Travel Destination

West Papua

Papua Provice (Irian Jaya, former Dutch New Guinea) is a hot, humid island rising from the sea with some of the most impenetrable jungles in the world and yet also has snow caps covering 5,000meter - high mountain peaks, towering over glacier lakes.

Papua islands Indonesia's largest and easternmost province and covers the western half of the world's second largest island. It is a land of exceptional natural grandeur, with beautiful scenic beaches, immense stretches of marshlands, cool grassy meadows and powerful rivers carving gorges and tunnels through dark and dense primeval forests. The most heavily populated and cultivated parts of the island are the Paniai Lakes district and the Baliem Valley to the east.

The people of the island can be divided into more than 250 subgroup,which are closely related to the islands along the southern rim of the Pacific and include among others, the Marindanim, Yah'ray, Asmat,Mandobo, Dani and Afyat. Those in the central highlands still maintain their customs and traditions and because of the terrain have virtually been untouched by outside influences. Communications hove always been difficult here and different tribes have lived, for the most part, in isolation even of each other, resulting in an incredibly diverse mixture of cultures.

The flatter coastal regions of Irian Jaya, however, were visited as early as the 7th century by traders from Sriwijaya. European traders began arriving in the early 16 th century, looking or spices and have left historical footprints in the area with names such as Bougainville, Cape d'Urville and the Torres Straits, named after Luis Baez de Torres, a Spanish navigator from the early 17th. It was the Dutch who made the most lasting impact on the island, who in 1828, formally made Irian a Dutch Territory which was not released until 1962.

The Provincial capital of Jayapura is built on hills which slope down to the sea and is accessible by boat and place. It was here that General MacArthur assembled his fleet for the invasion of the Philippines during the Second World War.Regular flights to other major parts of the archipelago are available with Garuda and Merpati Nusantara Airlines

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Biak
Biak, a town built on the rocky soil of an island of the same name on the rim of Cenderawasih Bay, is Irian Jaya's gateway. A big Indonesian naval base, it has an infrastructure that is better than in most other places in the province. Japanese caves are found near Ambroben. There are some good beaches on Biak island, the most popular of which are Bosnik on the east coast, which is good swimming and sky-diving, and Korem on the north coast, where one can watch young men dive for pearls. Supiori Island, just north of Biak, has a recreation forest and villages where visitors are welcome.

The Asmat
The Asmat The Asmat people who live along the remote southeast coast around Agats are famed for their artistic "primitive" woodcarving. Modern civilization did not reach this area until recently. Agats has an interesting museum filled with woodcarvings and other objects. The area, however is still largely untamed widerness. Asmat crahs received a boost in the late 1960s under a United Nations supported project to encourage local craftsmen to keep alive their art.

Jayapura
Jayapura is the capital and the biggest city of this easternmost province. It is a neat and pleasant city, built on the slope af a hill overlooking the bay. General Douglas Mc Arthur's World War II quarters still stand here. The Museum Jayapura is located inside the Cenderawasih University campus.Tanjung Ria Beach, known as base G by the Allies during World War II, is a popular holiday resort with facilities for water sports. From Skyline in the hills behind the city, one gets a beautiful view of Jayapura, Jotefa and Humboldt bays and the lake Sentani area.

Lake Sentani
There is a settlement on the shore of this lake not far from Jayapura where one can observe local traditions as they are practiced in the daily lives of the people. The short trip from Jayapura, pleasant as it is, offers a little foretaste of the province's magnificent sceneries.

The Skyline Hills
Tanjung Ria Beach, known as base G by the Allies during World War II, is a popular holiday resort with facilities for water sports. From Skyline in the hills behind the city, one gets a beautiful view of Jayapura, Jotefa and Humboldt bays and the lake Sentani area.Places in the vicinity of Jayapura such as Skyline and Lake Sentani can be reached by taking a minibus. Biak has air and sea links with Jayapura. Sorong, is also served by air fromJayapura. Other destinations are reached by car or boat, or by light aircraft

Kasuarina Cape
Named aher the big casuarina trees which grow in the area Kasuarina Cape is just two kilometers from Sorong town on the Bird's Head peninsula of northern Irian Jaya. Good for swim ming and recreation.

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