Updated: August 2026
Teluk Cenderawasih National Park Permits & Fees (2027)
Every visitor to Teluk Cenderawasih National Park needs an entry permit — known in Indonesia as a SIMAKSI (Surat Izin Masuk Kawasan Konservasi) — plus daily park entrance tickets and small activity fees for diving, snorkelling, or vessel entry. As of 2026, international travellers should budget roughly USD 15–25 per person per day for tickets and activity fees, with permits issued by the park authority through its Manokwari headquarters and field offices serving the Nabire side of the bay. The good news: on almost every packaged trip, the operator files the paperwork for you. This guide explains how Teluk Cenderawasih National Park permits work in practice — what they cost, where to get them, drone rules, and exactly what you need to prepare.
What Permit Do You Need to Enter Teluk Cenderawasih National Park?
Teluk Cenderawasih is Indonesia’s largest marine national park — 1,453,500 hectares of protected water and islands on the northern coast of West Papua, designated in 1993 and expanded to its current boundaries in 2002. Because the entire bay is a conservation area, entry is regulated by the park authority, the Balai Besar Taman Nasional Teluk Cenderawasih (BBTNTC).
Two layers of paperwork apply to foreign visitors:
- SIMAKSI (conservation area entry permit). A named permit letter listing each visitor, their passport details, the dates of entry, and the activity (tourism, diving, photography, research). Research and commercial filming use separate, stricter categories than ordinary tourism.
- Daily entrance tickets and activity fees. On top of the SIMAKSI, the park charges a per-person, per-day entrance tariff, with small add-ons for diving or snorkelling and a separate fee for the vessel carrying you.
In practice, tourists on organised trips rarely see the SIMAKSI process directly. Liveaboard operators and land-based guides submit passport scans in advance, collect the permit from the park office, and carry it on board. Rangers can and do check papers at Kwatisore, so a legitimate operator will never skip this step.
How Much Do Teluk Cenderawasih National Park Permits and Fees Cost?
Park tariffs are set by Indonesian government regulation (the national PNBP tariff schedules) and are revised periodically, so treat every figure below as indicative as of 2026 and confirm the exact amounts when you book. The structure, however, is stable:
| Fee item | Indicative range (IDR) | Approx. USD | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entrance ticket — international visitor | Rp 150,000–225,000 / person / day | USD 10–15 | Higher tier typically applies on Sundays and public holidays |
| Entrance ticket — Indonesian visitor | Rp 5,000–25,000 / person / day | Under USD 2 | Domestic tariff is much lower |
| Diving activity fee | Rp 25,000–100,000 / person / day | USD 2–7 | Charged per activity day, not per dive |
| Snorkelling / water activity fee | Rp 15,000–50,000 / person / day | USD 1–4 | Applies to whale shark swims at the bagans |
| Vessel entry fee | Varies by boat size | USD 5–35 / day | Paid by the operator, usually bundled into your trip price |
| Commercial filming / professional photography permit | Separate application | Case by case | Required for commercial shoots; not needed for holiday photos |
For a typical 7–10 day itinerary, park tickets and activity fees add up to roughly USD 100–250 per person. Our own published budgeting guidance for the bay allows USD 400–800 per person for permits, tips, and incidentals combined — a comfortable ceiling that also covers crew gratuities and small cash expenses in Nabire or Manokwari. If a quote you receive elsewhere shows park fees dramatically above this band, ask for the line-item breakdown.
Where Do You Obtain the Permit — Manokwari or Nabire?
The park authority is headquartered in Manokwari, West Papua, with field offices covering the different sectors of the bay — including the Nabire side, which is the gateway most whale shark travellers use because Kwatisore sits a boat ride from Nabire. Where your paperwork is processed depends on your route:
- Entering via Nabire (most common). Land-based whale shark trips and many liveaboard embarkations start here. Permits for the Kwatisore area are handled through the field office serving that sector, and local operators know the process well. This is the standard route for our land-based Nabire packages.
- Entering via Manokwari. Liveaboards that begin their route on the eastern side of the Bird’s Head often clear paperwork at the head office in Manokwari before sailing south into the bay.
- Cruising itineraries. Vessels crossing multiple sectors carry a SIMAKSI covering the full route and guest list, arranged before departure.
Applying independently is possible — you present your passport, a short letter stating your purpose and dates, and pay the tariffs — but offices keep Indonesian business hours, processing can take a day or more, and communication is largely in Bahasa Indonesia. For most international travellers, the sensible move is to let the operator handle Teluk Cenderawasih National Park permits as part of the trip, which is exactly how our Cenderawasih Bay liveaboard trips are structured.
Do You Need a Separate Permit for the Whale Sharks at Kwatisore?
There is no separate “whale shark permit” — the encounters at the Kwatisore bagans (the lifted fishing platforms where whale sharks aggregate nearly year-round) fall under your standard park entry plus the daily water activity fee. What does apply at the bagans is a set of interaction rules: keep the mandated distance, no touching or riding, no flash close to the animals, and follow your guide’s positioning instructions. Separately from park fees, operators pay the bagan fishermen for access to their platforms — a private arrangement that is bundled into any properly priced package, and one worth asking about explicitly if you see an unusually cheap day-trip quote.
What Are the Drone Rules in Teluk Cenderawasih?
Drones are a permission item, not a free-for-all. As of 2026, the practical rules look like this:
- Declare your drone when the permit is filed. Aerial filming inside a conservation area is expected to be approved by the park authority in advance; flying undeclared risks confiscation of footage or worse.
- Recreational clips are usually accommodated when declared, flown away from wildlife, and kept to sensible altitudes. Around the bagans, most operators restrict or prohibit drone flights entirely — the noise disturbs both the whale sharks and the fishermen whose platforms make the encounter possible.
- Commercial shoots need their own permit. Documentary and commercial productions must apply under a filming category with different fees and lead times — start that process weeks, not days, ahead.
If aerial footage matters to your trip, tell us before booking so the declaration is written into the permit from the start.
Who Handles the Paperwork on a Packaged Trip?
On any organised itinerary — liveaboard or land-based — the operator’s local agent does the filing. The sequence is simple on your side:
- You send passport scans for every guest when you confirm the booking.
- The agent submits the SIMAKSI application with your route and dates, pays the tariffs, and carries the permit during the trip.
- Park fees appear either bundled in your package price or as a clearly labelled pass-through line — legitimate operators will show you which.
- You carry your passport (and ideally a paper copy) during the trip for ranger checks.
When we build a trip through our desk, permit handling is included and confirmed in writing before you fly, whether you choose a full Cenderawasih Bay tour package or a bespoke route. Passports with at least six months’ validity are the only hard requirement on your side; allow at least two weeks between sending documents and departure so nothing is rushed.
Quick Checklist Before You Go
- Passport valid 6+ months beyond travel dates, plus a paper copy
- Passport scans sent to your operator at booking
- Small IDR cash for incidentals in Nabire or Manokwari
- Drone declared in advance if you plan to fly one
- Written confirmation of which park fees are included in your package
- Travel insurance covering diving and remote-area evacuation
Permits are the least glamorous part of a Cenderawasih trip — and the part you should never have to think about on the water. Our trip desk, part of Juara Holding Group — operating from Bali across Indonesia since 2015 — files Teluk Cenderawasih National Park permits for every guest, confirms the current tariffs at booking, and puts every fee in writing. Message us on WhatsApp at +62 811-3941-4563 or email [email protected] with your dates, and we will map the permit timeline for your exact route.
