Teluk Cendrawasih is the name of a national park located in Papua Island. Administratively, this national park is situated in the regions of Manokwari Regency, West Papua Province, and Paniai Regency, Papua Province, Indonesia. This national park is the largest waters national park in Indonesia. Teluk Cendrawasih National Park has 1.453.500 hectare land which consists of shores, lands, islands, coral reefs, and waters.

Teluk Cendrawasih is very rich of flora and fauna. There are 14 kinds of preserved flora in this area. Most of them are from the family of kasuarina tree. Besides that, in this national park there are also 36 species of birds with 18 species is in the category of endangered birds. The waters of Teluk Cendrawasih are also rich. There are 196 kinds of mollusks, 209 kinds of fish, and some species of turtles like hawksbill sea turtle, green sea turtle, or leatherback sea turtle. You can also see whales and dolphins live in this area. These animals can live freely here because there are no whale or dolphin hunters, and there are plenty of foods in Teluk Cendrawasih.

Ecosystem

As previously mentioned, Teluk Cendrawasih National Park is very rich of fish. There are approximately 209 kinds of fish in this area, such as angelfish, butterflyfish, rabbitfish, parrotfish, and anemonefish. Various kinds of mollusks also live in the sea such as cowries snail (Cypraea spp.), strombidae snail (Lambis spp.), cone snail (Conus spp.), and many more. Other exotic water animals also live here such as hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata), green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas), dugong (Dugong dugon), blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus), dolphin, and shark.

Interesting Places

Teluk Cendrawasih offers interesting things to be explored by its visitors. If you want to do water excursion, Nusrowi Island, Yoop Island, and Mioswaar Island can be great choices. The waters of these islands, visitors can enjoy the beauty of underwater landscape which is best suited as diving spot. Besides that, visitors can also observe the life of whale and dolphins.

If you want to explore a cave, you can find it in Mioswaar Island. In this island, there is an old cave from prehistoric era and a hot spring. This cave is a historical one because inside it there are skeletons of Wandau ethnic’s ancestors. It is said that they are the first human who came to this island. In Numfor Island there is also a cave with human skeletons, china, and carved chests.

If you want a little bit different experience, you can visit Tanjung Mangguar. There is an underwater cave with depth of 100 feet. Besides that, there are some historical remains from 18th century which can be seen in some places such as Wendesi, Wasior, and Yomber. Christians also often visit a church in Yende Village (Roon Island), just to see an old holy bible printed on 1898.

Moreover, there is still Rumberpon Island which offers various unique experiences. In this island, visitors can observe the life of wild birds, deer breeding, marine excursion, and visit the Japanese shipwreck from World War II under the water.

Access

A visit to Teluk Cendrawasih National Park can be rather exhausting however, the experience is one of which is like no other because, you will learn so much which makes it all worth it. You can access the Park from several of the larger cities Jakarta, Surabaya, Ujung Pandang, Denpasar, Jayapura, and even Darwin using airplane to Biak. After that, from Biak you must continue the flight to Manokwari or Nabire. You can also reach Manokwari or Nabire from Jakarta, Surabaya, Ujung Pandang and Jayapura directly by using ferry. From Manokwari to the national park area, you can use longboat with crossing time around 5.5 hours. This tropical island tour is a top tourist attraction in Bali and has become even more popular over the past few years. Several visitors stay in the Bali hotels that offer shuttle rides directly to the Park.

Ticket, Accommodation, and Facilities

Actually, visitors are not charged to enter the national park. However, if visitors want to explore Teluk Cendrawasih National Park, it is highly suggested to report first to Balai Taman Nasional Teluk Cendrawasih (BTNTC) in Manokwari Town to get a permit. Foreign visitors are also obligated to get a permit from Forestry Department.

Unfortunately in this area, tourism facilities like Diving Center, inns, or resort are not available yet. If you want to spend a night here, you can use the facility of BTNTC in Rumberpon District or directly come to residents’ house. For using accommodation facility provided by BTNTC, you can call them first for information. Besides that, BTNTC can also provide a guide for exploring Teluk Cendrawasih National Park.