TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - For the second time I laid a step on Manokwari, the capital city of West Papua. Like other big cities in Papua, Manokwari shares border with the ocean and owns rows of hills and mountains on its land.

Since it was named capital city of West Papua in 2003, Manokwari’s development seems to speeding up. Infrastructures of the city has been improved and investors start to arrive and changing the face of the city.

And like other places in Papua, Manokwari also offers captivating natural tourist destination. One of the main attractions is the White Sand beach in Doreri bay. The calm beach is located only 30-minute north of the city center.

In the morning, the White Sand beach is really charming. The shore line of white sands meets the sea water that shows color gradation from light blue to dark green. From a far, the Mansinam island is big enough to block the view to Arfak mountains. If the weather is fair, we would see the peak of the mountains wrapped by the cloud.

Its wave is not too fierce, a suitable spot for family outing. And because the water is so clear, we can see the sea bed of sands. It seems like the beach was created for people to unwind.

The beach is considered safe for children because of its shallow and clear water. Parents can feel safe to let their children play and swim.

Although the beach has yet to be fully developed as tourism destination, there are buildings built by the local government for the visitors. And the good news is that the beach is clean because surrounding residents are diligently cleaning up around the beach despite the absence of government funding.

Putting Manokwari White Sand beach onto the list is worthy when you travel to the city.

IPUL GASSING | INDONESIANA