A visit to Papua is not complete without a trip to Holtekamp Beach, which is located in the southeast of Jayapura city.
Located about 39 kilometers from the center of the capital of Papua province, the beach offers stunning scenery, with beautiful white sands, and the calming sound of waves, which can be enjoyed all day.
The wonderful scenery becomes more stunning with the Youtefa Red Bridge—the trademark of the city—serving as a backdrop to the beach.
The Holtekamp Beach does not only look enchanting in daylight, but also gets more mesmerizing and exotic as the sun begins to set.
At night, flashing lights from the Youtefa Red Bridge hold their own charm for visitors.
Meanwhile, faint lights from fishing boats as well as the flickering lights of the dwellings in Koya village, Arso village, and other villages in Jayapura district enliven the beauty of the beach.
Besides, the welcoming shade of the trees and the cool sea breeze at the beach keep visitors wanting to stay longer.
In addition, there are a number of cafés on the beach, built in their own distinctive style.
A variety of seafood cooked in a wide range of ways is served at the cafés, which are managed by the local community.
Visitors can choose dishes ranging from crabs, squid, shrimp, clams, snapper, grouper, rabbitfish, red grouper, trevally, and sardinella lemuru here.
As for drinks, young coconut water hits all the spots for a vacation on the beach.
Before dusk, children and adults can usually be found playing in the sand or bathing in the shallow waters of Holtekamp Beach.
However, those not keen on taking a dip can rent All-Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) from local residents.
Vacationers can trace a road along Holtekamp Beach on four-wheeled motorbikes.
One visitor, Gustam, told Antara that he had come to Holtekamp Beach with his family for a vacation.
The resident of Gura Besi village, North Jayapura sub-district, Jayapura city said that he often visits the destination which is one of the prime locations in the city.
“The beach is very beautiful. On weekends, I usually take my family to go on vacation here,” Gustam, who has been living in Papua for 10 years, added.
However, on October 2, 2021, they came to Holtekamp Beach to enjoy the fireworks at the opening of the XX National Sports Week (PON).
The opening of the XX Papua PON, which was inaugurated by President Joko Widodo, featured fireworks at two locations — the Lukas Enembe Stadium and the Youtefa Red Bridge.
The tourists who came to the beach on October 2 were not only local residents. Some had come from Solo city (Central Java province), Surabaya city (East Java province), Cimahi city (West Java province), Makassar city (South Sulawesi province), West Sumatra province, and other areas.
“The natural scenery is amazing — especially added with the splendor of the Youtefa Red Bridge,” a tourist from Surabaya city, Rangga, noted.
He added that it was the first time he had come to the beach at the recommendation of an acquaintance, who is a local.
Fireworks party
The opening of XX Papua PON was capped by fireworks displays.
Both residents and visitors at Holtekamp Beach were eager to watch the fireworks party at the Youtefa Red Bridge.
“I am very enthusiastic. I deliberately came at 3.30 p.m. Eastern Indonesia Standard Time to Holtekamp Beach to watch the fireworks at the Youtefa Red Bridge,” one of the visitors, Tami, told Antara.
The resident of Koya Barat village, Muara Tami sub-district, Jayapura city said that she was very enthusiastic about the display as she had been waiting for a long time for a big event to be held in the area.
For almost two years, there have been no events due to the COVID-19 pandemic, she remarked.
A civil servant and native of Solo city, Central Java province, she said that she had been bored amid the pandemic as she mostly had to work from home.
She said she purposely chose Holtekamp Beach so that she could watch the fireworks display while enjoying the night atmosphere on the beach.
“I intentionally chose this place because the view is amazing. At the Lukas Enembe Stadium, you can only see the stadium as the view,” she reasoned.
The fireworks festival at the inauguration of the XX Papua PON got an enthusiastic welcome from the Papuan people, especially on Holtekamp Beach.
The visitors were amazed by the beauty of the fireworks that painted the night sky of Jayapura city that day.
Protect nature
Holtekamp Beach is famous for its fascinating landscape. However, scattered trash at several points along the coast has reduced its aesthetic appeal.
Used drink bottles, plastic household waste, wooden branches, as well as styrofoam can be found at the beach. The view indeed spoils the beauty of Holtekamp Beach, said visitors.
If it is not maintained properly, the beach, which is one of the places of pride in the Land of Papua, may gradually fall into neglect, they said.
The problem may become worse as the garbage can get washed away by the waves and become a new threat to the seas around Papua, they added.
Hence, everyone must be more aware of the environment, especially visitors to Holtekamp Beach, officials have said.
In fact, in Presidential Regulation Number 83 of 2018, the government has targeted that Indonesia must reduce 70 percent of marine debris by 2025, director of waste management at the Environmental and Forestry Ministry, Novrizal Tahar, informed.
At a webinar titled ‘Joint Movement of the Handling of Waste’ in May 2021, he said that Indonesia succeeded in reducing marine debris by 8.10 percent in 2019 and 15.30 percent in 2020.
Meanwhile, in 2021, it is targeting to reduce marine debris by 25.90 percent. The number is expected to increase until it finally reaches 70 percent in 2025.
Source: Antara News