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Snorkeling and Birdwatching in Manokwari regency and Numfor island of Indonesia
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Two tourists from Finland have just visited
Manokwari. I guided them first to
Numfor island which is only a twenty minute flight from Manokwari for snorkeling
and birdwatching and then back to Manokwari for birdwatching in Arfak mountains.
Between June and September, usually, strong wind blows from the south. When we
were in Numfor island, we went to Manim - a small islet just an hour boat ride
from Warido village.
Because
the waves were bigger than usual, our trip to the islet became 2 hours. Coral
reef in Manim was really beautiful. There were various species of coral fish
such as butterfly fish, eel, parrot fish and damsels.
The weather was good when we were
snorkeling off the shore of the tiny island. I liked it very much. Marko and
Rita, the two Finish tourists took a lot of underwater pictures of the fish, the
corals, and themselves using a pocket camera that has been covered with a
flexible water housing manufactured by a Korean company, Dicapac.com.
We were in Numfor from 30 June to the morning time of 4 July. We also did some
birdwatching trips in Numfor particularly in the big bay and in the forest near
Yemburwo village. When we were in a village of the big bay, I saw some parrots
that were being kept in a wooden cage by a villager. They caught the birds to be
sold in Manokwari city. I expect that this eco-tourism program which I develop
for Numfor island can create jobs among the local Papuan people so that they
will not be tempted to do the bird's trading. After that we flew
back to Manokwari city to continue our birdwatching trip to Arfak mountains.
Before traveling to Arfak mountains, we had to buy food at a supermarket and
traditional market.
On 5 July by a rented WD car Toyota Hilux G series, we left Manokwari city - the
capital of West Papua province of Indonesia for Arfak mountains. The mountains
have slopes that were really demanding for travelers. The rainforest of Arfak
mountains is home to various romantic birds such as the bower bird, the western
parotia, the magnificent birds of paradise and the lesser birds of paradise.
During their trip to Arfak mountains, these Finish tourists who live in Lovina,
were able to see the bowerbird, the magnificent birds of paradise, the western
parotia, the cinnamon dove and various other birds. Unfortunately they could not
see the lesser birds of paradise. Long lens camera was needed for taking
pictures of birds that were dancing in their natural habitat. Because the bird
watching huts (blinds) were only less than ten meters away from playing grounds
of the birds, the Finish tourists had to set their devices to silent mode. I saw
Marko was using an SLR camera with 200 mm lens. We return to Manokwari city on 8
July 2011. It was a tiring journey but it was really nice. Marko and Rita flew
to Jakarta by Batavia Air the next day. I think they are now flying back to
Finland. by Charles Roring - a tourist guide in Manokwari.
Also read: Snorkeling Tour Package in Manokwari bay
PS: If you are interested in traveling to Manokwari regency of the Republic of Indonesia and need a tourist guide, you can contact me via my email: peace4wp@gmail.com or charlesroring@gmail.com. For more stories of traveling in Manokwari regency of West Papua, please visit my blog: http://manokwaripapua.blogspot.com
