Korowai man in a Korowai treehouse, Papua, Indonesia

ADVENTURE TO THE KOROWAI & THE BALIEM VALLEY

INFORMATIONS

12 days - 11 nights
100% CUSTOMIZABLE TRIP
From 4 830€ per person. See our price & conditions below.

ENQUIRY

YOU WILL LOVE:

Embarking on a mind-blowing adventure to Papua
Discovering the high lands and the low lands of Papua
Encountering the Dani tribes and the Korowai tribes
Attending a traditional pig feast
Trekking for 5-day in the Korowai territory
Staying in the quiet & exclusive The Baliem Valley Resort

You have to experience it to believe it !

Day 1: Jayapura airport - Baliem Valley

Arrival in the Baliem Valley and visit of the local market of Wamena

Once you arrive at Jayapura airport, you meet our manager Mr. Siprianus who is here to welcome you and to arrange the check-in for your onward flight to Wamena. After a 30 minute flight over Papua's untouched nature, you arrive in Wamena where your tour guide is awaiting you. On the way to The Baliem Valley Resort you stop at the local market of Wamena. You taste the local fruits and the most adventurous can also try chewing the betel nut, a narcotic drug used daily by the Papuans. Check-in at the Resort in the afternoon. Enjoy a first coffee on the terrace with a panoramic view over the Baliem Valley. Dinner at the Resort.

30 min flight, 45 min drive. With local guide. Accommodation: The Baliem Valley Resort. Meals: full board.

Day 2: Baliem Valley

Easy hiking in the Baliem Valley and first encounter with the Dani people

Today you drive to the southern Baliem Valley for a beautiful and easy hike along the Baliem River. First you cross a suspension bridge over the mighty river and then you hike through fields of sweet potatoes, corn, sugar cane and maybe you cross the path with friendly pigs. You pass Dani huts and reach the beautiful village Seinma for lunch. After a nice picnic break, you cross another suspension bridge and walk slowly along the river back to the driver. In the late afternoon you return to the Resort.

2 h drive. 4 h walking. With local guide. Accommodation: The Baliem Valley Resort. Meals: full board.

The restaurant at The Baliem Valley Resort, Wamena, Papua, Indonesia

The museum restaurant of The Baliem Valley Resort

Portrait of a Dani warrior

Day 3: Baliem Valley

Traditional pig festival, an unforgettable experience

Today is a very special day that will remain unforgettable. You are invited to participate in a pig feast at a Dani tribe. You are welcomed by Dani tribesmen, traditionally dressed and decorated. A pig festival is a very special event for the Dani and Lani tribes, organized to celebrate important occasions. Your hosts begin the feast with dancing and singing. Then the pig is slaughtered, traditionally with bow and arrow. You see how the cooking pit is prepared with hot stones and field grass. The meat is tasty cooked with sweet potatoes and food ferns. Finally everyone enjoy the food from the cooking pit. It is a really impressive experience, by far the most interesting experience of a trip to Papua. Back to the Resort in the afternoon. Enjoy your last evening in the Baliem Valley.

The pig festival takes place in changing villages. Precise information on travel times is therefore not provided.

Maximum 1 h walk. With local guide. Accommodation: The Baliem Valley Resort. Meals: full board.

Day 4: Baliem Valley – Dekai

Heading to the Korowai

After breakfast you drive to Wamena airport, from where you fly to Dekai, the starting point of our 8 days trek to the Korowai territory. After a short drive, you visit the local market and do a last grocery shopping to ensure you are well supplied for the next few days. You enjoy lunch in a local restaurant before driving to the harbour where the boat crew is waiting with their motor longboat which will take you to the Korowai area. You go down the Brazza River by boat for 2 hours through an untouched jungle to reach the village of Papiti Dibawa, where you set up camp for the first night.

30 min flight. 1 h drive, 2 h boat. With local guide and cook. Accommodation: in tent. Meals: full board.

Dani women during a pig festival, Dani life, Baliem Valley, Papua, Indonesia

Dani women covering the cooking pit with fern and grass

Welcome ceremony during a Dani pig festival, Baliem Valley, Indonesia

Dani Pig festival ceremony

Day 5: Korowai

A long day by boat

Today it will be a long boat trip to reach the village of Mabul, where some Korowai have settled and thus left their nomadic way of life. Mabul is the starting point for our trekking in the Korowai region. So after breakfast you jump into your boat and go down the Brazza River again. The morning light is beautiful and it is the best time to watch exotic birds, especially hornbills, which live in the nearby forests. After the lunch picnic, you continue your trip on the Siret River. Finally in Mabul, you set up the camp and start recruiting the porters for the trek that starts tomorrow.

Depending on the water level, our boat trip takes between 6 to 8 h. With local guide and cook. Accommodation: in tent. Meals: full board.

Day 6: Korowai

First day of trekking

After breakfast you start your trek into the Korowai forest with a team of local porters and a cook. After only a few steps you jump into a wild dense forest, your playground for the next 5 days. In this breathtaking landscape, you hike for about 5 hours before you reach the first Korowai settlement where you stay overnight. The Korowai people welcome you in a very authentic and friendly way. You enjoy this first insight into the way of life of the Korowai, their hospitality, and their friendliness. You are invited to visit a tree house at 30 meters height. Later you pitch your tents and enjoy a dinner from the campfire.

5 h hike. With local guide, porters and cook. Accommodation: in tent. Meals: full board.

Following a Korowai into the forest, Korowai trekking in Papua, Indonesia

Following a Korowai man into the jungle

A Korowai tribe standing in front of his treehouse, Papua, Indonesia

Korowai man leaving his tree house

Day 7: Korowai

Immersion into the lifestyle of the Korowai

Today you experience the everyday life of the Korowai. Among all the daily activities the sago harvesting is the most interesting attraction. You are invited to go with the Korowai to the sago forest, where the men cut down a big sago palm tree with simple self-made stone axes. Then the sago pulp is collected from the opened trunk and smashed. Following comes the work of the women who wash and process the pulp. During this breathtaking spectacle you take a look back to the Stone Age - not a single modern tool is in use. In the afternoon, you return to the village and enjoy a local dinner prepared by your cook. You are also welcome to try today's sago harvest, the staple food of the Korowai!

1 - 2 h hike. With local guide, porters and cook. Accommodation: in tent. Meals: full board.

Day 8: Korowai

Another day in another world

After breakfast you go back into the forest and trek to another Korowai village. Once there, you set up your tents again and spend the rest of the day within this Korowai tribe. Who knows what to expect today? Maybe you have the opportunity to join the men who hunt in the forest and fill their nets for today's dinner with exotic products such as spiders, larvae or even flying foxes shot with bow and arrow. Maybe you are taught how to build and use those weapons that are daily used by the Korowai. Or maybe you see how they repair their tree houses. In any case, it is another breathtaking day you will never forget.

3 - 5 h hike. With local guide, porters and cook. Accommodation: in tent. Meals: full board.

Korowai motherhood, Papua tribes, Indonesia

A Korowai lady carrying her child in a traditional noken

A Korowai making sago, Korowai trekking in Papua Indonesia

A Korowai lady working during the sago harvest

Day 9: Korowai

Last day within the Korowai tribes

This is your last day within the Korowai tribe. You thank your hosts and start walking back to Mabul. Today's stroll through the forest takes about 4 hours. Once in Mabul, you settle the camp or if the weather is nice, you take advantage of it and you start covering the first part of the return journey by boat. You sleep in a village by the river. In either case you have another night in the tent and dinner from the campfire.

3 - 5 h hike. With local guide, porters and cook. Accommodation: in tent. Meals: full board.

Day 10: Korowai

Return by boat

After breakfast you get into the boat and start your way back. You drive as far as possible and in the late afternoon you stop in a river village for the camp. This is the last night in the wilderness and the impressions of the past days are slowly sinking in.

Full day by boat. With local guide and cook. Accommodation: in tent. Meals: full board.

A Korowai treehouse in the Korowai forest, Papua, Indonesia

Korowai treehouse surrounded by the forest

River crossing during Korowai trekking, Papua, Indonesia

River crossing during the jungle trek

Day 11: Korowai - Jayapura

Back to the civilisation

You wake up early today to reach the port of Dekai. There, you say goodbye to your boat crew and drive to the airport of Dekai. After a short flight you arrive in Jayapura and drive directly to nearby Lake Sentani for lunch and then a boat trip. On an area of 104 square meters, the lake is home to about 20 islands with villages consisting mainly of wooden houses on stilts. You visit two islands known for their traditional paintings on pressed tree bark. In the afternoon, you check in at the hotel. You have a last dinner at the hotel or in a nearby restaurant.

45 min flight. 2 h boat. 1 h30 drive. With local guide. Accommodation: Horex hotel. Meals: full board.

Day 12: Jayapura - Jayapura airport

Last day in Papua

You enjoy your breakfast at the hotel before you are taken to Jayapura airport. Siprianus is here to accompany you again to ensure a smooth check-in and a pleasant onward journey.

10 min drive. With English speaking local guide. Meals: breakfast.

Price and conditions

Price per guest, based on a shared double room: