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