Papua is not such a strange name for Indonesian people. Getting popular of its rich natural landscape, Papua is one of the must visited places for adventurers. Papua’s landscape is mesmerizingly beautiful, starting from the beach up to snowy mountainous area along equator. However, Papua’s beauty is not only that. The travelers could still find new beautiful places in Papua, some of them are the lakes. There are plenty of lakes in Papua with their own characteristics and shapes.
However, there is no lake in Papua that belongs to the 10 largest lakes in the world. As a traveler, you should not miss this opportunity when visiting Papua. Even though you need extra effort to visit those lakes, but all your hard work paid off in the end. So, here are the list of 6 lakes in Papua that are good to be missed!
1. Sentani Lake
Sentani Lake is the most famous lake in Papua. The lake is located in the south of Jayapura district, it has area of 9.360 ha and depth of 70 meter below sea level. Sentani Lake belongs to the Cycloops Mountain nature preserve area that has remarkable natural and culture values for people nearby.
Not only about its pretty panorama, Sentani Lake has abundant amount of natural resources like pinang (betel nut), matoa (originated from Papua), and eucalyptus which exist along the lake. To increase tourism potential at the Sentani Lake, the Papua government performs Sentani Lake Festival in June every year. Sentani Lake can be reached around 15 minutes from Sentani Airport. Besides Papua, you could also need to know 6 popular lakes in Vietnam.
2. Kamakawalor Lake
Kamakawalor Lake is located in Lobo, Kaimana District, West Papua. Due to its beauty, no wonder that Kamakawalor Lake becomes a popular natural spot to be visited and one of the 6 lakes in Papua that are good to be missed. Plenty of local and foreign tourists visits the lake every year. According to local people, Kamakawalor Lake has the similar size to its district’s. It’s quite easy to reach the lake, since various supporting facilities are available for the visitors. There are also some benefits of surface water for human.
3. Rombebai Lake
This lake is located at the riverside of Memberamo River, around 20 km from Pacific Ocean. Rombebai Lake is the second largest lake, after Sentani Lake, with an area of 137 ha. Due to its close location to the Pacific Ocean, sometimes local people find sharks in the Rombebai Lake. It’s common because the lake is relatively open and close to the Memberamo River, thus during rainy season the heavy river stream is flowing to the Pacific Ocean. Not only about its panorama, Rombebai Lake’s natural resources are capturing people’s attention. At one side of the lake, there is an abundant amount of natural gas, it’s currently managed by exploration company called AED Oil.
4. Tigi Lake
Papua’s beauty doesn’t stop here. There is another lake that presents fascinating landscape for tourists, Tigi Lake. To get to the Tigi Lake, the visitors must get through the valley of Deiyei Mountain. Such a small island does exist in the center of the Tigi Lake, called Duamo Island. The tourist could not only enjoy the lake scenery, but also do other activities like fishing and exploring the lake using rental boat. Water itself has its own important properties. The visitors could possibly also do camping around the lake, to enjoy the night’s atmosphere and get close to local people.
5. Imfote Lake or Love Lake
In Ebungfau, Jayapura District, there is a lake with unique heart shaped, no wonder people call it Imfote Lake, or Love Lake. Visitors can clearly see the lake’s shape from some hills around the lake. The hills become favourite photo spots for people capturing moment at the Imfote Lake. There are two choices for transportation to get to this lake. First, road trip from Jayapura City through Genyem or Keerom. Another way is by water ways, you can use boat or speedboat from Yahim Port behing Sentani Airport, then continue the journey to the Imfote Lake with bike or car.
6. Youtefa Bay Lake
As its name, the lake is actually a bay that is surrounded by cape. Youtefa Bay Lake is located in Enggros, Jayapura City, between the Saweri and Pie Capes. No wonder that Youtefa Bay Lake provides mesmerizing panorama for its visitors. The scenery of this lake is quite different than other common lakes. Being surrounded by mangrove and sago forests, producing such hidden heaven of Youtefa Bay Lake in Papua. There are some components of ecosystems in life. There are small islands in the center of the lake, called Engros and Tobati Lakes. Not far from Youtefa Bay Lake, the Mher Mountain is looming and there is a sacred cave for local people. According to some local beliefs, the cave is where the Tobati and Enggros tribes came from, they are living around Youtefa Bay Laket to this day. No wonder Youtefa Bay Lake is a popular site for tourists.
There are 6 lakes in Papua that are good to be missed. Hopefully our article can increase your knowledge.