMONIALS
We don't even know where we want to start. We would love to give 10 stars. Doberai is simply a dream. We spent a total of 3 weeks here and did not want to leave. The saying Come as a guest become part of the family and leave as a friend. It is simply true! We feel like a part of the Doberai family.
- Karina
The rooms are beautifully crafted from local materials, spacious, and exactly like what you see in the photos. The island is idyllic, with fish, crabs, tiny sharks (non dangerous and well away from swimming areas) little mantas and all manner of wildlife literally around you as you walk from your house to the restaurant. If you want somewhere quiet and close to nature you won’t find anywhere better than here.
There are a plethora of activities to do both on the island (cooking classes, trek through the jungle, coral restoration projects) and off the island - with ample incredible opportunities for both snorkelers and divers alike or even those who don’t like swimming with excursions to the blue lagoon and Piaynemo available at reasonable prices.
The best part about this place, however, is the people that work there. I have never come across a more kind, thoughtful and attentive group than those at Doberai.
- Alex