Responsible Tourism
West Papua Baliem Trek & Festival
Highland trekking & remote hill tribe culture
When you join us on this trip you will experience an unforgettable adventure in a destination rarely visited by Westerners.
This tour commences with a pre-trip briefing in Bali before travelling to Wamena. From here we set out on a 6 day trek across the roof of West Papua. The hike affords spectacular views of the South Baliem River Gorge and the pristine landscapes of this untouched corner of the world.
Our route follows the trade paths of the local villagers who continue a lifestyle unchanged for thousands of years. At night we will camp or stay at guest houses at villages along the track and enjoy the hospitality of people who rarely meet Westerners. A pig feast ceremony will be prepared just for us on our final night.
The highlight of the tour will be attending the famous Baliem Valley Cultural Festival where hundreds of tribal people come together to celebrate with traditional customs and dancing and to trade tribal artifacts. The festival is riot of colourful tribal costumes, beads, plumes, dancing, music and celebration.
This tour will be led by Elizabeth Menzies, a world-renown artist with an abiding love for West Papua. Elizabeth, who lectures on the tribal groups of Papua for the Indonesian Heritage Society, has led 14 travel groups to the island since 2000. Her collected photographs of the region are the subject of her latest exhibition and accompanying book.
"To stand in the middle of the primal rainforest is an experience everyone should have - it is unbelievable! Papua has the second largest rainforest in the world, next to the Amazon and it is still very pristine and very beautiful. It's phenomenal." Elizabeth Menzies.
| TOUR DATE | AVAILABILITY |
ITINERARY | TERMS & CONDITIONS |
|---|---|---|---|
31st July 2010 |
LIMITED | Download document |
