Baliem Valley

The Baliem valley lies at around sixteen hundred metres in the central highlands of Papua, a broad flat-floored valley of intensively farmed sweet potato gardens holding a population of tens of thousands, and it was unknown to the outside world until an American expedition flew over it in 1938 and reported it - one of the last such encounters anywhere. The Dani, Lani and Yali peoples farm here with elaborate raised-bed irrigation, keep pigs as the measure of wealth, and until recently practised warfare between confederations under a ritual code. Wamena, the town, is reached only by air; there is no road to the coast, so everything including fuel is flown in and prices reflect it. The Baliem Valley Festival, usually in August, stages mock battles and pig feasts.

The main sights

• A valley found in 1938 - among the last places the outside world encountered.
• Sweet potato garden systems - raised beds and irrigation across the valley floor.
• Dani, Lani and Yali communities - the highland peoples farming the valley.
• A town reachable only by air - Wamena, with everything flown in.

When to go

All year; drier May to September; the festival is usually August. A week.

Practical notes

Papua travel requires checking current permit and entry rules, which change. Prices in Wamena are high because everything is flown in. Guides are essential. Photographing people should always be asked first, and payment is often expected.

Nearby

Jayapura and Lake Sentani are north by air; the Yali country is east.

Key facts