- Update : 2024/4/3
- Iriomote
- Tourist attractions
Iriomote Island is larger than Ishigaki Island and has a vast jungle forest. We recommend enjoying the rich nature of the island by kayaking, hiking and snorkeling.
However, Iriomote Island also has tourist attractions that anyone can enjoy, such as Yubu Island and Urauchi River tour boat. This page introduces such recommended tourist attractions on Iriomote Island.
Iriomote Island is large, so it takes a lot of time to move. If you travel the island by bus, the tourist attractions you can reach in a day are limited.
Contents
♦ Haimida Beach (Haimidanohama)
♦ Nakama River
♦ Heritiera littoralis grove at Komi
♦ Iriomote Wildlife Conservation Center
♦ Yubu Island
♦ Nobaruzaki
♦ Oomija Road Park
♦ Hoshisuna Beach (Hoshizuna Beach)
♦ Unarizaki Park
♦ Todamari Beach (Tsukigahama)
♦ Urauchi River
♦ Ida Beach (Ida no Hama)
Haimida Beach (Haimidanohama)
It is a long beach in the southern part of the island, and there is Haimida Campsite near the beach. The road ends to this beach, which is located on the edge of the island. It is far from the bus stop.
There is a rest area on the beach, but there are no showers and toilets.
Business Hours
Always (Free)
Bus stop
None
Toilets
None
Parking Lot
Free
Map No.
About 15 minutes by car from Ohara Port
Map No. 1
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Nakama River
It is a large river with a total length of about 17km, and one of the largest mangrove forests in Japan spreads out. You can see the river from the Nakama bridge, but we recommend taking a tour boat. The tour boat departs daily from Ohara Port and you can see the mangroves up close from the boat.
The tour boat ride takes about 60 minutes. On the boat, the captain will explain in Japanese about the mangroves and the animals and plants of Iriomote Island.
In addition, the tour boat a roof, so it is recommended as a plan for rainy day.
Business Hours
Always (Free)
Bus stop
Otomi ( About 5 minutes walk to Nakama River)
Toilets
Available
Parking Lot
Free
Tour boat Website
Nakama River mangrove cruise
Map No.
About 4 minutes by bus from Ohara Port
Map No. 2
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Heritiera littoralis grove at Komi
There is a promenade down the stairs from the parking lot to see the trees. From there, you can see a tree with plate-shaped roots as shown in the photo above. The promenade is about 50m long. Why don’t you stop by during the drive?
Business Hours
Always (Free)
Bus stop
Komi ( About 12 minutes walk to the promenade)
Toilets
None
Parking Lot
Free
Map No.
About 13 minutes by bus from Ohara Port
Map No. 3
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Iriomote Wildlife Conservation Center
There is an exhibition of animals and plants that inhabit Iriomote Island, such as the Iriomote cat and the Ryukyu wild boar. The exhibition room is only on the first floor and is not large, but it is still a new facility and admission is free. The stuffed Iriomote cat, which lives only on Iriomote Island, can only be seen here.
Business Hours
10:00 to 5:00pm (Closed every Monday)
Admission fee
Free
Bus stop
Wildlife Conservation Center ( About 8 minutes walk to the Iriomote Wildlife Conservation Center)
Toilets
Available
Parking Lot
Free
Website
Iriomote Wildlife Conservation Center
Map No.
About 14 minutes by bus from Ohara Port
Map No. 4
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Yubu Island
Yubu Island is the most famous tourist attraction on Iriomote Island. You go to Yubu Island from Iriomote Island by buffalo cart across the sea. It takes about 15 minutes by buffalo cart to Yubu Island. In the buffalo cart, you can listen to live performances of the traditional Okinawan musical instrument, the sanshin. You will be healed by the experience of crossing the sea in a buffalo cart that is slower than you walk.
You can take a walk among the subtropical trees on Yubu Island. You can leisurely go around Yubu Island in one hour.
Business Hours
9:30 to 4:00pm (No closing days)
Admission fee
2,000yen (Buffalo cart fare + Admission fee to the island)
Bus stop
Yubu Suigyusha Stand (The ticket office is in front of the bus stop)
Toilets
Available (Multipurpose Toilets : 〇)
Parking Lot
Free
Yubu Island Website
Yubu Island
Map No.
About 23 minutes by bus from Ohara Port
Map No. 5
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Nobaruzaki
You can overlook the sea from here. There are parking lots and benches, but no toilets. There is no bus stop nearby, so it’s a place to stop by during the drive.
Business Hours
Always (Free)
Bus stop
None
Toilets
None
Parking Lot
Free
Map No.
About 18 minutes by bus from Ohara Port
Map No. 6
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Oomija Road Park
There is a promenade with a length of about 200m. If you go down the stairs form the parking lot, there is a promenade and you can see the mangrove in front of you.
Business Hours
Always (Free)
Bus stop
Omija Road Park (There is a promenade entrance in front of the bus stop)
Toilets
None
Parking Lot
Free
Map No.
About 14 minutes by bus from Uehara Port
Map No. 7
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Hoshisuna Beach (Hoshizuna Beach)
If you are snorkeling on the beaches of Iriomote Island, we recommend you here. There are toilets, showers and restaurants here, and you can rent snorkeling items, so it’s easy to use. In addition, there are campsites and accommodations near the beach.
If you want to use Hoshisuna Beach, please refer to the “Pension Hoshinosuna” website. The store rents showers and snorkeling items, accepts campsites, and operates restaurants.
There is a lot of star-shaped sand here, so it was named Hoshisuna Beach.
Star-shaped sand is called Hoshisuna in Japanese.
Business Hours
Always (Free)
Bus stop
Hoshizuna Beach ( About 3 minutes walk to the beach)
Toilets
Available (Multipurpose Toilets : 〇)
Parking Lot
Free
Map No.
About 6 minutes by bus from Uehara Port
Map No. 8
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Unarizaki Park
It is a beautiful park with an observatory and playground equipment. You can overlook the beautiful sea from the observatory. However, there is no bus stop nearby.
Business Hours
Always (Free)
Bus stop
None
Toilets
Available (Multipurpose Toilets : 〇)
Parking Lot
Free
Map No.
About 10 minutes by bus from Uehara Port
Map No. 9
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Todamari Beach (Tsukigahama)
It is a beach in front of Hoshino Resorts Iriomote Hotel. It is available even if you are not staying there, but there is no toilets or shower.
It is also called “Tsukigahama” because the beach is shaped like a crescent moon. “Moon” is called “tsuki” in Japanese, and “beach” is called “hama” in Japanese.
This is a sunset spot.
Business Hours
Always (Free)
Bus stop
Hoshino Resort Iriomotejima Hotel ( About 2 minutes walk to the beach)
Toilets
None
Parking Lot
Free
Map No.
About 12 minutes by bus from Uehara Port
Map No. 10
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Urauchi River
It is the longest river in Okinawa prefecture and has a vast mangrove forest. There is an observatory near the bridge, and you can see the scenery like the picture above.
But our recommendation is to take a tour boat. On the tour boat, the staff will explain the animals, plants and mangroves that live in the Urauchi River. You can go to the upstream area of the river by the boat. If you go upstream, you will see a different view from the mangrove forests downstream.
In addition, upstream of this river are Maryudo Falls and Kanbiree Falls. You can take this tour boat to the upstream area and walk from there in about an hour to see them. These are the only two waterfalls on Iriomote Island that you can go without taking a tour. If you want to go to another waterfalls, you need to take a tour.
Business Hours
Always (Free)
Bus stop
Urauchi River (Urauchi River is in front of the bus stop)
Toilets
None (It is located at the boarding point of the Urauchi River tour boat.)
Parking Lot
Free
Tour boat Website
Urauchi River Jungle Cruise
Map No.
About 16 minutes by bus from Uehara Port
Map No. 11
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Ida Beach (Ida no Hama)
It is a beach in the Funauki area that can only be reached by ferry. There is no road in the Funauki area, so you can’t drive there. Funauki is an area surrounded by forests and the sea. It takes about 10 minutes by ferry from Shirahama Port at the western end of Iriomote Island to Funauki Port, and about 10 minutes on foot from Funauki Port. There are beautiful beaches because they are not easily accessible.
There are no showers or toilets on the beach, but you can rent a shower at a store near the port and there is also a public toilet. We recommend this beach to you as there are few people.
“How to get to Ida Beach (Funauki area)” is summarized on another page. It also includes information on how to rent snorkeling items and shower information.
Business Hours
Always (Free)
Bus stop
Shirahama (Ferry from Shirahama Port)
Toilets
None
Parking Lot
None
Map No.
Shirahama Port takes 27 minutes by bus from Uehara Port.
Map No. 12
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