About this Destination
Papua is Indonesia's last great wilderness — a vast, largely uncharted land of ancient rainforests, soaring mountains, and extraordinary cultures. Home to some 250 distinct indigenous tribes, Papua has been inhabited for over 40,000 years; the Dani and Yali peoples of the Baliem Valley still maintain traditions of highland farming, elaborate ceremony, and ancestral custom largely unchanged by the modern world.
Off Papua's northwest coast, Raja Ampat is widely considered the most biodiverse marine environment on the planet: over 600 species of coral and 1,600 species of fish have been recorded in its waters. The karst islands rising from the turquoise Cenderawasih and Dampier Straits are a sight of rare, otherworldly beauty. Papua is also home to Indonesia's highest peak — Puncak Jaya (4,884m), the tallest mountain between the Himalayas and the Andes.