The Beauty of Dorey bay in Manokwari of West Papua

Manokwari city - the capital of West Papua province in the Republic of Indonesia is located in the Dorey bay of Manokwari. This is one of the most beautiful bays in the world? Well, if you read this statement, you might say that I am exaggregating something. Well, it is not my statement, it is a statement from a world traveler whom I met. Here in the bay, there are some tropical islands have spectacular view with rich coral reefs and shipwrecks around them. The Dorey bay of Manokwari has been attracting tourists and researchers from around the world. 

 In 1855, European evangelists - Otto and his wife and Geisler landed in Mansinam, the largest isle in the Dorey bay to preach Christianity to the indigenous Papuan people. Two years later British Naturalist, Alfred Russel Wallace visited the Dorey bay to study the natural history of New Guinea and birds of paradise. Later he published The Malay Archipelago. He talked alot about the nature and lifestyle of the indigenous Papuan who were great artists. In 1920s Prince Leopold from Belgium visited the Dorey bay of this New Guinea (now known as West Papua) also to study the birds of paradise. This year alone 2010, I have escorted tourists from Russian, Norway, England and the Netherlands traveling around the Dorey bay of Manokwari. 

 At the south of this bay, beautiful blue mountain called Pegunungan Arfak, stretches from west to south east of the bay. At the foot of this bay, tourists can enjoy the beauty of Lake Kabori. There are still many beautiful things that tourists can see while visiting Dorey bay of Manokwari city in West Papua province of the Republic of Indonesia. I will write about them one by one and upload my travel journal to this blog. If after reading the posts in this blog and you become interested in visiting this city, you can contact me, Charles Roring, as your travel guide via my email: peace4wp@gmail.com

Butterfly Watching in Manokwari

Butterflies in Manokwari are beautiful insects which you can watched in the Table Mountain, in the Northern Coast region, in the islands of the Dorey bay and in the Arfak Mountain. Tropical butterflies of Papua island have many colors and are of various sizes. Butterflies can easily be found among vegetation that have flowers. Don't forget to bring your own binoculars and digital camera to photograph butterflies that have beautiful and colorful wings. 

If you want to study more about butterflies of Papua, you can check the book about it on Amazon.com. I don't know whether such book exists or not. You can watch butterflies in north coast forest of Manokwari during the sunny days. To go hiking and butterfly watching in Arfak mountains, you can contact me Charles Roring as your guide via my email: peace4wp@gmail.com or cell phone/ whatsapp +6281332245180.

Butterflying and insect watching in general is not a common activity that foreign tourists do when coming to Manokwari of West Papua, but as a tourist guide, I can escort you and show you around the places  where there are butterflies feeding on nectar in the wild flowers in the Table Mountain of Manokwari  city of the Papua Barat province of the Republic of Indonesia

Betel Nut "blood stains"

When travelers visit Manokwari or other towns in Papua, they will see red stains every where from the verandah of airport to the gutters of the traditional markets. These red stains were from the spit of people eating betel nut and sirih (betel vine). 

Pinang

Local Papuan chew these sirih, pinang and kapur (lime powder) every day. This is a kind of traditional addiction. Here in Papua more people chew sirih pinang than smoke cigarette. They believe that people who chew the betel nut have teeth that are healthier than those who do not. So, when you are in Papua, don't be shocked or surprised when you see red stains every where. They are not blood, they are the stain of betel nut spat by the local people after chewing the pinang. by Charles Roring

Hiking and Bird watching in the Arfak Mountain

The mountain range of Arfak has been a favorite hiking tour destination for adventure travelers from around the world who want to see endemic flora and fauna of Papua. Located in the Dorey bay of Manokwari, the mountain range can easily be reached by 4 WD cars.

Bower of Vogelkop Bowerbird

Tourists from Switzerland, the Netherlands, Australia, Poland and the United States as well as other countries have visited the mountains. In higher elevation area, the Magnificent Bird of Paradise, Masked bower bird, Vogelkop Bowerbird, and Western Parotia are the main attractions whereas in the lowland and lower montane forest, the Lesser Birds of Paradise, King Bird of Paradise, tree kangaroo and snakes are the favorite attractions.

Arfak mountains in Manokwari

Frog at a river in Arfak mountains

Inside the mountain, tourists can see various species of birds such as birds of paradise, white and goliath cockatoo, bower bird, maleo, crown pigeon, kuskus and many more. Besides birds, tourists can spot a lot of colorful insects and butterflies that live and fly among the green leaves of the tropical rainforest of Papua.

If you are interested in hiking and bird-watching in the Arfak Mountain of Manokwari, you can contact me Charles Roring via email to: peace4wp@gmail.com or by whatsapp to: +6281332245180, I will be happy to answer your questions and anything related to traveling around Manokwari.
Also read:

• Birds in North Sulawesi
• Birding in High Elevation Forest of Minahasa
• Walking Tour, Birdwatching and Butterflywatching in District Sonder of Minahasa Highland
• Birdwatching in Minahasa Highland
• Manado City Birdwatching and Sightseeing Tour
• Birding in North Sulawesi
• Birding in Sonder of Minahasa
• Birdwatching in Sulawesi
• Birdwatching and butterflywatching in Sonder
• https://wildlifeminahasa.blogspot.com

• Hiking and Birdwatching in Dopi river of Manokwari
• Birdwatching and Snorkeling in Raja Ampat
• Parrots in Waigeo island of Raja Ampat

Snorkeling in Manokwari

After writing several articles about snorkeling tour in Manokwari, some people begin to contact me saying that they are interested in visiting this city and snorkeling around the islands both in the Dorey bay and along the northern coast of Papua island.  Snorkeling in Papua is the easiest way to enjoy or I prefer to say to appreciate the natural beauty of the underwater world and the coral reefs that are thriving around some small islands in Manokwari. You do not need such equipment as air tank, octopus, bcd, and weights. All you need is a snorkeling mask, snorkel and fins.

Damselfish in Manokwari

I have been escorting tourists snorkeling around the Dorey bay of Manokwari city especially to sites where the coral reefs are still in good condition. In tropical waters such as Manokwari and its surrounding islands, the perfect time to do the snorkeling is in the mornings and near sunset time when the sea is calm and the sun is bright. Colorful corals and ornamental fish can easily be spotted in the depths between 1 - 3 meters.

Coral Reef in Dore bay of Manokwari

If you want to take pictures or shoot underwater videos, don't forget to bring digital photo or video camera that is protected by watertight casing. When the weather is clear, you will be able to have bright pictures with corals and fish in one shooting. Don't forget that corals are animals. They may look like rocks and water plants but they are animals. Small fish live among the corals which give them better protection against their predators.

When snorkeling in Papua especially in the Dorey bay of Manokwari, you should follow general conducts of green snorkeling. Don't tease the marine animals by catching them. Try to stay afloat while swimming over the corals and avoid standing on them. Corals look strong but they are very fragile. When you stand on them, they will break. Broken corals will die. That's what we all do not want to happen. Healthy coral reef will have more beautiful fish and other marine animals live in them.

How to go to Manokwari

It is easy to come here. First, you need to fly from your country to Jakarta (the capital of Indonesia). Second, you could continue your flight to Manokwari city by such airlines as Garuda, Batik Air, or Sriwijaya Air. I could meet you at the airport and organize your trip.

There are hotels in Manokwari which you could choose to stay. As a tourist guide, I offer snorkeling tours to tourists who want to appreciate the beauty of the coral reef and marine life of West Papua especially around Manokwari city

Booking

If you are interested in spending your next holiday time in the tropical city of Manokwari, you can contact me Charles Roring via email: peace4wp@gmail.com or whatsapp: +6281332245180. I will be happy to arrange to tour and guide you to beautiful places in Papua.

Also read:
Snorkeling vacation trips in Manokwari
Watching Red and Black Anemonefish
Birdwatching and Snorkeling Tour in Raja Ampat

Traveling to the Northern Coast of Manokwari

Pantura that's the local name of the white sandy beaches of the northern coast of Manokwari regency that are potential to be developed as tourist destination. Here travelers can hike, surf, swim and even watch birds along the Yonsoribo, Nuni and Asai beaches. In Asai and Kaki islands, tourists can also buy lobsters and fish from the local fishermen and grill them for their lunch or dinner. Please, see the photographs below about the scenery of the coastal region of Manokwari's pantura. They were shot by photographer Mikhail Trokhimenko using his Canon long lens camera.

There are not any hotels or resorts along this beach. The best way to enjoy the beauty of the northern coast region of Manokwari regency is by setting up camps and stay there for two or three days. The road along the Pantura area is good. You will not find difficulties in reaching the beach.
Bring your own surfboard if you want to surf on the beautiful waves that are flowing from the Pacific ocean. Ask the local villagers the best place for surfing where there are not any rocks around. Also bring your own snorkeling device such as mask, and fins if you want to enjoy snorkeling in Kaki island and Asai beach.

There are not many tourists going to the northern beach of Manokwari because it has not been intensively promoted on the internet. I hope this post can give you a good preview of this beautiful beach. Campers need to buy enough food if they want to stay there for several days. It is easier to conduct bird watching along the coastal area, you need long lens digital camera and binoculars to spot the birds among the green leaves of the tropical rainforest of Papua.  

If you are interested in traveling to this northern beach of Manokwari and need a tourist guide, you can contact me via email to: peace4wp@gmail.com.

Also read:

• Birding in Minahasa
• Manado City Birdwatching and Sightseeing Tour
• Birding in North Sulawesi
• Birding in Sonder of Minahasa
• Birdwatching in Sulawesi
• Birdwatching and butterflywatching in Sonder

Merpati airplane skidded off the runway of Rendani Airport in Manokwari city of West Papua

A Merpati jet airplane Boeing 737-300 with 103 passengers and crew on board skidded off the runway of Rendani airport in Manokwari and crashed into a river. The photograph of this airplane was shot by a friend of mine Agus Nauw, a journalist who works for Tabloid Papua Baru. Instead of using digital still photo camera, he only used the photo-smart feature of his Sony Ericsson mobile phone.

Read more here:  

Merpati Crashed into a River Bank in Rendani Airport of Manokwari

Dorey bay of Manokwari City

Dorey bay is the name which Alfred Russel Wallace, a British naturalist, mentioned in his book "The Malay Archipelago". He came to the bay in 1858 to conduct research on birds of paradise and anything that was related to natural history of New Guinea island. Since then people who read his book have come from all over the world to Manokwari to see with their own eyes this beautiful Dorey bay.
Well, in general it is similar to other bays in the world. But every bay has its own history and uniqueness. Here in Dorey bay, tourists can travel around some small islands. The most famous one is Mansinam. It is a small island that is located at the outer most part of the bay. Mansinam became the first to receive German missionaries who went to this Netherlands New Guinea to preach Christianity. Mansinam is considered by the indigenous Papuan people as the island of civilization.
The photographs that I show below is about children in Mansinam island who were fishing at the harbor. They have been resized, and optimized in Adobe Photoshop CS3 before being uploaded into this blog. 

Children were fishing at a jetty in Mansinam

During World War II era, Japanese forces constructed a lot of bomb shelters to defend Manokwari against their enemies, the Allied forces. The Imperial Japanese Army deployed 50,000 soldiers to Western New Guinea to reinforce their defense line in the Pacific. Lieutenant General Fusataro Teshima from 2nd Army led the troops and chose Manokwari as their headquarters. 

Activities that can be done around the small islands of Dorey bay are swimming, snorkeling, scuba diving, hiking and bird watching. Tourists can also meet the villagers who live in Mansinam and Lemon islands and have friendly conversation with them about interesting topics. For shipwrecks sites, Dorey bay is the best in Indonesia.

If you want to snorkel or scuba dive in Dorey bay, don't forget to bring your own gear. Although these Mansinam and Lemon islands are located close enough to Manokwari city, they are very calm. The pace of living looks slow.

 As a tourist guide, I provide a tour package for tourists who want to travel around the islands in Dorey and see the beauty of their coral reef.

Coral reef and butterfly fish in Mansinam island

Don't forget to contact me via email: peace4wp@gmail.com when you have arrived in Manokwari city, I will be happy to be your tourist guide and arrange your tour around the city or even deeper into the interior region of Papua that is suitable to your needs and physical condition. by Charles Roring
Also read: 

Hiking, Snorkeling, and Freediving in Manokwari

David Scott Went Hiking Caving and Bat Watching in Manokwari

I went hiking with David Scott in the Table Mountain of Manokwari on 30 March 2010. We started walking in the morning at around 8.50 a.m. Mr. Scott was a tourist from London who came to Manokwari city - the capital of Papua Barat province of the Republic of Indonesia on a tour to see the flora and fauna of West Papua. It was drizzling at that time but we decided to keep on hiking in the tropical rainforest. I, as a tourist guide, usually go hiking in the Table Mountain with my friend, Paul. We accompanied David Scott to watch bird and did some explorations in natural caves. 

 After walking for around five minutes in the forest, David Scott spotted two hornbills  at a tall tree. He used his binoculars to magnify the look of the birds. Unfortunately, my digital camera was only a Sony DSC W30 that was not equipped with long lenses. I could shoot the picture of the birds but it was not clear enough.

Then we continued walking for several hours inside the tropical rainforest which as the trekking path of Alfred Russel Wallace in 1858 during his expedition of the Netherlands New Guinea in search for birds of paradise.

David Scott said that he brought Wallace's book, "The Malay Archipelago" and was reading it. I said that I read the book and had translated some pages on the New Guinea particularly on Wallace's expedition in Dorey bay of Manokwari into Indonesian language. Wallace did not mention Manokwari city in his book because at that time, Manokwari city did not exist. Dorey bay was still an undeveloped area with some small villages along the coastal area. Wallace met German evangelists, Otto (and his wife) and Geisler when he and his staff landed on Mansinam island.

David Scott and I and Paul visited two caves in the Table Mountain. Alfred Russel Wallace did not mention these caves in his book, The Malay Archipelago. We were able to see bats there. Every tourist enjoys bat watching with me and Paul whenever he or she is in Manokwari.

In the afternoon, we took a break and had lunch at Japanese War Monument. While Mr. David Scott was sitting and admiring the beauty of the tropical rainforest, I and Paul cleaned the surrounding area of the monument. We picked up plastic bottles and tote bags and gathered them in one place.

Several minutes later we continued walking out of the Table Mountain to Pasir Putih Beach. I had to say that I was very tired. We arrived at the beach across from Gereja Immanuel at 4.00 p.m.

The next day (31 March 2010), I, Paul and David Scott visited some islands in the Dorey bay of Manokwari where we snorkeled and talked with villagers in Mansinam island. He said that he enjoyed the trip in Manokwari very much.

As a tourist guide, I provide a three-day tour package around Manokwari to tourists who want to see and experience the natural beauty of the forests, and corals in the Dorey bay.

Day 1. Hiking, bird watching, caving and bat watching in the Table Mountain

Day 2. Visiting the islands in the Dorey bay where tourists can enjoy hiking, bird watching, swimming and snorkeling

Day 3. Traveling to the Northern Coast (Pantura) of Manokwari and canoeing to Kaki islands.

For rates and more information about this three-day package tour and other tour packages into the interior of Papua island, please do not hasitate to contact me - Charles Roring by e-mail to: peace4wp@gmail.com
Also read: 

David Scott went snorkeling in Dorey bay of Manokwari

The Tradition of Cooking with Bamboo

Travel story from Senopi village of Manokwari regency - in West Papua. At first I thought that Papuan do not have any traditions of cooking food inside bamboo. Well, I was wrong. The following photographs clearly show how the Papuan people in the Senopi village of Manokwari regency cook food inside bamboo. Their way of cooking is similar to how Minahasan tribe in North Sulawesi of Indonesia cook food inside bamboo.

Pork or meat that is cooked inside bamboo has a very good aroma especially when it had been mixed certain leaves or spices. The meat becomes tender after being heated. I like eating food which has been cooked with bamboo.

 Paul Warere took the photographs of this event in early March 2010. He went to Senopi village to attend the Gospel Preaching Day in the Senopi village. The villagers commemorate the date when Catholic priests entered the village to preach Gospel to indigenous Papuan people.
Besides being used as cooking media, bamboo is also used by the indigenous Papuan to collect the sap of the palm tree (arenga pinnata - latin). This sap or palm juice contains sugar which when fermented will turn into a strong alcoholic drinks. Paul also took pictures of how Papuan drink the palm juice from folded leaves.

Well, you are interested in traveling to Senopi village, I warn you not to drink this palm juice too much. You'll get drunk and can't control yourself. Don't worry the villagers won't angry with you. They will only laugh at you. Palm juice which has been fermented and distilled is a liquor that is banned by the local government.
If you want to travel to Senopi and Kebar valley, we can arrange a trip for you. Usually, tourists spend at least three days hiking, bird watching, deer watching, or swimming in the rivers there. Please, contact me by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com

The above photographs were taken by Paul Warere using the photosmart camera feature of my HP iPAQ rx3000 series Mobile Media Companion. This is a versatile digital instrument which also has the function of pocket PC your travel companion. by Charles Roring
Also read:

Traveling to District of Senopi and Watching How a Deer was Caught by Dogs in Senopi

David Scott Enjoyed Snorkeling in the Dorey bay of Manokwari

As a nature lover, I like traveling around hiking in the tropical rainforest of Papua or just swimming and snorkeling at the beach of Mansinam or Lemon islands. Snorkeling is a fun activity is you want to enjoy the beauty of Papua's nature particularly its coral reef and colorful ornamental fish.
Last Wednesday 31 March 2010, I accompanied Mr. David Scott to Mansinam islands in the Dorey bay of Manokwari Papua. Manokwari is the capital town of Papua Barat Province in the Republic of Indonesia. It stretches along the Dorey bay where two or three islands protect the city from big waves that flow from the Geelvink bay (now also known as Cendrawasih bay).
Besides snorkeling, we also visited the old church and a well made by Dutch missionaries who worked in Mansinam island after German evangelists Otto (and his wife) and Geisler began spreading Christianity in 1855. At around 12.30 p.m. I, Paul and David Scott took a brake at a wooden stage across the Lahai Roi church. During the lunch brake, I and Mr. Scott were discussing Wallace expedition in the Dorey bay. From his book, the Malay Archipelago, Alfred Russel Wallace said that his boat landed on Mansinam island and Otto went to meet him. I know Wallace expedition in Dorey bay, that's way I could discuss the content of the book with him. David Scott said last night he read the pages of the book where when Wallace was going into the forest, Papuan children were shouting "Arfaki, Arfaki" at him trying to warn him not to go into the forest because the people from the Arfak tribe could kill him. Wallace ignored their warnings and continued to go up to the mountain, which in our opinion is what we now call the Table Mountain.

Bird watching and snorkeling in the Dorey bay around Mansinam island can be done especially in the morning when the weather is bright and the sea is calm. We swam around along the southern beach of the Mansinam island. Mr. David Scott brought his own snorkeling gear which was good for observing beautiful corals and the fish.

 

The islands in the Dorey bay of Manokwari are also good for scuba diving. There are shipwrecks around that can be dived on. When I, Paul and Mr. David Scott visited these islands, we did not bring any diving gear. I am not a PADI certified diver either, so I could not guide tourists underwater. Well, I think in the future, I will get my diving certification. Mr. David Scott commented that the two days tour around forest and the islands in the Dorey bay were fun. He thanked us and left for his hotel when the sun nearly set in the West. 

If you are interested in traveling around Manokwari, I can help you by arranging some guided tours that are suitable to your needs and physical condition, just contact me via email: peace4wp@gmail.com or cell phone: +62181332245180  by Charles Roring