Thursday 22^nd May – Bali

• Arrive at your convenience into Kuta – Denpasar Airport is well connected from many countries within Asia and Australia.
• Head out for dinner and drinks in Kuta, the party town of Bali but we don’t party hard because nearing midnight we’ll head to the airport.

Friday 23^rd May – Bali – Jayapura

Morning

• Catch the 1:25am flight to Jayapura, arriving at 8:35am.
• Jayapura is the main city of West Papua, located on the north of Western New Guinea in Papua Province of Indonesia. It used to be called Hollandia and its Dutch colonial history is still prominent in the city.
• Head straight to hotel to check in, catch up on rest, freshen up and gather again at 1:00pm for lunch

Afternoon

• We head straight out for our favourite fare – street food, where we can choose between noodle soups, seafood and chicken satay
• In the afternoon we’ll head to the governor’s residence area which is the best example of Dutch colonial villas and gardens
• Head out for dinner before we chill out with a beer at the beach
• Overnight in Jayapura

Saturday 24^th May – Jayapura – Wamena and Northern Baliem Valley

Morning

• After breakfast in the hotel we will drive out by car to “Teletubbies Hill” where we’ll get great views of Lake Sentani
• Head to the General MacArthur memorial, where we’ll see more Dutch colonial houses on the winding road up and get great views from the top

Afternoon

• We’ll have a quick lunch before we head to the airport to catch the 2:10pm flight to Wamena, arriving at 3:10pm. Wamena is the heart of West Papua, the main town in the Indonesian Papua Highlands and the gateway to the Baliem Valley
• After arriving in Wamena we will check in to our hotel before heading straight out to tour Aikima in the northern part of the Baliem Valley.
• We’ll go for a 1-2 hour hike where we can see the traditional houses of the Dani people in stunning mountain setting. We’ll walk through fields and pine forests, crossing the Aike river before we head back to our hotel
• Dinner and overnight in Wamena

Sunday 25^th May – Central Baliem Valley

Morning

• After breakfast we drive up to Jiwika in the centre of the valley. We’ll trek for about one hour up the mountain side through stunning rainforest before we reach the traditional salt spring of a Dani village
• Here we can see the traditional techniques of salt production

Afternoon

• Picnic lunch on the mountainside
• Head back down towards a Kurulu hamlet where we can see a mummy of the Dugum clan. We will see more traditional life in the village including arts and crafts as well as locally produced weapons
• Drive back to the hotel
• Dinner and overnight in Wamena

Monday 26^th May – Southern Baliem Valley

Morning

• After breakfast we drive down to the southern side of the Baliem Valley to the village of Sogokmo where we are going to do a 3-4 hour trek
• Here’ll go for a walk along the Baliem River crossing a suspension bridge
• We’ll pass through more Dani settlements with terraced fields and sugar cane plantations. It really doesn’t get more picturesque than this.

Afternoon

• In the early afternoon we will reach Seima Church where we will have a picnic lunch
• Continue on our walk along the river and crossing another suspension bridge
• Reach Kurima where we will meet our driver and head back to the hotel
• Dinner and overnight in Wamena

Tuesday 27^th May – Baliem Valley Mock Battle

Morning

• Today after breakfast we will head out to a local village and see a mock battle put on by the locals!
• On arrival we will be given a special welcome and the tribal members will assemble in their local outfits. The chief will carry out his traditional observation and give the order to all the people for celebrations!
• The locals enact a mock battle, to say this is a unique opportunity for photos and videos is still an understatement!

Afternoon

• Picnic lunch in the village with the locals
• On our way back we first visit Kontilola cave before shopping at a local market
• Dinner and overnight in Wamena

Wednesday 28^th May – Wamena – Jayapura – Sentani Lake

Morning

• We get up early for a quick breakfast and then catch the 6:15am flight back to Jayapura arriving at 7:00am
• Check in at the hotel where we’ll relax for a few hours

Afternoon

• Head out for lunch in Jayapura before we drive to “Love Lake” and Yoka village
• Pass through beautiful scenery on the drive before we get to the lake which the locals say was shaped through the natural power of love…
• From the jetty we’ll take a boat and go for a sail on Sentani Lake, to call it by its proper name
• Arrive in Assei Village where we’ll see the locals demonstrating the tradition of bark painting for us
• Get back on the boat to cross the lake before we drive back to Jayapura
• For our last night in West Papua we’ll head out for dinner before going for drinks at the relatively swanky Swiss-Bel Hotel
• Overnight in Jayapura

Thursday 29^th May – Jayapura – Bali

Morning

• Catch a flight back to Bali at 9:25am arriving at 1:45pm
• Tour concludes: YPT can help or give advice with onward travel

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