Traditional Villages : Back to Basic in Baduy

Back to Basic in Baduy

Imagine a peaceful place, surrounded by verdant atmosphere. Sound of nature the rustle of the wind amidst the bamboo leaves, the chirping of the birds, the faint rush of the river. Baduy village, located in the hills of Kendeng mountain, about 75 kilometers southward from Rangkasbitung, West Java, is the perfect place to people who want to taste a bit of serenity seldom found in big cities. Those with a taste of adventure might find trekking to Baduy village both interesting and stimulating.

You can stay at traditional homes in Baduy, in Cicakal Village. The houses are built of woven bamboos with ijuk leaves. These houses might last for up to 25 years (in one condition: the roof should be changed once per 5 years). Baduy people don't believe in technology, so don't expect electrical goods here.

There are no restaurants in Baduy, so please bring your own food. Sometimes you can ask the locals to share their meals with you. Traditional cloths (mostly blue) woven by Baduy women. You'll be able to explore the lush forest and natural sceneries (for Baduy people never disrupt the nature). You?re welcome to take pictures as long as you haven't entered Baduy Dalam (Inner Baduy) area. People in Outer Baduy are more tolerant with signs of technology.

Rent a car. The car will stop at Ciboleger Village.

1. From Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta, take a train to Merak via Rangkasbitung. It will take about 1.5 hours. From Rangkasbitung, use a public transportation (called ELF by locals) to Ciboleger. The trip will take approximately 2.5 hours. The sight of The Farmer?s Family statues in Ciboleger will greet you, bidding you welcome. Follow the footpaths?on foot, enjoy the natural landscape around you. You'll then pass through Gajeboh Village. Here you can see Baduy women weaving clothes. Proceed by crossing Ciujung River, the widest river in Baduy area. The sight of the bridge made of bamboos tied to one another (no nails are involved!) might deter you from moving onward, but no need to fear! The bridge is strong despite of its crudeness. You'll then enter Cicakal Village. Here you can rest and spend the night. The journey on foot from Ciboleger to Cicakal will take about 2 hours.
2. Alternatively, to enter Inner Baduy Village, you can use Koranji line then pass through Kroya Market. Every week, Baduy people visit this market to exchange their farming goods with whatever they need. From this place they'll move on to Cikapol Village.

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Traditional Villages : Arborek Tourism Village

Arborek Tourism Village, Raja Ampat

The village of Arborek is fast rising as a pioneer among the 18 beautiful villages in West Papua that have embarked on developing local regulations for community-based marine conservation, For this, the village of Arborek has gained an outstanding reputation among both the local authority and international community. With the assistance of the national and local government, from research centers, and non-government organizations, the local people have succeeded in formulating local regulations, naming their conservation region the Mambarayup and Indip.

Finding underwater beauty is not so difficult here. Along the Arborek pier, divers can simply plunge into the water and instantly find a most intriguing illumination of the glittering of a gorgonian fan just below the surface. People in Arborek are hospitable and very industrious, creating exceptional handicrafts from sea pandan leaves to make the most of their time each day. Arborek is fascinating both underwater and in the village.

Known as the Arborek Tourism Village, the community is known for its handicraft in making hats and noken (string bags). Unlike most women in other villages who also give a hand to their husbands as fishermen, nearly all mothers in this village produce handicrafts for a living. Although they are convinced that catching lobsters and work in pearl agro-production are much more profitable, yet they feel that handicraft is more distinguished and more graceful work for women. This is a village worth visiting. Only one and half hours from Waisai, Raja Ampat’s capital, the village of Arborek is awaiting visitors from around the world.

The nearest temporary accommodations are The Kri Eco Resort and The Sorido Bay Resort managed by Papua Diving. In Yenbuba, there is also one owned by Dedy Mayor. If you are interested in living in an eco resort, also try to visit Misool Eco Resort, where all the cottages are almost totally built from salvaged wood. Here you will find colorful fish and reef in shallow waters, just right across your eco-friendly cottage.

Misool Eco Resort can be accessed online at www.misoolecoresort.com
Kri Eco Resort and Sorido Bay Resort can be accessed online at www.papua-diving.com

No restaurants and food stalls are available here, but you can find shops selling food supplies at Waisai or Sorong. If you wish to find better variety of food other than seafood on the menu, it is best to go to Sorong, where you can find general Indonesian food, ranging from meatball bakso and noodle mee, satay, padang food, or other popular dishes.

“Tembok” is a place in Sorong famous for lines of food stalls or warungs. [see What to eat in Sorong] Here, you can find Javanese food or Padang restaurants. No local tribes are selling food here. However, most of the warungs will surely have seafood on the menu.

Go to the back of Sorong’s Telkom Office (Kantor Telkom), where food kiosks are also available. The price for food in Papua is expectedly higher than that in western part of Indonesia. Fried chicken is the cheapest on the menu, it will cost you around IDR 20,000.

Lido Kuring is a fancier type of restaurant that you find in Sorong; less than a kilometer from “Tembok”. Raja Seafood is said to be of the same class as Lido Kuring, serving as its main menu, seafood!
The Noken string bag is gaining popularity around the globe. Its significance is actually the attraction that people are looking for. In the local’s perspective, the noken is not just a bag. It is a symbol of good life, peace, and fertility. Only women can make a noken. It is all hand made. Men are not allowed to make these, because it symbolizes a woman’s womb. Nokens made of wood skin can be bought at IDR 25,000 to IDR 50,000, while those made of orchid bark found in the Papua rain forests are more expensive. It can cost IDR 100,000 a piece.

The Noken has different names in different places. In West Papua, people call it noken. The Danis in the Baliem Valley call it Su. The Biak people call it Inokson. The Moor call it Aramuto. The Marind in Merauke call it Mahyan. In Paniai, where the noken is made of special orchid bark, people call it Agiya.

Saly is also a souvenir to bring home with you. It is a skirt made of wood bark fiber or banana tree fibres, worn by the Dani women of Baliem.

A traditional bowl with hand carvings is also unique and has no equal to complete your collection. Cassowary Bone Dagger is something you may want to collect due to its rarity and exquisite look.

This tourism village is not too extensive in terms of size. The land covers around a 7-hectare area, so that it will not take much time and energy to travel around the village. There are around 150 families living in the village. Should you stay in the village, walking is probably the best means to be familiar with your holiday destination.

For snorkeling, you don’t need to travel far because you can find interesting underwater world even by the Arborek pier. Walking down the village trails will give you the very opportunity you will not want to miss, as people and especially children will warmly greet and get acquainted with you.

For diving, it will take about 10 minutes by ‘katinting’ or motorized boat to the dive spots. The katinting is sometimes available for rent. There are two types of katinting: one with smaller motorized power engine (15 horsepower), and the larger with 40 horsepower engine. The local fishermen use katinting to catch fish with traditional fishnets and spears.

The Arborek Tourism Village is located in Meos Mansar in the district of Raja Ampat, West Papua. To reach this location, it is easier to start your journey from Sorong.

There are several flights that you can take from Jakarta or Makassar to Sorong; e.g., Merpati Air, Express Air, and Lion Air. For sea transportation, ships calling on the Port of Sorong are the Dorolonda, the Labobar, Gunung Dempo, Sinabung, and Tatamailau.

From Sorong, you can take a motorboat from the Sorong Fishery Port to Waisai, capital city of the Raja Ampat district. From Waisai, you can continue your less-than-two-hour journey by using a rented longboat to Arborek Village.

There are two alternatives to travel between Sorong and Waisai. Firstly, you can take a speedboat that makes the distance in two hours. Secondly, you can use a local government boat that takes five hours sailing straight to Arborek, without stopping at Waisai. This location is suitable for snorkeling and diving. But you have to bring your own diving and snorkeling equipment because no rental facilities are available.

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Traditional Villages : Baliem Valley

Baliem Valley :

Home of the Dani's

High up in the mountains of central Papua at an altitude of 1,600 meters above sea level, hemmed in by steep green mountain walls, lies the stunningly beautiful Baliem valley, home of the Dani tribe.

Baliem valley is 72 km. long, and 15 km to 31 km wide in places. It is cut by the Baliem river, which has its source in the northern Trikora mountain, cascading into the Grand Valley, to meander down and further rushing south dropping 1,500 meters to become a large muddy river that slowly empties into the Arafura Sea.

The first outsider to discover the valley was American Richard Archbold, who, on 23 June 1938 from his seaplane, suddenly sighted this awesome valley dotted with neat terraced green fields of sweet potatoes, set among craggy mountain peaks. This is Indonesia’s own Shangri-La.

Only recently emerged from the Stone Age, the Dani are known as the “gentle warriors”. With their simple tools of stone and bone, they nonetheless, managed to sculpt green fields that hug the hills, where they grow root crops, and raise pigs. They have also built outposts and lookout towers to defend their valley from hostile tribes.

Because of the fertile soil and their agricultural skills, the Dani together with the sub-tribes of the Yali and the Lani, are, therefore, the most populous in Papua, living scattered in small communities near their gardens among the steep mountain slopes. Today, they also cultivate bananas, taro and yams, ginger, tobacco and cucumbers.

The men's and women's huts (locally called the honai) have thick thatched roofs, which keep the huts cool during the day and warm during the cold nights.

For those who are adventurous and are cultural observers at heart, it is possible to stay and mingle among the Baliem Valley people, just make sure your tour operator booked this before your visit. Go show? Affordable. If the first alternative seems too extreme, you can stay at hotels in the town of Wamena: (click on Find Hotel)

Souvenirs can be easily found in the valley as you can buy the crafts directly from the Dani people.

These include: Stone blades, which are a major favorite among visitors; Sekan: rattan bracelets; Noken: made from tree bark fibers; Necklaces and arm bands; Jogal: grass skirts, and other head decorations




By trekking, you can witness traditional ceremonies, traditional markets and the way of life of the Dani. There are a very limited number of restaurants inside the Baliem Valley. Your tour guide can bargain with the Dani people to provide you with simple meals. It’s strongly advised that visitors bring their own meals and snacks during trekking through and around Baliem Valley. Meals and snacks can be bought at grocery stores in Wamena.

To make your trip easier and to get the most value, it is advisable to find a packaged tour offered by several operators. Click on Find Travel Agent

The only access to the Baliem Valley is by flying to the town of Wamena. There are a number of carriers from Jayapura to Wamena: (For more info, ask the officers at Sentani Airport Information Center). Trigana Air Services provide daily flights into and out of Wamena. Spot the Trigana Air Service Offices at Sentani Airport terminal and Wamena Airport terminal.

Others are MAF, AMA, Yajasi, Manunggal Air; while the Indonesian Army (TNI) has Hercules aircrafts.

From Wamena into the interior of the Baliem valley you can rent a car or travel by public bus .

Foreigners must obtain a travel permit, known as Surat Keterangan Jalan to get access into the interior of Papua. You can obtain the Surat Keterangan Jalan at major police stations, such as at Jayapura, Merauka, Timika, Biak, Nabire, Monokwari and other major cities.

The permit will depend on your request, lasting from 1 week to 1 month or longer. Prepare copies of your passport, recent photograph and list of places you wish to visit. It is easy to obtain the Surat Keterangan Jalan, because the officers are friendly and helpful.

You can ask your travel agent to arrange the Surat Keterangan Jalan.
A Guide is needed to explore the valley
Don’t forget to bring a copy of your Surat Keterangan Jalan
The best time to visit is between March and August
If you travel during the rainy season, prepare yourself with cold weather gear
Ask your guide about Do’s and Don’ts in the Baliem Valley

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Traditional Villages

Traditional Villages

As a country with over 350 cultural ethnic groups, the cultural diversity of Indonesia deserves to be explored. Discover unique cultures and witness traditional life in Indonesia with a visit to one of the many traditional local villages where residents maintain indigenous cultures, living just as their ancestors did centuries ago. Spread throughout Indonesia, traditional villages offer the chance to experience something uniquely Indonesian, places where traditional beliefs and rituals, practices still dominate daily life. The traditional communities and cultural groups who live in these villages still practice their ethnic rituals, customs, produce exotic arts and crafts and wear traditional clothes. The main attraction of these villages is the chance to see and experience distinctive cultures which remain free from influences of modernisation. A visit to a traditional village is an unforgettable experience and offers the rare opportunity to embrace a purely village atmosphere.

Baliem Valley

High up in the mountains of central Papua at an altitude of 1,600 meters above sea level, hemmed in by steep green mountain walls, lies the stunningly beautiful Baliem valley, home of the Dani tribe. Baliem valley is 72 km. long, and 15 km to 31 km...

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Location: Papua » Papua

Arborek Tourism Village, Raja Ampat

The village of Arborek is fast rising as a pioneer among the 18 beautiful villages in West Papua that have embarked on developing local regulations for community-based marine conservation, For this, the village of Arborek has gained an...

read more >>

Location: Papua » West Papua

Back to Basic in Baduy

Imagine a peaceful place, surrounded by verdant atmosphere. Sound of nature the rustle of the wind amidst the bamboo leaves, the chirping of the birds, the faint rush of the river. Baduy village, located in the hills of Kendeng mountain, about 75...

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Location: Java » Banten » Kab. Serang, Kab. Lebak

Baliem Valley Festival

The main tribes inhabiting the beautiful Baliem Valley in the central highlands of Papua are the Dani, the Yali and the Lani. Although now modernized, the Dani still strongly adhere to their traditions and customs, most notably the dress of the men....

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Location: Papua » Papua

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Kampung Naga

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Lake Sentani

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Madobak Ugai Matotonan Village

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Maumere, City to embark on your Flores adventure

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Location: Kalimantan » East Kalimantan » Kota Samarinda

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