Mansinam Island is an island in Western Papua that has a very influential history of civilization that we should not forget when visiting Papua Island. There not only store religious history but also marine beauty. Let’s explore what Mansinam Island is like. Mansinam Island is located in the Doreh Bay area, part of the capital of West Papua, Manokwari. The Island is characterized by coconut trees that surround the shoreline and green hills overgrown with trees that are common sights when visiting Masinam Island. The Island, which has a population of around 800 people, has an important history for Papua, especially West Papua, which occurred around 160 years ago.
The history of civilization that occurred on Masinan Island began with the arrival of foreign missionaries who came to spread Christian teachings. The missionaries who came to Masinan Island were from Germany named Carl Wilhelm Ottouw and Geissler. They came not only to spread Christian teachings but also to teach skills to the people of Masinam Island. The skills taught by them included the ability to build houses, how to read, write, and weave cloth. Slowly, these skills spread throughout Papua. Therefore, Papuans are not surprised to come to Masinan Island every February 5 to commemorate the arrival of Ottouw and Geissler. In fact, the day is often used as a festival that is quite lively.Masinam Island is not just a written history. Mansinam Island has a beauty that is seen there such as the magnificent historical relics by Ottouw and Geissler, namely the Cross Monument as a commemoration that the entry of the gospel in the Land of Papua, it stands so beautifully and has an inscription written in German which contains Ottouw and Geissler that were the first missionaries on February 5, 1855. In addition to the Tugu Cross monument, there is also a monument that almost resembles the one in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil but with a slightly smaller size. This monument was completed in 2014 and stands very majestic. With open arms means that Jesus Christ seems to love accepting anyone who comes to Mansinan Island.
Mansinan Island is a beautiful marine attraction that should not be missed when visiting the neighboring Island of Manokwari. On the edge of Mansinam Island beach we are greeted by towering coconut trees and white sand beaches that are very comfortable when we set foot for the first time on Mansinam Island. The air is very cool we can feel because the island is 6 kilometers from the city center of Manokwari and not many foreign tourists or outside Papua who come to make this beach still maintained its beauty. Some of the beaches that you can visit on Mansinam Island are Bakaro Beach, Maruni Beach, Yen Bebay Beach, and Amban Beach.
To be able to visit Mansinam Island, you can take a motorboat with a capacity of 10 to 12 adults from Manokwari Harbor. The trip to reach the destination takes about 10 to 15 minutes and costs about 5,000 rupiah for one person. Although it is cheap, visitors are also required to pay for seats if they are still empty. In addition to riding a motorboat we can also ride a speedboat at a cost much more expensive than we ride a motorboat with the time to reach up to the Mansinam Beach Hotel which is about 10 to 15 minutes. The service fee for using this speedboat its priced at 1,000,000 rupiah. Quite expensive but all of that can be paid with the comfort provided by the person who serves the service and the beauty of Mansinam Island. The condition of Mansinam Island which is still maintained in its beauty makes this island has a high value for target tourist destinations with friends, work relatives, and extended family. Traveling to Mansinam Island allows us to learn and remember the history that makes Papua Island so special again in the eyes of Indonesia and abroad. The struggle of Ottouw and Geissler to build civilization on Mansinam Island has an extraordinary story that we cannot forget. It is very incomplete if we visit Mansinam Island without trying to explore the beauty of the Baharinya which is not inferior to several islands in Papua.
