West Papua is a province located in the easternmost area of Indonesia. It is well-known for its stunning landscapes and natural wealth. Moreover, cultures and traditions are still maintained by the local people, making West Papua more interesting to visit.
The province already has some popular tourism assets and destinations. You can mentioned the heaven-like Raja Ampat as an example. Of course, it is not the only one. When in this province, you can still enjoy some more attractions that are probably less popular but really stunning. Here are some of them.
Panial Lake
Panial Lake is said to be the most beautiful lake in West Papua. Yes, the lake is surrounded by green hills and mountains that are contrasting with the blue water. The lake is wide enough, it is around 14,500 hectares. Local people work there as fishermen. Their traditional boats naturally make the scenery look even prettier. In addition, the lake has the biggest freshwater fishes population in West Papua.
Aside from enjoying the landscape particularly in the dawn or twilight, visitors can go fishing with those fishermen. The local fishermen mostly come from Mee and Moni tribes, living not too far from the lake. The tourism asset also provides facilities such as restaurants, boat and fishing equipment rentals, toilets, and many more.
Bosnik Beach
West Papua is rich in beaches for sure. Moreover, the bird head land has some small islands around that are, of course, very ideal to enjoy the beach landscape. One of them is Bosnik Beach. The beach is scenic as it has white sand and is surrounded by groups of coconut trees. Some years ago, this beach has not been popular yet. But now, it looks like the number of visitors is getting increased as an effect of the West Papua development.
Interestingly, you don’t need to pay too much to enter the beach area. Yes, the entrance ticket is available only at IDR 10,000. Don’t forget to enjoy typical culinary foods in some restaurants around. The prices offered are also relatively affordable.
Cendrawasih Bay National Park
The national park has a width of more than a thousand hectares. Uniquely, 90% of it is the water area. Yes, slightly, Cendrawasih National Park is not different from bays or beaches. However, visitors may not freely do anything they want there as this place has been conserves. Many typical animals and plants are protected here including turtles, sharks, and dolphins. You should not worry, you are still permitted to dive in the water as long as you commit not to damage the natural wealth there.
Aside from enjoying the underwater landscape, visitors can also explore islands around the national park. The most popular park is the Mioswaar Island. The island doesn’t only have a scenic landscape to capture but also some unique spots. One of the spots is a cave with natural spring water inside.
Belim Valley
After being satisfied to enjoy water tourism like Lake or beach, you must also try the highland area of West Papua. One of the recommendations is Belim Valley. Belim Valley is located at the height of 1,600 above sea level. The Valley is where some local tribes are living, they are Dani, Lani, and Yali tribes. You should not worry since those tribes are charming and open to foreigners.
By spending some days in the valley, you can watch the daily life of the tribes. They commonly also perform musical shows using Papua traditional music instruments. Make sure to prepare jackets and other things to warm up yourself. At night, the temperature is very low, it is up to 15° Celsius. Sure, it doesn’t stop the fact that Belim Valley is one of the best tourism assets in West Papua.
