Accsess to Triton Bay is via Kaimana. Wings Air (www.lionair.co.id) connects Kaimana with Jayapura and Manokwari.
Around Manokwari
The mountains, jungles, coasts and islands around Manokwari are great for off-the-beaten-track adventures in nature. Best known for their birds of paradise and other exotic species are the mountains of the Pegunungan Arfak. The offshore islands and waters, the lowland forests and the exciting but little-known Senopi area, 130km west (reachable by a five-hour drive or via Susi Air flights to Kebar), are also ripe for exploring. Senopi village has the unexpectedly good Senopi Guesthouse (d incl full board 350,000Rp), and Aiwatar hill, a day’s walk away, attracts thousands of birds every morning to its warm saltwater springs and coastal vegetation (40km from the sea). A guide can help you get the best out of the region.
2Activities
oCharles RoringHIKING, BIRDWATCHING
(%0813 3224 5180; www.manokwaripapua.blogspot.com)S
An enthusiastic guide who seeks out exciting natural destinations, Charles offers hiking, camping, birding, nature and snorkelling trips all over the Manokwari region and as far as Triton Bay (Teluk Triton) south of Kaimana. Browse his websites (goldmines of information) for ideas. His guiding fee is usually between 350,000Rp and 500,000Rp per day, depending on group size and destination.
Arfak Paradigalla ToursBIRDWATCHING, HIKING
(%0812 4809 2764; [email protected])S
This effusive, one-man, English- and Dutch-speaking outfit offers city tours as well as Arfak trips. Yoris Wanggai is very knowledgeable about the area’s birds, plants and insects. He charges around 800,000Rp per day for overnight trips, not including transport, accommodation or food.
Pegunungan Arfak
The thickly forested Arfak mountains, rising to more than 2800m south of Manokwari, are a region of beautiful tropical scenery, exotic wildlife (especially birds) and a mostly indigenous Papuan population (the Hatam and other peoples), some of whom still inhabit traditional ‘thousand-leg’ stilt houses. The first and one of the biggest Papuan revolts against Indonesian rule happened here from 1965 to 1968.
The best-known birdwatching base is Mokwam, a collection of small villages a few kilometres down a side road about 50km from Manokwari, before Minyambou. There’s accommodation for tourists in two of the villages, Syobri and Kwau.
In Syobri ask for Zeth Wonggor (%0852 5405 3754), a highly experienced guide who has worked here with, among others, Sir David Attenborough. He has forest hides for viewing the magnificent bird of paradise, Western parotia and Arfak astrapia (also birds of paradise), the Vogelkop bowerbird and other exotic feathery species. February and March are best for observing spectacular, iridescent birdwing butterflies with wingspans of up to 25cm. Zeth has tourist accommodation (per person 100,000Rp) in a well-built wooden house. He charges 500,000Rp per day for guiding.
In Kwau village Hans Mandacan (%081 344 214965) runs a similar kind of show. The very comfortable guesthouse (100,000Rp) here is surrounded by flowers and is only a five-minute walk from the nearest bird hides. Hans charges 175,000/350,000Rp per half-day/day for guiding.
You can get a 4WD double-cabin pickup to Mokwam (150,000Rp, 1½ hours) from around 7am, 100m along the street past Manokwari’s Terminal Wosi. Talk to drivers the day before, or get to the stop in good time, if you don’t want to end up chartering a whole vehicle for 1,200,000Rp (one way).
OFF THE BEATEN TRACK
BIRDING IN MUPI GUNUNG
Perhaps the best birding area around Manokwari, and one that so far remains very unexplored, is Mupi Gunung, south of Manokwari. The birding here is rumoured to be superb, but at the time of research only a handful of tourists had ever visited. To get there, head to the coastal village of Mupi, after which it’s a six-hour hike through forest. Currently this is one excursion for which you really will need local help. Charles Roring in Manokwari can organise visits.
Northern Papua
Papua province’s capital, Jayapura, and its airport town Sentani, are hubs of Papuan travel, and there’s a scattering of appealing things to see and do in and around these towns. Further west, Biak is a relaxed offshore island that’s good for a spot of lazing on a beach, snorkelling and diving, and has evocative WWII sites to investigate. Nabire is the starting point for trips to swim with whale sharks.
Jayapura
%0967 / Pop 316,000
Downtown Jayapura is hot and busy with traffic, but it has a beautiful setting between steep, forested hills opening onto Teluk Imbi as well as a certain decrepit tropical air that some find appealing.
A small settlement named Hollandia was established here by the Dutch in 1910. In 1944, 80,000 Allied troops landed here to dislodge the Japanese in the largest amphibious operation of WWII in the southwestern Pacific. After WWII, Hollandia became capital of Dutch New Guinea. Following the Indonesian takeover in 1963, it was renamed Jayapura (‘Victory City’) in 1968. A public consultation exercise in 2010 favoured changing the name to Port Numbay, a name popular with indigenous Papuans, but this has yet to be officially ratified.
The city stretches 6km northeast from its centre, and its conurbation includes the formerly separate towns of Argapura, Hamadi, Entrop, Abepura and Waena, all south of Jayapura proper. Cenderawasih University at Abepura is a particular focus of Papuan nationalism.
Jayapura
4Sleeping
1Hotel Grand ViewD1
2Hotel YasminB2
3Swiss-BelhotelD1
5Eating
4Duta CafeC1
5Resto & Cafe Rumah LautC3
6Waroeng PojokB1
1Sights
Museum Loka BudayaMUSEUM
( GOOGLE MAP ; Jl Abepura, Abepura; admission 25,000Rp; h7.30am-4pm Mon-Fri)
Cenderawasih University’s cultural museum contains a fascinating range of Papuan artefacts including the best collection of Asmat carvings and ‘devil-dance’ costumes outside Agats, plus fine crafts from several other areas, historical photos and musical instruments. There’s also a collection of stuffed Papuan fauna, which includes a number of birds of paradise. The museum is next to the large Auditorium Universitas Cenderawasih on the main road in Abepura.
Pantai Base GBEACH
Base G beach is nearly 3km long, sandy, clean and lined with wooden picnic platforms. The best beach easily accessible from Jayapura, it is usually near-empty, except on Sunday when locals come in droves for a bathe and a walk. Beware the many rocks in the water. Base G was the American forces’ administrative HQ in 1944.
Frequent ‘Base G’ taksi (4000Rp) start from Jl Sam Ratulangi for the 5km trip; the beach is a 10-minute walk downhill from the last stop.
4Sleeping
Amabel HotelHOTEL$
( GOOGLE MAP ; %0967-522102; Jl Tugu 100; s/tw/d 253,000/297,000/363,000Rp; aW)
Easily the best budget option, the Amabel has neat little rooms with windows and its own inexpensive restaurant. It’s up a small, leafy side street, a block before the Mal Jayapura (shopping mall).
Hotel Grand ViewHOTEL$$
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0967-550646; Jl Pasifik Permai 5; r incl breakfast 450,000-750,000Rp; aW)
A very good deal. This place has plain but bright, modern, no-frills rooms, half of which peer directly out over the waters of the bay. The downstairs cafe-restaurant is a delightfully cheery strawberry red.
Hotel YasminHOTEL$$$
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0967-533222; www.yasminjayapura.com; Jl Percetakan 8; s 700,000-1,100,000Rp, d 750,000-1,150,000Rp; aW)
A quite classy place with well-equipped but small rooms, and a 24-hour restaurant. Some of the cheapest rooms lack windows and are dark, but head up a price band and you get smart, spacious and great-value rooms.
Swiss-BelhotelBUSINESS HOTEL$$$
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0967-551888; www.swiss-belhotel.com; Jl Pasifik Permai; r incl breakfast from 988,000Rp; aWs)
There’s nothing very Papuan about it, but the Swiss-Bel provides high-quality, European-style comfort in a har
bourside location and it has a good open-air pool. Check the website for discounts, especially at weekends.
5Eating
oDuta CafeSEAFOOD$$
(Duta Dji Cafe; MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Jl Pasifik Permai; vegetable dishes 15,000-25,000Rp, whole fish 50,000-80,000Rp; h5pm-2am)
Long lines of evening warungs open along Jl Pasifik Permai, cooking up all sorts of Indonesian goodies, including seafood galore. At the large, clean Duta Cafe, halfway along the street, an excellent ikan bakar (grilled fish) comes with several sambals (chilli sauces) lined up on your table, and the juice drinks go down very nicely.
Don’t confuse this place with another Duta Cafe further along near the Swiss-Belhotel.
Waroeng PojokINDONESIAN$
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Mal Jayapura; mains 35,000-40,000Rp; h7am-10pm)
Part of a small national chain of cool, comfy, air-con restaurants serving classic Javanese cuisine and frothy milkshakes and juices. It makes a delicious change from the endless oily nasi goreng of small-town Papua or the sweet potatoes of the mountains. It’s on the 2nd floor of the Mal Jayapura (shopping mall).
Resto & Cafe Rumah LautINDONESIAN, SEAFOOD$$
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0967-537673; Jl Koti; mains 40,000-80,000Rp; h8am-10pm)
This upmarket place, built on stilts above the waters of Jayapura bay, is where locals come when they want to impress. The wide-ranging menu takes in Indonesian classics, a few Chinese options, and fish. Lots of fish. If you’re not eating, at least come for a fruit juice.
8Information
Bank MandiriBANK
( GOOGLE MAP ; Jl Yani 35; h8am-3pm Mon-Fri)
You can exchange US$100 notes here, and there’s an ATM.
BCA BankBANK
( GOOGLE MAP ; Blok C, Ruko, Jl Pasifik Permai; h8am-3pm Mon-Fri)
Exchanges cash US dollars, euros and British pounds, with no minimum.
Immigration OfficeIMMIGRATION
( GOOGLE MAP ; %0967-533647; Jl Percetakan 15; h8am-4pm Mon-Fri)
This office will issue one 30-day extension to a visa on arrival (VOA): apply at least one week before your visa expires. Travellers with VOAs must come here for a (free) exit stamp before crossing the land border to Vanimo, Papua New Guinea.
PolrestaPOLICE
(Polda; GOOGLE MAP ; Jl Yani 11; h9am-3pm Mon-Fri)
Police elsewhere in Papua will often only issue a surat jalan for their own regencies, but here you can get one for everywhere you want to go in Papua (that’s not off limits). They do tend to request a donation for ‘administrative costs’, however. Processing normally takes about one hour.
PT Kuwera JayaTRAVEL AGENCY
( GOOGLE MAP ; %0967-533333; Jl Percetakan 96; h8am-9pm Mon-Sat, 10am-9pm Sun)
This efficient travel agency sells tickets for flights and Pelni boats from Jayapura, and also some flights from other Papuan cities.
8Getting There & Away
Air
Jayapura airport (%0967-591809), actually located at Sentani, 36km west, is the hub of Papuan aviation. Most flights arrive and depart between 7am and 1pm. Tickets are available at travel agencies and at the airport and Jayapura offices of the airlines.
GarudaAIRLINE
( GOOGLE MAP ; www.garuda-indonesia.com; Blok G 11-12, Jl Pasifik Permai)
Sriwijaya AirAIRLINE
( GOOGLE MAP ; www.sriwijayaair.co.id; Blok A 2, Jl Pasifik Permai)
TriganaAIRLINE
( GOOGLE MAP ; %0967-535666; www.trigana-air.com; Blok B 12B, Jl Pasifik Permai)
Xpress AirAIRLINE
( GOOGLE MAP ; www.xpressair.co.id; Jl Pasifik Permai)
Boat
Six Pelni liners leave from Jayapura in every two-week period, sailing to some 20 ports in Papua, Maluku, Sulawesi, Kalimantan and Java.
The port ( GOOGLE MAP ; Jl Koti) is accessible by any taksi heading to Hamadi or Entrop. Pelni tickets are available there or at travel agencies including PT Kuwera Jaya.
Perintis boats also head along the coast as far as Manokwari, putting in at smaller ports en route and even heading to villages up rivers such as the Mamberamo. They normally leave from the APO port ( GOOGLE MAP ; Jl Sam Ratulangi) and typically take a week to get to Manokwari. Finding out about schedules will be a challenge! Bring food and drinks.
TRANSPORT FROM JAYAPURA
AIR
Destination Airline Frequency
Biak Garuda, Sriwijaya Air daily
Denpasar Garuda (via Timika) daily
Jakarta Garuda, Lion Air, Batik Air, Sriwijaya Air daily
Kaimana Wings Air daily
Makassar Garuda, Batik Air, Lion Air, Sriwijaya Air daily
Manado Lion Air (via Sorong), Sriwijaya Air (via Timika daily
Manokawri Garuda, Sriwijaya Air daily
Merauke Garuda, Lion Air, Sriwijaya Air daily
Nabire Wings Air, Trigana weekly
Sorong Garuda, Lion Air daily
Wamena Trigana, Wings Air, Xpress Air daily
BOAT
Destination Fare (Rp; economy class) Duration Frequency (per 2 weeks)
Ambon 405,000 2½-4 days 3
Banda 395,000 3½ days 1
Biak 173,500 17-25hr 3
Makassar 720,000 4-5 days 5
Manokwari 245,000/ 1-2 days 5
Nabire 225,000 15-32hr 3
Sorong 325,000 1½-2½ days 6
8Getting Around
Official airport taxis from the airport at Sentani to central Jayapura cost a hefty 450,000Rp. If you organise a taxi yourself without going through the taxi booths, they will quote you the same fare but with bargaining will drop as low as 300,000Rp.
Going by public taksi from Sentani to Jayapura involves three changes and takes about 1½ hours if the traffic is on your side. Fortunately, each change is just a hop into another vehicle waiting at the same stop. Start with one from Sentani (outside the airport gate or heading to the right along the main road 400m straight ahead) to Waena (4000Rp, 20 to 30 minutes). Then it’s Waena to Abepura (3000Rp, 10 minutes), Abepura to Entrop (3000Rp, 20 minutes) and Entrop to Jayapura (2500Rp, 20 minutes). Heading back from Jayapura, go through the same routine in reverse. You can pick up Entrop-bound taksi on Jl Percetakan or at Terminal Mesran ( GOOGLE MAP ; Jl Koti).
TRAVELLING BETWEEN PAPUA & PNG
There are no flights between Papua (Indonesia) and Papua New Guinea (PNG), and the only land border crossing that is open to foreigners is at Skouw (opposite Wutung, PNG), 55km east of Jayapura and 40km west of Vanimo, PNG. This border suffers occasional temporary closures, usually due to political tensions.
To cross the land border in either direction, you need a visa beforehand. It’s best to get visas in advance at Indonesian or PNG embassies elsewhere. The PNG consulate at Jayapura ( GOOGLE MAP ; %0967-531250; Blok 6 & 7, Ruko Matoa, Jl Kelapa Dua, Entrop; h9am-noon & 1-2pm Mon-Fri) issues 60-day tourist visas. If you turn up early enough in the morning then you might get it the same day. To apply, you must submit an application form; a cover letter stating where you want to go in PNG and why; a photocopy of a confirmed onward air ticket; a photocopy of your passport; and two colour photos (4cm by 6cm), with your signature on the back. Regulations and practices at both consulates change from time to time and you might also be asked to supply a sponsor’s or invitation letter from PNG (if this is impossible, explain why in your letter of request). The Jayapura consulate is next to Hotel Le Premiere, 600m east of the Entrop taksi terminal.
Note that if you are in Indonesia with a visa on arrival (VOA), you must get an exit stamp at Jayapura’s immigration office before travelling to the border to cross to PNG.
Buses and vans link Vanimo’s market area with the border. Between the border and Jayapura or Sentani you usually need to charter a taksi for 250,000Rp to 400,000Rp; the trip takes about two hours.
Sentani
%0967 / Pop 48,000
Sentani, the growing airport town 36km west of Jayapura, sits between the forested Pegunungan Cyclop and beautiful Danau Sentani.
Festival Danau SentaniCULTURAL
(happrox 18-25 Jun)
The Lake Sentani Festival, inaugurated in 2008, features spectacular traditional dances and chanting as well as boat events, music, crafts and hair braiding. It’s very popular with locals and lately has taken place at Kalkhote, on the lakeside 8km east of Sentani town.
4Sleeping
Rasen HotelHOTEL$$
( GOOGLE MAP ; %0967-594455; [email protected]; Jl Penerangan; s/d incl breakfast 250,000/350,000-400,000Rp; aW)
The best choice near the airport, the Rasen has small, clean rooms with hot showers and TVs, plus a decent restaurant, free airport drop-offs and even a small fish pond. Unsurprisingly it fills up, so try to call ahead. Some staff speak English.
oGrand Allison HotelBUSINESS HOTEL$$$
( GOOGLE MAP ; %0967-592210; www.grandallisonsentani.com; Jl Raya Kemiri 282; r incl breakfast from 1,680,000Rp; aWs)
Lonely Planet Indonesia Page 90