A mandatory stop for the domestic flight that, in less than an hour, leads to the Baliem Valley (link), is Sentani/Jayapura.
The village does not offer much but a few shops and some places where to eat. Nevertheless, a few kilometers away, and easily reachable by local bus (bemo), there is the beautiful Danau Sentani. A wonderful lake studded with 19 islands where, along their banks, lots of fascinating fishing villages are built on wooden stilts. Usually, you will find some boatmen who bring the local people to their homes, so you can ask them to get on one of these boats and take a ride around the lake and maybe go down to visit some islands.
It is a beautiful experience. It was like going back in time. The small fishing villages, with their traditional houses and myriads of kids playing, intrigued by our presence.
Another stop, is the Tugu MacArthur, a monument that is located 6 km far from Sentani which offers an exceptional view over the lake. It can be reached by taxi or ojek, a scooter. We do not recommend walking on the steep slope. It was here where General Douglas MacArthur established his headquarters after his American troops had conquered Jayapura.
