|
West Papua
Indonesia
West Papua - formerly known as
Irian Jaya is attached to Papua New Guinea a sovereign state. The whole
island of New Guinea spans 2400 Kilometers with the division at longitude
141 degrees. West Papua covers 421,981 Km2. Majority of West Papua topology
is mountainous so traveling around can be difficult.
The largest mountain in West Papua is Puncak Jaya, 4884m, part of the
Sudirman Mountain Range. Puncak Jaya, meaning victory peak is listed as
number 5 of the 7 summits mountain climbers want to climb. It is also
regarded as the most difficult.
West Papua has 3 National Parks. The largest is Lorentz National Park
covering an area of 25,050km2 which is located close to the south coast
close to Agats, Teluk Cenderawasih National Park 14,535km2 close to
Manokwari and Wasur National Park 4138km2 which is located in the south
close to the border with Pupua New Guinea.
West Papua has the richest concentration of plant life in all of Indonesia
and perhaps the world. Scientists estimate there are over 16,000 species of
plants including hundreds of species that are of medicinal importance.
Biologists have identified 643 species of birds, including the Victoria
crowned pigeon (the world's largest pigeon), the beautiful birds of
paradise, and the large, flightless cassowary. The fauna of West Papua is
considered part of the Australian fauna province due to the existence of
marsupials and monotremes similar to that found in Australia. During the ice
age there was a land bridge connecting Australia with New Guinea resulting
in the sharing of animal species.
The population of West Papua is over 800,000 people making it the least
densely populated region of Indonesia. There is a diverse range of ethnicity
within West Papua with an estimated 250 different dialects spoken.
Snorkeling and Scuba Diving in West Papua
Around Triton Bay near Kaimana, off the Raja Ampat Islands, and around the
islands of Cendrawasih Bay are some of the finest and least disturbed coral
reefs in the world. These coral reefs support over 3000 species of fish,
some of the most diverse in the world, great for snorkeling and scuba
diving.
There are around 610 islands within the Raja Ampat and the reefs around
these island support a diverse variety of both soft and hard coral. To reach
the Raja Ampat Islands you need to first travel to Sorong in the far west of
West Papua. Around these islands there is the Raja Ampat Marine Reserve, the
Batanta Island Reserve and the N. Salawati Island Reserve offering great
snorkeling and scuba diving. Entry into the Raja Ampat Marine Reserve is
500,000Rp (around US$45).
Within Cendrawasih Bay lies the Cendrawasih Marine Reserve and further south
from this location is the Pegunungan Wondiwai Wandamen Reserve. To reach
here you'll need to catch a bus south from Manokwari.
Several of the larger islands off the coast of West Papua also have Marine
Reserves. Biak Island to the north has Supiori Island Reserve and Northern
Biak Reserve. Baun Island to the south of West Papua has the Baun Island
Reserve and Aru Tenggara Marine Reserve though this island is harder to get
to.
Golf Courses in West Papua
Klub Golf Rimba Irian Course is an 18 hole, par 72, 6240m golf course, one
of the remote championship golf courses in the world. Located at the
foothills of Puncak Jaya Mountain.
The capital city of West Papua is called Manokwari.
How To Getting to West Papua
There are airports in Sorong, Fakfak, Manokwari, Jayapura, Wamena, Merauke,
Agats, Tanika in West Papua.
There are no international flights into West Papua so you will need to get
there from Jakarta or Surabaya.
There are domestic flights from Manokwari's Rendani Airport to Surabaya,
Jakarta as well to the other cities in West Papua Sorong and Ujung Pandang.
Pelni ships have ferries to go to Manokwari from Makassar and also ferries
that go to Jayapura from Ambon, Fak-Fak and Bau-Bau. www.pelni.com
Airlines that service West Papua
Merpati Nusantara Airlines www.merpati.co.id
Batavia Air have direct flights between Manokwari and Balikpapan, Jakarta,
Jayapura and Ujung Pandang. www.batavia-air.co.id
Lion Air have flights in to Sorong and Jayapura. www.lionair.co.id
Kartika Airlines have direct flights from Sorong to Ambon and Cengkerang
www.kartika-airlines.com
Pelita Air have direct flights from Sorong and Manokwari to Makassar. Pelita
Air also have helicopters for charter. www.pelita-air.com
|
