Tribal trip to West Papua ► Dani and Korowai tribe

Tribal trip to West Papua from 23 Oct. to 1 Nov. 2025 / From 4,400€

This tribal trip to West Papua is designed to explore the remote communities that inhabit the province of West Papua. To do this, we will fly over one of the most virgin areas on the planet in a small plane, we will cross its lush jungles on foot, and we will cross rivers, for hours, in small boats; all this to get to know two ancestral communities.

Korowai tribe

This tribal trip to West Papua will start with a hard trek to arrive at the home of the last Korowai. These aborigines did not have contact with anyone outside their community until the 1970s, and, to this day, they continue to practice hunting and gathering as a means of subsistence. We will share a few days with them, and we will be able to contemplate their spectacular tree houses, built more than 30 meters high. In addition, we will listen to their sacred songs, with which they bless each routine action, and we will accompany them through the jungle in their daily chores: hunting, gathering and making sago flour. In short, we will witness that there are still human groups that live sustainably and in absolute harmony with nature.

Asmat tribe

We will continue this tribal trip to West Papua with a visit to the Asmat community, one of the most isolated in the area. This isolation is partly due to the fact that their natural environment has provided them with all the resources they needed to sustain their survival: sago palm starch, beetle larvae, crustaceans, fish, game animals, and other items collected from their forests and waters.

In addition, we will be able to see the type of traditional architecture they preserve, long buildings elevated a few meters off the ground. We will learn in depth about their culture and history, as the Asmat were headhunters and practiced cannibalism. In fact, they are considered to be the last people to abandon this practice.

In short, during this tribal trip to West Papua we will witness how there are still human groups that live sustainably and in absolute harmony with nature. A unique expedition to the heart of one of the most virgin regions on the planet.

The guide for this tribal trip to West Papua will be Lucía Madrid, an anthropological and cultural popularizer with a gender focus.

Download the itinerary for this tribal trip to West Papua

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Discover the highlights of this tribal trip to West Papua

We will meet the Korowai people

The Korowai people are a primarily hunter-gatherer ethnic group. Sago palm flour is a fundamental part of their diet. Currently, it is believed that this ethnic group is made up of about 3,000 individuals, of whom only 150 already live inside the jungle. They are distributed in patrilineal clans, and marriages, in which the man has to pay a dowry to the woman's family after her first menstruation, are exogamous and polygamous.

Cannibalism stopped being practiced a couple of decades ago. When members of different clans attacked each other, the defeated were devoured by the victors as a way of imbibing the power and prestige of the rival. Furthermore, periodically, the wisest men in the group perform certain rituals in honor of a creator god in which delicacies made with sago and animistic spells are combined with animal sacrifices.

We will visit the majestic tree houses of the Korowai people

During this tribal trip to West Papua we will have the privilege of visiting the legendary tree houses of the Korowai culture. These constructions rise up to 30 meters above the ground, using tall and robust banyan trees as their central axis. At the top is the house, which has a suspended floor made of branches and sticks and a roof made up of carefully intertwined leaves. The central structure and the door are made of branches fixed with rattan. Along the trunk of the tree, there is a fixed ladder that is erected with steps of the same material.

The reasons why the Korowai people build these homes at such a high altitude are the following: it offers protection against floods; it is easy to evacuate smoke when cooking; it allows you to keep your distance from dangerous animals (wild boars, snakes or disease-carrying insects); and it provides sighting and defense capabilities against enemies from other tribal groups.

We will accompany the Korowai to fish

It will be a good opportunity to understand the daily habits of the locals. We will go with them to a nearby river. The Korowai use a kind of root for fishing, which is crushed and dipped in water. This hook is poisonous to fish and other aquatic creatures. Another Korowai fishing technique is to block two sections of a small river and dry it up. Fish and other aquatic creatures will be a great reward for teamwork. We will get muddy and dirty and catch fish or frogs with our own hands. Children and old people will come to the river to fish. After such hard work, the locals will cook today's catch: fish, frogs or worms will be cooked on the fire. Together with the sago ball, such catches are eaten with great joy. The Korowai cook without spices; if they have a little salt, it will be the only ingredient that brings some flavor to the food.

We will visit the Asmat tribe

During this tribal trip to West Papua, we will share a full day filled with emotions and vibrant moments together with an Asmat community. We will begin by witnessing a spectacular demonstration of the arrival ceremony that the Asmat warriors used to perform when returning from battle. We will observe how the fighters would return, glorious and victorious, riding in boats and dressed in their war attire and body paint. Once the warriors reached dry land, they were welcomed by the rest of the community. We will see how women, elders, and children greeted them through endless dances, showing their gratitude for the bravery displayed on the battlefield. After this impressive moment which will give us goosebumps, we will witness the ceremony of raising the sacred totem in honor of the ancestors. Also, we will also have the opportunity to meet with the men of the community, engage in conversation with them, and ask about their experiences today and their culture. We will dedicate part of the day to walk around this small village, visit the craft shop, and do some shopping if we wish. Also, we will also visit their museum, a building that houses much of the history and culture of this community. Here, we will see displayed pieces that will surprise us, but we don’t want to spoil anything so you can experience the surprise for yourselves once we are there.