Lake Sentani, A Peaceful Paradise

Travel into inner Papua can be relaxing when commenced with a visit to Lake Sentani, a scenic beauty over glittering water located near Jayapura, capital city of Papua. To best experience the excitement of boating on the lake, rent a motorized canoe available at one of the villages. The guide who has taken you on the overnight tour from Jayapura will show you where to get one of the dugout canoes. Experience the thrill of being caressed by the warm breeze while speeding on the lake, photograph the stilt houses, know the local, and make friends with your guide, and eventually boldly brag about it in the travel blogs.

In the village of Taturi, stone paintings are a wonder worth visiting. Located on a small hill at the bank of the lake, it is a sight to record while canoeing. Another village offering a beautiful day trip is the Doyo Lama, a place for rock painting art. It is a fantastic start to understand the culture of Papua.

On one of the hills, on Mt Ifar, a monument has been built to commemorate American General McArthur’s military command in the Pacific and his victory. Many visitors consider it a must see tourist attraction as it also offers a spectacular view of the lake with as its background the Cyclops Mountains.

Get There

To get here, you can take airplanes with several major domestic airlines are fly to Jayapura from Jakarta, Medan, Surabaya and Makassar. Outside the airport, minibuses wait for passengers to drive to Jayapura. The price can change variably.  Make sure you agree on the price before boarding. Lake Sentani is about 30 minute driving westward from the city of Jayapura. All flights land and take off from Sentani Airport, located around 40 km (25 miles) from Jayapura. As a capital city of a vast province, Jayapura is well connected to many large cities in Indonesia by air and by sea. Large airline offices are in this city. It is advisable to always check and double-check your flight as there is a tendency to overbook seats  at times.