Papua (Irian Jaya) Getting there & around

Getting around

Very few roads have successfully crossed the seemingly impenetrable terrain of Papua. Roads between Jayapura and Wamena, and Sorong and Manokwari, have been started, but are unlikely to be completed in the next few years – if ever! Boats are slow, infrequent and often uncomfortable, so flying is the best, and sometimes only, option.

Boat

Travelling around Papua by boat will take some time as well as planning. Four big Pelni liners – the Ciremai, Dobonsolo, Doro Londa and Nggapulu – stop at major towns along the north coast every two weeks. The Sangiang plies the south coast every two weeks, while the Tatamailau and Kelimutu also crawl along the south coast every four weeks.

The next best option is a Perintis boat along either coast, but they are less comfortable and slower than Pelni liners. Many other basic boats sail along certain smaller sections of both coasts, and as far inland as the enormous rivers will allow.

No boat regularly links the north coast of Papua with the south coast.

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Air

The hubs for internal flights around Papua are Sorong for the northwest; Biak for the Teluk Cenderawasih (Cenderawasih Bay) region; Jayapura for the Baliem Valley; and Merauke for the southeast coast. Some flights on the main carrier, Merpati, are over-booked, while others are cancelled through a lack of passengers. Garuda, which flies between Timika, Biak and Jayapura, is more reliable.

Merpati offices in Fak-Fak, Serui, Yemburwo (Pulau Numfor), Anggi, Senggo, Ewer and Manokwari are not computerised, so you can only book a flight from these towns at the relevant Merpati offices. This results in double-bookings and utter chaos at the offices, and a telephone reservation before arrival is usually worth diddly-squat. So, if you’re flying with Merpati, always allow plenty of time and be prepared for delays and cancellations. Merpati planes to smaller destinations have a 10kg baggage limit per person, though this is usually ignored if you’re a few kilograms over.

Between Sentani (Jayapura) and Wamena, planes are also operated by the cargo carrier Trigana Air Service (Wamena airport terminal 0969-31611, Sentani airport terminal 0967-594383), Protestant-run Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF; Wamena; 0969-31263; Jl Gatot Subroto; Sentani; 0967-91109; Jl Misi Sentani) and the Indonesian army. The MAF and the Catholic-run Associated Mission Aviation (AMA; 0967-591009; amasentani@jayapura.wasantara.net.id; Jl Misi Sentani, Sentani) also fly from Sentani (Jayapura) and/or Wamena to a dozen or more remote villages in the central and western highlands. These organisations sometimes accept tourists, but their primary concern is missionary business. You can also often charter their planes – at exorbitant rates. Make sure you book at least one week in advance. Airfast (021-5200696; www.airfastindonesia.com) planes, based in Jakarta, can also be chartered to/from Timika.

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