Lonely Planet Indonesia
Page 92
It can rain here at any time of year, but from April to December most days are fine and warm and the evenings cool. From January to March, mud and rain can make trekking hard work.
8Information
You must have a surat jalan for Wamena and the Baliem Valley, which you can get at Sentani or Jayapura or Wamena itself. If you’re going beyond the main Baliem Valley (for example, to Danau Habbema or the Yali country) make sure your surat jalan covers this. If you’re continuing to the Korowai or Asmat regions, get your surat jalan for them before you come to Wamena, as Wamena police may be unwilling to issue one.
Carry your surat jalan on trips outside Wamena. You normally only have to show it (to police stations or village authorities) if you stay overnight outside Wamena, but you can never be sure.
8Getting There & Around
Flying into Wamena is the only way to reach the Baliem Valley. Once you’re here, trekking is the best way to explore the landscape and local life. It’s also possible to get around the main valley and see traditional people and villages, as well as mummies and hanging bridges, by car, bemo (minibus) or ojek. Paved roads from Wamena run as far as Bolokme (north), Pyramid (northwest) and Kali Yetni (Yetni River; south).
Wamena
%0969 / Pop 31,000
Wamena is a sprawling Indonesian creation with nothing traditional about it, but it’s the obligatory base for any travels around the valley. The population is a mix of Papuans and non-Papuans and the latter run all the businesses.
Penis gourds are no longer banned here, as they were during Indonesia’s ‘Operasi Koteka’ (an attempt to force the Dani to wear clothes) in the 1970s, but only a very few old men coming into town for the day are likely to be seen wearing them.
Wamena
4Sleeping
1Baliem Pilamo HotelC1
2Hotel Rainbow WamenaB2
3Hotel Rannu Jaya IC1
4Putri Dani HotelA2
5Eating
5Cafe PilamoB2
6Pilamo BakeryB2
7Shopping
7Oi-TourismC2
8Pasar MisiB5
8Dangers & Annoyances
Local guides try to latch on to every tourist stepping off a plane at Wamena airport. If someone is meeting you by prior arrangement, well and good. Otherwise, treat any guide who approaches you with caution and firmness. If you accept any help at all, they may try to interpret this as an agreement to hire them, and can be hard to shake off. Guides are useful for many tasks, from trekking to arranging pig feasts, but you might not want to choose the one who’s trying to choose you, and the best guides don’t usually need to tout for business at the airport.
4Sleeping
oHotel Rainbow WamenaHOTEL$$
(Hotel Pelangi; MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0969-31999; Jl Irian 28; r incl breakfast 450,000-750,000Rp; W)
A great option. Rooms are excellent, clean and of a good size with aprés-trek soothing hot-water bathrooms and nice touches such as shampoo, tissues, coffee and tea. The real highlight, though, is the staff, who bend over backwards to charm and help. Hit-and-miss wi-fi in the pop-art-decorated reception.
Baliem Pilamo HotelHOTEL$$
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0969-31043; baliempilamohotel@yahoo.co.id; Jl Trikora 114; r incl breakfast 456,000-726,000Rp; W)
The hotel of choice for most visitors. The more expensive rooms are tasteful, contemporary, brown-and-white affairs in the newer section at the rear. Of the cheaper ones, the standards are smallish and plain but acceptable, and the superiors have a semi-luxury feel and quirky garden-style bathrooms.
Charging 20,000Rp per hour for barely functioning wi-fi leaves a sour taste, though.
Putri Dani HotelHOTEL$$
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0969-31223; Jl Irian 40; s/d incl breakfast 450,000/550,000Rp)
This small family-run place offers nine spotless, comfortable rooms with hot showers and endless tea and coffee. From December to July it’s often home to Wamena’s Persiwa football team, so may be booked out.
Hotel Rannu Jaya IHOTEL$$
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0969-32150; Jl Trikora 109; r incl breakfast 350,000-450,000Rp)
A sound option, with hot showers in the more expensive rooms, along with attempts at decor (eg large, kitsch horse prints). The semi-alfresco breakfast area is a nice touch.
Baliem Valley ResortRESORT$$$
(%0812 4810 0240, Germany +49 6051 61388; www.baliem-valley-resort.de; s/d incl breakfast €108/126)
This surprising hotel occupies a gorgeous hillside position 21km east of Wamena, with large, rustic-style but comfortable guest cottages in picturesque grounds. A superb collection of Papuan (especially Asmat) art adorns the semi-open-air dining hall. The German owner has a wealth of Papua expertise, and offers a variety of excursions and expeditions.
5Eating
The expensive local delicacies are large goldfish (ikan mas in Bahasa Indonesia), which are farmed in ponds around the valley, and enormous, almost lobster-sized, freshwater udang (prawns). Nowhere in Wamena serves any kind of alcoholic drink.
Pilamo BakeryBAKERY$
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Jl Safri Dawin 4; cakes 10,000-25,000p; h7am-9pm)
Freshly baked breads and the biggest and best cake selection for hundreds of kilometres means that after-trek dreams come true here.
Cafe PilamoINDONESIAN$$
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Jl Safri Darwin 2; mains 35,000-90,000Rp; h8am-10pm)
Cafe Pilamo is clean and pleasant, and even has two pool tables upstairs, but beware the karaoke, which may start up at any time. It has a long menu of Indonesian dishes, passable burgers and fantastic juices (try the tamarind juice, a local specialty) as well as espressos, lattes and cappuccinos.
7Shopping
The Dani are experts in the art of body adornment. Handicrafts include necklaces, pectorals, armbands and nose piercings, made from pig tusks, cowrie shells, bone, carved stone or feathers, as well as grass skirts, carved spears and arrows, noken (women’s bark-string bags), and assorted head decorations, made of cassowary or bird-of-paradise (or chicken) feathers and topped off with pig tusks.
Generally, it’s cheaper to buy in the villages, but it’s also worth checking out Wamena’s main market, Pasar Jibama (Pasar Baru; Jl JB Wenas; hdaily), 2km north of town, which is full of neat piles of fruit and veg, pigs off to slaughter and slippery fish from the coast. It’s a sight in its own right. Also, check out the NGO-run Oi-Tourism ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Jl Gatot Subroto; h7am-5pm Mon-Sat), or the handful of craft shops on Jl Trikora north of Jl Ambon. Asmat, Korowai and PNG artefacts are also available in the souvenir shops. Avoid buying items made from bird-of-paradise or cassowary feathers and any other products made from wild animals. Not just is it pushing such creatures closer to extinction, but trade in such items is illegal and airport customs will confiscate them and perhaps fine you.
Of course, the most popular souvenir is the penis gourd. These cost from about 20,000Rp to 100,000Rp, depending on size, materials and negotiation. Changing rooms in which to try them on aren’t provided!
Wamena’s three main markets, all functioning daily, are colourful places where you can pick up bundles of veggies for your trek. As well as Pasar Jibama, there’s also Pasar Misi ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Jl Ahmad Yani), in the south of town, and Pasar Sinakma, 2km west.
8Information
No banks exchange foreign cash or travellers cheques.
Bank MandiriBANK
( GOOGLE MAP ; Jl Trikora 92)
ATM accepts Visa, Visa Electron and Plus cards.
BRI BankBANK
(Bank Rakyat Indonesia; GOOGLE MAP ; cnr Jl Yos Sudarso & Jl Trikora)
ATM accepts MasterCard and Cirrus.
Papua.comINTERNET
( GOOGLE MAP ; %0969-34488; fuj0627@yahoo.co.jp; Jl Ahmad Yani 49; per hr 12,000Rp; h9am-8.30pm Mon-Sat, 1-8.30pm Sun)
This efficient internet cafe has fax and scanning services, and also functions as an informal tourist information centre. Its owner is a highly experienced Papua traveller and a
willing mine of information.
Police StationPOLICE
( GOOGLE MAP ; %0969-31972; Jl Safri Darwin; h7am-2pm)
Come here to obtain a surat jalan.
BALIEM VALLEY FESTIVAL
Baliem Valley FestivalCULTURAL
To coincide with the busiest tourism season, a two-day festival is held in the Baliem Valley during the second week of August. The highlight is mock tribal fighting, where village men dress up in full regalia and enact an old-fashioned tribal battle and accompanying rituals.
The festival also features pig feasts, traditional costumes, and Dani music on instruments such as the pikon (a kind of mouth harp). Other goings-on include pig races, tourist-only spear-throwing and archery contests.
In recent years the main events have taken place at Wosilimo. There’s an entrance fee of 250,000Rp.
8Getting There & Away
Air
Flights can be heavily booked, especially in August. The carriers between Jayapura (Sentani) and Wamena are Wings Air ( GOOGLE MAP ; www.lionair.co.id), Trigana ( GOOGLE MAP ; www.trigana-air.com; airport) and Xpress Air ( GOOGLE MAP ; www.expressair.biz). Wings flies twice daily in either direction for 624,000Rp. Most locals suggest they are the choice operator. Trigana flies three or more times daily each way, charging from 574,0000Rp. Xpress, which uses very old Boeing planes, also flies three times daily charging 750,000Rp. Susi Air ( GOOGLE MAP ; %0813 4312 2002; www.susiair.com; Jl Gatot Subroto) operate small planes to remote airfields such as Dekai, Elelim, Kenyan and others. You can charter a plane with them to fly to Angguruk in Yali country for 19,470,000Rp.
Mission airlines AMA (Associated Mission Aviation; GOOGLE MAP ; http://ama-papua.blogspot.com; Jl Gatot Subroto) and MAF ( GOOGLE MAP ; %0969-31263; www.maf.org; Jl Gatot Subroto) fly small planes to many small highland airstrips. They may carry tourists if spare seats are available. There is generally much more chance of getting a seat flying back to Wamena than for outbound flights. A seat from Angguruk to Wamena, for example, costs about 700,000Rp if you are lucky enough to get one. As a rule, MAF doesn’t carry tourists outbound at all.
Public Bemo
Overcrowded bemos head out along the main roads from several starting points around Wamena. Most just leave when they are full. The main terminals – Terminal Jibama (Jl JB Wenas), Terminal Misi ( GOOGLE MAP ) and Sinakma – are at Wamena’s three markets. Bemos get scarce after 3pm and are less plentiful on Sunday. Few villages or attractions are signposted, so ask the conductor to tell you where to get off.
BEMOS FROM WAMENA
Destination Departure Point Fare (Rp) Duration
Aikima Jibama 15000 15min
Ibele Sinakma 20,000 1hr (departures until noon)
Jiwika junction 600m past Jibama 15,000 30min
Kali Yetni Misi 15,000 1hr
Kimbim Jibama 25,000 50min
Makki Sinakma 70,000 3hr (departures 3-5am)
Meagaima Jibama 25,000 1hr
Sugokmo Misi 15,000 45min
Tagime Jibama 30,000 1¾hr
Tiom Sinakma 120,000 4hr (departures 3-5am)
Wosilimo Jibama 20,000 40min
Chartered Bemo & Car
For more comfort than the public bemos, consider chartering a vehicle for out-of-town trips. A bemo costs 200,000Rp to 300,000Rp one way to Kali Yetni (a common trek starting point), or 400,000Rp to 500,000Rp for a return trip of about three hours to Jiwika. Cars (parked opposite the airport) cost 800,000Rp to 1,000,000Rp a day (possibly 1,500,000Rp in August) for a full-day trip around the northern ends of the valley.
8Getting Around
For trips within town, ojeks generally charge 10,000Rp and becak 5000Rp to 10,000Rp. Bemos marked ‘A2’ (5000Rp) run from BRI Bank to Jl Irian and up Jl Trikora to Terminal Jibama. An ojek to Terminal Jibama is 15,000Rp.
HIKING & TREKKING THE BALIEM VALLEY
Beyond the reach of roads in the Baliem Valley, you come closer to traditional Dani life. In one day, you may climb narrow rainforest trails, stroll well-graded paths past terraces of purple-leafed sweet-potato plants, wend through villages of grass-roofed honai (circular thatched huts), cross rivers on wobbly hanging footbridges, and traverse hillsides where the only sounds are birds, wind and water far below.
The classic trekking area, offering up to a week of walking, is in the south of the valley (beyond Kali Yetni), along with branch valleys to the east and west. Dani life here is still relatively traditional, the scenery gorgeous and the walking varied.
Accommodation is available in nearly all villages. Some have dedicated guesthouses (sometimes in honai-style huts); elsewhere you can often stay in a teacher’s house, the school or other houses. Either way you’ll usually be asked a standard 120,000Rp per person (guides and porters excluded). You sleep on the floor, but it may be softened with dried grass (so not very soft at all!) and you may get a mat. It gets surprisingly cold at night. It’s a good idea to bring a decent sleeping bag and some thermals and fleeces. Other items worth bringing along include a torch, spare batteries for cameras etc (there’s little or no electricity in any of the villages), a book (evenings can be long) and water purifying pills (you’ll be refilling from streams a lot of the time). Good hiking boots are an essential and walking poles a good idea. Sunscreen, sunglasses, a sun hat and wet-weather gear (including gators or trousers) are also essential.
Larger villages have kiosks selling basics such as biscuits, noodles and rice (the final reliable supplies are at Manda and Kimbim in the north and Kurima in the south) and you can obtain sweet potatoes, other vegetables or fruit here and there. But to be on the safe side you need to take enough food with you from Wamena. Villages can normally supply firewood for cooking, for 20,000Rp a load.
GUIDES & PORTERS
In the more frequented trekking areas it’s technically possible to head off alone and ask the way as you go, or pick up a local porter-cum-guide for 80,000Rp to 100,000Rp a day if you need one. However, you would need to have excellent Bahasa Indonesia language abilities and, ideally, a grasp of the local Dani language to really pull this off. Trails are unmarked and often faint and confusing and there’s frequently nobody around to point out the correct route. It would be very easy for a foreign trekker walking alone to get very lost. To summarise: get a guide!
Finding a good, reliable guide can be a challenge. You should allow at least one day to find a guide you’re happy with and make trek preparations. Tricks played by unscrupulous guides may include pocketing some of the money you’ve given them to get supplies (go with them or get the supplies yourself); sending a junior replacement at the last minute; asking for more money mid-trek and refusing to continue without it; or disappearing and leaving you in the hands of a porter.
A good source of recommendations for reliable guides in Wamena is Papua.com. It’s worth seeking out one of the Baliem Valley’s 20 or so officially licensed guides. These are not the only good guides around, but they usually speak reasonable English, and have a professional reputation to look after.
There are no fixed prices in the Baliem trekking world. Hard bargaining is the norm. Don’t be put off by glum faces and do insist on clarifying any grey areas. No decent guide will agree to anything he’s unhappy about. Official licensed guides request 700,000Rp per day (and more for harder treks to, for example, the Yali or Korowai areas), but some decent, English-speaking guides will work for less. You’ll find a number of dependable agencies and individual guides in Wamena. There are also excellent trekking guides based elsewhere in Papua who will always be happy to act as a guide in the Baliem Valley; try Andreas Ndruru and Bob Palege.
In addition to a guide, porters are a good idea and cost 200,000Rp each per day, depending partly on the toughness of the trek. A cook costs 250,000Rp per day, but guides or porters can cook if you’re looking to cut costs. You’ll have to provide enough food for the whole team (for two trekkers, a guide and two porters doing a one-week trek this is likely to cost around 2,500,000Rp to 3,000,000Rp in total) and probably c
igarettes for them and your village hosts. It’s a good idea to have the whole agreement written down and signed by your guide before you start, and it’s normal to pay some money up front and the rest at the end. A 10% tip at the end is also expected for each member of the team.
Jonas WendaGUIDE
(%0852 4422 0825; jonas.wenda@yahoo.com; Wamena)
Highly experienced (your author first trekked with him in 1986) and notably knowledgeable on flora and fauna.
Kosman KogoyaGUIDE
(%0852 4472 7810; kogoyakosmam@gmail.com; Wamena)
A popular, reliable guide who will quote reasonable prices from the outset and won’t waste your time bargaining.
Trek-Papua Tours & TravelTREKKING
(%0812 4762 8708; www.papuatravels.com; Jl Airport, Sentani)
A young but energetic, internet-wise agency, which also offers tours to other parts of Papua.
Northeastern Baliem Valley
Several interesting places along the northeastern Baliem Valley are within day-trip reach of Wamena, and some side valleys offer good hiking.
Aikima
About 8km from Wamena, nondescript Aikima is famous for its Werapak Elosak mummy (admission 100,000Rp), the 300-year-old corpse of a great chief, which was preserved (by smoking) to retain some of his power for the village. You’ll probably be asked to pay 100,000Rp per person for a viewing, but this price can be quickly bargained down to more like 50,000Rp.