Merauke and Sota

The Easternmost Town In Indonesia, On Savannah Rather Than Rainforest, Beside A Border Post At The End Of The Country And A Food Estate Imposed On Marind Land · Merauke, South Papua

MERAUKE IS THE FAR END OF INDONESIA. The phrase SABANG SAMPAI MERAUKE - from Sabang to Merauke - is how Indonesians describe the whole span of the country, and this is the Merauke end of it, a town on flat SAVANNAH AND WETLAND rather than rainforest, with eucalypts and enormous termite mounds and a landscape that looks more like northern Australia than like the rest of Papua, because geologically it once was. AT SOTA, AN HOUR AND A HALF EAST, IS THE BORDER POST WITH PAPUA NEW GUINEA and a monument marking the end of the country, which is why most Indonesian visitors come. AND MERAUKE IS THE SITE OF A VAST STATE AGRICULTURAL PROJECT ON CUSTOMARY MARIND LAND - food and energy estates covering enormous areas, contested by the communities whose forest and sago it replaced. That dispute is the most important thing here and it is unresolved. Go in the dry season, carry identification anywhere near Sota, and take the malaria advice seriously - this is among the higher-risk areas anywhere in Indonesia.

Merauke and Sota, South Papua, Merauke, South Papua, Indonesia

MERAUKE HAS AN AIRPORT with connections via JAYAPURA, MAKASSAR AND TIMIKA; there is no road to the rest of Indonesia. SOTA IS ABOUT AN HOUR AND A HALF EAST BY ROAD and the BORDER MONUMENT AND MARKET are open ground; THIS IS AN INTERNATIONAL BORDER AREA - carry identification, expect checks, and DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CROSS without proper formalities. WASUR NATIONAL PARK begins along the same road and is entered with permits arranged locally. THE DRY SEASON, ROUGHLY MAY TO NOVEMBER, IS WHEN THE SAVANNAH IS PASSABLE; the wet turns much of it to swamp. MALARIA IS SERIOUS HERE - this is among the higher-risk areas in Indonesia and medical advice is not optional. Check current travel advice for Papua. Bring cash; prices are high because everything flies in.

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