Wasur National Park is a massive national park in the province of Papua, New Guinea Island. It boasts dense primary rainforest along with coral reefs and indigenous peoples and is quite straightforward to reach.
Dubbed the Serengeti of Papua owing to its incredible biodiversity, Wasur National Park is a must-see for lovers of the outdoors in Papua. It covers a massive area of wetland and maintains a large number of rare animals and birds. Unfortunately, the transmigration of outsiders to the area has downgraded the park somewhat.
The best place for spotting wildlife in Wasur National Park is Rawa Biru Lake, which is part of the wetlands. There are many water fowl species and migrant birds here along with cassowaries and wallabies. The lake is also known as Tanah Air (‘motherland’).
There are 14 villages in the park, with some 2,500 indigenous people living in these villages, where basic accommodation can be sought.
Getting There & Away
Wasur National Park is best accessed by going through the town of Merauke. It has an airport and receives flights from Jayapura, the Papua capital in the north of the province. Flight time is 90 minutes. The Jayapura to Merauke highway provides access from Merauke, a 2-hour drive. Jayapura’s airport has connections to Jakarta’s international airport.