Cruises to Iriomote Jima

Iriomote-jima Island is the largest in the Yae-yama Islands that lies 470 kilometers to the southwest of Okinawa Island and 18 kilometers to the west of Ishigaki-jima Island. Over 90 percent of the island is covered with semitropical jungles. The special natural monument, Iriomote wildcats, crowned eagles and other endangered species of animals inhabit, and tourists can see another natural monument, Sakishima-sappan, nipapalms and other rare plants. In the basins of the Nakama-gawa River and Ura-uchi-gawa River with thick growth of mangroves at the river mouths, there are cruising courses for boats and canoes, from which visitors can enjoy the dynamic virgin nature. There is Iriomote-jima-onsen Hot Spring, the southernmost hot spring in Japan. Tourists can go from the Mihara-shuraku village in the eastern end of Iriomote-jima Island to the Yufu-jima Island by water buffalo-drawn carriage. They can cross the shoal that is only 1 meter deep even at high tide on a special water buffalo drawn carriage for 15 minutes to the Yufu-jima Island. The entire Yufu-jima Island is a tropical botanical garden. Tourists can watch birds, monkeys and other wild animals at play among 40,000 palm trees and blooming hibiscuses.