Jiwika & Around
Jiwika (pronounced Yiwika) is a local administrative centre and home to the celebrated Wimontok Mabel mummy (admission 130,000Rp). The mummy is kept at the tiny settlement of Sumpaima, 300m north along the main road from the main Jiwika village entrance (look for the black ‘Mummy’ sign). Wimontok Mabel was a powerful 18th-century chief here and his blackened corpse is the best preserved and most accessible of its kind near Wamena. You will likely be asked around 130,000Rp per person for a viewing. You could try bargaining but don’t expect much of a reduction. Sumpaima is something of a ‘cultural’ village and you will be greeted by fantastically dressed people in traditional garb. Some people might describe it as a tourist trap, but for exotic, and fairly pain free, photos it’s great. The going rate is 10,000Rp per shot or negotiate a fee based on time spent photographing a person (around 200,000Rp per person for up to an hour is fair).
Anemangi, just behind Sumpaima, and Obia (Isinapma) to the south of Jiwika, are among villages where traditional Dani pig feasts and colourful warrior dances based on ritual warfare can be staged for tourists, if requested a day or two ahead. A typical price for a warrior dance alone is about 1,500,000Rp depending on number of dancers. For the pig feast you’ll pay more like 2,000,000Rp plus you buy the pig (and these aren’t cheap).
At Iluwe, 1½ hours up a steep path from Jiwika, is Air Garam , a group of saltwater wells. Villagers soak sections of banana trunk in the water, then dry and burn them and use the resulting ashes as salt. Village boys will show you the way for around 30,000Rp, but to see the process at work, try to find a woman who will accompany you (50,000Rp). To avoid climbing in the midday heat, start from Jiwika before 10am.
The road north from Jiwika is flanked by rocky hills with several caves. Gua Kotilola (admission 100,000Rp; h8am-4pm) is a sizeable cavern up a short, pretty path behind a Dani compound, about 5km north of Jiwika. It contains the bones of past tribal-war victims – though they don’t show these to outsiders. It’s hard to justify the high entry fee.
Wosilimo
Wosilimo (‘Wosi’) is a relatively major village with a couple of kiosks. The cave here, Gua Wikuda (admission 30,000Rp), is said to be several kilometres long, with an underground river that reaches Danau Anegerak. It’s possible to visit about the first 100m of the cave, which has a few stalagmites and tites. Ask for the lights to be turned on. There are some small guest honai (per person 150,000Rp) near the cave entrance, which have straw floors, sleeping mats and a filthy shared mandi with squat toilet. Bring food and the people there will cook for you. It’s handy during the Baliem Valley Festival but is otherwise avoidable.
Two kilometres south from Wosi, along the main road, a path starting in front of a church leads half an hour southwest to a small lake, Danau Anegerak, crossing a hanging bridge over Kali Baliem on the way. It’s a pleasant walk, though during wet weather it may be impassable.
Pass Valley Area
A rough road heads up over the hills from Wosilimo to Pass Valley, then descends to Elelim, about 60km from Wosi. The small Wedanku valley between Wosilimo and Pass Valley still retains a traditional Dani culture. Wedanku village’s Catholic mission can provide accommodation and from there you can hike one day up through the forest to Ikipalekma (where you can find accommodation in local houses), then on the next day to Jiwika, via the Iluwe wells.
THE DANI
Dani is an umbrella name for around 30 clans in the main Baliem Valley and its side-valleys and some Mamberamo tributary valleys to the north. They number somewhere over 200,000 people in total.
Most Dani speak Bahasa Indonesia but appreciate a greeting in their own language. Around Wamena, the general greeting is la’uk to one person, and la’uk nyak to more than one – except that men say nayak to one other man and nayak lak to more than one man. Wa, wa is another common greeting expressing respect or offering thanks.
Many older Dani men still wear a penis sheath (horim in Dani, koteka in Bahasa Indonesia) made from a cultivated gourd, and little else apart from a few neck, head or arm adornments. Others now prefer T-shirts and trousers or shorts. In the past women used to go bare-breasted, but it would be a very rare day to see that nowadays, though some still sport grass skirts. Women often still carry string bags called noken on their backs, strapped over the head and heavily laden with vegetables, babies or pigs. Noken are made from shredded tree bark, rolled into thread. Some Dani wear pig fat in their hair and cover their bodies in pig fat and soot for warmth.
Most Dani are now Christian and one traditional pastime that has gone out the window is village warfare. Villages used to go to war over land disputes, wife stealing or even pig stealing, with combat happening in brief, semi-ritualised clashes (with a few woundings and deaths nevertheless). Today such quarrels are normally settled by other, usually legalistic, means.
Villages are mostly composed of extended-family compounds, each containing a few honai (circular thatched huts). The men sleep in a dedicated men’s hut, visiting the women’s huts only for sex. Honai interiors have a lower level with a fire for warmth and sometimes cooking, and an upper platform for sleeping.
After a birth, sex is taboo for the mother for two to five years, apparently to give the child exclusive use of her milk. Some Dani are still polygamous: the standard bride price is four or five pigs, and a man’s status is measured partly by how many wives and pigs he has. One of the more unusual (and now prohibited, though it still happens) Dani customs is to amputate one or two joints of a finger when a spouse or child dies. This is most frequently done by battering the finger with a rock. Many older Dani have the ends of fingers missing.
One thing that hasn’t changed, and probably never will, is the Dani’s love for the sweet potato, grown on extensive plots and terraces all over the valley. The Dani don’t mess about with fancy sauces or curries to go with their potatoes. They like them plain, steamed and, if possible, for each and every meal. If you spend long in the villages you’ll likely grow to hate the things!
Northwestern Baliem Valley
The western side of the valley is less scenic than the eastern. Kimbim is a pleasant administrative centre with a few shops and the main market outside Wamena, busiest on Monday and Saturday. An hour’s walk away, Araboda houses the 250-year-old Alongga Huby mummy; viewings cost around 50,000Rp. About 7km past Kimbim is Pyramid, a graceful mission village named after the shape of a nearby hill, with a theological college and sloping airstrip.
Danau Habbema
This beautiful lake, 30km west of Wamena as the crow flies, sits amid alpine grasslands at 3400m altitude, with dramatic, snow-capped mountains in view (4750m Gunung Trikora rises to the south). The fauna and flora are a big draw for nature lovers. It’s possible to visit Habbema as a day trip from Wamena – the drive is around two hours each way. You can rent a 4WD and driver in Wamena for around 4,000,000Rp round trip. The road is paved as far as the military post at Napua, 7km from Wamena.
The ideal way to visit Habbema is to drive there and trek back (three to four days). To do this you will need a guide; find one in Wamena. Much of the route is through rainforest. The usual route starting from the lake is via Yobogima (a forest clearing) and then through a spectacular gorge to Daela village and on to Pilia and Ibele.
Yali Country
Over the eastern walls of the Baliem Valley, amid scenery that is often just as stunning, lies the home of the Yali people. They are one of the more traditional highland peoples, although traditional dress is now much less common than it was 15 years ago. The men may wear ‘skirts’ of rattan hoops, with penis gourds protruding from underneath. Missionaries provide much of the infrastructure here, such as schools and transport.
Yali country is a great destination for more adventurous trekkers with enough time. You need about a week to walk there (the Yali themselves can do it, barefoot, in two days) and you should allow at least two or three days to explore once there. You might be able to get on a mission flight back to Wamena, but other
wise you’ll have to walk back or charter a plane. Villages with airstrips include Angguruk, Pronggoli, Kosarek and Welarek.
The most direct route runs from Sugokmo or Kurima to Ugem, then up the Mugi Valley, over 3500m-plus Gunung Elit with at least one night (but often two) camping, then down to Abiyangge, Piliam and Pronggoli in Yali country. There are sections of long, steep ascent, and the upper reaches over Gunung Elit involve climbing up and down several rustic wooden ladders. From Pronggoli to Angguruk, the biggest Yali village (with a large market twice a week), takes another one or two days.
An easier but longer option, about eight days from Sugokmo to Angguruk and still with plenty of up and down, is the southern loop via Wesagalep, Werima, Soba and Ninia.
Whichever route you take you should have an experienced guide. You should be able to organise one in Wamena.
Beyond Yali country it’s possible to trek southeastwards into the country of the Mek people, similarly small in stature to the Yali (their main village is Nalca), and even to cross Papua’s north–south watershed to Langda, the main village of the Una people (considered pygmies).
The South
Few travellers make it to the low-lying, river-strewn south, but Wasur National Park is one of Papua’s best wildlife destinations (for a few months a year), while the Asmat region provides a fascinating taste of life along jungle rivers with a headhunting past and marvellous woodcarving artisanry.
Merauke
%0971 / Pop 87,000
Merauke is a reasonably prosperous and orderly town of wide, straight streets, renowned as the most southeasterly settlement in Indonesia. The best reason to visit is nearby Wasur National Park, which is like a small slice of Australian bush in Indonesia, wallabies and all.
It’s 6km from the airport at the southeast end of town to the port on Sungai Maro at the northwest end. The main street, running almost the whole way, is Jl Raya Mandala.
4Sleeping & Eating
Marina HotelHOTEL$
(%0971-326240; Jl Raya Mandala 23; s/d 165,000/220,000Rp)
Acceptable, clean rooms with cold showers.
Hotel MegariaHOTEL$$
(%0971-321932; Jl Raya Mandala 166; r incl breakfast from 250,000Rp; a)
The Megaria has a selection of large, well-furnished rooms that wouldn’t win awards for being at the cutting edge of style but are otherwise OK. Get one as far away from the motorbike-infested road as possible.
Swiss-BelhotelBUSINESS HOTEL$$$
(%0971-326333; www.swiss-belhotel.com; Jl Raya Mandala 53; r incl breakfast from 1,005,000Rp; aWs)
Stylish, luxurious and by far the best option in town, the Swiss-Belhotel offers all the business-class frills.
8Information
Police StationPOLICE
(Jl Brawijaya 27)
Come here to get a surat jalan (travel permit). Located opposite the main market.
8Getting There & Around
Garuda and Lion Air fly daily to Jayapura and Sriwijaya Air fly thrice weekly. Garuda also offers a direct Jakarta to Merauke flight but travelling in the other direction involves flying via Jayapura. Airport taxis cost 50,000Rp into town. Yellow public taksi (4000Rp) from the airport parking area, or the road just outside, run along Jl Raya Mandala.
Every two weeks Pelni’s Tatamailau sails from Merauke to Agats (economy class 183,000Rp) and Sorong (484,000Rp). The Kelimutu sails to Agats then through southern and central Maluku to Sulawesi, every four weeks. Smaller boats run up and down the coast to Agats and as far inland as Tanahmerah.
HIKING THE SOUTHERN BALIEM VALLEY
South of Wamena, the Baliem Valley narrows and Kali Baliem (Baliem RIver) becomes a ferocious torrent. For the small number of hikers who come to Papua the southern Baliem Valley is easily the most popular hiking destination. The scenery is spectacular, the walking exhilarating and the cultural village-life fascinating.
From Kurima, the first village most trekkers reach, you can access a network of trails linking villages on the west side of the Baliem, or cross the river for the trails and villages on the eastern side. A good circular route of six or seven days links both sides.
You can lengthen the trek by continuing further up the Mugi Valley from Yuarima, or heading south from Wesagalep to Pukam and Werima. For a shorter hike, on day one you could head from Kurima to Kilise, Ibiroma, Wamerek and Wesagalep (six to seven hours), and on day two from Wesagalep to Wamerek. On day three, diverge from the Wamerek–Syokosimo path to cross Kali Mugi by a hanging bridge, not far upstream from its confluence with Kali Baliem. Then continue up the Baliem to Kurima or Seima (three hours from Wamerek).
Walking times are based on an average ‘tourist pace’, including rest stops.
DAY ONE
The paved road from Wamena passes through Sugokmo village after 16km (you may have to change vehicle here) and ends at the small but fast and turbulent Kali Yetni. This is where you start walking. The only way across the Yetni is on precarious logs for which you need a helping hand from a guide. It’s a 45-minute walk from the Yetni to Kurima, a largish village with a police station (show your surat jalan here).
If you don’t have someone to help you over the Yetni, start walking from Sugokmo, from where it’s a 20-minute walk down to a metal hanging bridge over the Baliem. A path then leads down the east bank to neat Seima (1½ hours), from where you can descend to Kurima in 30 minutes, recrossing the Baliem by another hanging bridge.
One hour south (uphill) from Kurima you reach Kilise, a honai village with glorious views. Alberth Elopore’s Guesthouse (per person 120,000Rp) in Kilise is one of the best in the area, with cosy honai-style huts and a wonderful grotto-like kamar mandi (water-tank baths). Total walk time: two hours.
DAY TWO
From Kilise follow the gently rising and falling trail for an hour to the pretty village of Ibiroma, which offers splendid views up the imposing looking Mugi Valley on the other side of the river. After a further hour of walking, the trail descends very steeply to Nalagatma with its attractive wooden church on a grassy plain. From here the trail narrows and disappears in and out of thick vegetation as it descends all the way to the Kali Baliem.
Continue 50 minutes further on and you reach the thatched honai of tiny Kotele where the trail bends and provides the first views of the massive mountains to the south through which you will pass in a few days. It’s now just a 40-minute walk very steeply downwards along a trail that is treacherously slippery after rain to a stream, small bridge and delightful Wamerek, where the knowledgeable Mr Yeki runs the honai-style Kulugima Guesthouse (per person 120,000Rp). Total walk time: four to five hours.
DAY THREE
Today is a long, hard slog, but by the end of it you will really feel in the high mountains. One hour of walking from Wamerek will bring you to a rickety wooden bridge over the angry Kali Baliem. One look at this bridge, with its missing wooden planks and gentle sway in the breeze, might be enough to make some people decide they don’t like hiking after all. Assuming you make it over the river, it’s about a three-hour unrelentingly steep uphill slog to almost the very top of the mountain (look out for the high waterfall near the top where you can take an exhilarating shower). Reaching a small level it’s another 20 minutes uphill to a small hamlet of perfectly formed huts which are often half-hidden under a cold mist. The path continues up through the mist-soaked mountains to Wesagalep village which is situated on a small, cold ridge with remarkable mountain vistas. Overnight in the village school/hall. Total walk time: five to six hours.
DAY FOUR
Day four starts rudely with a steep, breathless 20-minute climb to a low pass. Don't follow the obvious trail straight ahead (this just leads to gardens), but instead turn right along the fainter trail. After 45 minutes of steep climbing through muddy, muggy jungle the reward is a narrow, grassy ridge with endless views in all directions. The path skips along a spur before plummeting downwards for about three hours to the Kali Lubuk where you can reward yourself with a refreshing (read: bloody freez
ing) dip.
The path then climbs up another ridge dipping in and out of often very boggy forest before reaching a final ridge and dropping down to Wuserem village where accommodation is available in either a wooden hut in the first, higher part of the village by the church or, 20 minutes further on in the main part of the village, in the village school. Total walk time: five to six hours.
DAY FIVE
This is a fairly short and gentle day though the temperature and humidity rise fast as you descend. From Wuserem work your way along a spur for 30 minutes, from where there are memorable views to the north up toward Wamena. By now the track is fairly wide and well maintained and more and more villages start appearing. Descend gently and turn to the east into the Mugi Valley. From this point it's just 45 minutes to an hour down to riverside Syokosimo, which has a nice wooden hut to stay in. You can have a dip in the river and enjoy an afternoon of rest. Total walk time: four hours.
DAY SIX
From Syokosimo follow the trail along the river heading further up the Mugi Valley. After 20 minutes you’ll come to Yuarima and a small bridge, built only of vines and tree branches, that crosses the river. From the other side a gentle climb takes you through beautiful meadows and past little farmsteads. Soon you’ll be out of the Mugi Valley and back into the Baliem Valley proper and the village of Hitugi (1½ hours after setting off). The path wends downhill for just over an hour to Ugem village. Both villages have accommodation.
Lonely Planet Indonesia Page 93
