Papua has two province, Papua Province and West Papua Province.Papua (Irian Jaya) is a tropical island with primeval rain forests, powerful rivers, beautiful beaches, lakes, and mountains. The highest mountain is Mount Jayawijaya, with snow caps covering its 5,000-meter-high peaks. The area is also rich in natural resources, including fish, timber, and precious metals.
A vital tropical rainforest with the tallest tropical trees and vast biodiversity, Papua's known forest fauna includes marsupials (including possums, wallabies, tree-kangaroos, cuscuses), other mammals (including the endangered Long-beaked Echidna), many bird species (including birds of paradise, cassowaries, parrots, cockatoos), the world's longest lizards (Papua monitor) and the world's largest butterflies. The island has an estimated 16,000 species of plant, 124 genera of which are endemic.
The extensive waterways and wetlands of Papua are also home to salt and freshwater crocodile, tree monitor, flying foxes, osprey, bats and other animals; while the equatorial glacier fields remain largely unexplored.
In February 2006, a team of scientists exploring the Foja Mountains, Sarmi, discovered numerous new species of birds, butterflies, amphibians, and plants, including a species of rhododendron, which may have the largest bloom of the genus. Ecological threats include logging-induced deforestation, forest conversion for plantation agriculture (especially oil palm), small holder agricultural conversion, the introduction and potential spread of non-native alien species such as the Crab-eating Macaque, which preys on and competes with indigenous species, the illegal species trade, and water pollution from oil and mining operations.
In Papua, There is Species of rare animals and rare plants in the forests of Papua is Mallomy giant rat and a pygmy possum Cercartetus and kinds of orchids.
Picture of Mallomy giant rat
kinds of orchids
Tourism In Papua, Indonesia
- Papua Province
> Lorentz National Park / The Jayawijaya Mountain
The Park can be divided into two very distinct zones: the swampy lowlands and the high mountain area of the central cordillera.
The Carstenz or Jaya Peak section of the Jayawijaya Mountain Range still retains small ice caps. It is one of only three equatorial highlands (Sierra Nevada region in the Andes, and Mt. Kenya, Kilimanjaro, Ruwenzori in E.Africa) that is ufficiently high altitude to retain permanent ice, but note that Lorentz glaciers are receding rapidly.
Picture of Lorentz National Park / The Jayawijaya Mountain> Baliem Valley
The Valley remains one of the last places on the face of the Earth where people continue living in semi-Neolithic circumstances. Upon the spectacular approach by air, the tourists will notice the total isolation of the area. Sealed of the rest of the world by mighty mountain walls and without any roads leading from the coast to the inner region, the Valley keeps its own secrets.
Jayawijaya Peak, a roaring mountain is permanently covered with snow, despite its location on the equator.
The Baliem Valley remains one of the most fascinating places on the planet, where man may confront it its prehistoric past. But even in the remotest of area. Civilization is seeping through and will not be kept at bay. Maybe the time is right to visit the wild beauty of the Baliem Valley and its remarkable people.
Track to Baliem Valley
a. Jayapura City
> Tanjung Ria beach
Jayapura is the largest city, boasting a small but active tourism industry; it is built on a slope overlooking the bay. Location is near the market at Hamadi (site of the 22 April 1944 Allied invasion during World War II) and the site of General Doughlas MacArthur's World War II headquarters at Mount Ifar have monuments commemorating the events.
Picture of Tanjung Ria beach
> Sentani Lake
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 people daily lives. The short trip from Jayapura, pleasant as it is, offers a little foretaste of the province's magnificent sceneries.
Picture of Sentani Lake
> The Skyline Hills
Tanjung Ria Beach, known as base G by the Allies during World War II, is a popular holiday resort with water sports facilities. From Skyline in the hills behind the city, one gets a beautiful view of Jayapura, Jotefa and Humboldt bays and Sentani lake area.
Picture of The Skyline Hills
b. Biak
> Japanese Cave
The native of Biak called this cave 'Abiyau Binzar'. Abiyau means cave and Binzar means grandmother. It is said that in the old times there was a grandmother living in this cave. During the second world war the Japanese army hid in this cave which simultaneously functioned as logistic centre
> Parai Blue River
A cave with a river running inside contains fresh aquamarine water. Beautiful stalactite and stalagmite decorate the inside walls
c. Merauke
> Wasur National Park
This park has various kinds of flora and fauna which part of them never found elsewhere in the world. Wasur National Park is suitable for various kinds of activities like bird watching, wild life and nature, adventure, culture and traditional hunting. One other thing strange but interesting is the sporadic designed house which is called termite mounds. It arises to the universe fascinatingly as if the earth flowered huge sponges.
Picture of Wasur National Park
> Lampu Satu Beach
It is well known with its solid soft sand that stretches lenghthwise directly across the Pacific Ocean. This beach is very beautiful especially during the sunset. It is very suitable for bird watching, horse racing and motor cycle racing
Picture of Lampu Satu Beach
- West Papua Province
> Kasuarina Cape
Named of the big casuarinas trees, which grow in that area. Casuarinas Cape is just two kilometers from Sorong town on the Bird's Head peninsula of northern Irian Jaya. Good for swimming and recreation.
> Teluk Cendrawasih National Park
This National Park stretches from the eastern of Kwatisore Peninsula to the north of Rumberpon Island with coastline length of 500 km, the land area reaches of 68,200 ha, while the sea area 1,385,300 hectares consist of 80,000 hectares of coral reef area and 12,400 ha of sea.
> RAJA AMPAT
The Raja Ampat, or “Four Kings,” archipelago encompasses more than 9.8 million acres of land and sea off the northwestern tip of Indonesia’s West Papua Province. Located in the Coral Triangle, the heart of the world’s coral reef biodiversity, the seas around Raja Ampat possibly hold the richest variety of species in the world.
Boasting the highest marine diversity on the planet, beautiful topside scenery and awesome underwater topography diving Raja Ampat is as close as you can get to underwater heaven.
To stand on the bow of your liveaboard boat as it cuts through the clear water towards verdant islands, inhabited by people whose lives are so different to your own, really creates that frontier diving kind of feeling.
Apart from the reefs, this area also has some of the most stunning top-side views in the world; lime stone islands that reminds you of, but are even more dramatic than, the famous Rock Islands of Palau; big cathedral-like caves inside the islands; quiet lagoons with crystal white sand and water in every shade of blue and green; bird life such as the Birds of Paradise that brought Alfred Russel Wallace to this region over a century ago; the most stunning sunsets you'll ever see; and - almost no tourists...
Rock paintings found in caves in Misool and in on the west coast of the Birds Head, as well as bronze artifacts, show that trade with other parts of Asia was already established 2 - 3 000 years ago.
Picture of Raja Ampat on water
Picture of Raja Ampat under water
Map of Dive Site in Raja AmpatAccomodation of Raja Ampat
stay in ship
stay in cottage
PT. Nebula Abadi (Geo Tour and Travel)
Gedung Maya Indah Lt.2
Jl. Kramat Raya No. 5A Jakarta Pusat 10450
Indonesia
Phone.(021) 3155278, (021) 314 2660, (021) 71502952
Fax.(021)3909287
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