INDONESIA | PAPUA 10 D Korowai Tree House Nomads

Jayapura
Arrival in Jayapura

When arriving at Jayapura airport, our manager Siprianus is here to welcome you. After the check-in in Hotel Horex we depart for a Jayapura city tour, where we will also visit the very busy fish market, the mountain view point and the Papua Museum which belongs to Jayapura University. In the afternoon we return to Hotel. Later dinner.

Jayapura – Dekai
Flight to the lowlands and start of the boat trip towards the Korowai area.

In the morning, we drive to Jayapura airport for our flight to Dekai which is located on the upper reaches of the Brazza River. After arrival, we visit the local market and do the last shopping for the tour. After lunch in a local restaurant, we drive to the port of Dekai where our motor longboat and crew are waiting for us. We go downriver until we reach the village of Patipi Dibawa. Here we set up our first camp on the riverbank. This short stage gives us an idea of what to expect in the next days: pure jungle landscapes!

 Dekai – Mabul
Arrival in Mabul and preparation of the trekking

After breakfast, we continue downriver in our longboat. We pass lush forests and every now and then hornbills, flying foxes and other birds appear at the sound of the passing boat. Around noon, we reach the mouth of the mighty Siret River. After the lunch break, we go up the Siret River until we reach the Korowai settlement of Mabul. On our way the Siret changes its face. The current gets stronger, sandbanks appear, big tree trunks often block parts of the way, and less and less local boats can be seen. Under the best conditions, we reach Mabul in the early afternoon. Mabul is a small settlement established by the Indonesian government for the Korowai in the hope that they leave the forest and give up their nomadic life. We use this settlement as a starting point for our trekking expedition into the Korowai corridor. With a bit of luck, we can pitch our tents and kitchen in an empty stilt house. Later, we start recruiting our porters for the next days.

Mabul – Korowai settlement
Start of the trek, visit of the first Korowai settlement

After breakfast, we meet our team of porters who accompany us for the next days. We leave Mabul heading East. Within only 50 meters, we are standing in a dense forest which we will not leave for the next days. Today we need about 4 hours to reach our first destination: a fantastic jungle settlement with several tree houses. The Korowai are very loving people and they welcome us immediately. We set up our camp amidst the tree houses – or maybe even inside a tree house.

Korowai settlement
Full day with the Korowai tribe and demonstration of sago processing

Today we follow the Korowai into the sago forest. Here we experience a spectacle from another world. The forest nomads cut down a huge sago palm with their stone axes, open the trunk and start to smash the sago. The sago pulp is processed by women who wash it in primitive “washing machines” – built only from leaves, twigs and rotan. Photo lovers will never forget this day! In the afternoon, we are back to the tree houses where our cook starts preparing our next real jungle dinner. Besides the fresh sago we probably enjoy papaya, vegetables, sago larvae and plantains!

Korowai settlements
Trekking to another Korowai settlement

We leave our first Korowai camp and go back into the forest. Today we want to trek to another Korowai village and spend the night there. The trekking through the untouched tropical forest is unique and sometimes challenging. It may be necessary to cross small rivers or swamps. We expect to arrive at the Korowai village in the early afternoon. After setting up our tents and kitchen, we spend the rest of the day with the local Korowai. They often repair their tree houses at extreme heights. They still make and use bows and arrows – the most important weapons here. Or maybe we accompany the Korowai on a journey into the forest to seek food. They are true hunters and gatherers: in a few hours their nets are filled with spiders, larvae, grasshoppers and other exotic animals. They even shoot flying foxes from the trees.

 Korowai settlement – Mabul
Another day in another world

This is our last day with the Korowai and in this wonderful forest. We thank our hosts and hike back to Mabul. Today’s forest walk takes about 4 hours. Arriving in Mabul, we have time for an extensive bath in the river. We set up our camp for the night again or – depending on the weather – we get back into the boat and cover the first part of the return journey. In both cases, we have another night in tents and dinner from the campfire.

Mabul – Patipi Dibawa
Return by boat

In the morning we leave our camp and follow the river downstream. After about 2 hours, we pass again the mouth of the Brazza River and continue our way back to Patipi Dibawa. In the late afternoon we set up camp in the small village on the upper reaches of the Brazza River.

Patipi Dibawa – Jayapura
Back to Jayapura

Today we leave very early in the direction of the port of Dekai. After a 2-hour drive, we reach our destination and say goodbye to our boat crew. By car we drive directly to the airport of Dekai. Around noon, we fly back to the capital Jayapura. Once at Jayapura airport, we first check-in at the hotel and then drive to the nearby Sentani Lake. After lunch at a lakeside restaurant, we depart on our boat tour to visit the artist villages of Asei and Ayapo. They are known for their traditional paintings called Maro – simple depictions of animals on pressed tree bark in red, white and black. Originally worn as skirts, they are now mostly used as wall decorations. In the afternoon, check in to your hotel. Dinner at the hotel.

 Jayapura – Jayapura airport
Last day in Papua

You enjoy your breakfast at the hotel before your transfer to Jayapura airport. Siprianus accompanies you to ensure a smooth check-in and a pleasant onward journey.