Twin Lakes in Arfak Mountains Relieve Exhaustion

KOMPAS/RADITYA HELABUMI (RAD)

A captivating panorama under clear skies at Lake Anggi Gida, Arfak Mountains, West Papua, Tuesday (13/4/2021).

The exhaustion following a grueling trip from Kwau village was well offset by the beautiful scenery of Lake Anggi Gida and Lake Anggi Giji right before our eyes.

From a hill, the surface of Lake Anggi Gida appeared to be blue with some color gradations. Several parts of the lake were dark blue, while other parts looked lighter in hue. The green mountainous expanses around the lake made the scenery even more appealing.

On that day in mid-April 2021, the weather was fine when we arrived on a hill in Arfak Mountains regency, West Papua, to enjoy the landscape of Lake Anggi Gida. We had just finished a long arduous journey by four-wheel drive car from Kwau village, Warmare district, Manokwari regency in West Papua.

During the trip that took around 2.5 hours, most of the routes we passed were earth and stony tracks. In some areas, large holes were gaping on the paths so that the journey was halted there. Our car was even forced to cross rivers several times because no bridges had yet been built in those streams.

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Nevertheless, the exhaustion resulting from the tough journey was compensated for by the gorgeous scenery of Lake Anggi Gida we finally soaked up. Moreover, on our way we could also enjoy the charm of Lake Anggi Giji, the “partner” of Lake Anggi Gida. So far, the two closely located lakes have indeed become attractive tourist spots in Arfak Mountains regency.

The bank of Lake Anggi Gida is also lined with a stretch of white sand said to be a rare natural phenomenon.

Lake Anggi Gida and Lake Anggi Giji lie at the altitude of about 1,800-2,000 meters. Both lakes are around 100 kilometers from the seat of administration of the West Papua capital in Manokwari. The trip from Manokwari to the zone of both lakes takes 4-5 hours by car.

Lake Anggi Giji is described as a manifestation of the male figure and Lake Anggi Gida of the female.

Based on some references, the names of Lake Anggi Giji and Lake Anggi Gida came from a legend or folklore telling the story of two lovers. Lake Anggi Giji is described as a manifestation of the male figure and Lake Anggi Gida of the female.

Visitors to Lake Anggi Giji and Lake Anggi Gida can enjoy a number of attractions. The most prominent one is certainly the natural splendor of the two lakes, which are actually enchanting.

Caption: Residents walk around Lake Anggi Giji, Arfak Mountains, West Papua, Tuesday (13/4/2021).

In the zone of Lake Anggi Giji, for instance, there is a headland jutting out into waters known as Koctera Promontory. The headland is in the direction of Lake Anggi Giji so that the lake’s beauty can be viewed from this promontory. Therefore, tourists wishing to watch the scenery of Lake Anggi Giji can go to Koctera.

Besides, a floating island can also be found in Lake Anggi Giji called Lomos Island. Several references indicate that Lomos Island is a grass island that can shift its position. So, sometimes Lomos Island is in the middle of the lake, but it can also move to another area and even to the bank of the lake.

Lake Anggi Gida also offers a no less attractive panorama. While the surface of the lake water is bluish, at the bank of Lake Anggi Gida also lies a white sand stretch referred to as a rare natural phenomenon. In order to view the white sand, tourists can visit Sisrang village in the zone of Lake Anggi Gida.

Other objects

Apart from the lake landscapes, the zones of Lake Anggi Giji and Lake Anggi Gida also have other objects of appeal. These are described in the article entitled “An Analysis of the Potential of Lake Anggi Giji and Lake Anggi Gida as Natural Tourist Spots of Arfak Mountains Regency, West Papua Province” by Erwin Dowansiba and several other writers published in the journal Melanesia (2018).

KOMPAS/RADITYA HELABUMI (RAD)

A captivating panorama under clear skies at Lake Anggi Gida, Arfak Mountains, West Papua, Tuesday (13/4/2021).

According to the article, while observing scenic beauty, tourists visiting Lake Anggi Giji and Lake Anggi Gida can also enjoy bird watching in the forest areas around the lakes. One of the birds that can be viewed during bird watching activity is namdur (bowerbird), also dubbed a smart bird.

In addition, tourists can also go angling in Lake Anggi Giji and Lake Anggi Gida. The other activity is to join cultural tourism by visiting a number of settlements of the Arfak ethnic community around lake zones.

A restaurant manager in Anggi district, Rison, 25, said many tourists from Manokwari frequently visited Lake Anggi Giji and Lake Anggi Gida on weekends or holidays. “Many of them come here on holidays,” he said.

Rison revealed that most of the tourists came to Lake Anggi Gida via Ransiki district as the capital of South Manokwari regency. The road condition through Ransiki is fairly good so that not only four-wheel drive cars can pass. This is unlike the road condition from Kwau village, which can only be traversed by four-wheel drive cars.

“Most of them visit Lake Anggi Gida as it is close to Ransiki. Small cars can pass there because all roads have been asphalted,” added Rison, who comes from South Sulawesi.

According to Hami Mandacan, 30, a resident of Kwau village serving as our guide, Lake Anggi Giji and Lake Anggi Gida had also attracted many visitors from outside Papua. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, Hami claimed he had several times guided tourists to the two lakes.

“The last time we accompanied tourists to this lake was in 2019. At the time we guided tourists from the Netherlands,” said Hami, who is involved in ecotourism management in Kwau village.

Caption: The newly opened access road around the zones of Lake Anggi Giji and Lake Anggi Gida in arfak Mountains, West Papua, Tuesday (13/4/2021).

They had no objection when they had to pass earth and stony tracks with many holes on their way.

Hami said the Dutch tourists were fascinated by the landscapes of Lake Anggi Giji and Lake Anggi Gida. The tourists were thus satisfied with their visit to the two lakes. They had no objection when they had to pass earth and stony tracks with many holes on their way.

“They didn’t complain about it. The important thing for them was watching the lake scenery. They said it was wonderful,” said Hami.

West Papua Governor Dominggus Mandacan stated the West Papua provincial administration planned to develop the National Tourism Strategic Zone (KSPN) with two nodes. The first is the Sorong-Raja Ampat node and the second is the Manokwari-Arfak Mountains node.

KOMPAS/RADITYA HELABUMI (RAD)

Newly opened access roads in the area of Lake Anggi Giji and Lake Anggi Gida in the Arfak Mountains, West Papua, Tuesday (13/4/2021).

“Raja Ampat has been named one of the national priority destinations and will also be developed as one of the geoparks in Indonesia,” said Dominggus on 21 April 2021.

“We propose the reordering of the zones around the Twin Lakes Anggi, which are Lake Anggi Giji and Anggi Gida.”

Dominggus added that for the development of the Manokwari-Arfak Mountains node, several undertakings would be carried out by the West Papua administration. One of them was the reordering the zones around Lake Anggi Giji and Lake Anggi Gida. “We proposed the reordering of the areas around the Twin Lakes Anggi, which are Lake Anggi Giji and Anggi Gida,” he pointed out.

Yet there is yet no detailed information about the reordering steps to be taken by the West Papua provincial administration in the zones surrounding Lake Anggi Giji and Lake Anggi Gida. What is obvious is that the reordering is expected to preserve the natural beauty of the twin lakes.

(This article was translated by Aris Prawira).