Hi everyone,
My wife and two children aged 12 & 15 are planning a trip this July and have the Baliem Valley & Raja Ampat in our sights.
However trying to find information on this area is proving difficult so I hoped you all would be able to help?
How many days do you think we would need once we get to Jayapura to see the valley?
We hoped to travel from there to Sorong and check out Raja Ampat via a "cheaper" liveaboard for maybe 4/5 nights but also wondered if the whale sharks are worth visiting in Nabire along the way?
It sounds like an amazing experience but also could be a circus where tourists such as ourselves are damaging the area. Tough choice so information and personal experiences would be helpful, thanks.
We have the whole of July starting in with 3 nights in Tana Toraja Sulawesi as missed that area a few years back when visiting the Togean Islands.
We plan to visit Volcano's in Java as well after seeing Borobudur with the masses.
I'm sure you can tell we like to experience culture and get off the beaten track a little but also have a few rest stops along the way.
Thanks again Brent
You could get a good taste of the Baliem Valley in 4-5 days. Of course you could also make it shorter or longer.
I don't think visitors like you should have a particularly damaging effect on either the whalesharks or Raja Ampat, though in the latter area staying in locally owned accommodation would be more helpful to the locals than being on a cruise.
Java, Tanatoraja, RA and the Baliem is a logical itinerary with easy connections.
Thanks Laszlo,
Appreciate your advice, with regards to the Liveaborads, we only decided on that mode of accommodation due to the fact the weather possibly being slightly windy and felt if the wind is coming from one direction, we could at least more on the protected side of an island.
The company we are looking at travelling with apparently only employs locals so isn't a large ship full of foreign owned staff, time will tell the story I'm sure.
Cheers
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