KOROWAI & KOMBAY ADVENTURE 16D/15N

Day 01 : JAYAPURA - ARRIVAL (D)
Arrive at Sentani airport of Jayapura, met and welcomed by our local representative, then transfer to Motoa Hotel for dinner and accommodation.
Day 02 : JAYAPURA - WAMENA (BLD)
Breakfast early in hotel, short transfer to Sentani Airport for your flight departure to Wamena on Merpati Schedule flight. Upon arrive in Wamena airport, transfer to Baliem Pilamo Hotel for check-in and refreshing. After a short brief about trip, visit Nayak traditional market and Sinatma village with traditional rope’s bridge. Lunch at local restaurant, afternoon continue drive to Wesaput village and visit Dani Museum. Return to hotel late afternoon, for dinner and accommodation.
Day 03 : WAMENA – YANIRUMA (BLD)
(by charter aircraft). After breakfast in hotel, you will transfer to Missionary Airfied for your flight departure on a small chartered aircraft to Yaniruma in the south lowland of Irian Jaya. After one hour flight over the mountain, you will arrive at Yaniruma, walk to Missionary guest house at the end of airstrip for your accommodation. The rest of the day explore the village and experience the isolated life of Korowai and Kombai tribes who live in the village couple years ago. Your guide will arrange portes and other trip’s preparations in the next day into the interior.
Day 04 - 11 : YANIRUMA – KOROWAI - KOMBAI (BLD)
We begin our 8days expedition into the Korowai or Kombai tribe through the dense tropical rain forest. we will trek through the swampy lowland, crossing the rivers by paddle local canoe or walk over the fallen tree serves as a bridge in a small river. Everyday we walk 6 - 7 hours approx. with local people support carry our bags, food and other camping equipment to find and meet the Korowai or Kombai who build their house on the top of the trees (9 - 25 m above the ground).
KOROWAI & KOMBAI TRIBE
Korowai and Kombai always moves from one place to another in order to be close to the foods and hunted animals provides by nature. Both Korowai and Kombai are hunter and gatherer who move and build a new tree house once every 3 years. For this reason we do not fix the place of our destination or what activities we do day by day. Once we arrive in Yaniruma, our contact person will telling us and update all the information in Korowai and Kombai area including the people and their tree house or if there is any sago grub feast take place while we are in the area. Sago grub feast is the main ritual ceremony in Korowai and Kombai tribe to re-new their world and relation with God/Spirit and among their own people in the clans or groups. We will arrange our visit to the place where the feast will serve a lot of foods including the most delicacy "Sago Grub" to the invited guests and every one will put on their best wear and dancing. Traditional wear of Korowai is very simple, men wear a piece of leave or a small penis gourd to cover their penis and women wear the skirt made of woven sago leafs. The Kombai tribe wear the same with Korowai but some of Kombai men wear hornbill head instead of the gourd during the feast time.

THE TRAIL
The trail is going through the swampy lands so you will get wet and could be very slippery and muddy when it rains. The weather is very unpredictable here in the last two years and the area was very wet and floods. During the dry season (May - Oct) it can be very dry. So, prepare your self to the wet or hot weather condition with a humidity from 65 - 99% or may be more. The surface of our trail into the forest is almost flat, no hike and we likely walk under the canopy of the forest's trees most if the time. Tropic rain forest provides varies of wild life, beautiful and exotic fauna and flora, but you have to concentrate and watch carefully your steps especially when you have to walk on logs or fallen tree in the small river or sago swamp. For that we will always take 15 to 30 minutes break every time you need to drink water after one or two hours walk.

NIGHT CAMP
We overnight a tent near the tree house, but should you want to sleep on a tree house with Korowai or Kombai family bring your own mosquito net. We sometime spend 2 - 3 nights in one place of the tree house of there are some interesting event in the place and the family would like to host us that we can joining their daily activities. We really think that by joining the local daily activities is the best way to understand and experience the local life and culture. If there is no sago grub feast take place while we are in the area, we will joining the local people daily life activities (e.g. gathering foods/sago, fishing, hunting or put on the trap for animal like pig or birds). We sometime watch people build a new tree house.

Day 12 : KOROWAI OR KOMBAI TREE HOUSE - YANIRUMA (BLD)
We walk back to Yaniruma and overnight at Missionary guest house. You will find the village and the guest house like a city's hotel after one week in the forest.
Day 13 : YANIRUMA - WAMENA ( BLD)
We fly back to Wamena on our chartered small air-craft of missionary, and your accommodation at Baliem Pilamo Hotel. Lunch and dinner at one of the local restaurant in town or at the hotel's restaurant. The rest of the day is free at leisure.
Day 14 : WAMENA - JIWIKA - WAMENA (BLD)
After breakfast at hotel we drive 30 min. to visit Jiwika in the northern of Baliem Valley and at some other traditional Dani villages. Lunch at Lauk Inn (small restaurant) in Jiwika, then see the 350 years old mummy at the village of Sumpaima. Continue walk to the next village Anemoigi to see the Dani Mock Battle and Pig feast with dances. This is the arranged show for you but you can have a good time and interact with the people which can be a unique experience for you. You will see the people dance, killing a pig and cook it with the sweet potatoes. Back at hotel for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 15 : WAMENA - JAYAPURA (BLD)
Breakfast at hotel then transfer to Wamena airport leaving for Jayapura. Upon arrival continue with an excursion to Sentani Lake for boating and visit Assei village. Lunch at local restaurant. Dinner and overnight at Hotel. Day 16 : JAYAPURA – DEPARTURE (B)
After breakfast at hotel, transfer to Sentani airport and departure

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