Asia Nature Travel

West Papua is a province of Indonesia on the western end of Papua island. It covers the Bird’s Head (or Doberai) Peninsula and surrounding islands. The province has a population of approximately 800,000, making it one of the least populous of all Indonesian provinces. The capital of West Papua is in Manokwari.
Getting there:
By plane : Batavia Air and Merpati Air serve daily flights to and from Manokwari via Makassar. The Airport is about 7 km from down town. The cab is available in the airport.
Tourism Events
Tifa dance, Tari Api (Fire Dance) and Tari Mayai Marowa (Dance to celebrate winning of a war) are the West Papua’s dances which can be seen in a cultural performance.

Places of Interest

Pasir Putih Beach. A soft white sandy beach with clear water, beautiful scenery, and gen­tle breeze makes it a good place for recrea­tion and swimming. Only 2 kilometers from Manokwari town, this beach can be reached by motorcycle, car, or public transport.
Amban Beach. Facing the Pacific Ocean, ha­ving a wave altitude of 2 meters most of the time, this beach is perfect for water skiing and wind surfing. Located five kilometers from Ma­nokwari town, this beach can be accessible by motorcycle, car, or public transport.
Lake Kabori Stretching out with beautiful panorama, it is a wonderful place for fish­ing fresh water fish like goldfish, “mujair” (a kind of fresh water fish), and fresh water cat fish. Situated 20 kilometers from Ma­nokwari town, this lake can be reached by motorcycle, car, or public transport.
Traditional House: Rumah Kaki Seribu.
This house is particularly built by the Arfak ethnic group. Rare and unique in design, this type of house has many pole to sup­port it. It is for this reason that the house is called Rumah Kaki Seribu (House with one thousand feet). Its walls are made of tree barks; its roof is made of coarse grass. This house can still be found in remote places like Kebar and Anggi.
Meja Mountain And Japanese Monument
This mountain, looking like a table in the distance, is a preserved and pro­tected area. Still a virgin forest, having enchanting and beautiful panorama, this area is good for hiking, and other similar sporting activities. A monument, called Monumen Jepang, has been erected on this mountain to commemorate the first arrival of the Japanese Army, divisions 221 and 222. Only two kilometers from Manokwari town, this place can accessed by motorcycle or on foot.
FAK-FAK

Maredred Waterfall. Located in Pasir Putih village with a beautiful natural panorama, this waterfall has various types of flora and fauna. It is a wonderful bathing place. It can be reached within ten minutes by boat from Fak-Fak town and by walking within two and a half hours following the river bank.
Tubir Seram Island. Located in front of Fak-Fak town, this island has an amazing and beautiful natural scenery. It has a garden full of many colourful flowers and many types of plants. A monument, called “Perjuangan Merah Putih”, was erected there. A mini mu­seum was also built there to keep artifact of historical values. It is accessible within five minutes from Fak-Fak town by boat.
Mermaid Cagement. This unique fish is tra­ditionally raised in Webra village. This place can be assessed by various types of vehicles.
Pepera Monument. Erected in 1969, and lo­cated in the center of the town, this monu­ment commemorates Indonesia’s struggle to have West Papua (the former name of Papua) back. It is located in the center of the town.
World War II Monument. Built by the Dutch in 1948 in the center of the town, this mo­nument commemorates the assassination of police officers and other government workers by Japanese Army.
Japanese Army Fortress. Built in 1944/1945 and located at the center of Kokas town, this fortress was used as a defense and hi­ding place for the Japanese Army during the Second World War. It can be reached within four hours by boat from Fak-Fak town.
Pre-historical Hand Palm Picture. Ancient reddish pictures of hand palm, weapon, and animals on the cliffs of the islands at an average altitude of 10-30 meters from sea level in front of Kokas town.

Sorong is a coastal city and regency in Pa­pua and has some beautiful islands.

Cape Of Cassuwary. It is a beautiful long and clean beach where there are kept plenty of exotic corals. It is also suitable for diving lovers. The distance from Sorong town is 3 km and can be reached by vehicles.
Crocodile Island. An island with slightly sloping beach, soft sand and pure water is very suitable for swimming and fishing. It is located 0.5 km across Sorong town and accessible by speed boat.
Kafiau Island. An island located in the middle of Dampir Waigeo Straits is very rich of sea biotics. Apart from its scenic nature, it has also an interesting and enchanting sea bottom that is very suitable for diving lo vers. It is about 1.5 hours to reach by mo­tor boat from Sorong town.
Matan Island. An island with various kinds of trees, soft sands and pure water is a place for bathing and fishing. It is acces­sile approximately 20 minutes from Sorong town by speed boat.
Klaijili Hot Spring. Here is a hot spring found in Makbon District that is used to cure skin diseases. It is situated 60 km from Sorong town and reachable by vehicles.

The Raja Ampat Islands And Coral Tria­ngle. The Raja Ampat, or “Four Kings,” archi­pelago encompasses more than 9.8 million acres of land and sea off the northwestern tip of Indonesia’s West Papua Province. Located in the Coral Triangle, the heart of the world’s coral reef biodiversity, the seas around Raja Ampat possibly hold the richest variety of species in the world. Four large islands of Waigeo, Batanta, Salawati, and Misool, plus hundreds of smaller islands area known as the Bird’s Head functional seascape, which also contains Cenderawasih Bay, the largest marine national park in Indonesia. Located off the northwest tip of Bird’s Head Peninsula on the island of New Guinea, Raja Ampat, or the Four Kings, is an archipelago comprising over 1,500 small islands and encompasses more than 9.8 million acres (40,000 km²) of land and sea. Raja Ampat are the richest in the world. The area’s massive coral colonies show that its reefs are resistant to threats like coral bleaching and disease - threats that now jeopardize the survival of corals around the world. In addition, Raja Ampat’s strong ocean currents sweep coral larvae across the Indian and Pacific Oceans to replenish other reef ecosystems. Raja Ampat’s coral diversity, resilience, and ability to replenish reefs make it a global priority for marine protection. Raja Ampat’s total number of confirmed corals to 537 species (a remarkable 96% of all scleratinia recorded from Indonesia are likely to occur in these islands), and 699 mollusks species, the variety of marine life is staggering. Some areas boast enormous schools of fish and regular sightings of sharks, such as wobbegongs. In Mansuar, it’s highly likely you’ll encounter large groups of manta rays and turtles. From the boat and often close to shore you may get the chance to done your snorkeling gear for some unforgettable interaction with resident pods of dolphins or even some passing whales. On land, the survey found lush forests, rare plants, limestone outcroppings, and nest­ing beaches for thousands of sea turtles.
Tourist Office:
The Nature Conservancy Raja Ampat Field Office
Jl. Gunung Merapi No. 38 Sorong Papua, Indonesia. Phone/Fax: +62-951-323437
Anton Suebu, Papua Bird’s Head Marine Portfolio Manager, asuebu@tnc.org