KUPASONLINE.COM — For a moment, the mind wanders and a beautiful painting appears. The open sea with neatly arranged coral islands welcomes several dolphins jumping happily. The blue sky combines with the beautiful ripples of the waves combing every white sand on the beach. Fresh air blowing noisily guarantees the natural coolness typical of green tropical forests.
The sound of the seagulls burst out beautifully as if they were singing and giving thanks for this amazing sight. From inside the water, various beautiful colored fish adorn the living corals that dance gracefully. This is a real life heaven on earth.
The description of the beautiful places above is not a dream, everything is real and actually exists. Raja Ampat Islands, West Papua, Indonesia is the place. The islands, which are located at the northwestern tip of the island of Papua, are widely known as a ‘gold mine’ for adventure enthusiasts.
Meanwhile, for divers inside and outside Indonesia, Raja Ampat is considered a paradise that cannot be expressed in words. The only way to prove these various opinions is to come and enjoy ‘the pearl’ at the tip of Papua.
Raja Ampat is a regency and is part of West Papua Province. To reach these islands, we must first set foot in the city of Sorong. Usually, many tourists use flights to get to this city. After arriving in the city of Sorong, we can use a kind of fast boat that usually sails twice a day to Waisai, the district capital of Raja Ampat. The trip will only take about 2-3 hours from the port of Sorong, until you arrive at the port of Waisai Raja Ampat.
In general, Raja Ampat is an archipelago consisting of a large number of coral islands and is widely distributed throughout its territory. However, Raja Ampat has 4 of the largest main islands, namely Waigeo Island, Batanta Island, Salawati Island, and Misool Island. These four large islands are the starting point for the spread of the entire population of Raja Ampat, most of whom work as fishermen. The water area is the main attraction of Raja Ampat, considering that Raja Ampat waters are one of the 10 best waters in the world. This is based on various studies on the wealth of flora and fauna and the preservation of the marine environment in Raja Ampat.
A report by an international conservation agency once stated that Raja Ampat waters contain around 75% of marine species worldwide. In fact, the Raja Ampat sea and land area which has an area of 4.6 million hectares is home to 540 types of coral, 1,511 species of fish and thousands of other marine biota. Therefore, with these various advantages, it is not surprising that Raja Ampat is currently considered the most beautiful underwater paradise in the world.
Not only its natural wealth under the sea, Raja Ampat also has many interesting things above sea level. Lots of beautiful beaches scattered throughout the Raja Ampat islands.
Generally, this beach is white sand and has a smoothness close to flour. In addition, there are many islands that form a row of high cliffs in Raja Ampat. In fact, several places such as Piaynemo, Teluk Kabui, and Wayag have been well-known throughout the world before being known domestically. Tropical forests are no less interesting, there are even places like Sawinggrai village or Saporkrein village which offer an unforgettable experience of seeing Cendrawasih birds up close. As we know, the Cenderawasih bird is a rare and beautiful bird typical of Papua which is often referred to as the bird of paradise.
Not yet finished with natural wealth, Raja Ampat also has various cultures and arts that are very unique and interesting. Several villages in Raja Ampat have already confirmed their existence as tourist villages, one of which is Arborek Village.
This village which is located on a small island has a lot of arts, from traditional dances, Sinole food made from sago, to crafts made of woven pandan leaves typical of Arborek which have been passed down from generation to generation. Arborek Village is just one of the other villages with their own uniqueness.
There are also many historical relics in the archipelago which has ties to the Tidore sultanate, Maluku. Starting from some of the inhabitants who have the blood of the Tidore Maluku kingdom, relics from World War 2, to caves with ancient human hand paintings that are widespread in Raja Ampat. Studying the uniqueness of Raja Ampat seems endless, this is what has made these islands so victorious to this day.
How rich is the nature, history and culture of the Raja Ampat Islands, so that the world is amazed. Now Raja Ampat has become one of the terk tourist destinations known in the world, it’s just that because of limited access, to achieve it requires a lot of money.
However, there is no need to worry, Raja Ampat is increasingly improving itself by providing various facilities for all groups. Lodging in the form of resorts with high prices to small, inexpensive motels will be easy to find in Raja Ampat. Tourists only need to be wiser in protecting these beautiful islands so that they are always maintained so that their beauty can continue to be enjoyed for generations to come.
In closing, the beautiful and beautiful nature of Raja Ampat cannot be separated from the legends that have been believed for generations by all the indigenous people of Raja Ampat. It is said that the name Raja Ampat was taken from the seven eggs found by a woman of their ancestor. Four of them hatched into four princes who later became kings of the 4 major islands of Waigeo, Salawati, Batanta and Misool.
While the other 4 became ghosts, a woman and a stone. This story is traditionally believed by the local community as the origin of Raja Ampat. It’s still hard to believe in common sense, but if we examine its meaning again, Raja Ampat’s nature is a sacred place like a kingdom that must be protected from damage and destruction.
