Snorkeling in Sausapor of West Papua

reef fish in Tambrauw regency

Sausapor is a small town in the northern coast of West Papua. It can be reached by car or by passenger boat from Sorong town. A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity of snorkeling in the waters of Sausapor. The coral reef in this area is still in very good condition. I saw various species of damselfish, surgeon fish, and nudibranch. I used an underwater camera to shoot them. Here are some of them.
To encourage town dwellers of Sausapor to preserve their coral reef, I and some of the eco-tourism enthusiasts are now promoting it on the internet as snorkeling destination.

Coral reef in Sausapor town

In early August 2015, I successfully brought one tourist from Luxembourg to enjoy snorkeling in Sausapor waters. Although the number of foreign tourists is still small, I strongly believe that this will increase in the coming months.
Eco-tourism will only be successful if local people support the program. The main goal is to provide jobs to local people and at the same time preserve the rainforest and marine environment. It will take some time before the regency can be seen as a major tourist attraction in West Papua but with a hard works, this can be realized.

Where is Sausapor?
Look at the following map. Sausapor is a small town approximately 6 hours by passenger boat or 4 hours by 4WD car from Sorong city. It is the temporary capital of Tambrauw regency. The real capital of Tambrauw is Fef but it is being built at the moment. So, it is not finished yet.
If Raja Ampat is famous for its marine tourism, Tambrauw regency with its huge areas of mountains, rivers, valleys, and tropical rainforest has got a lot of potentials to be developed as an important destination for rainforest tourism.

Activities in rainforest tourism may include camping, trekking or hiking, mountain climbing, swimming in the river, white-water-rafting, insect and butterfly-watching, birdwatching, wildlife and forest tour as well as cultural interaction with local people. There are still other activities that are related to rainforest and the indigenous people.
Visitors who are interested in traveling to Sausapor can combine their snorkeling trip in several coral reef areas of the regency with rainforest trekking, camping and wildlife watching tour in at least 4 days/ 3 nights program.
Please, contact me by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com if you are interested in going to Sausapor town or Tambrauw regency as a whole.

Wildlife Tour in Tambrauw Regency

Sujak river in Tambrauw Mountains of West Papua

I have just returned from my exploratory Wildlife Tour in Tambrauw regency. I went trekking along the bank of a river and then enjoyed snorkeling in the waters of Sausapor the next day.
Tambrauw regency is located between Sorong and Manokwari. Its land is mostly covered with tropical rainforest and its sea waters have got coral reef areas that are suitable for snorkeling and scuba diving. The beaches of Tambrauw are the natural nesting grounds for several species of turtles including green turtle, hawksbill, olive ridley, green, and the leatherback turtles that are now facing extinction.
The capital of Tambrauw is Fef. It is located deep in the remote area of Tambrauw mountains. Fef is the gateway for everybody who is interested in exploring the Tropical Rainforest of New Guinea.

Orange Anemonefish (Amphiprion sandaracinos) in the waters of Tambrauw 

Visitors who are interested in taking a wildlife tour in Tambrauw regency can go trekking in the jungle to see rainforest that is the natural habitat of cuscus possum, wallaby, wild pigs, cassowary, and other various species of birds including sulphur crested cockatoo, Blyth's hornbill, Yellow faced myna, pinon imperial pigeon, and etc.
While walking in the jungle, we can see plants which local people us to make bow and arrows, string bags, and build their houses. There are also a lot of medicinal plants in the jungle which the indigenous people usually use every day.

Anemone and some tropical fish in the waters of Tambrauw regency

Snorkeling
In addition to rainforest tour, the trip to Tambrauw regency can be combined with snorkeling tour along the northern coast of West Papua where its coral reef areas are the natural habitat of such tropical fish as striped surgeon fish, anemone fish, parrot fish,  butterfly fish, turtles, and etc.
Because the coastline is facing the Pacific Ocean, the snorkeling tour can only be done in April, May, June, July, August and early September. Don't forget to bring your snorkeling gear.

Contact
If you are interested in wildlife tour in Tambrauw regency and need me to organize your trip (local guides, transportation, food, accommodation, camping gear, boats and other logistical needs) and be your trekking and snorkeling guide, please, contact me (Charles Roring) by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com