Kebar Valley
The charm of the coast and the sea in West Papua through Raja Ampat has been worldwide. But the charm of the mountainous region has not attracted much attention.
It is a district in Tambrauw Regency, West Papua which has mountainous beauty that rarely found in other regions in Indonesia. The district is Kebar District or often called Kebar Valley because of its topographical conditions such as a valley surrounded by hills. The journey to Kebar Valley from Manokwari, passes through a winding road and some sections of the road that quite challenging. As in the sand dunes about 10 km which are very prone to slipping, because the sandy road cannot be paved. There is also a bridge that still made of wood and there is ravines at left and right side.
Along the way, you will pass through natural forests that still very dense, clear blue skies, and the endless sound of birds. The surrounding scenery is like a natural painting that will make you stop often to admire it. The long and tiring journey to reach the Kebar Valley pays off with the landscapes that this region has to offer. The natural scenery of the Kebar Valley is very beautiful, as far as the eye can see, the expanse of green hills covered by clean white clouds always welcomes the morning.
The residents are very friendly, always give greetings when met, both by children and adults. The inhabitants of Kebar Valley are not many, divided into several groups on the side of the main road with the main livelihood being farming around their homes.
In this valley there is a very famous hill by presenting its beautiful natural landscape, namely Sontiri Hill or often also called Teletubbies Hill. So called because this hill is similar to the house of the Teletubbies. This hill is a very wide expanse of meadow like a stretched green carpet. When you are on this expanse of meadows, you are reminded for a moment of the classic film The Sound of Music, where the artists dance and sing on the expanse of green meadows like this. You don't have to go all the way to Europe to enjoy a view like this. There is a path that can be passed by four-wheeled vehicles, which is indeed prepared for visitors who want to enjoy this nature.
The best time to enjoy this hill is in the morning but when it is not foggy. If the fog falls in the morning it will cover the hilly area although it still offers another charm of this region. The cool air combined with the bright natural scenery really makes you not want to leave this hill. It would be more enjoyable if we set up a tent here.
When looking into the virtual world, the charm of this Kebar Valley has started to be talked about in several articles of someone's journey, especially those who have stopped there. Everyone agrees that the natural beauty of Kebar Valley is difficult to find in other areas in Indonesia. However, its location which is far from the city center of both Manokwari and Sorong is still a big obstacle to attracting many foreign visitors.
Currently, there are not many foreign tourist visits. Kebar Valley needs a strong regional branding to attract visitors and develop like Raja Ampat. The Kebar Valley offers an alternative tourist attraction that gives a different feel, the feel of the mountains that still undeveloped in West Papua with great potential available. Kebar Valley can be a complete destination for tourists. In addition to mountain views, tour packages in Kebar Valley can be equipped with bird of paradise tours, tracking to natural waterfalls and several other activities in nature.
The phenomenon of glamorous camping which popular as a tourist destination in big cities can be adopted with original view as the added value of this region.
How to get there?
Maybe it similar to Sumba and New Zealand, to reach this area takes 4 hours by land from Manokwari using a double garda vehicle or four hours from Sausapor City, the temporary capital of Tambrauw Regency. Sorong-Sausapor can be reached by sea for about 2.5 hours or by land for 3.5 hours.
