Dates: September 9 – 21, 2024
Duration: 13 days / 12 nights
Number of participants: 7 – 12
EXPEDITION COMPLETED
TRAVEL PROGRAM: tour to Papua
Day 0. September 8, 2024 (Sunday). FLIGHT TO TIMIKA
Flight from Moscow (or another city) to Jakarta with one stop in Bangkok, Istanbul, China or in the countries of Gulf of Persia.
Connecting flight from Jakarta to Timika in the evening of September 8. Night on the flight to Timika.
* Departure from Moscow can be on September 7 or on the night from September 7 to 8.
** Recommended flight from Jakarta to Timika:
— direct flight from Jakarta with Lion Air, departure from Jakarta at 22:00 on September 8, arrival in Timika at 6:05 am on September 9,
— or any other flight arriving in Timika no later than at 7:00 am on September 9.
Accommodation: no
Food: no
Day 1. September 9, 2024 (Monday). TIMIKA — AGATS
Arrival in Timika before 7 am from Jakarta or from another city. Meeting with the guide and catch up for the short breakfast in the airport.
At 10:40 am (the flight schedule may change) flight with Wings Air from Timika to Agats (Ewer airport), Asmat province.
Arrival in Agats at 11:30 am.
Check-in at the guest house Sang Surya or similar.
Visit Museum of Asmat culture, as Agats represents the center of Asmat people, very famous for their elaborative wood carving culture and forgotten practices of headhunting and cannibalism.
Walking tour around Agats town.
Agats is wonderful town which is fully built on the stilts. It slightly resembles Venice, but while high tide the navigation by boats is not possible.
All bikes in the town have an electro engine and move soundless. It all surrealistically looks like numb movie.
Dinner in local karaoke cafe or Rumah Makan Muslim canteen, at your choice.
Accommodation: guest house Sang Surya or similar
Meals included: no
Day 2. September 10, 2024 (Tuesday). AGATS — BINAM VILLAGE OF CITAK
After having breakfast in our guest house, we start our expedition by open motorised long boats up to the swamps of Agats and further to upstream rivers Surets and Eilanden, up to Binam village. It may take some 9 — 10 hours.
We can enjoy the beauty of the wild and the people who live on the river bank.
Midway of our journey we stop for lunch for 40 min in Asmat village (Fos or another one) and our cook will prepare everything.
Arrive late in Binam modern village, also mounted on the stilts, where Citak Mitak people live. Citak are part of Asmat culture, but they speak their own language.
Here we will meet the family of our captain and walk around Asmat/Citak village to see what is their lifestyle.
Asmat tribe in the past well known for traditional carving and also for being severe headhunters and cannibals, nowadays live close to rivers or swamps and practice fishing and hunting, and in the last years also trading.
Dinner and overnight in local house of our captain under our own mosquito nets.
Accommodation: local house under mosquito nets
Meals included: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 3. September 11, 2024 (Wednesday). BINAM VILLAGE — MODERN VILLAGE OF KOROWAI
After breakfast, we continue our journey to the first village of Korowai – missionary (village of Baigon or modern vilage of Korowai or another one, depending on the information about Korowai traditional villages at the moment). By motor boat through Eilanden River it takes around 6 — 7 hours (packed lunch en route), overcoming challenging stream and rapids, which is big adventure in itself. The upper-heads of Eilanden are wild with old rainforest on the banks and remote tribes living deep in the jungle.
Upon arrival to the first (modern) village of Korowai (motor boat crew waits for us in this village or upper/lower of the stream until we return), while engaging our porters, getting information about the itinerary and villages in the jungle, our cook prepares food and we have a dinner.
Mingle with locals around the fire. Overnight all together in long house of modern Korowai people under our own mosquito nets.
Accommodation: local house under mosquito nets
Meals included: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 4. September 12, 2024 (Thursday). MODERN VILLAGE OF KOROWAI — KOROWAI TRADITIONAL VILAGE
After breakfast and getting all information about Korowai villages in the jungle*, together with porters we set off on foot into the jungle to Korowai traditional village deep in the rainforest. Walk about 3 to 5 hours before reaching the traditional Korowai village Aleaton with tree houses built high up on the trees (or another village).
First getting into acquaintance with Korowai traditional village and its inhabitants.
Dinner and overnight in tents.
Accommodation: tents
Meals included: breakfast, lunch, dinner
* Depending on the information about Korowai villages in the jungle (distance, direction etc.), that we get in the Missionary village and depending on availability of local guides and porters, the team leader can take a decision to immediately set off on foot into the jungle the same day upon arrival by boat.
Days 5 – 9. September 13 — 17, 2024 (Friday — Tuesday). KOROWAI TRIBE IN 3 DIFFERENT VILLAGES
Within these days we live in 3 different Korowai villages deep in the jungle (Aleaton, Baylom and Marcus nomadic villages or others), engaging porters from each new village in order to find the further way or correct our itinerary.
We walk approx. 3 to 7 hours a day when we are changing location, overcoming rivers and swamps – a very big adventure! We sleep in our tents on the earth or in the traditional tree houses together with Korowai people.
Tribal Korowai are commonly called tree house people because they build houses high on the trees to avoid the threat from another tribe or from evil spirits. They used to practice cannibalism less than decade ago, and people say that in some villages it is still the case. Some of Korowai still live in the Stone Age not having any appliances made of metal, but this is something which is passing away rapidly.
In the jungle in one village we can see one or two families. Each Korowai family has the territory to find food. Korowai are nomadic people and they always move from one place to another looking for the food. Hunting animals in the wild, fish in the creek or in the swamp is their lifestyle, which is considered the work for men. Korowai women are responsible for gathering such kind of food like insects, sago (sago is one of the palm trees they process to get starch – Korowai's staple food) etc. They eat everything what lives in the jungle and if they serve food on you, then you should eat it, as saying "no" may really offend Korowai people. In every village, if Korowai want to make something special, they can invite their neighbors to join.
In one particular village we can stay 1 or 2 days and see what their activity is and join them. On different days we participate in following activities of Korowai tribe: experience the full process of extracting sago starch from sago palm tree and collecting sago grubs, go with Korowai to hunt wild pigs or cassowary, traditional way of fishing with Korowai, traditional folklore and storytelling around fireplace in the tree house, having meals etc.
If we are lucky, we will probably have chance to witness the process of building tree house. This procedure gathers together people from different families who always help each other in such an important event.
Our purpose is to find the most interesting Korowai villages deep in the jungle as possible within this timeframe and to find traditional habitable tree houses built high up on the trees (up to 20-40 meters high) and also participate the main event – building the traditional Korowai treehouse high up on the tree.
While staying with Korowai tribe, we sleep in our tents on the earth or can stay in tree houses.
Accommodation: tents or Korowai traditional tree houses
Meals included: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 10. September 18, 2024 (Wednesday). KOROWAI TRADITIONAL VILLAGE — MODERN VILLAGE OF KOROWAI — BINAM VILLAGE
After breakfast, we start walking towards the first modern village or another place on the riverbank (some 4 — 7 hrs walking).
Upon return from the jungle, we load everything to the boat and continue the journey by open motor boat downstream Eilanden River until the village of Binam (it takes around 5 – 6 hours).
Here we stay in already close to us family of captain.
Accommodation: local house under mosquito nets
Meals included: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 11. September 19, 2024 (Thursday). BINAM VILLAGE — AGATS
After breakfast, we continue the journey by boat from Asmat village to Agats. It takes some 6-8 hours.
Lunch in Fos and swimming in the river en route.
Transfer to the hotel. Check-in in the guest house Sang Surya or similar, having rest.
Dinner in local cafe, at your choice.
Accommodation: guest house Sang Surya or similar
Meals included: breakfast, lunch
Day 12. September 20, 2024 (Friday). AGATS — TIMIKA
After breakfast, by boat transfer to the airport of Ewer (40 minutes).
Flight from Ewer to Timika at 12 pm with Wings Air.
Arrival in Timika at 12:50 pm.
Transfer to the hotel Swiss Belinn Timika 4*.
Well deserved rest after expedition and farewell dinner in Swiss Bistro.
Accommodation: Swiss Belinn Timika 4* or similar
Meals included: breakfast
Day 13. September 21, 2024 (Saturday). TIMIKA — FLIGHT BACK VIA JAKARTA
Morning after breakfast, private transfer to Timika airport for return flight.
* Recommended flights from Timika to Jakarta:
— to Jakarta with Lion Air, departure from Timika at 10:45 am, arrival in Jakarta at 14:30,
— or any other flight with departure from Timika at any time on September 21 and connecting with the flight from Jakarta to Moscow (or another city).
* Recommended flights from Jakarta to Moscow (or another city):
— any flight with departure from Jakarta at any time on September 21 or later, but connecting with the flight from Timika to Jakarta.
Accommodation: no
Meals included: breakfast
* The participant of the expedition to the Korowai tribe should be motivated, respect the culture of the Korowai, be aware of the purpose of the trip and possible adjustments to plans depending on weather conditions, be in a good shape (physical conditions) and the ability to adapt in an strange environment and culture.
** The itinerary can be changed in the course of expedition by team leader for the sake of the interests of the expedition team and due to safety reasons.
*** Activities schedule while in the Korowai tribe may be changed depending the weather conditions or subject to the local's will.