1,070 miles from Bitung
Jayapura is West Papua Regency’s largest city, original capital and by far its busiest seaport. There are a lot of floating hazards and Fish Attracting Devices (FADs) on entry and inside the harbour, so best approach in daylight. Keep in the marked channel north of Pulau Entsjau to motor past the starboard lateral beacon on the mainland into the protected port anchorage to comfortable depth east of the concrete docks.
Our anchorage ‘A’,Jayapura, is not a recommended place to visit unless you really need to go there, or unless you want to visit the famous tribes of Baliem Valley; Jayapura will give you gateway access to get there.
At the time of writing, heavy central government attention is focused on the Free Papua Movement. As a consequence, Jayapura has a strong military presence and visitors can sometimes be scrutinised and vetted to make sure they are not media intending to report on the situation there.
You may find looking for international arrival or departure clearance here attracting a strong official presence.
