What to Bring for trekking trip
in Papua
Paper Work:
* Valid passport: your passport must be valid for at least six months
after your date of departure from Indonesia
* Four additional passport photos (please keep these handy as we will
need these as soon as we arrive in Jayapura)
* Second photo ID (e.g., a driver's license)
* Photocopy of your passport
* Airline ticket and expense money
* All expense money should be exchanged in
Jakarta/Denpasar/other major cities upon arrival, as the exchange rate
is approximately 25% higher in Jakarta than it is in Jayapura
* In general, credit cards are not accepted in
Irian Jaya, so please plan appropriately.
* Travel insurance
Footwear:
In general, our experience tells us that heavy, leather hiking boots are
not appropriate for trekking in most parts of Irian Jaya. The reason for
this is we spend quite a bit of time walking through water and mud, and
the leather gets very saturated. Given the moist climate, the leather
will not dry out and could begin to fall apart. We do recommend
lightweight trail shoes or even running shoes. The best qualities to
look for in choosing shoes to bring to Irian Jaya are as follows:
1. Comfort. Can you walk up to 6 hours in these shoes? (your shoes
should be broken in before your trip!)
2. As much synthetic material in the construction as possible
3. Sticky rubber on the bottom sole.
4. Flexible sole (a very thick sole will not allow you to feel where you
are placing your feet when on wet logs, etc.)
5. Support for the ankle and the bottom of the foot
Socks:
We recommend synthetic or wool blend socks with a thin, capilene-type
liner as a first layer. Cotton socks tend to absorb too much water and
hold an interesting 'scent' if used repeatedly while trekking.
Clothing List:
* 2 pair Trail Shoes (one replacement pair, just in case!)
* Tevas (or something similar for bathing in streams, around camp, etc.)
* 4 pair of synthetic blend socks (wool blend works well)
* 2 pair thin liner socks
* 1 pair of shorts (quick-dry or supplex nylon material)
* 2 pair trousers (quick-dry or supplex nylon material)
* 1 bathing suit
* 1 lightweight sweater, sweatshirt or fleece
* 4-6 short sleeved shirts (it is best to avoid cotton)
* 1 long-sleeved shirt (quick-dry or supplex nylon material)
* Underwear
* Sleepwear and SLEEPING BAG
Travel Clothing:
* 1-2 dress, skirt or comfortable light-weight trouser
* 2 shirts or t-shirts
* Socks and underwear
In general, it's a smart idea to either wear or
carry one pair of your 'trekking shoes' with you just in case your bags
should be lost or delayed. While most things can be replaced, it is very
tough to replace a good-fitting pair of shoes for trekking!
Gear:
* Large durable, nylon or waterproof duffle bag
* Small collapsible duffle for storing travel clothing and any
additional gear that you may decided not to bring trekking)
* Day pack that can fit water bottle and camera
* Rain cover for day pack
* Sleeping bag (rated to 60 degrees)
* Ziplock bags (we recommend that you pack absolutely everything you
bring in ziplock bags.
It is also wise to bring a 5-10 extra to separate wet clothing from
dry)
* Camera
* Recording device and blank tapes (roughly 4-6 hours worth of blank
tape)
* Binoculars
* Sunglasses with hard case
* Flashlight
* Extra batteries (for camera, tape recorder and flashlight)
* Quick dry camping towel
* 1-2 bandannas (can be used to cool you off during the day as well as
for a wash cloth)
* Broad brim (collapsible) hat or baseball cap
* Medical & Toiletries Kit:
- Personal Toiletries (including
bio-degradable liquid soap)
- Sunscreen (preferably with Deet)
- 2-3 bottles Deet-Such as REI's Jungle Juice (remember to pack each
bottle in a ziplock bag, as Deet can dissolve certain materials)
- Second pair of eye glasses (if you need your eye glasses on a
daily basis)
- Aspirin, Tylenol, Aleve or something similar
- Personal medications (anything you normally take at home and any
precautionary items such as migraine medications, if you are prone
to that).
- Cold medicine
- Allergy medicine
- Anti-diarrhea medicine (e.g., Immodium and an antibiotic)
- General Antibiotic
- Eye drops
- Poly or Neosporin
- Assorted BandAids (fabric adheres better than the plastic in humid
conditions)
- Ace bandage and safety pins
- Anti-fungal cream for the feet (prescription strength is best)
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