The cultures of the West Irian / Irian Jaya tribes are fascinating. The island's terrain is rough, mountainous, and covered by rain forest. Communications between villages are by narrow foot paths. Jayapura, the capital of this province, is five hours by plane from Bali. Daily flights connect these two cities via Ujungpandang or Biak. From Jayapura, a tour to the hinterland is possible. A police permit is required in order to visit Irian Jaya. We can arrange this for you in Jayapura.

DAY 01: JAYAPURA ARRIVAL – WAMENA 

Arrive at Jayapura airport, our representative will assist you for connecting flight to Wamena. Upon arrival, our local guide meets you and direct transfer to hotel for your accommodation. You will be taken to have lunch at local restaurant in Wamena, and visit nearby villages around Wamena including traditional market and back to hotel for relaxing before going for dinner. This is only the first day to give an idea of the Baliem Valley and its people. This is also important for aclimatization of a highland and different atmosphere after the lowlands. Dinner and overnight at Hotel (B, L, D).

 
DAY 02: WAMENA – SOGOKMO – KURIMA – KILISE

After breakfast, together with your guide, porters and cook we drive for about 35 minutes to Sugokmo and continue trekking in 4 hours to Kurima, sub district of the tribe on level terrain then continue trekking up the Hesagem Hill on the direction of Kilise. Along the trekking, you will meet the local people and observe their simple way of life and the beautiful scenary of Baliem Valley. Lunch en route. Arrive Kilise in the afternoon where you can explore the villages surrounding. Dinner will be prepared by our own cook and dinner at the Village’s chief guest house with basic facilities (B,L,D).

DAY 03: KILISE – WUSEREM

After breakfast proceed to descend down the hill to traditional hanging bridge across the wild Baliem River. The direction is up south to the village of Wuserem, situated right up on the Baliem Valley gorge. This 5 hours trekking is challenging with spectacular scenery surroundings. Overnight at teacher’s house with dinner prepared by our own cook (B, L, D).

DAY 04: WUSEREM – PUKAM

After breakfast continue trekking to Pukam Village in 6 hours through the hilly trails up and down the hills. We proceed to cross a river and refresh in the river. From the river, the trail will pass a small rain forest and the air will be little bit humid. Dinner prepared by the cook and overnight at the villager’s house (B, L, D).
 
DAY 05: PUKAM – WESAGELEP

After breakdast, leave Pukam to Wesagelep in 4 hours of trekking. Wesagelep is a village located over the mountain. The trekking is shorter than the day before, passing another small rain forest and sweet potatoes fields. Lunch and dinner prepared by our own cook and overnight at a local teacher’s house (B,L,D).
 
DAY 06: WESAGELEP – TANGMA

After breakfast leaving Wesagelep for 6 hours trekking to the next village. Descending down a steep hill all the way down to Baliem Valley gorge with spectacular scenery, gentle local people and beautiful terraced of sweet potatoes fields. Lunch is served near the Baliem River. After crossing the suspension bridge, the uphill trail leads you to Tangma. Dinner and overnight in a guest house of the local Christian Priest (B,L,D).

DAY 07: TANGMA – KURIMA – SOGOKMO – WAMENA
After breakfast proceed with the last trekking back to Sogokmo, up the Hesegem Mountain and down to Kurima before arriving Sogokmo after 6 hours. Continue by car to the “civilization” of Wamena with lunch en route. Overnight at Sinakma Elok Cottage with dinner (B, L, D).

DAY 08: JIWIKA  

Morning after breakfast, we take an hour drive to Jiwika Village, visiting a saltwater-well where the Dani women make salt in their traditional way. Walk down in 50 minutes to Sumpaima Village to see the old mummy of Mabel's family. After lunch at local restaurant in Jiwika, we continue our journey Kontilola Cave that contains the bones of victims of past tribal war. Late afternoon drive back to Wamena with a stop at local market. Dinner and overnight at Hotel (B, L, D).

DAY 09: WAMENA – JAYAPURA 

After breakfast at hotel, transfer airport for your flight to Jayapura. From Sentani Airport, we drive you to the capital Jayapura with en route stops and sightseeing for: Mc. Arthur Memorial Hill for a stunning view of beautiful Sentani Lake, State or University Museum, Hamadi Beach, Hamadi Market and Souvenir Shops then lunch at local restaurant. After check in at Yasmin Hotel, if time is allowed, heading to Base G beach by passing through fishing family houses for an opportunity to swim. Late afternoon drive back to your hotel and dinner at a local restaurant (B, L, D).

DAY 10 : JAYAPURA – OUT

Morning we transfer you to Sentani Airport for your flight to your next destination (B).

GENERAL INFORMATION

BALIEM VALLEY ADVENTURES & CULTURAL TOURS

Our trip to Baliem Valley is a journey into a deeper reality.  Experience the so-called stone age cultures and way of live of the ferocious- looking yet friendly Dani and Yali tribesmen in their spectacular highland.

Trekking up down the hill (some days could be 6 hours trekking) to their villages to discover their primitive ways of life, complex social organization and agricultural system as well as considerable engineering skill in constructing their suspension bridges and homes.
 
Seeing the men dressing solely in the "koteka" or penis gourd, with pig teeth pushed through their noses and their bodies decorated in clay-and-grease war-paint, while the women wear the grass skirt. They are, however, extremely fond of body ornamentation and decorate themselves elaborately with feathers and shells, especially for celebrations.

INDONESIAN PAPUA

West Papua Province (before called IRIAN JAYA) somewhere in the southern pacific, there have not probably many people known the Papua very well except for those who like adventures.
 
The province comprises the western half of the huge island of New Guinea situated just northern tip of Australia. The eastern half of the island is another country of Papua New Guinea.

Almost half of this province - was once base of the American and Allied Force during the Pacific War led by General Douglas Mc Arthur - is hilly or mountainous and about ten major peaks reach over 4,000 meters. The tallest is Carstensz Pyramid (4,884 meter above sea level/16,023 feet from which flows a glacier.

 
THE PEOPLE AND WAY OF LIFE

The indigenous people of this province are Melanesians with black skins and curly hair. They generally have a root crop subsistence agriculture based on sweet potatoes and taros.

 
The people of Papua obtain their starch from the sago palm which gives and extremely generous yield for remarkably little effort. Feral and domesticated pigs on the island is originally came from Southeast Asia was an event which has had vast cultural and ritual significance for its people. Pigs are often treated as members of the family and are sometimes suckled by women.
 
While many other people of the world were still hunters and gatherers, Papua people had begun to garden. After fairly recently, many of them lived with a simple Stone Age Culture wearing little clothing and decorating their bodies with paintings, shells, pig tusks, feathers and skins. There is a plethora of language in the province, perhaps some 250 in all, each representing a tribal group which mixes little with the others. Some of the more remote groups still have virtually no contact with the outside world.

THE FLORA AND FAUNA

Papua Island may have the richest wildlife and concentration of plant life in all of Indonesia, or perhaps the world. No other islands in the archipelago can match its various kind of Birds of Paradise, Parrot families, pigeons and Flightless Cassowary.  
 
This province is also home of 150 species of lizards, 30,000 species of beetles, 200 frogs and 800 spiders. A high percentage of the island's 100 snake species are poisonous, including all 17 species of sea snakes.
 
There are altogether some 2,700 species of orchids found in Papua Province, 600 species that are medicinal importance and over 124 endemic genera. The lush vegetation of the province is in fact a deceptive cover over poor soils badly leached by heavy rain and containing no rich volcanic materials. Mangroves and Nipah Palms ensnare the brackish estuaries of the coast.

BALIEM VALLEY

The Baliem Valley, set in the central highland and the most visited part of the island, especially in recent years.
 
The highlights of sightseeing are Dani Market in WAMENA Town, WAUMA Village and, which can be easily reach on foot or by car from Wamena. Farther out are AIKIMA, with its 250 years old mummy, SUROBA, JIWIKA and neighbouring villages. With 2 hours climbing, you can see the salt spring where the Dani women make salt in primitive way fashion for centuries.
 
Outer adventures are southward to KURIMA area, where the Dani and Yali Tribes' way of life mixed into a unique combination.

 Situated on 1550 M above the sea level, the temperatures of the highland are ranged from 26 degrees Celsius at the day time and 12 degrees at night.

WAMENA

The main town of Baliem Valley is Wamena, the capital of Jayawijaya District. The town is a neat and an ideal base to explore nearby native villages and the countryside.
 
There is no land road connect the region to the province’s capital. It makes the town is expensive as everything of needs should be flown from Jayapura, where the most goods arrive from western Indonesia.

DANI TRIBE

Until the last decades the Dani tribes were some of the most isolated populations by swamps and mountains. They grew root crops, raised pig and used polished stone axes and adzes. They didn't make pottery (which means "sign of the modernity"), but otherwise their technology was very much like that of the Neolithic of the Old and New Worlds.

There may be 250,000 Dani living in the central mountains, many live scattered among the steep mountain slopes. The Valley has one of the highest densities of population in Papua Province. The Dani Tribes build their huts in a compound nicely express both environmental adaptation and Dani's character. The men's and women's huts have thick thatched roofs which keep rain, yet retain the heat from the earth, along with just enough smoke to discourage the mosquito.

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