KOROWAI TRIBE – WEST PAPUA: ITINERARY & DETAILS 

FORGET ABOUT THE 21ST CENTURY! YOU ARE GOING BACK TO THE STONE AGE

“The people of the trees” is an authentic exploratory expedition focused on contact with tribes that remain in almost total isolation from the outside world.

ДЖАКАРТА - ДЖАЯПУРА / НОЧНОЙ ПЕРЕЛЕТ

International airport arrival in Jakarta. Meeting with the Adam Piotrowski, who will lead the expedition and check in for another flight to Papua. Dinner in the restaurant at the airport. Overnight flight to Jayapura.

JAYAPURA to DEKAI

Early morning arrival to Jayapura, meeting with the military authorities to pick up the necessary permits for further travel and check in for another flight to Dekai. Landing in Dekai – once a small town set by missionaries, is now the center of a new district dawned by the government. We will have our dinner in local style and spend a night in the government – owned hotel. Btw, you might be surprised by what “the best hotel available” means in Papua.

NOTE: All inner flights in Papua depend on the weather condition! There are no fixed time tables for any flights at all!

DEKAI – MABUL

Slept well? Hope so, because you won’t be sleeping on bed for next ten days. After breakfast we will transfer you by pick-up truck to a little harbor on the bank of river Brazza. Loading of all equipment and supplies to the boat and beginning of the all-day-long trip along the Siretsj River. Late in the afternoon you shall reach the village of Mabul – a starting base for all expeditions to Korowai and Kombai tribes Far Horizon Indonesia. All rights reserved. led by Adam Piotrowski. Proceeding with all necessary preparations for further expedition to the jungle – negotiation with a chief of the village, getting more supplies, selecting the porters and scouts – these moments are always memorable for the expedition’s participants. Dinner prepared by hired cook and

NOTE: There is a small chance that we’ll reach Mabul during two days trip – all depends on weather conditions. In such case we’ll spend one night in one of the Citak tribe’s villages on the way.

TREKKING THROUGH KOROWAI TERRITORIES

A week-long trek through the territories of the Kombai and the Korowai. Depending on weather conditions and the pace of the march (this is always adapted to the slowest person in the group), we will visit several “rumah tinggi” and its inhabitants. We will choose the most accommodating spot to spend more time there thus we’ll be able to take a closer look at the daily life of Korowai and learn their – sometimes shocking – customs. Everyday we’ll be marching approximately 4 to 8 hours a day taking into account many stops and “photo breaks”, it will probably be a full day trekking.

Be ready for getting wet and dirty! Sometimes to cross the river we’ll chop down a tree and build a provisional bridge. During the seven days in the jungle, we will not only visit several settlements cut off from civilization, but also have a unique chance to experience the beauty and menacing power of one of the wildest stretches of rainforest in the world. The participants of the expedition will get an opportunity to admire the untouched flora and fauna, learn a few basic rules of survival in the jungle, possibly with a chance of going hunting. We’ll also see how to make sago, build a trap for a wild pig and learn to construct a bow But above all – you will meet remarkable people from a completely different world.

The tribes of Korowai and Kombai are one of the most isolated and least known ethnic groups of Melanesia, still steering clear of the missionaries who have been more and more successful at converting other tribes in the past three decades. The Korowai and Kombai are so rarely visited by groups of white people that it is hard to tell who will be a greater attraction – our expedition for them, or the other way around.

NOTE: The itinerary is never the same and relates to the directions where our guides have recently discovered new houses in the trees. The Korowai are nomads, moving from one place to another in search of food and hunting grounds. For this reason the program may be subject to modifications.

ВОЗВРАЩЕНИЕ В ДЕКАЙ

Early in the morning return to the Mabul village. Farewell to the porters and local guides and repacking our equipment. All-day-long boat trip on the Brazza and Sirzet River back to Dekai. Pick up from the harbor and drive back to town. Accommodation in a local hostel (very basic conditions).

DEKAI – WAMENA

Depending on the weather conditions – flight to Wamena – a small town which recently emerged in the middle of mysterious Baliem Valley. Transfer to Baliem Pilamo Hotel – the best hotel in town. The rest of the day is free to relax after an exhausting expedition. In the evening, dinner and for the first time in the past two weeks, a good night’s sleep in a comfortable bed – a small but enjoyable return to the simpler things in life.

WAMENA – DANI TRIBE

After breakfast we’ll drive to the village of Jivica, passing villages like Suroba, where you can see traditional houses of the Dani people. In Jiwica and Sumpaima villages its inhabitants keep a mummy of their ancestor believed to be 250 years old. Later, the traditional Pig Feast, Mock War and Tribal Dance will be performed exclusively for the group. This will be once in a lifetime opportunity to interact with local primitive peoples and experience their extraordinary culture. Lunch boxes will be provided in the village and while on the way back to Wamena we’ll visit the local market. Dinner and overnight at Baliem Pilamo Hotel.

WAMENA – JAYAPURA

In the morning flight back to Jayapura, the flight time will depend on the weather conditions. Sightseeing around Jayapura: visit an interesting art market where the finest samples of handcrafts from all over New Guinea can be purchased, then the anthropological museum of Jayapura, a crocodile farm, and finally proceed by boat to the islands of Sentani Lake inhabited by the Sentani Tribe. Alternatively we can just go to the beach and take a swim in the ocean. Dinner and stay overnight in the Swiss Bell Hotel.

JAYAPURA – DENPASAR

Early morning transfer to the airport of Sentani and flight to Denpasar, Bali. Arrival to “Island of Gods” in the afternoon. Transfer to the hotel.

DENPASAR

A spare day in Bali, time to relax and recover after exhausting expedition. Get yourself a massage or simply chill on the pool in your hotel. Alternatively, we will be more than happy to arrange the trip around the island.

DEPARTURE TIME

Depending on the time of your departure, we will transfer you to the airport in Denasar, where you’ll check in for your flight out of Indonesia. Write to us for further details: adam@far-horizon.com