Traditional Villages : Arborek Tourism Village

Arborek Tourism Village, Raja Ampat

The village of Arborek is fast rising as a pioneer among the 18 beautiful villages in West Papua that have embarked on developing local regulations for community-based marine conservation, For this, the village of Arborek has gained an outstanding reputation among both the local authority and international community. With the assistance of the national and local government, from research centers, and non-government organizations, the local people have succeeded in formulating local regulations, naming their conservation region the Mambarayup and Indip.

Finding underwater beauty is not so difficult here. Along the Arborek pier, divers can simply plunge into the water and instantly find a most intriguing illumination of the glittering of a gorgonian fan just below the surface. People in Arborek are hospitable and very industrious, creating exceptional handicrafts from sea pandan leaves to make the most of their time each day. Arborek is fascinating both underwater and in the village.

Known as the Arborek Tourism Village, the community is known for its handicraft in making hats and noken (string bags). Unlike most women in other villages who also give a hand to their husbands as fishermen, nearly all mothers in this village produce handicrafts for a living. Although they are convinced that catching lobsters and work in pearl agro-production are much more profitable, yet they feel that handicraft is more distinguished and more graceful work for women. This is a village worth visiting. Only one and half hours from Waisai, Raja Ampat’s capital, the village of Arborek is awaiting visitors from around the world.

The nearest temporary accommodations are The Kri Eco Resort and The Sorido Bay Resort managed by Papua Diving. In Yenbuba, there is also one owned by Dedy Mayor. If you are interested in living in an eco resort, also try to visit Misool Eco Resort, where all the cottages are almost totally built from salvaged wood. Here you will find colorful fish and reef in shallow waters, just right across your eco-friendly cottage.

Misool Eco Resort can be accessed online at www.misoolecoresort.com
Kri Eco Resort and Sorido Bay Resort can be accessed online at www.papua-diving.com

No restaurants and food stalls are available here, but you can find shops selling food supplies at Waisai or Sorong. If you wish to find better variety of food other than seafood on the menu, it is best to go to Sorong, where you can find general Indonesian food, ranging from meatball bakso and noodle mee, satay, padang food, or other popular dishes.

“Tembok” is a place in Sorong famous for lines of food stalls or warungs. [see What to eat in Sorong] Here, you can find Javanese food or Padang restaurants. No local tribes are selling food here. However, most of the warungs will surely have seafood on the menu.

Go to the back of Sorong’s Telkom Office (Kantor Telkom), where food kiosks are also available. The price for food in Papua is expectedly higher than that in western part of Indonesia. Fried chicken is the cheapest on the menu, it will cost you around IDR 20,000.

Lido Kuring is a fancier type of restaurant that you find in Sorong; less than a kilometer from “Tembok”. Raja Seafood is said to be of the same class as Lido Kuring, serving as its main menu, seafood!
The Noken string bag is gaining popularity around the globe. Its significance is actually the attraction that people are looking for. In the local’s perspective, the noken is not just a bag. It is a symbol of good life, peace, and fertility. Only women can make a noken. It is all hand made. Men are not allowed to make these, because it symbolizes a woman’s womb. Nokens made of wood skin can be bought at IDR 25,000 to IDR 50,000, while those made of orchid bark found in the Papua rain forests are more expensive. It can cost IDR 100,000 a piece.

The Noken has different names in different places. In West Papua, people call it noken. The Danis in the Baliem Valley call it Su. The Biak people call it Inokson. The Moor call it Aramuto. The Marind in Merauke call it Mahyan. In Paniai, where the noken is made of special orchid bark, people call it Agiya.

Saly is also a souvenir to bring home with you. It is a skirt made of wood bark fiber or banana tree fibres, worn by the Dani women of Baliem.

A traditional bowl with hand carvings is also unique and has no equal to complete your collection. Cassowary Bone Dagger is something you may want to collect due to its rarity and exquisite look.

This tourism village is not too extensive in terms of size. The land covers around a 7-hectare area, so that it will not take much time and energy to travel around the village. There are around 150 families living in the village. Should you stay in the village, walking is probably the best means to be familiar with your holiday destination.

For snorkeling, you don’t need to travel far because you can find interesting underwater world even by the Arborek pier. Walking down the village trails will give you the very opportunity you will not want to miss, as people and especially children will warmly greet and get acquainted with you.

For diving, it will take about 10 minutes by ‘katinting’ or motorized boat to the dive spots. The katinting is sometimes available for rent. There are two types of katinting: one with smaller motorized power engine (15 horsepower), and the larger with 40 horsepower engine. The local fishermen use katinting to catch fish with traditional fishnets and spears.

The Arborek Tourism Village is located in Meos Mansar in the district of Raja Ampat, West Papua. To reach this location, it is easier to start your journey from Sorong.

There are several flights that you can take from Jakarta or Makassar to Sorong; e.g., Merpati Air, Express Air, and Lion Air. For sea transportation, ships calling on the Port of Sorong are the Dorolonda, the Labobar, Gunung Dempo, Sinabung, and Tatamailau.

From Sorong, you can take a motorboat from the Sorong Fishery Port to Waisai, capital city of the Raja Ampat district. From Waisai, you can continue your less-than-two-hour journey by using a rented longboat to Arborek Village.

There are two alternatives to travel between Sorong and Waisai. Firstly, you can take a speedboat that makes the distance in two hours. Secondly, you can use a local government boat that takes five hours sailing straight to Arborek, without stopping at Waisai. This location is suitable for snorkeling and diving. But you have to bring your own diving and snorkeling equipment because no rental facilities are available.

Posted in: Traditional Villages