The best season
The best period to visit Baliem Valley is between March and August, when the weather is dry and cool. We went there in August, although it is good to know that the rains here are very frequent.
What to wear
Baliem Valley is quite hot during the day and cool in the evening and early in the morning. The weather is similar to what you can find in the mountains. We suggest wearing some classic layered clothing. Always keep a rain jacket at your fingertips.
Transportation
For long distance we took some domestic flights, then we used all sort of types of local transportations (bemo-bus, ojeck-taxi/mopeds). Take into account the risk of break down.. it happened to us, while returning from the festival to Wamena, we hitchhiked and solved the issue.
Regarding flights, we had a couple of flight with Merpati airline, which is the low-cost company, Garuda in fact, the national airline, can be quite expensive. Just be aware that Merpati flights are canceled very often (it happened to us twice in a week).
To book a flight to Wamena you have to contact a local agency, small airlines do not have an online booking system.
Where to stay
For Wamena the hotel booking was managed by the same local agency we turned to for our domestic flights. It was impossible to organize autonomously from Europe, since the payment with non-Indonesian credit cards is not available.
Miscellaneous
We have always organized locally the activities related to each trip but in this case, in the area of Baliem, we noticed a total lack of the small agencies that we usually turn to. Initially we found some difficulties in organizing the trekking also because August is the month with the maximum turnout of tourists (as much as there can be in this area) and local guides are usually already booked. Eventually, after meeting some Dutch guys by chance, we got in touch with their guide and organized a last-minute trip. So, we recommend arranging everything before departure.
General info
Visa: it is issued at the airport and costs about 30 dollars.
To visit the Baliem Valley you need a special permits, the “Surat Jalan”, which must be exhibited at any check point. This permit is required in different areas of Papua, so ask about it beforehand. It is free, and you can get it in Jayapura (for any place you want to visit) or directly in Wamena (for Baliem valley only).
Anti-malarial prophylaxis: it is mandatory to visit Papua. We took, as usual, Malarone. But you should always ask you doctor.
