Venu, 'Turtle Heaven' Island
Venu Island is the outer island of the southern part of Kaimana Regency, West Papua Province. Venu Island has a saltwater lake with depth of up to 1.5 meters. On the outside, this island has shallow waters of less than 20 m covering 284.3 hectares area with a row of beautiful coral reefs. Located about 80 km from the center of Kaimana district, this small island is a heaven for Green turtles (Chelonia mydas), Sisik (Eretmochelys imbricata), and Lekang (Lepidochelys olivacea) for feeding and laying eggs. Critical species that are threatened with extinction have entered the category of full protection.
In addition, Venu is also a nesting place for eagles. Various other important animals such as sea cucumbers, bia garu (kima), goat head snails, lambis-lambis snails, to nautilus also live here. Venu Island has the status of Buruway Wildlife Reserve and Conservation Area, which represents four ecosystems at once: coral reefs, mangroves, seagrass and beaches.
Venu is a word taken from the language of the Koiway Tribe. It means egg. Why is it called Egg Island or Venu Island? Because there are always hundreds of turtles laying eggs present to enliven the island. This island is built from a pile of white gravel sand with about 300 meters wide and 700 meters long. It looks like a bracelet, where in the middle there is a saltwater pool that experiences ebb and flow, following the sea water. Apart from seeing turtles and the blue sea, tourists can also relax on the white sand that stretches across Venu Island.
The dominant types of coastal plants on the island of Venu are Sea Pine (Casuarina equisetifolia) which is native to the area, while other types found are Sea Putat (Barringtonia asiatica), Dadap Laut (Erythrina sp.), Sea Waru (Hibiscus tiliaceus), Pandan (Pandanus tectorius) and Ketapang (Terminalia catappa).
Venu Island is also a cool and beautiful place to relax. The island has a dense forest and is in the middle of the sea, creating a calm and peaceful atmosphere. White sand and coral reefs make anyone who is on vacation want to stay longer. On a quiet day, visitors can see hundreds or even thousands of bats hanging from the trees while waiting for the night to come. These nocturnal creatures also decorate the twilight at Kaimana.
How to get there?
To reach Venu Island from the district capital, it takes two to three hours by sea by using a 40 PK double engine speedboat.
