Welcome ceremony during a pig festival in a Dani tribe, Papua, Indonesia

TREKKING IN THE BALIEM VALLEY

INFORMATIONS

8 days - 7 nights
100% CUSTOMIZABLE TRIP
From 1 840€ per person. See our price & conditions below.

ENQUIRY

YOU WILL LOVE:

The perfect combination of culture and adventure
Encountering the Dani tribes
Attending a traditional pig feast
Trekking for 3-night in the Baliem Valley
Staying in the quiet & exclusive The Baliem Valley Resort

Day 1: Wamena airport - Baliem Valley

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

Once you arrive in Wamena, you meet your tour guide. 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.

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

Day 2: Baliem Valley

Hike to a Dani salt water spring and visit of traditional Dani hamlet

This morning you drive to a small village in the middle of the Baliem Valley. From there you start an 1-hour mountain hike through the rainforest. You reach a traditional saltwater spring where the Dani women produce salt with ancient methods. After a nice picnic at the shore of the salt water spring, you hike downhill again and visit the village which is home to the 300 year old mummy of the famous Dugum Dani clan. In the afternoon, you return to the Resort. Dinner at the Resort.

2 h drive. 2 to 3 h mountain hiking (+1000m). With local guide. Accommodation: The Baliem Valley Resort. Meals: full board.

The restaurant at The Baliem Valley Resort, Wamena, Papua

The museum restaurant of The Baliem Valley Resort

The 300 years old Dugum mummy

Day 3: The Baliem Valley Resort - Kelise

First day of trekking trip in the southern Baliem Valley

After breakfast, you are taken to the village of Sogogmo, the starting point of your 4 days/ 3 nights trekking in the Baliem Valley. You start hiking with a team of local porters and a cook. For about 4 hours, you walk through the hilly homeland of the indigenous Dani people. Adventurous suspension bridges help you to cross the Baliem River. You pass Dani huts, fields and villages. Arrival in the Dani village of Kelise in the late afternoon where you stay overnight in a simple guest house.

2 h drive. 4 - 5 h hike. With local guide, cook and porters. Accommodation: local guesthouse. Meals: full board.

Day 4: Kelise - Syokosimo

Second day of trekking in the southern Baliem Valley

You wake up in this exotic environment and enjoy breakfast before hiking again in the Baliem Valley. Today's trail is a bit more challenging and partly you have to climb up steep slopes. You also have to cross one or two suspension bridges over smaller side rivers of the Baliem River. You stop at a nice little waterfall for lunch and a refreshing swim. Full and fresh, you continue walking for 2 hours on a stony path before reaching the village of Syokosimo. You spend the night in a local guest house.

5 to 6h hiking. With local guide, cook and porters. Accommodation: local guesthouse. Meals: full board.

Scenery of the southern Baliem Valley, Papua, Indonesia

The Baliem valley trekking landscapes

Traditional Dani honai, outdoors of Papua, Indonesia

Kelise village

Day 5: Syokosimo – Hitugi

Third day of trekking in the southern Baliem Valley

Today's trip is a bit challenging right at the beginning. You start to climb a steep path to reach the top of the mountain. But the view up there is worth the effort. You enjoy a wonderful panorama over the Baliem valley and the Baliem River. There is no hurry, you breathe the fresh air and enjoy a cup of tea before you walk towards the village of Hitugi. On the way, you pass through a typical Dani village and its small market place. Arrival in Hitugi in the afternoon for your last night in the Papuan countryside. Overnight in a local guest house.

4 - 5 h hike. With local guide, cook and porters. Accommodation: local guesthouse. Meals: full board.

Day 6: Hitugi – The Baliem Valley Resort

Last day of trekking and return to The Baliem Valley Resort

On your last trekking day, you start by walking along a ridge with a great view. Then you enter a mountain forest for a muddy but nice and shady hike. At the foot of the mountain you now reach the fields of the surrounding Dani villages. Surrounded by sweet potatoes, cassava, ginger and other exotic vegetables, you end your journey in a colorful, fragrant surrounding. On the way you have lunch before crossing the suspension bridge that leads to the starting point of the hike and where your driver awaits. You drive back to The Baliem Valley Resort. Dinner and overnight at the Resort.

2 h drive. 3 to 4 h trek. With local guide, porters and cook. Accommodation: The Baliem Valley Resort. Meals: full board.

Scene during a pig festival in the Baliem Valley, Papua, Indonesia

Preparation of the cooking pit for the pig feast

Dani women during a pig festival, Dani tribe, Papua, Indonesia

Dani women covering the cooking pit with fern and grass

Day 7: 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.