Tropical Island Vacation in Manokwari bay

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Tropical island of New Guinea has long been considered as one of the best vacation destinations in Indonesia or even in the world. There are a lot of places in this largest tropical island in the world which travelers can visit. One of them is the Dorey bay of Manokwari or simply called Manokwari bay. There are three small islands inside the bay. They are Mansinam, Lemon and Raimuti. The biggest is Mansinam whereas the smallest is Raimuti. As travel destinations, these islands have a number of interesting places which tourists can visit.

Mansinam island

On land, tropical rainforest still covers most part of the island. Tourists can do bird and butterfly watching particularly in areas behind (south eastern part) of the Mansinam. The rainforest of Mansinam island is home to exotic beetles and butterflies. he southern region of Mansinam is also a nice place for snorkeling. Coral reef that surrounds the island is home to thousands of species of tropical fish that have nice looking colors. Snorkeling in Mansinam island can be done in the morning between 8.30 a.m. to 11 a.m. and in the afternoon between 3.30 p.m. to 6 p.m. just before the sunset. In the mid-days, the temperature is quite high. If you still want to swim, don't forget to apply sun-block lotion on your skin. Every year, pilgrims from every corner of West Papua gather in this island to commemorate Gospel landing day. On 5 February 1855, three European evangelists (C.W. Ottow and his wife, and Geissler) landed on this island to spread Christianity among the indigenous people.

Lemon island.

Raimuti Island

Most of the city dwellers in Manokwari do not know about the island. It is located in Arfai area which is a little bit outside of the town. Raimuti is a coral island that I have promoted as snorkeling destination since 2010. Coral reef that thrive in the waters around Raimuti play important roles in providing food for coastal communities that live not far from the island. The number of fish in the coral reef is high because of the existence of mangrove trees that grow along the shore of Arfai beach.  I often bring tourists to snorkel over the coral reef that thrive in its surrounding waters. Because there is no diving shop or diving center in Manokwari, I suggest that tourists buy their own snorkeling gear in their own countries before flying to Manokwari city.

Birdwatching Tour

A lot of tourists who fly to Manokwari often ask me whether I can provide birdwatching tour package for them. As a matter of fact I frequently guide tourists to Arfak mountains for a few days trekking and bird watching trips. In Arfak mountains, travelers can have the opportunity to watch the magnificent birds of paradise, spotted cat bird or cinnamon dove and various other species that are endemic to New Guinea rainforest. Birdwing butterflies (such as the Ornithoptera Priamus) can also be watched flying among the flowers and vines of the forest in the mountains especially when the weather is good.

How to get to Manokwari city - see the map

As the capital of West Papua province in the Republic of Indonesia, Manokwari has can easily be reached by aeroplanes or passenger ships that serve the Indonesian archipelago. If you want to visit Manokwari, just fly to some of the big cities in Indonesia such as Jakarta, Denpasar or Makassar. After that, take a domestic flight to Manokwari city by Batavia Air, Express Air or Sriwijaya Air. Don't forget to visit the official websites of the respective airlines to check for the flight schedules which they have for Manokwari.

Accommodation

Most eco-tourists stay in Losmen Kagum. However if you want to stay in upper class hotels, I recommend you to stay in Swiss-Belhotel. I can reserve the room for you. Just contact me at charlesroring@gmail.com for that purpose.

For more information about traveling in Manokwari check this webpage: Manokwari Travel Guide