Travel Guide Iriomote-Jima

The end of the world! This island appears as one of the last small jewels of the archipelago. The interior of the island has been declared a national park, and it is in a rather dense jungle (90% of the territory), around waterfalls, rivers and beautiful beaches, rocky inlets, that the last wild cat hides, a species of dahu that nobody sees, but that everybody talks about, the Iriomote Yamaneko (or Prionailurus bengalensis iriomotensis). The species is on the "red list" of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). It is estimated that there are currently 100 of these animals. The two most important towns are Ohara in the southwest and Uehara in the north. The northern part offers more charm to divers, who will be able to shiver at the sight of the underwater depths and the manta rays. It is indeed off Iriomote that there are currents rich in plankton which feed this gliding creature. Beware: scuba diving is not for everyone.