Sunset in Amberimasi Lagoon

Here are some pictures about sunset in Amberimasi Lagoon. They were shot by Jettie using her D-SLR Camera Nikon D50. Amberimasi lagoon is a paradise in the western region of Numfor island. To reach the tropical island, first, you need to fly to Jakarta or Bali (two important cities in Indonesia. Second, you have to take a domestic flight to Manokwari city, the capital of West Papua province. After that you can go there by small airplane operated by Susi Air or by a ferry boat - KM Kasuari Pasifik IV. A long the way from Manokwari to Numfor, you can see dolphins jumping into the air. It is a nice attraction that tourists like to watch. Ask the crew of the ferry boat to give you access to the top deck so that you can get wider panorama of the seascape. It takes around five hours to reach the island. When you arrive with the boat, you will see a lot of people waiting on the harbor. Numfor harbor is an interesting tourist attraction too because you can see people selling fish, vegetables and Papuan food that are delivered by the islanders using their motorcycles, cars and motorized outrigger boats.

I really love the silhouttee of the boys rowing their boat with golden sunlight at the background reflected on the surface of the sea water. The high-performance image processor of the camera perfectly renders the vivid color of the sunset captured by Jettie. As a matter of fact, she was not a photographer by profession. She was a nurse working for SDSP Foundation on a Mother and Child Project in Senopi Village of West Papua.

During the morning time, the sea water inside the lagoon was very calm. The still surface of the water, like a giant mirror, could reflect the landscape and sea scape of the lagoon.
People in Numfor island were very nice to us. They were full of smiles and laughs when they were talking to us although most of them could not speak English. Fortunately, I spoke Bahasa Indonesia and English. They gave us some coconuts while we had just arrived and were waiting for the housekeeper to open the guesthouse for us. We really enjoyed our vacation in the lagoon. We went snorkeling, bird watching and canoeing. If I go there again, I will bring my mountain bike. The villages around the island are worth visiting.

The coral reef as our snorkeling destination was not far from the tourist house where we stayed in. The tide was high when I, Jettie and Monique went there by two canoes. The boys from the nearby village paddled their outrigger canoes for us. Because the depth of water was less than two meters near the beach, we could easily see sea grass, sea stars and coral fish below us. Thirty minutes later, we arrived at the coral reef structure near Numpuri islet. It was really beautiful. We saw various species of fish there. We spent around three hours exploring the corals and the tropical fish that live in the area before going back to the tourist house again. We really enjoyed our snorkeling experience there. With my digital camera that had already been inserted into the waterproof casing, I could capture the magnificent views of the underwater world of the Amberimasi lagoon. I really hope that by showing these pictures, more and more people will give more appreciation to our marine environment by not throwing wastes into the sea.

After spending one night in the Amberimasi Lagoon where we enjoyed snorkeling over the coral reef of Numpuri islet, we continued our trip to Yemburwo village. There, we had the chance to meet Papuan artists who performed their traditional dance, called Yospan, to us. The musicians played home made guitars and drums while singing Papuan songs to accompany the dancers showed us hand and body movements that looked like people rowing boats at sea. Sometimes they jumped forward and backward to imitate the movements of the waves. Tourists who come to Numfor could meet the tribal chief of the island Simon Wanma to arrange the show for them. For one performance, the usual cost is between 50-100 US dollars depending on the number of songs and dances that they artists will perform. If there are ten tourists who watch the show, then each of them will pay only 10 US dollars.

Numfor island is surrounded by coral reef that is home to various species of tropical fish. As a tourist guide, I have provided tour packages to tourists who want to visit this island based on 4 days, 1 week and 2 weeks itineraries. The visitation of tourists to this island will bring positive contribution to local economy and at the same time encourages the islanders to preserve their marine environment and rainforest. This eco-tourism program is a small scale hospitality scheme that can improve the standard of living of the indigenous Papuan people who live in this island and is aimed at opens more opportunities to them to achieve higher educations, accelerate home based businesses and improve their health conditions.

Want to come to Amberimasi Lagoon? Please, contact me, via my email peace4wp@gmail.com if you need a travel companion.