Text: On The Move

IRIAN JAYA, WEST PAPUA - 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 Irian Jaya 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.

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.

Our programs are designed to take you visiting several nice villages on Baliem Valley. We do trekking from village to village, meet them at work, stay at their local house to have a real feeling of the adventure. And, not to forget is the pig feast and war dance attraction held by the cheif of the tribe.

Taken from: http://www.adventureindonesia.com/irian-baliem-welcome.htm

IRIAN JAYA : Baliem Valley Trekking

Duration: 8 Days/7 Nights
Grade: Easy to Challenging
Starts/Ends: Jayapura

ALL OF OUR IRIAN JAYA TRIP IS OPERATED BY ADVENTURE INDONESIA --
WEST PAPUA ( IRIAN JAYA ) LICENSED BRANCH -- NO BY OTHER THIRD PARTY

DAY 01 : JAYAPURA - ARRIVAL
Arrival at Sentani airport of Jayapura, met by our guide then check in to hotel. Free program.

DAY 02 : JAYAPURA - WAMENA - SOGOKMO - KURIMA - KILISE (B,L,D)
Fly to Wamena by the 1st fligth. Then drive 40 minutes to Sogokmo, the starting point of the trekking with your guide, cook and local porters. Trek will be 4 hours thru Kurima District and passing some Dani sweet potatoes gardens. Afternoon arrive at village and you may walk around, while your cook preparation for dinner. Overnight stay at local guest house of Kilise.

DAY 03 : KILISE - IBIROMA - SYOKOSIMO (B,L,D)
After breakfast, you are proceed to descend the steep hill down to traditional hanging bridge across Baliem river. Today's walk is a little harder with narrow and slippery paths. But you may also enjoying the nature's beauty by stopping in the small waterfall to get refreshing while the cook serving lunch. After this part, the path gets smaller and tricky until you find another river with no bridge to cross.
Our trek about 4-5 hours to Syokosimo village.

DAY 04 : SYOKOSIMO - HITUGI (B,L,D)
The trekking today is the shortest one. After breakfast you are proceed to continue
the trek up to a village called Hitugi. Climbing up the hill all the way to the village is something different, but the scenery is incredibly beautiful combined with small villages and local people working in the field. You arrive to the village by noon where the cook is ready to serve lunch. Dinner and overnight stay at Hitugi village. (Walk approx. 3 hours)

DAY 05 : HITUGI - KURIMA - SOGOKMO - WAMENA (B,L,D)
After breakfast, leaving Hitugi back to Sogokmo. The walk today is the longest one, but the terrain is not very difficult as trails wider and the panorama is so evicting. Passing Kurima village before ending up in Sogokmo where the car ready to take you back to Wamena. Lunch served en route. Dinner and overnight at hotel.

 DAY 06 : WAMENA - JIWIKA (Pig feast & dance) - WAMENA (B,L,D)
After breakfast, drive 30 minutes to Jiwika in the North of Baliem valley to see the 250 years old Mummy. Then walk 10 minutes to village of Anemoigi where you can view the Dani Mock battle and Pig feast. You will see how the Dani make fire traditionally, kill a pig with bow and arrow and cook them into the hot-burned stone with vegetables and sweet potatoes. Lunch box will be provided. After lunch, climb the salt pool where salt pool exist on top of Mili mountain or visit the cave of Wosilimo. Afternoon return to hotel.

DAY 07 : WAMENA - JAYAPURA (B,L,D)
After breakfast, transfer to airport for your flight back to Jayapura. Arrival at airport of Jayapura You may have a full day sightseeing tour including Mac Arthur 2nd World War monument, Sentani lake by boat. Lunch have at Yougwa restaurant near the lake. After lunch, see the Anthropology museum (open from Monday to Saturday at 09.00-14.00), then Hamadi market & Jayapura city. Afternoon back to hotel for
overnight and dinner.

DAY 08 : JAYAPURA - OUT (B)
Transfer out to the airport and then fly back to... END OF OUR SERVICE

Taken from: http://www.adventureindonesia.com/irian-baliem-2-itinerary.htm