East Timor & West Papua Tour

Wednesday 14^th May – Kuta, Bali

• Arrive at your convenience into Kuta – Denpasar Airport is well connected from many
  countries within Asia and Australia.
• Bali is THE party place for a number of people and a number of reasons, so we hit the
  town in a big way for our one night in Kuta, Bali
• Overnight in Bali

Thursday 15^th May – Kupang

Morning

• We head to Denpasar Airport for the 11:05am flight to Kupang the capital city of Indonesian (West) Timor

Afternoon

• Arrival at 12:50pm to be met by our guides and transfer to our centrally located hotel
• Lunch in the city
• City tour of Kupang including the local parliament and lots of old colonial Dutch buildings
• Head to the beach for some photos and to do some people watching
• Get ready for some serious street food! Kupang has a legendary night market where we will head for food, drinks, and a great first night out in Timor
• Overnight at Neo Eltari Hotel

Friday 16^th May – Kupang

Morning

• Breakfast at the hotel
• We head out to explore the beautiful countryside and to swim in the Crystal Cave

Afternoon

• Lunch in the countryside
• After lunch, we head further out to the Rosalin Orphanage to hear their story, and see the great work they are doing. If possible we recommend bringing some small gifts for the orphans
• WE then head to the beach where we can wade in the sea, swim, or just people watch
• Dinner and drinks at one of the numerous restaurants that overlook the beach
• Travel back to Kupang for a few drinks and perhaps nighttime dip
• Overnight at Neo Eltari Hotel

Saturday 17^th May – Pante Makasar

Morning

• Breakfast in the hotel
• We head off for the 6-hour drive to Pante Makasar the capital of Oecusse — not only the least visited part of the least visited country in Asia, but also the only exclave of East Timor.
• Regular tourists cannot cross this border, with Pioneer Adventure Travel arranging special permission for us to get visa on arrival here.

Afternoon

• We stop for lunch on the Indonesian side of the border
• Met by the friendly owners of our centrally located guesthouse with some Timorese coffee, and a chance to relax a little.
• We head to the waterfront to capture an amazing sunset!
• Traditional Timorese dinner, coupled with local moonshine as our hosts talk to us about life within the country.
• Overnight in Pante Makassar

Sunday 18^th May – Pante Makassar

Morning

• Breakfast in the hotel
• We head out for our private charter prop plane to Dili, the capital city of East Timor proper. This flight can best be described as interesting!
• We check into our accommodation on the beachfront of Dili, where we also have lunch.

Afternoon

• We go for a whistle-stop tour of Dili including the genocide museum, the parliament, the revolutionary headquarters of the independence movement
• Hang out for sunset on the seaside wall before another treat for the street food
  lovers as we head to the famous Dili night market for an unforgettable helping of
  beers and fish whilst eating on the beach
• Overnight in Dili

Monday 19^th May – Dili  – Ataura Island

Morning

• Breakfast in the hotel
• In the morning, we head out to our private boat to head to Atauro Island, the most famous tourist destination in East Timor, and home to some of the best diving and snorkelling in the country

Afternoon

• Lunch at the resort
• Despite being on a tropical island we wouldn’t be Pioneer Adventure Travel if we didn’t check out the old Indonesian military airport for some photos and an exploration.
• In the afternoon, we make the most of our time on a deserted tropical island by taking advantage of the great snorkelling and diving available
• Seeing as we’re on an island with private beaches we grab a load of supplies and make the most of it by having a BBQ beach party!
• Overnight in Atauro Island

Tuesday 20^th May – Dili – National Day

Morning

• Early breakfast in the before taking an early boat back to Dili
• Trip Highlight – We head to the National Day celebrations as the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste flag is raised. This will be attended by the President, as well as other senior members of government.
• Join in the celebrations with the locals, independence was restored to East Timor on this day in 2002 so we’ll be celebrating their 22nd year of independence since the Indonesian invasion!

Afternoon

• Traditional Timorese lunch in the city
• We head up into the mountains for the museum dedicated to the Timorese who helped the Australians during World War 2, this is also the place to get the best view of Dili
• We next visit Dili Markey, which is a real treat and a place to try street food, one of our favourite things
• Next stop is the FRETELIN headquarters and museum, FRETELIN were the group who largely gained the country independence and the people here will tell us about the history of the movement
• We finish off with souvenir shopping, which will consist of flags, scarfs, hats and of course East Timor fridge magnets
• Last, but indeed by no means least we hike up to the statue of Jesus for sunset.
• Dinner on the beach near the statue
• The evening is finished off with the independence day street party, which includes live music and parting with the locals

Wednesday 21^st May – Dili – Baucau

Morning

• Breakfast in the hotel
• The journey takes around 3 hours with us stopping on the way for pictures opportunities and lunch.

Afternoon

• On arrival in Baucau, we check into our bungalows on our very own private beach. This is simple, but also extremely serene.
• City tour of Baucau including the old colonial building and government house.
• We then head to what is quite a surprising highlight of the trip by visiting the local market.
• Considering this is the second biggest city the market is surprisingly primitive with foreigners rarely venturing here. This offers a lot of opportunities to observe contemporary life as well as interact and speak with the locals
• In the evening, we enjoy a home cooked meal with our hosts before grabbing some beers and heading down to our very own private beach for a kickback. The sea has bio phosphorescence, with the water lighting up on your every move.
• Overnight in beachside bungalows

Thursday 22^nd May – Dili to Kuta

• Breakfast before our scenic drive back to Dili for our departure
• Transfer to the airport for the 2:25pm flight to Bali
• Transfer to hotel to meet new comers joining just the West Papua tour
• Head out for dinner and drinks in Kuta, the party town of Bali but we don’t party hard because nearing midnight we’ll head to the airport..

Friday 23^rd May – Bali – Jayapura

Morning

• Catch the 1:25am flight to Jayapura, arriving at 8:35am.
• Jayapura is the main city of West Papua, located on the north of Western New Guinea in Papua Province of Indonesia. It used to be called Hollandia and its Dutch colonial history is still prominent in the city.
• Head straight to hotel to check in, catch up on rest, freshen up and gather again at 1:00pm for lunch

Afternoon

• We head straight out for our favourite fare – street food, where we can choose between noodle soups, seafood and chicken satay
• In the afternoon we’ll head to the governor’s residence area which is the best example of Dutch colonial villas and gardens
• Head out for dinner before we chill out with a beer at the beach
• Overnight in Jayapura

Saturday 24^th May – Jayapura – Wamena and Northern Baliem Valley

Morning

• After breakfast in the hotel we will drive out by car to “Teletubbies Hill” where we’ll get great views of Lake Sentani
• Head to the General MacArthur memorial, where we’ll see more Dutch colonial houses on the winding road up and get great views from the top

Afternoon

• We’ll have a quick lunch before we head to the airport to catch the 2:10pm flight to Wamena, arriving at 3:10pm. Wamena is the heart of West Papua, the main town in the Indonesian Papua Highlands and the gateway to the Baliem Valley
• After arriving in Wamena we will check in to our hotel before heading straight out to tour Aikima in the northern part of the Baliem Valley.
• We’ll go for a 1-2 hour hike where we can see the traditional houses of the Dani people in stunning mountain setting. We’ll walk through fields and pine forests, crossing the Aike river before we head back to our hotel
• Dinner and overnight in Wamena

Sunday 25^th May – Central Baliem Valley

Morning

• After breakfast we drive up to Jiwika in the centre of the valley. We’ll trek for about one hour up the mountain side through stunning rainforest before we reach the traditional salt spring of a Dani village
• Here we can see the traditional techniques of salt production

Afternoon

• Picnic lunch on the mountainside
• Head back down towards a Kurulu hamlet where we can see a mummy of the Dugum clan. We will see more traditional life in the village including arts and crafts as well as locally produced weapons
• Drive back to the hotel
• Dinner and overnight in Wamena

Monday 26^th May – Southern Baliem Valley

Morning

• After breakfast we drive down to the southern side of the Baliem Valley to the village of Sogokmo where we are going to do a 3-4 hour trek
• Here’ll go for a walk along the Baliem River crossing a suspension bridge
• We’ll pass through more Dani settlements with terraced fields and sugar cane plantations. It really doesn’t get more picturesque than this.

Afternoon

• In the early afternoon we will reach Seima Church where we will have a picnic lunch
• Continue on our walk along the river and crossing another suspension bridge
• Reach Kurima where we will meet our driver and head back to the hotel
• Dinner and overnight in Wamena

Tuesday 27^th May – Baliem Valley Mock Battle

Morning

• Today after breakfast we will head out to a local village and see a mock battle put on by the locals!
• On arrival we will be given a special welcome and the tribal members will assemble in their local outfits. The chief will carry out his traditional observation and give the order to all the people for celebrations!
• The locals enact a mock battle, to say this is a unique opportunity for photos and videos is still an understatement!

Afternoon

• Picnic lunch in the village with the locals
• On our way back we first visit Kontilola cave before shopping at a local market
• Dinner and overnight in Wamena

Wednesday 28^th May – Wamena – Jayapura – Sentani Lake

Morning

• We get up early for a quick breakfast and then catch the 6:15am flight back to Jayapura arriving at 7:00am
• Check in at the hotel where we’ll relax for a few hours

Afternoon

• Head out for lunch in Jayapura before we drive to “Love Lake” and Yoka village
• Pass through beautiful scenery on the drive before we get to the lake which the locals say was shaped through the natural power of love…
• From the jetty we’ll take a boat and go for a sail on Sentani Lake, to call it by its proper name
• Arrive in Assei Village where we’ll see the locals demonstrating the tradition of bark painting for us
• Get back on the boat to cross the lake before we drive back to Jayapura
• For our last night in West Papua we’ll head out for dinner before going for drinks at the relatively swanky Swiss-Bel Hotel
• Overnight in Jayapura

Thursday 29^th May – Jayapura – Bali

Morning

• Catch a flight back to Bali at 9:25am arriving at 1:45pm
• End of tour, Pioneer Adventure Travel can help with onward travel