Tourist Attractions in Tambrauw

Marine Tours in Tambrauw regency of Indonesia

Tambrauw is the name of a regency in West Papua province of the Republic of Indonesia. Its local government has declared its territory as conservation regency. As a consequence no mining, logging and other activities that are harmful to the environment will be allowed. To support local economy, local government of Tambrauw support the development and promotion of environmentally friendly tourism.
Tambrauw regency has got a number of interesting attractions which tourists can see while exploring its coastal and mountaineous areas. Some of them are described as follows:

Leatherback turtle was laying eggs

• Turtle watching - There are four species of turtles that land on the beach of Tambrauw to lay eggs. They are the Leatherback Turtles, Green Sea Turtles, Hawksbill Turtles and Olive Ridley turtles.
• Snorkeling and freediving - There are coral reef areas along the beach of Tambrauw, and Pulau Dua where tourists can visit to enjoy swimming, snorkeling and freediving. Visitors need to bring their own snorkeling gear such as mask, snorkel and flippers if they want to see the marine life. A good underwater camera such as Nikon W300 or a D-SLR camera with waterproof housing will be useful for taking pictures of fish, sea star, lionfish, striped surgeonfish, sea urchin, and other marine creatures. There is no scuba dive center in the regency so, I cannot offer diving trips at the moment.
• Fishing - Visitors can also enjoy fishing at the blue sea of the regency. Please, also bring your own fishing gear. Fish such as tuna, or even red snapper can be caught for a delicious lunch or dinner.
• Bat watching - There are a lot of bats in Pulau Dua area, they play important roles in polination of flowers in the forest of New Guinea
• Hiking, Camping, Birding and Wildlife Watching - Most of the territories of Tambrauw is covered by tropical rainforest. It is the natural habitat of hundreds of species of birds including Palm Cockatoo, Eclectus Parrot, Rufous-bellied Kookaburra, Lesser Birds of Paradise, King Bird of Paradise, Common Paradise Kingfisher, Western-crowned Pigeon, Pinon Imperial Pigeon, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, as well as coastal birds such as Tern, Sand Piper, and even the migratory bird - the Northern Phalarope. Tourists need to bring their binoculars, spotting scope and camera with telephoto lens to watch and take pictures of the birds. For the purpose of camping in the forest or remote beach, we can provide camping gear.

How to get there

Please, fly from your country to Indonesia. The capital of this country is Jakarta. After arriving in Jakarta, you could continue your trip by taking a domestic flight to Sorong city. I could meet you at the airport and organize your trip to Tambrauw regency. Airlines such as Garuda, Batik Air, Sriwijaya Air, Lion Air have got regular flights between Jakarta and Sorong city.

Cost
The cost of the tour in Tambrauw regency depends on the number of participants and duration of the trip which visitors have. One the average, visitors spend around 4 to 5 days exploring the coastal area of Tambrauw.

Booking

Please, contact me (Charles Roring) by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com or by whatsapp to: +6281332245180.

Also read:
Snorkeling Raja Ampat 
7 Snorkeling Spots in Raja Ampat

Affordable Snorkeling Vacation

Freediving Photo

There are a lot of coral reef areas in West Papua. They have become vacation destinations for visitors who like snorkeling and freediving. As a tourist guide, I offer snorkeling trips that are affordable for visitors traveling solo or in groups of 3 to 4 people or even more.
Flights
One of the destinations is Manokwari - the capital of West Papua province in Indonesia. Tourists can fly from their country to Jakarta city and then continue their trip by taking a domestic flight to Manokwari. Airlines such as Garuda, Sriwijaya, Batik Air and Wings Air provide regular flights to Manokwari. There are a lot of hotels which visitors can choose.
After taking several hours to one day rest in the hotel, the snorkeling tour can be started. Most of the coral reef areas which we will visit are located in the suburb of Manokwari. To minimize cost, we will travel by public transport vehicles. We may rent a car if tour participants agree with the price.

Coral Reef environment in Manokwari

Visitors need to bring their own snorkeling and freediving gears such as masks, snorkels and flippers. I can provide life jackets if visitors contact me well in advance before arriving in Manokwari. I personaly have got some masks and flippers. The brand name is whale. The price is not expensive but the quality of the products is very good.
In November, December, January, the waves in the northern region of West Papua are high. However, snorkeling can be done in several other parts of West Papua.
Coral reef is a rich but very fragile marine environment. Visitors could see damselfish, butterflyfish, moorish idol, wrasse, parrotfish, sweetlips, striped surgeonfish, convict surgeonfish, boxfish, and a lot more. There are also sea star, sea urchin, and green sea grass in the water.
I have got a good book that I usually use to identify fish. Its title is Reef Fish Identification Tropical Pacific by Geraled Allen, Roger Steene, Paul Humann and Ned Deloach.
In the sky, I often sea frigate birds that like to fly over the sea to find fish.
Don't forget to bring a good camera such as Nikon W300 if you want to take pictures of the coral reef and fish.
Booking
Please, contact me by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com or whatsapp: +6281332245180

Related Post:
What we can do to preserve coral reef

Freediving Photos

Freediving photos from Manokwari waters

When I go freediving in Raja Ampat archipelago, Tambrauw, Manokwari or Numfor island, I always try to make photos of fish, coral reef and any marine creatures that I see in the water. The sea life in these areas are rich. There are a lot of reef fish such as damselfish, butterflyfish, spadefish, moorish idol, snappers, groupers, sweetlips, surgeonfish, and lionfish. They have got colorful skin and various ornaments on their bodies, fins and tails. The most recommended site to watch the fish is in the drop off area of the coral reef.
Pictures of those fish could be taken by underwater photographic device for hobbiests such as Nikon W300 or action camera Brica Pro5 Alpha Edition. Professional underwater photographers usually use a D-SLR or compact cameras that have got large sensors such as Canon G7X Mark II or Sony RX100 Mark V. These cameras have to be inserted into waterproof housings.

Marine Life in the waters of Tambrauw regency

Before taking pictures underwater, I usually make some preparations such as cleaning the camera both its body and lens, and cleaning the water resistant case. I also make physical preparation such as doing some stretching and taking deep breath several times to make my musles and mind feel relax and comfortable with the surrounding environment.
Wearing snorkeling mask, snorkel and flippers, I swim over the coral reef to find schooling fish, clownfish or lionfish, other marine creatures that will look beautiful in my freediving photos. After that I will slowly descend to my subjects and aim my camera at them one by one. I can make several dives and stay in the water for less than 1 minute during each dive.
Freediving is a fun but dangerous activity. So, I don't like competition on who can freedive to deeper bottom.
If you are interested in taking a snorkeling or freediving vacation in West Papua and need me as your guide to accompany you, please, contact me by e-mail to: peace4wp@gmail.com or by whatsapp to: +6281332245180.

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Kofiau Raja Ampat Festival

Kofiau islands are a small group of islands located in the southwest region of Raja Ampat. The landscape and seascape views of the archipelago are very beautiful with crystal clear sea water and pristine rainforest. There will be a festival in the islands from 24 to 29 October 2018. The event will be conducted by local guides in cooperation with the islanders of Kofiau, and the local government of Raja Ampat.

During the festival, visitors will be able to see traditional dances, enjoy swimming, snorkeling and freediving over colorful coral reef of Raja Ampat that is the natural habitat of a lot of species of fish and other marine creatures. 

Visitors who are interested in attending the festival need to be in Sorong city at least 2 days before the event so that transporation by boats can be organized. 

If you are interested in traveling to Raja Ampat to see Kofiau islands, please, contact me (Charles Roring) by whatsapp: +6281332245180 or by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com

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I Like Freediving

Marine Life in Manokwari

I was born and grew up in Manokwari. When I was a little boy, this was only a little town. The beach was clean and the sea was crystal clear. With that kind of environment, I and my friends liked to go to the nearby harbor to swim. We really enjoyed it.
Now Manokwari has changed. It has turned into a fast growing city. I still like going to the beach. Wearing mask, snorkel and fins, I explore the coral reef and take pictures of the fish, seastar, anemone, and every interesting thing that I usually see in the water. I read in the internet that people call this kind of activity as recreational freediving.

Regal Angelfish

I often guide tourists on adventure tours (hiking, birding, snorkeling and freediving) in Raja Ampat, Tambrauw, Sorong, Manokwari, Numfor and even Triton bay.
The duration of the tour can be as short as 1 day to as long as 2 weeks.
Freediving is a fun but dangerous sport. So, I don't like competition about who can go deeper. Enjoy the fun and the beauty of marine life but don't put yourself into big trouble.

Basics of freediving

• Every person has his or her own limit in holding his or her own breath.
• Practice holding your breath, first above the water while you sit at the beach or at home. 
• You could also practice holding your breath while walking or swimming/ snorkeling.
• Do horizontal freediving and gradually improve your length of swimming (in feet or meters)
• Gradually do freediving in vertical or gradient way. 
• Try to be as relax as possible when you are freediving
• When you feel relax and safe, you can go down deeper and hold your breath longer.
• Respect marine life, do not cause any damages in the coral reef.

Visitors who want to come here should bring their own freediving gear plus a good camera. If you are interested in snorkeling and freediving, you could contact me (Charles Roring) by whatsapp: +6281332245180 or by email: peace4wp@gmail.com.