Sorong sits at the westernmost tip of the Bird's Head Peninsula, a fading oil town with rusting tin roofs stretching along eight kilometres of coastline. It is not a place anyone comes to for its own sake.
What brings people here is Raja Ampat. The archipelago of over 1,500 small islands to the west and south of Sorong has some of the richest marine biodiversity on the planet, and Sorong is the only gateway. Boats to Raja Ampat depart from the port daily.
The town itself has little to see. The best view is from the Sapta Ratna Pagoda above the eastern outskirts; if you have a half-day to fill, a boat trip to Doom Island gives you a quiet walk and some Pacific War ruins. Most travellers spend a night here at most, arranging their Raja Ampat permits and boat transfers before heading out.