For quick reading:
5 days, 4 nights trek, approximately 4-5 hours trekking each day, medium difficulty, a bit of previous trekking experience needed
Your adventure:
This tour is perfect introduction to fascinating Dani Culture and the wonderful countryside of the Baliem valley. You will walk along tracks which are used day by day by the local people and pass several traditional villages on the way. We will stay overnight in a few of those villages, have the possibility to talk to the people, learn about their daily live, their belief and tradition. We will meet many people who are still wearing the traditional clothes like the Koteka (penis gourd) and Yokal (traditional skirt). And if we are lucky, we see a traditional ceremony like a pig feast or a wedding.
What are we going to do:
Day 1: We pick you up at your hotel in Wamena at around 8:30 am with a car and drive to the Yetni river, which is the last place accessible for car. We start walking from there with our porters and cook and register with the military and police post. After 2-3 hours walking up and down the hills we have lunch in a village, where we will see for the first time the traditional village life. We continue to walk for 2 to 3 hours with fantastic views and many encounters with local people. We stay overnight in another village in a guest hut and have dinner (prepared by our staff) there.
Day 2 – day 4: We continue our trek deeper into the valley, cross the rivers several times over suspension bridges. We have many short breaks on our way, sometimes near the river where we can have a swim or just rest. We will see the traditional plantations, coffee, Pandanus trees, sweet potato gardens and many villages on our way. We have numerous opportunities to speak with the local people, learn about their traditions, about the former tribal wars, their daily life and customs. We will prepare food for you on the way, using what we have brought or what we can buy from the local people. We will stay in guest huts on our way and live close with the Dani during our trek.
Day 5: After breakfast, which again will be prepared by our cook, we walk about 3 hours along the rim of the valley to
reach Sipur Terminal, the place where we will be picked up by our car that brings us back to Wamena. You will be back at around 2pm at the Hotel where the tour is finish. Now you will have time to relax, wash your clothes and boots and watch the pictures you took.
Additional information: Transport from and to Wamena, accommodation in the traditional huts on the way, and three daily meals included. In the villages we have to use the traditional “bathrooms”, which can mean having a shower at a waterfall, toilet in the forest or in the local “tempat mandi (very basic toilet/shower room)”. Air mats, sleeping bags and mosquito nets can be provided. Our porters will carry the equipment, food and one backpack with your belongings. We can provide drinking water (boiled) on the way. You only have to carry your own personal backpack, camera and water For more, contact us.
