Manta Ray Bay Resort
Manta Ray Bay Resort
Manta Ray Bay Resort on the island of Yap is clearly the most natural accommodation choice for an exciting diving trip to Yap. The resort is beautifully located by the beach and after a day of diving you can relax by the nice "infinity" pool. To really get into the holiday feeling, we also recommend a visit to the resort's spa.
You will find the diving center inside the resort area, so it is convenient for you to walk there after breakfast to get started on today's exciting underwater adventure. When you're not diving, the front desk can help you book activities like fishing, kayaking, and even other types of land-based excursions. We really recommend this as it is an excellent way to experience Yap's wonderful culture and way of life.
Throughout the resort you can clearly see the love of life beneath the surface. All of the 35 rooms are individually decorated in tropical chic style. Each room is named after a marine animal and is then decorated with photos and paintings of that particular animal. All rooms have air conditioning, free WiFi, hair dryer, safety deposit box and hot water shower.
“The Mnuw” is a boat anchored at Manta Ray Bay Resort on Yap and this is where you will find the resort's restaurant and bar. "The Mnuw" is a typical Indonesian boat - a so-called "Phinisi schooner". She is 55 meters and consists of three restaurant floors, two bars and a kitchen. Here you can start your day with a delicious breakfast at sunrise. Later, after a full day of activities, grab a cold beer while swapping stories with other resort guests.
Traveling to Yap
Yap is in a remote location in Micronesia in the Pacific Ocean and it takes a couple of flights to get there. The best flight route is usually via Manila or Seoul, with one or two stopovers in Europe along the way. We recommend at least one night on site before flying on to Yap. This is to protect against possible delays as you are traveling on separate airline tickets. For this reason, we have included one night on the outbound trip and one night on the return trip in Manila. You can also combine with for example a liveaboard in Palau
If you wish to extend your holiday, there are good opportunities to make a longer stop in the Philippines to go out to one of the beautiful islands. If you want an easier stop without needing a domestic flight, we suggest, for example, Anilao or Puerto Galera. Let us know if that would be interesting.
You must apply for an ESTA – US visa
It is often necessary to fly via Guam to get to Yap. NOTE that Guam is a US territory. This means that you as a Nordic citizen need to apply for an ESTA permit no later than 72 hours before departure, just like when you travel into or via the USA. We suggest that you arrange ESTA in connection with booking your flight ticket. You can do that easily via this link. It costs about 21 USD per person. The ESTA permit is valid for two years (provided you do not have to change your passport before then).
The USA began on 12/1 2009 the introduction of new rules regarding the Visa Waiver program/ESTA. This means that many Swedish citizens with dual citizenship in several countries can no longer travel visa-free to the USA.
This also applies to people who have visited one of these countries since March 1, 2011. For questions regarding visas to the United States or associated territories, we refer you to the United States Embassy in Stockholm. Read more here.
Would you like a free travel proposal?
Fill out the form with as much information as possible.
One of our travel advisors will contact you shortly with a personalized proposal.
Land-based diving on Yap
Land-based diving on Yap is somewhat of a world-renowned concept. Yap is a small island in the Micronesian archipelago and is probably one of the world's best places to dive and see the friendly giant and magnificent ex. Around 100 manta rays live here all year round together with reef sharks and also much else including a very interesting macro life. For those who like to see large animals, it is clearly worth going here. Experiencing land-based diving here on Yap is truly amazing. With almost 100 km of barrier reef, as well as several large channels and lagoons, there is something here for all tastes. You can wall dive the outer reefs, stream dive the deep and shallow channels and swim around lagoons enjoying macro life and night diving.
Manta rays in abundance
The highlight for many, however, is the beautiful manta rays. Every morning these giants are seen cruising into the protected channels that lead through the barrier reef. They make their way to their "cleaning stations" where small cleaner fish clean them of parasites while they sweep past you only a few meters away. It is a magnificent sight to observe these creatures up close. Land-based diving in Yap is clearly underrated. Sure the mantas are amazing and that's a safe bet.
However, there is much more to experience on the rich, colorful reefs and walls adorned with soft corals. Mandarainbowfish on twilight dives, beautiful and elegant blennies and also quite a few sharks and rays that live here. You can also experience the beautiful and large schools of tuna, barracuda, sweetlips or bumphead parrotfish that are often seen here. These large parrotfish are especially active early in the morning and like herds of buffalo on land they surge across the reefs in their hunt for nibbling coral.
You can easily combine land-based diving on Yap during your diving trip with going to Palau where you can stay in a hotel or resort or why not one live board. Two wonderful diving destinations in the Pacific Ocean that offer wonderful diving. You can also combine with for example Philippines which is a natural stop on the way for diving trips to Yap.
Do you want travel tips?
Please fill out the form with as much information as possible.
One of our travel advisors will contact you as soon as possible with a proposal or contact you for additional information.
Manta Ray Bay Resort
